Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #296432 in Books
• Published on: 1998-01-15
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Amazon.com
Once again Frederick Lenz (author of the bestselling Surfing the Himalayas) uses snowboarding as the metaphor for maneuvering through the ice and powder of life. Our snowboarding hero must solve the spiritual riddle of "the missing dimension" before he can reach the next level of enlightenment. Paradoxes, Bruce Lee movies, Tibetan tantric texts, and a love affair with a Danish woman offer the puzzling clues and exotic visuals.

From Library Journal
Lenz achieved notoriety with his first book, Surfing the Himalayas (Warner, 1995); this second installment to a planned trilogy slogs through much of the same territory. This time, as his alter ego snowboards in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal, in addition to (Zen) Master Fwap, Lenz has added a character called the Oracle and selections from "The Handbook for Enlightenment." There's also Nadia, a Danish sex partner and short-term soul mate. (Lenz's puerile fantasies result in some of the funniest sex scenes ever contrived.) Our hero defines himself in a pair of telling paragraphs. "What kind of person am I? I do just what I want to....I am just freaked out about taking on responsibilities. I want to be free, that's all." Lenz tells us, through Master Fwap and the Oracle, that one of the characteristics of enlightenment is an outrageous sense of humor. It would be comforting to think this work is a clever satire; unfortunately, Lenz seems to take himself most seriously. Recommended only for collections where his previous book circulated well.
-?Janet N. Ross, Sparks Branch Lib., Nev.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Real-life snowboarder Lenz (Surfing the Himalayas, 1995) takes us, in what may be the most hilarious spiritual quest since Candide, on a most excellent pilgrimage through the mountains of Nepal. Although there is every indication that Lenz has written with a straight face, his sequel--which he dedicates to his dog--reads for all the world like a '90s parody of Gurdjieff or The Razor's Edge. In an introduction, Lenz makes it clear that he is merely fictionalizing his own experiences as a California jock abroad, and anyone who has hung out in Tibetan youth hostels--or simply fantasized over a Lonely Planet guidebook--will recognize the scene. The narrator is a young and not very bright American who comes to the East in search of the perfect mountain to surf and falls under the spell of Master Fwap, a Buddhist monk. Our hero is not particularly given to introspection, but Fwap makes him understand why snowboarding is his destiny and how it will lead him to spiritual completion. Under Fwap's guidance he progresses along the way of purification and enlightenment and improves his snowboarding technique at the same time. He also meets Nadia, a Danish tourist who's spent years mastering Zen Buddhism. Nadia introduces him to Tantric sex, and though he makes good progress under her and Fwap's lead, he eventually rebels: ``While I loved both Master Fwap and Nadia, they just weren't like me. My world was competitive athletics, and theirs was enlightenment.'' So he goes home to Santa Monica, but he finds that he just can't take up his old life as a surfer anymore: Too much has change, there's too much he still doesn't understand. Finally, he decides that he has to go back to Fwap to ``solve the riddle of the missing dimensions.'' Despite long and extremely boring passages about techniques of meditation and asceticism, this may nevertheless be one of the funniest books of the last five years. Lenz has written a comic masterpiece, whether he meant to or not. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Truly inspiring!
I highly recommend this book to anyone. And in particular, anyone who's interested in higher ideals, love, brightness, clarity, wonderment, ecstacy... There's just so much of it in this book! The notion that people exercise at most 10% of their capabilities is well known in popular culture, but what's not is how to engage the rest of one's being. The author illuminates new ways of seeing life explained in clear, plain English that's fun to read and includes multiple techniques to free the mind and sustain higher energy and awareness that goes beyond the mundane awareness most people abide in. How can this be? Isn't this guy full of it? The only way to know for sure is to have the willingness to try it for yourself and find out. I did. This is a gem - the best book I have ever read on self-discovery!

Excellent! Probably the Best Book on Buddhism ever Written
Yeah, this is so cool!

'Snowboarding to Nirvana' is a great book on the simple essence of Buddhism that is just right for our time. It is 100% accurate on the facts of Buddhism and what Buddhism is, totally excellent, bright, really funny, and very entertaining.

I read a lot of books on Buddhism, some are very complex and involved with deep concepts that are very difficult to understand, but nonetheless certainly worthwhile to do so because of the joy that comes from using the mind to unlock the deepest secrets of the universe.

But I think overall, there is something to be said for 'simple books' on the enlightened mind, that are inspiring to read over and over again, because they keep the reader in a high state of mind, like meditation.

In my experience, there are four books that are bright and pure on the simple essence of Buddhism: `The Dhammapada' (for its pure spirit) and `The Great Path of Awakening' (for taking and sending & mind training), as well as this book 'Snowboarding to Nirvana' and its prequel 'Surfing the Himalayas' (for their clear view on life and the Enlightenment process).

However, don't let this book fool you; it is academically and technically very exact in its descriptions of Buddhist concepts. For example the description of the Buddha's three cycles of teaching is very precise and demonstrates a tremendous clarity in understanding Buddhism. The third cycle teachings (of the Mahasiddha's) is considered by Buddhist scholars to be most relevant in the world today and what people really need; this is clearly explained in the book, perhaps better than anywhere else.

The astral travel, the oracle, the description of the dimensional access points, even the sex - all are very inspiring - and worth reading over and over, not just for Buddhists, but for people who want to enjoy life and what it has to offer to the fullest and, of course, for us extreme sports enthusiasts.

A great book, much deeper and well-researched than appears at first glance
I think it's too bad that Dr. Lenz' books receive reviews stating things like "this book has nothing to do with Buddhism" or "the author doesn't know much about Tibet". There are a few things in and about the book that I would like to point out to a potential reader:

What this book is not: this book is not for somebody who wants an introduction to Buddhism as it is commonly understood in the West today. That is, if you want a biography of Siddhartha Gautama and a laying out of the eightfold path, this book is not the place to start. Many great books have been written for such an introduction, and I recommend that you check out "A Buddhist Bible" by Dwight Goddard for starters. If that's a little too heavy, check out the movie "The Little Buddha", which has a great biography of Prince Siddhartha.

What this book is: this book is for a person who wants a real introduction to genuine mystical practice. The book includes several "mini-chapters" that contain instructions for the aspiring meditator, complete with visualization techniques. It also tells the story of one persons spiritual experiences as he applies the techniques laid out in the book. A few passages might also expose you to your own hangups about the way you view life.

A few notes about the contents of the book: this book is well-researched, and the author has a thorough understanding of the Tibetan doctrines. For example, check out the chapter entitled "Master Fwap goes Phat!", and then go pick up a copy of W.Y Evantz-Wents' "Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrine". It should become clear that Dr. Lenz has a deep and thorough knowledge of his subject matter. The book also contains references to many other classic spiritual books, but the "Phat" chapter is the most overt example.

Also...this is an adventure novel! It's supposed to be F-U-N. Generally speaking, it should only be read by people who have a sense of humor and who enjoy having an open mind. This book is worth several re-readings.