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    Breakfast with Buddha: A Novel
    Breakfast with Buddha: A Novel
    Breakfast with Buddha: A Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    Breakfast with Buddha: A Novel

    Written by Roland Merullo

    Narrated by Sean Runnette

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    When his sister tricks him into taking her guru on a trip to their childhood home, Otto Ringling, a confirmed skeptic, is not amused. Six days on the road with an enigmatic holy man who answers every question with a riddle is not what he'd planned. But in an effort to westernize his passenger-and amuse himself-he decides to show the monk some "American fun" along the way. From a chocolate factory in Hershey to a bowling alley in South Bend, from a Cubs game at Wrigley field to his family farm near Bismarck, Otto is given the remarkable opportunity to see his world-and more important, his life-through someone else's eyes. Gradually, skepticism yields to amazement as he realizes that his companion might just be the real thing.

    In Roland Merullo's masterful hands, Otto tells his story with all the wonder, bemusement, and wry humor of a man who unwittingly finds what he's missing in the most unexpected place.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateApr 26, 2011
    ISBN9781452671901
    Breakfast with Buddha: A Novel
    Author

    Roland Merullo

    Roland Merullo is the bestselling author of more than twenty works of fiction and nonfiction, including Once Night Falls; The Delight of Being Ordinary; The Talk-Funny Girl, an Alex Award winner; Vatican Waltz, a Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2013 pick; Breakfast with Buddha, an international bestseller now in its twentieth printing; Lunch with Buddha, selected as one of the Best Books of 2013 by Kirkus Reviews; Revere Beach Boulevard, named one of the “Top 100 Essential Books of New England” by the Boston Globe; and Revere Beach Elegy, winner of the Massachusetts Book Award for nonfiction. Born in Boston and raised in Revere, Massachusetts, Roland attended Brown University, where he obtained a bachelor of arts in Russian studies and a master of arts in Russian language and literature. A former Peace Corps volunteer, he’s also made his living as a carpenter, college professor, and cabdriver. Roland, his wife, and their two lovely daughters live in the hills of western Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.rolandmerullo.com.

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    Reviews for Breakfast with Buddha

    4/5

    346 ratings29 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Beautifully written. A real gem of a book! I greedily consumed this over a single weekend. One of those books that once read/listened to will stick with you for some time.
      I will be recommending this book to friends for sure. One of the best books I have thoroughly enjoyed this year!
    • 4/5
      This book explores spirituality in a fun setting...a road trip from New York City to the plains of North Dakota. Otto Ringling thinks he is picking up his wacky new age sister to drive to North Dakota to settle their parents' estate, when she pulls a switcheroo on him and sends her spiritual teacher, Volya Rinpoche, in her place. Let the fun begin!The reluctant Otto gradually succumbs to the quiet charm of VR to the point where he makes several detours to deliver him to his speaking engagements along the way. It turns out that his sister's guru is a world famous Buddhist monk who has written several well-respected books about exploring the interior life through yoga and meditation. The strange friendship deepens as the miles accumulate and they agree to exchange the American experience for a piece of enlightenment -- in four days. Otto takes VR bowling, to a Cubs game in Chicago, and miniature golfing with some humorous results. In return, Volya imparts small wisdoms along the way that show Otto the contained world of himself that only he can control. I like that the book isn't preachy yet it still contains the wisdom of the ages. The lesson I'll take away? Do not miss the gifts of this world. I've been Zenned!
    • 5/5
      A great read, a spiritual road trip, a good man who is a little lost, has the opportunity to travel the US teaching a monk about the United States while he learns something from the monk along the way. Often funny and sometimes touching, I learned a lot reading it.
    • 4/5
      A road trip with an unexpected (and initially unwelcome) passenger leads narrator Otto Ringling to an unexpected destination. Ringling is still returning to the family farm in North Dakota to settle his parents' estate, but along the way he begins to see "some primary color of the interior world that had simply been -- and still was -- just outside the spectrum visible to my inner eye." This intimation of change has come from his conversations with his passenger, Volya Rinpoche -- a Tibetan guru inserted into the front seat of Ringling's car by his "flaky as spanikopita crust" sister, Cecilia. Cecilia uses her fear of flying to make the swap seem logical, only revealing later and in small increments that there are other considerations involved.The novel is an interesting blend of East-meets-West as the cynical Ringling (a high-powered New York A-type editor) is at first annoyed, then perplexed, then increasingly intrigued by Rinpoche, and a traditional road-trip tale, with the pair taking in bowling, a trip to the Hershey candy factory, sightseeing, swimming, and a major-league baseball game along the way.
    • 4/5
      Otto's sister tricks him into taking her guru on a road trip to the family farm in North Dakota. The title comes from the one meal they tend to share together, where the holy man offers to answer a question….only it's never an answer - it's usually more thoughts and questions. And in another part of his sister's trickery, Rinpoche has an itineray of talks to get to along the way. Quite humorous, but with some deep spiritual content too.
    • 3/5
      So so. Interesting read for the most part and then we arrived at the last sentences and he totally disappointed me Maybe I am just too old for this.
    • 5/5
      So different, quirky, and fun to read -- yet at times touching and soulful. The characters are warm and I enjoyed the messages the author sneaks in.

