Snowboarding to Nirvana

by Frederick Lenz

The sequel to "Surfing the Himalayas".

Genres: Spirituality, Buddhism

240 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 1997

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high expectations, but the artfulness of the writing really disappointed. I learned a lot about Buddhism by reading it though, and that made it worth my time.

[John Fredrickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reads like a fable, which makes it challenging to know how seriously to take it. Lenz clearly displays a lot of knowledge of Buddhist tenets, and the opening of the book reads well as a spiritual travelogue. By the end of the book, the parallels he makes between snowboarding and Zen meditation feel strained to the limit, and the final experience of nirvana and different dimensions does not connect, at least for me.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a Buddhist and a big snowboarding fan, this tiny book caught my eye on a shelf at the library. This is the second part in a series, so I ended up reading the first part (Surfing the Himalayas) before this one. The style of writing is similar; it's more of a collection of religious teachings than a story of adventurous snowboarding and action. I did find this book to be more eventful than the first, though. The author takes you on a journey through the Himalayan mountains, but it's mostly a journey through meditation. I find it compelling to compare my knowledge of Buddhism with the mantra of teachings in this book. While some parts seem absurd, I am aware there are many disciplines of religions, and that this book is also fiction. The ending was my favorite part (not just because I wanted it to end); it was a nice surprise. I do not like when books include excerpts of other books. I tend to skip over those parts, as I did when the author decided to iterate the Handbook of Meditation a few times. Overall, this book was a simple read, however, probably wont capture everyone's interests.

[Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book on tape. It was entertaining; some of the imagery was beautiful and marvelous. Some of the ideas about space/time travel are silly, but c'mon you're reading a book called Snowboarding to Nirvana. It's a novel about a young man trying to find his way in the world.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun read.

I can't give it any less than 5 stars, but I am biased because the author was such an amazing person. It contains the first sex scenes he's ever tried to write and he said he actually felt a little embarrassed when he first started writing that part. Charming.

[Katie Ulrich · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had seemingly no plot, and just went on and on about trancendental budhism. Trancendental budhism in and of itself, could be an interesting topic but not when it is ensconced in some plotless garble. The fact that snowboarding could be made boring, astounded me.

[Summer Bock, Holistic Nutrition & Herbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mother recommended this book to me. Another one of THOSE stories where a guy gets this amazing opportunity to run around the world and live his dreams. No worries. Nothing. Just snow, sex, and enlightenment. I'm mildly cynical.

[Raymond Mauro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book years ago before marriage and triplets. A time when snowboarding was the main focus and at that time the book was relevant. I'm reading it again to compare my thoughts now ten years later.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this when I was living in Jackson, being a ski bum and really enjoyed it... may not enjoy it some much now... but it was fun then.

[Genevieve]

Amazing!!! This book open's one's soul.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Far out way to enlightenment

[Robert Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice introduction to Buddhism wrapped up in a schmaltzy story. Very enjoyable enlightening escapism.

[Madonna Analla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories and I liked how the monks explained how different cultures dance to meditate and worship. I also liked guessing what part of his account was fiction

[Dheeraj Remella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story telling. Very practical methodology for meditation described in the later chapters.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved this book

[Blank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bright and simple

Account of enlightenment and the way to attaining it in a remarkably accessible, funny and clean book. 10/10 highly recommended

[Alane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book and the mindset that you get as you take the journey through the book and feel spiritually uplifted.