Dinner with Buddha

Breakfast with Buddha #3

by Roland Merullo

If life is a journey--with detours, paths from which to choose, and myriad roadblocks to overcome--then Otto Ringling is most certainly on the journey of a lifetime. The first fifty or so years of his journey were pretty good. He felt that he had it all, until one day he didn’t.

Looking for answers, he calls on his brother-in-law, Volya Rinpoche, a wise man and spiritual leader. A man who accepts the world as it comes to him; a man without pride or vanity. Someone who, as it turns out, is experiencing his own time of doubt. So, in hopes of finding answers to life’s mysteries, the two embark on a journey through America, a road trip that becomes a lesson in love and gratitude.

Genres: Fiction, Buddhism, Spirituality, Audiobook, Philosophy, Novels, Religion

368 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2015

About the author

ROLAND MERULLO is an awarding-winning author of 24 books including 17 works of fiction: Breakfast with Buddha, a nominee for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, now in its 20th printing; The Talk-Funny Girl, a 2012 ALEX Award Winner and named a "Must Read" by the Massachusetts Library Association and the Massachusetts Center for the Book; Vatican Waltz named one of the Best Books of 2013 by Publishers Weekly; 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; A Little Love Story chosen as one of "Ten Wonderful Romance Novels" by Good Housekeeping, Revere Beach Elegy winner of the Massachusetts Book Award for nonfiction, and Once Night Falls, selected as a "First Read" by Amazon Editors.

A former writer in residence at North Shore Community College and Miami Dade Colleges, and professor of Creative Writing at Bennington, Amherst and Lesley Colleges, Merullo has been a guest speaker at many literary events and venues and a faculty member at MFA programs and several writers’ conferences. His essays have appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times, Outside Magazine, Yankee Magazine, Newsweek, the Boston Globe, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Boston Magazine, Reader's Digest, Good Housekeeping, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Merullo's books have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, German, Chinese, Turkish, Bulgarian, Croatian, Slovenian, and Czech.

Reviews

[Stacy Boyles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this audiobook because I loved the narration in Breakfast with Buddha. The narrator made Lunch and Dinner also very enjoyable. Breakfast with Buddha was my favorite book of 2015. I loved this series because it showed me a side of religion that was just about being kind and loving. I do not like discussing religion or politics because everyone has a specific religion or party. I like this Buddha as he is a simple man with much love and curiosity for all people and religions. This series is a feel good series that I will listen to and read over and over.

[Bryan Spellman · Rating 5 out of 5]

44 of 75 for 2015. Every now and again a book comes into my possession that I feel is life-changing. Dinner with Buddha fits that description. This was a book I had to read. It's a road-trip book, and I'll admit that I'm a sucker for that genre. Furthermore, it's a road trip book covering roads and places I've seen myself, so I could compare my own experiences with those enjoyed by Otto and Volya. But like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, or The Celestine Prophecy, Dinner with Buddha is so much more than a simple narrative of places to go, people to see. I am no Buddhist, nor do I spend much (hardly any) time in meditative practice, but Merullo's story of a North Dakota boy, retired (not of his own choosing) from a successful New York City career, traveling the West with his brother-in-law, a Russian-Tibetan Monk, spoke deeply to me. One example: we talk often of how our diet is so much worse than that of our grandparents (who really didn't know "fast food"). We talk about how our "lifestyle" is not as healthy as that of our grandparents because we sit all day while they were working with their bodies, burning calories and stoking their metabolism. We talk about our attention spans being shorter (especially for our children) because we are constantly bombarded with images through our various media and video games that our forebears did not experience. Merullo brings forth another aspect of loss in our modern lives: the innate meditative experience of repetitive work. Walking behind a horse while plowing a field allowed for an inner communion that even today's farmer doesn't have, riding in his air-conditioned tractor with the sound system playing U-2 (or whatever). Dinner with Buddha is an excellent argument for the need to slow down, experience life, yes, meditate. I heartily recommend this book to everyone! (And for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge, it's copyright is 2015.)

[Randal White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Roland Merullo books. He has a way of making me feel calm, warm, and happy. Not to mention he really makes me think!

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I finished listening to this wonderful book, I couldn't help but think about the non-fiction books I have read for my spiritual/personal growth. This cute, little novel series has very slyly entertained me while challenging my spiritual growth.

If you have not read this series, I do suggest starting with the first one BREAKFAST WITH BUDDHA, followed by LUNCH WITH BUDDHA, and then this one.