      Highly recommend this book to those who can think outside the spiritual box we sometimes put ourselves in through the teachings of our church or religion and find themselves wishing for a little of the serenity the characters discuss in the book.

      It is not a book about buddhism, but truly a "road trip" novel about one character's self-discovery.

      Placing on my "keep" shelve in my library.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful. Not many books can claim to be funny and mystical, but this one nails it. I can't wait to read Dinner with Buddha.
    • 3/5
      Otto Ringling, an exceedingly WASPy food-book editor is tricked into driving his flaky sister’s guru, Volya Rinpoche, to North Dakota to settle their parents’ estate. Otto is very skeptical about the guru’s world view, but is at a point in his life where he has begun to question the meaning of everything. He decides to keep an open mind, even tries yoga, and by the trip’s end has begun to be swayed by Volya’s admonitions to slow down and appreciate life more.

      Not as preachy and sappy as books of this genre usually are. An easy read, it seemed very autobiographical. Not my cup of tea, but I bet many people will identify with Otto and his mini mid-life theological crisis
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. I didn't know much about it when I started, but was delighted with it. The author uses such a light touch to introduce his character's and their differing spiritual approaches to life. The road trip is used as an exploration of restaurants and countryside, from New Jersey to North Dakota, but also as a journey into the deeper realms of each of these men's values and souls. There is a lot of humor, but also a lot to ponder.
    • 5/5
      Road trip books are very popular these days, both as memoirs and settings for novels. So hats off to author Merullo for presenting a journey into America's heartland as background for what otherwise could have been a rather dull story of spiritual discovery. Otto, a food book publisher, husband and father of two teens, as a favor to his sister drives Rinpoche, a robed guru, from the East coast to the family farm in North Dakota. With stops at a bowling alley, Notre Dame, and Wrigley Field. The end result being that both Otto and Rinpoche are both enlightened. Rinpoche claims not to be a Buddhist, or rather not just a Buddhist but a Buddhist, and a Catholic, and a Sufi, and a Protestant, and a .......He gives Otto some answers to his questions on The Meaning of Life but of course Otto is expected to eventually discover many of the answers to his own questions from deep within. The messages are very nice, and I would imagine most readers will pause and reflect on some of the points made. It's a good book though I didn't find it life changing. I am not about to join an ashram, but I probably will read at least the Lunch sequel and maybe the Dinner one.
    • 2/5
      Sorry. I just can't be enthusiastic about this book. Oh, it's easy-reading, the author is a good writer, the trip is well-structured with clever twists and surprises. But you can see where the story is headed pretty early on.The premise is that Otto, the narrator, is driving from a northern suburb of NYC to pick up his flakey sister Cecelia in Patterson, NJ. She's going to ride with him to the North Dakota farm they've inherited following the deaths of their parents. Ahhh. But she pulls a devious trick, and she isn't going. In her place, Otto's passenger will be an outlandish, buddha-like guru to whom the sister wants to give her share of the farm, so he can develop a retreat center there. After arguing back and forth, the silent figure settles into the front passenger seat, and off they go. Do I have to tell you where this is going? I mean, beside North Dakota. Otto wants to stop at a few off-the-Interstate places, swell small restaurants where he, a professional foodie, wants to dine. Rinpoche, for that's the buddha-like passenger's name, for his part, must stop at several places to give talks. As the trip unravels, Otto's going to be disputatious, Rinpoche a paragon of calm. And in the end, well you take it from here.I just want to say I thought the final paragraphs were sappy, sappy, sappy. I hear the buddha's hosting—down that winding road—lunch, tea, supper, and maybe a late-night snack.
    • 5/5
