Eastern religions are quickly becoming a hot topic in American spirituality. If you don't believe me go down to your local Barnes & Nobles and check out their section on Eastern Religions--it's almost as big as their Judeo/Christian section. What is it about these religions that fascinate so many people? I wondered that question myself so I went down to my Barnes & Nobles and picked up a copy of "The Accidental Buddhist" along with a copy of "Jesus and Buddha" by Thich Nhat Hahn. I figured they would give me a good enough introduction to Buddhist thought--I'd save Taoism and all the other eastern religions for another day. I have to say the cover sold me over--here you have an all-american guy sitting with hands raised doing whatever it is that Buddhist do. Perfect, that's what I wanted. The book is a autobiographical journey of one man's quest to understand Buddhism. Everything about this guy (except for his name, Dinty?) tells you that he's the average american, which makes it quite easy to relate to him. You follow Dinty Moore as he goes on various meditation retreat, talks to several leaders from various branches of Buddhism, and just takes time by himself to think and meditate. The problem I had with this book is that it doesn't do a good job of looking at the teachings and philosophies of Buddhism. I'm not as interested in learning what meals the retreat centers served as I am in learning why they bother with Buddhism in the first place. I want to know what they believe. If you checked out the journal section of this web site you saw that my favorite qoute comes from a Buddhist teaching. There is a ton of wisdom in the various eastern religions. But there are also some teachings that I just find hard to believe. The pseudo-Reincarnation of Buddhism isn't any easier for me to believe than the Resurrection beliefs of Christianity. But Dinty Moore does share his own misgivings with Buddhism and in the end the book outlines his struggle to find out if and how Buddhism can and should fit into his Americanized lifestyle. If you're looking for a book on the teachings of Buddhism you will not find them here. But if you'd like a book about the struggles that Americans go through in the search for relevant religion then this book is worth checking out. Read other reviews of The Accidental Buddhist on Amazon.com or purchase The Accidental Buddhist online for $9.60.

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