I have heard rumor that this is the last time we will follow the expeditions of Otto and his spiritual brother-in-law. I can only hope this rumor is incorrect and we will soon be able to read POPCORN AT THE MOVIES WITH BUDDHA, MIDNIGHT BUFFET WITH BUDDHA and 2 O'CLOCK DRUNKEN SNACKS WITH BUDDHA.

[Matthew · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm just really not a fan. It's preachy and repetitive and pretty aimless. The characters are completely 1 dimensional, with a few one-off hobbies grafted on in an attempt at depth (e.g. Rinpoche's gambling and love of dams). Otto is this everyman that's whisked away on the most boring spiritual journey ever. His life is more or less wonderful with no real hardships outside the death of his wife (I guess that sounds callous, but he's just not an interesting guy). I did not enjoy the way Otto translated every spiritual lesson into some sort of sportsy or new york-y "relatable" version for the reader's "benefit." Also he talks about Rinpoche the way Stephanie Meyer talks about Edward. I mean, it's insane. The guy can't drink a cup of tea without being compared to a star tennis player.

[Lauren Kogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved all three books and could use a fourth one. I was sorry that it was over. Besides the spiritual instructions I got from the book, I also really loved the journey through the America. The author clearly loves this country a great deal and he makes the reader love it as well, warts and all. An occasional rent on brutal American history and screwed up politics has it's uses, however I suspect he is preaching to the choir. Someone who would pick up this book, probably already sees things the same way. Regardless, the author's peaceful tone makes me want to read it again and again.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a thought provoking book that was read at just the right time for me. It gave me food for thought over many things and choices that are coming my way. All three books in the series have been that way. Although not a guide for Buddhism, it is a novel that helps you stretch your internal horizons if you let it.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm very much hoping and assuming that we will be privileged enough to continue the journey with Otto and Rinpoche beyond "Dinner with Buddha." I have taken a great many things away from these novels, and have found may way to them at times when I needed them most. This is another wonderful chapter (novel) in what I hope is a continuing story. Merullo is a gifted story teller and all three of these novels have earned a place on my shelf to be revisited again and again.

[John Kaufmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read. Not too heavy. Warm. Some humor. Kind of a trev story, in search of wisdom (or something). And some wisdom lightly interspersed - I wish there had been more, but I suppose that could have come across as proselytizing. But enough story and likeable characters to keep me reading, wondering what would happen next.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dinner with Buddha by Roland Merullo, the author of Breakfast with Buddha and Lunch With Buddha brings his characteristic whimsy to a new novel, third in this series, about New York book editor Otto Ringling and his brother-in-law Mongolian monk Volya Rinpoche. As in the previous books in this series they again embark on a road trip from Rinpoche’s meditation center in North Dakota to the glitter and glitz of the Las Vegas strip. This road trip is prompted by Otto’s recent changes in life: having lost first his wife, then his job, and then seeing both his children leave home for lives of their own. With Rinpoche’s guidance, he hopes to find a new meaning in his life, and a new direction. But what begins as a quietly contemplative journey with Otto attempting to share the real America with Rinpoche while the holy man tries to give Otto a new perspective on the trials he is experiencing in his own life. Along with these inner awakenings for Otto, there is also an element of danger in the novel, as men show up who may be looking harm Shelsa, Otto's 8-year-old niece and daughter of Rinpoche and Otto’s sister, Cecilia. Shelsa has shown that she has the markings and the instincts of a spiritual leader, leading to speculation that she may be the new Dalai Lama. As with the first two books, the conversations between Otto and Rinpoche are interesting as well as thought-provoking and are at the heart of the evolving story.

[Lisa Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book as an Early Reviewer copy from Library Thing. I will pretty much read anything that Roland Merullo writes -- it is so interesting to read a spiritual author who refuses to be categorized into a particular viewpoint. I agree with so much of the philosophy of this and all his books (my favorite was American Savior, about what would happen if Jesus ran for president). I will say that I think the Buddha theme has been a bit overdone (I've read Breakfast with Buddha and Lunch with Buddha) -- I felt slightly preached at during this book. But -- minor complaint, I just really like this author's writing!

[Almira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, Otto Ringling and the Rinpoche are on the road again.

Bad things seem to be "afoot", folks in Dickinson ND are not so nice at times to the Retreat, the oil fields have brought in tough characters with booze, crime, traffic, and sleazy things.

Once again, Otto's sister has enlisted Otto to do the driving, this time after her most recent dream, she "sees the mountains", where are there mountains in North Dakota? And as usual, Otto succumbs to his brother's-in-law charm.