      When Otto is duped into traveling cross country with a monk, his spiritual beliefs, thinking and behavior patterns are called into question. Otto displays the natural resistance to change that keeps so many of us from new experiences. Such an honest and compelling book is a rare treat. Lunch with Buddha is next on my list as I can't wait to continue the journey.
    • 3/5
      This is a nice little story of someone who learns about self-awareness and the power of the mind. I have read several books by the Dalai Lama, Thomas Merton and others, so the message was not new for me. I think the book presents the ideas in a very accessible way that most people should be comfortable with.
    • 5/5
      Listened to the audiobook edition narrated to perfection by Sean Runnette. Otto Ringling, an uptight middle-aged cookbook editor, reluctantly ends up on a road trip with his wacky sister's guru named Buddha. Spiritual in an extremely skeptical and down-to-earth way, with large doses of humor and frequent puncturing of Otto's sense of self-importance. Told in the first-person by Otto.
    • 3/5
      This was a gift. Although I did not find it as funny or witty or good as the person who gave it to me, I have still read it from start to finish and there were some moments in there, which were better than some others. Let me leave it at that.
    • 5/5
      great read/listen about a trip of multiple sorts. Otto Ringling goes on a road trip and ends up bringing a Buddha of sorts. Along the multiple day journey, Otto learns a lot about himself and the meaning of life. (great twist of an ending too!)
    • 3/5
      I liked the idea of the plot and read the book because I enjoy road trips, contemplate questions of right and wrong in my actions in life and have read quite a bit of new age philosophy. I admired the author's message about all mankind being equal and thought that he portrayed that message quite successfully, but in the end I learned nothing from Rinpoche except that we should be grateful for life and what it has offered us.
    • 4/5
      A humorous spiritual-quest travelogue by Otto Ringling, a solidly middle-class and vaguely depressed cookbook editor whose plan was to drive from New York to North Dakota with his flying-phobic New Age sister to settle their parents’ estate. Instead, she sends him off with her guru, telling him she wants her share to be given to the Rinpoche as a meditation center. The first half is pretty slow, largely taken up with Otto’s confusion over what he’s supposed to do with his companion and his alternating irritation and alarm at the guru’s ability to get under his skin. After a few days’ of wandering back roads and having adventures along the way, though, Otto begins to sense a new sensibility opening to him, and he gives the teacher more of his attention. By the second half of the trip Otto is actively engaging in philosophical discussions and dreading the end of the road trip. Charming and very funny, with a spiritual edge which should appeal to anyone feeling Otto’s need for a change in their interior alignment.
    • 5/5
      In 1993, at age 45, I packed up my car and moved to Texas to attend grad school at Baylor University. Over the years, I have made about 40 round trips driving to and from Philadelphia. I always enjoyed those rides as a time to relax and unwind after a long semester teaching. I listened to music or a book on tapes or CDs, I stopped when and where I wanted for a rest, to eat, or perhaps an antique store, flea market, or historical site. Most of the time, I traveled alone, but I always found the trips refreshing.Roland Merullo’s Breakfast with Buddha tells the story of Otto Ringling, 45, whose parents have died in an automobile accident in North Dakota. He loads up his car, says his goodbyes to his wife, Jeannie, and two children, and heads to his sister’s home in New Jersey. He expects to have Cecelia as a passenger for the trip, but she convinces Otto to take Volya Rinpoche, her spiritual advisor instead. Otto, who works as a book editor for a small publishing house, is in no mood for nonsense. Initially, he resists interacting with Rinpoche, but gradually comes under the sage’s spell. Rinpoche is a Tibetan honorific, which means “precious one,” and it is usually applied to a respected teacher.The story more than held my interest all the way to the end. Through attempts at Yoga, riddles, and stories, Otto eventually began to appreciate what Rinpoche had to offer. Otto declares himself a Christian without regular church attendance. He finds repellant Christians who believe what “ails us is more and stricter rules, more narrow-mindedness, more hatred, more sectioning