Book Review: The Buddha Walks into a Bar by Lodro Rinzler

The Buddha Walks into a Bar…A Guide to Life for  a New Generation was given to me for review by the good folks at Shambhala Pubs.  It was on my personal list to read but they asked me to review it so I was more than happy to accept their copy.  I saw a young person was writing it and I admit I was a little hoping it would be a Brad Warner style level of excitement for me.  In Western Buddhism, anything under 65 is ‘young’.

It was not a Brad Warner experience, however.  Lodro Rinzler was not a convert, but a Dharma brat raised in western Buddhism, and not just any flavor, but that of the Shambhala tradition of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.  In fact, after I finished the book, I felt the subtitle probably should have included “according to the Shambhala Way” or something similar just for truth in advertising.

The book is an overview of Shambhala Buddhist thought as Rinzler uses the Four Dignities (tiger, snow lion, garuda and dragon) as a roadmap for addressing everyday life from a Gen Y perspective (or Gen WHY?).  These four shamanic animals of the tradition are used as banners for the qualities of personality they represent and he takes elements of every day life through each of them to demonstrate how they work.

I did enjoy the read, though more so in the second half of the book that deals with the more Zen like aspects of practice (go figure).  It is apparent that he is in his 20’s and there were times when I wished I was reading Pema as her examples and exposition are more in line with my age and experience.  I must admit though, he does show the kind of depth that only comes with solid meditation practice and it makes me hopeful for younger Buddhists in the West if he is indicative of that cohort.

I honestly would recommend this book to younger readers (younger than me in my 40’s) with the caveat that it is Shambhala tradition.  For me, I’ll pass this one along and go re-read my books from Pema and Rinpoche himself.

Oh, I have to give one big shout out to the author for referencing the Honey Badger near the end of the book.  WOOT!  And kudos to anyone willing to put themselves out there this way.  but yeah, bigger kudos from me on mentioning the HB.