Their adventure takes them through North Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and finally LAS VEGAS! Having been through many of the towns and places named in the story, I felt like a passenger in the vehicle. When they stopped at Green River, Utah, well, I have a very interesting memory of that place, so it was very vivid.

All the while, Otto is looking over his shoulder for the "bad guys" who might be trying to kidnap or assassinate the Rinpoche..... And lots of meditation and food - some GREAT, some not so great and some down right awful. Once again, Roland's descriptions of places and food are outstanding.

Did NOT see the ending coming ----- it still gives me chuckles to recall the last two sentences.

I really enjoyed the first two books in the series, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one..., so much so that I went to my "local" bookstore and purchased all three so that I could re-read them over and over, especially the last one.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series! And love the delightfully ordinary narrator, every bit as much as the comically wise Rinpoche. I read Breakfast With Buddha and was thrilled to stumble upon Dinner... Now I find out: There's also Lunch With Buddha to be enjoyed! And, if I'm not mistaken, the ending of The Delight In Being Ordinary relates to this trilogy? Who doesn't love a road trip?! Who doesn't love a curmudgeon vs monk showdown?! Who can't use a bit of sort-of-Buddhist, homespun wisdom?! Breathe in. Breathe out. Turn yourself about. That's what it's all about. 😉

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are books you like from the get-go and books you don’t. This is one of those I don’t.

I don’t like preachy books and this one is just a bit too preachy for me. And it’s a sequel and I’m not much for sequels.

You may be fine with it. You may love it, in fact. Don’t take my word for it. Sometimes I’m a little idiosyncratic about my reading.

Oh dear. Just not my cuppa tea, I’m afraid.

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third in a series, and I really loved it! It has many lovely facets. Be prepared to laugh, cry, think, feel, understand, and want to share it with others.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this series of books and this volume published a year before the 2016 election shows a deeply divided country, and possibly a way forward to heal some of that rift.

We used to be able to talk across that divide. Then for a while we used to be able to shout across it. Now we’re so far apart we just stand on one bank or the other and yell insults up into the air. It worries me, I have to say.”

an ice-hearted belief in the god of competition. Our success, always, depended on someone else’s failure.

Maybe the addictive hurry was all a kind of racing away from our existential predicament, as if we could outrun old age and death,

the American political scene was starting to resemble nothing so much as a circus performance in Rome’s dying days,

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve really enjoyed the series especially Breakfast with Buddha. It’s hard not to enjoy the colorful characters and gain some wisdom from the lessons that Otto learns from Rinpoche on their road trips. In this latest book, Otto struggles to overcome the tougher knocks in his life with help from his sister, children and of course his friend Rinpoche. I’ve tried to learn to view life a little bit differently too.

[Marthe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! A very satisfying end- or beginning? For Otto & Rinpoche. Otto has come a long way- literally, on the road, & spiritually, with Rinpoche. I’d love to know what the future has in store for Otto, Shelsa & Natasha, Seese & Volya. If this is the last we read about Otto though, I love where he is in his life & I am excited for his next journey.

[Carol Delsignore · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third in the series and I enjoyed it as much as the first two. I am sorry to see the series end. These books are fiction but they expand my spiritual awareness.

[Lisa November · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good moments but should’ve stopped the series at lunch!

[Jackballoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An audible treat!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dinner with Buddha by Roland Merullo is essentially a novel that also has spiritual lessons that are an important part of the plot.

Otto Ringling is a sort of Everyman representing the seeking, skeptical human. Volya Rinpoche is a world renowned spiritual teacher and Otto's brother-in-law. Together they travel around what I think of as the American West. They see both what are considered the great places to go sight-seeing and the more ordinary places that people live most likely getting there via a meal at a local restaurant.

Along the way, Otto is exposed to many lessons of a spiritual nature. Some are easier for him to swallow than others. The hardest one of all may be that his niece might be the next Dalai Lama. To be honest, the author almost lost me on that one. But I realized that wasn't as important as Otto's reaction to the news.

This is the third book in this series. Breakfast with Buddha is the first one and is described by the Boston Globe as "Enlightenment meets On the Road." I think this book could basically be described the same way.The actual places they travel aren't the same, but the idea of all this change happening on a road trip is the same.

It took me a while to read the book because I was trying to absorb the lessons to a degree as I read. It could be read straight through without doing that, but it seems you would miss out on a big part of the book that way. Or if you want the lessons after absorbing the fiction, you could always go back and read it again.