off of the society, and it has always seemed to me that, if Christ’s message could be distilled down to one line, that line would have to do with kindness and inclusiveness, not rules and divisiveness.” (153) My sentiments precisely!The last couple of chapters sum up what Otto has gained on the journey. The reluctant “hero” of the story really learns a lot about himself and his life. He always insists he has a good life, with a loving wife, two great kids, and a good job he loved, but Rinpoche pushes him to experience more. Merullo writes,“Something was changing us with each breath, each second. The delusion of youth was that you believed you’d never reach middle age, and the delusion of middle age made you believe you could go on more or less indefinitely the way things were. Yes, the kids would grow up. Yes, you’d grow old and eventually pass away. But, really, there were so many pleasures to be had between now and then, so many tennis games, so many meals, so many weeks at the Cape and the ski lodge, so tremendously much to do before that other stage of life eventually set in.” (315)Published by Algonquin Press of Chapel Hill, Merullo’s Breakfast with Buddha is a pleasant and thought-provoking read. I have collected novels from this publisher for almost 30 years, and this one convinces me, yet again, I have done the right thing. (5 stars)--Jim, 2/13/12
    • 3/5
      This came highly recommended from a colleague whose book club adored it. Unfortunately, I didn't feel the same way. I would have enjoyed more road trip and less philosophizing on religion/spirituality. I enjoyed the premise and the underlying story, but parts got way too bogged down in the protagonist's thoughts about who he is and whether he could be a better/different person if he adopted some of his companion's ideas and practices. It does have a sweet ending, I'll give him that. But, I almost put the book down with the inaccuracy about their stop in Hershey, PA. It's Chocolate World, not the Chocolate Factory that he describes. How difficult is that to fact check online? Anyway...People who enjoy reading about spirituality and delving into their own will enjoy this. I'm not really one of those people.
    • 3/5
      One of my book clubs chooses the upcoming reads based on the recommendations of a varied collection of people (not all of whom are in the group). This being the case, someone either in the group or close to a group member obviously raved about this book to get it onto our schedule. I certainly wasn't fussed by the choice as the book has been resident on my to be read shelves for quite some time now. But over all, it was rather a disappointment, especially knowing it had the force of recommendation behind it and a delightfully different premise too. I was quite disappointed to miss the meeting where it was discussed if only to hear other perspectives on it.Otto Ringling is a middle-aged, food-book editor, originally from North Dakota, who lives a happy and fairly fulfilled life with his long-time wife and their two cookie-cutter teenaged children. The book opens with Otto (aka Everyman) taking time off work to drive out to North Dakota with his sister Cecelia to make arrangements for the disposition of their parents' farm, said parents having died in a car accident some months previous. But when Otto gets to his eccentric and New Age-ish sister's home, she informs him that she is not going with him. Instead, she wants him to take her spiritual advisor, to whom she wants to give her portion of the farm, with him. Otto doesn't want to have this perfect stranger in maroon robes foisted on him and he certainly doesn't want to show this foreigner a piece of America, but with grave misgivings, he agrees. So starts not only Otto's road trip but also his spiritual awakening.With thoughts of mortality and the meaning of life flitting into and out of his consciousness, Otto is, of course, ripe to open to Volya Rinpoche's teachings. Unfortunately, Rinpoche sounds like Robert Fulghum and all he learned in kindergarten, offering up easy platitudes about living life mindfully, in moderation, and without causing harm to others. Certainly there's nothing wrong with living life this way, and a lot to be said for following this path, but as a revelation designed to open Otto's formerly skeptical eyes, it just trickles and dribbles, a little trite and very self-evident.While some of the scenes of the childlike Rinpoche delighting in the everyday are entertaining enough, I am still uncertain as to how Otto