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A journey through the diverse landscape of American Buddhism, written with �a blessedly down-to-earth sense of humor� (Rodger Kamenetz, author of The Jew in the Lotus). In an era when many of us yearn for an escape from a culture of noise and narcissism, this book takes us into the physical and spiritual geography of Buddhism, American-style: from a weekend at a mountain retreat for corporate executives learning effective ways to cope with stress, to a visit with a Zen teacher holding classes in an old Quaker farmhouse, to a meeting with a Catholic priest who�s also a Zen master. Both a lively introduction to this Eastern spiritual tradition and a colorful portrait of American society, The Accidental Buddhist �makes the oftentimes impenetrable concepts of Buddhism accessible to the reader and contains striking, and important, parallels and contrasts between [the author�s] own Catholic upbringing and ancient Buddhist traditions� (Library Journal). �A travelogue detailing the tremendous diversity within American Buddhism. His anecdotes make it clear that the umbrella term �Buddhist� encompasses strict Zen monks, laid-back Tibetan politicos, and beatnik holdover Allen Ginsberg. In his travels, Moore attends weekend retreats, chronicles the Dalai Lama�s 1996 visit to Indiana, and grooves to Change Your Mind Day, a meditative Buddha-fest in New York City�s Central Park. . . . He finds that his family is his sangha (monastery), and while he still feels he is �probably a fairly lousy Buddhist,� he will eclectically combine his various forms of new knowledge to find a path that makes sense to him. Now that may be an authentic American Buddhism.� �Kirkus Reviews