I gave this book 3 stars. I liked it. I enjoyed the story for the most part. I didn't like the aimless feel to some of the traveling around. It felt plotless in those parts and slowed down my reading. The spiritual lessons continued during those parts, but the sense of them having a destination faltered.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Jim Lavis · Rating 2 out of 5]

It couldn't hold my interest. I only read the first 4 chapters.

[Susan Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when a book pops out at you from the library shelf, the "new" shelf and has a profound and meaningful effect on you. And this was one such book. Otto, a seemingly ordinary man, widowed husband and father of two grown children on a trek across the mid central states with an enlightened monk. The story takes you on a physical journey through rich and lush landscapes and national parks, while using mental thought processes including quiet, lengthy meditation through a spiritual and self-guided tour. We often find ourselves struggling with all of the external forces, getting caught up in what is often mindless chatter and endless inner battles, to the point where we wonder just why the hell we are here and what is our purpose. A journey of self-discovery, befriending unlikely suspects and coming to know the stranger within. I love this book. It has grounded me, just when I needed to be grounded; teaching me lessons and showing me just how worthy I am, not only for my past achievements and accomplishments, but looking forward to all that lies ahead and what is to come, and most importantly, being present in each moment, each breath and each bite I take, of life.

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I was looking for some real nutrition with this series of meals with Buddha and I'm walking away still quite hungry; spiritually speaking. The road trips have some familiar places and are fun to visit with Rinpoche, but the narrator and "tour guide" is distracting and intrusive. We really didn't hit it off; like an internet date when you have so much in common according to your profiles, but no chemistry in person. (TMI - I know!)
The end of this book is SO unsatisfying. Just as I thought there was some purchase it ended!! This is a pit-fall to reading on Kindle when you are at 95% and the last 5% is "book club discussion points" rather than a feeling of preparing for that last page. It's time to get back to the library before we don't have one any longer. (the Library district in this county in Oregon did not win the ballot initiative to support funding.......... I am bereft.)

[Glen Kizer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is probably not going to be a great book for everyone. It is about a man and his family and how he needs to slow down and how he meets someone who helps him learn to be more present and more relaxed and more grateful of the people in his life. I have listened to it twice and in a year or two I will listen to it again. It is a calming book for me. It is funny and sad and interesting and helpful if you are a person who is hyper and nervous and afraid and if you find it difficult to always stay present. If you are a person who tries to make a "gratitude list" and you can't because you keep worrying about other things, this book might be a good read. There are parts that sounded "religious" early on that made me hesitate but I read on and the religious piece never got too much or too deep. And I love "Buddha" It is short and fun and may help you relax but it was a great read for me.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads First Reads and Algonquin Books for the opportunity to read and honestly review this novel.
Dinner with Buddha is the (sometimes) spiritual journey of Otto Ringling. He joins his brother-in-law and spiritual master, Rinpoche, on a road trip to the mountains. Together, they are searching to find what the future holds for their extended family and Rinpoche's "special" daughter.
I found Dinner with Buddha to be an interesting read peppered throughout with spiritual lessons that could really be applied to anyone's life. I hadn't read the previous book in the series, but that didn't matter. It can be read as a stand alone.

[Zora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Did not have the charm of Breakfast. The spiritual stuff seemed more clearly nonsense. And by the end I wondered if I were reading mostly a tax justification for the author's road trip through the Southwest. Also it seems more American new age mishmash philosophy than Buddhism being promoted here.

Spoiler alert. The plot: Buddhist teacher and widower meander around so that they end up meeting another Buddhist teacher who explains widower must go to Italy next. (I smell another tax write-off.)

Also? Every meal this guy ate on his "sugar-free" diet was loaded with sugar. Cole slaw, for pity's sake! Lol.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though not what I expected, this was still fun. I always enjoy Otto's road trips with Rinpoche. But, seriously? I expected this to be a trilogy and instead, it appears to be an on-going saga. Breakfast, lunch, now dinner. What's next "Cocktail Hour with Buddha"? "Bedtime Snack"? This time the story felt a wee bit preachy to me. I enjoyed the travelogue enough to overlook that but I'm not sure how many more I would want to read. If you are already a fan of these two characters, by all means, read it. I liked it less than the first book but better than the second.

[Cc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one.. It was nice to catch up with Otto and his family. I think the overall plot was better in the first book, but I kept on reading this one too. The stories were used to teach many Buddhist lessons. (actually life lessons)