ended up agreeing to take the man with him. Not only that but I apparently missed the transition Otto made from wanting to get to North Dakota quickly in order to rejoin his own family after wrapping up his business to willingly extending the road trip and meandering through the midwest with a not Buddhist monk in tow (Rinpoche refutes Otto's charge of Buddhism, claiming that all religions are at root similar enough to be not worth differentiating). The character of Rinpoche was a bit annoying and the way that his ability to use English seemed to fade in and out was almost as if Merullo veered between not wanting his spoken language to be a caricature and forgetting that he had written a character who indeed spoke English as an inexact second (or eleventh) language.The latter portion of this first person narrative (Otto narrates) is very much a spiritual awakening journey and less and less of the road trip journey, a fact that made me lose interest in the book almost entirely. The ending grabbed me back, though not in a good way. The ending to this book was one of the most dreadful I have read in a long time, an airy-fairy, feel-good ending that grated unbelievably. Perhaps I am not spiritually open enough, just plain unelightened, or languishing too far back on the path, but I didn't love this book despite having been so attracted initially to the quirky premise and having enjoyed Merullo's A Little Love Story previously. Others thoroughly enjoyed the philosophical nature of the book though so it could just be my own stubbornness that kept me from being receptive to this novel.
    • 4/5
      A spiritual road trip with rest stops for humour and truth. Roland Merullo writes (and yes, teaches) with deceptive lightness, yet it is a serious book.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. It was such a nice story - easy to read, yet meaningful. It helps you look at your own expectations of other people's behaviors (as well as your own, of course) and how sometimes our stereotypes can prevent us from experiencing something great.I can't wait to read more of his books -- his writing style is very genuine, smart, funny and a little bit dark, but always redeeming. It was just a really nice book.I think pretty much anyone out of high school (simply for the life experience) would enjoy this book. It would make a great Father's Day gift...for some reason I think mothers might already know a lot of this.
    • 5/5
      Jan 2010. Great book loaned to me by friend. A must read. A middle age man goes on a road trip to close up his family farm estate. His sister talks him into taking her guru (in a red robe) with him instead of taking her. It is delightful & funny & very enlighting. Recommend buying a new copy & putting it in my library to read again when I need to reinforce.
    • 4/5
      I didn't really know what I was getting into when I reserved this from the library - I had it mixed up with some other book that I can't remember now. I did read it though and by the end of it I was really enjoying it. I was definitely ready to put it down when I realized it was another spiritual awakening book but for some reason I kept reading and as I did, I warmed up to it, as I suppose Otto warmed to his companion along his journey. I found it funny and light in the way it approached something very serious - it even made me try a little yoga!
    • 4/5
      This is a very interesting story about an upper middle class book editor who is living an ideal life in NY with his wife, two children and dog when his parents are suddenly killed in a car accident. He needs to go to N. Dakota to settle the estate and he thinks his sister is going with him. However, his sister who is somewhat flaky & makes her meager living as a psychic, wants him to take her monk boyfriend instead and show him America. The road trip is tedious at first because Otto resents having to death someone so different. After the initial adjustment he begins to warm to his ideas & attitudes & realizes he has much to learn about spirituality. At times the book is funny & also thought provoking. I enjoyed it very much.
    • 5/5
      Great book. The author takes the reader on a spiritual journey.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book very much. It's an introduction to Buddhism, but not heavy-handed at all. In fact, the story is very enjoyable, the characters are likable, and I really identified with the narrator. Not at all like Conversations with God, or books of that kind (Richard Bach comes to mind).