Review of
HoloBuddhism
by Derek Kittle

Got Enlightenment?

I read this book ten times before I sat down to review it. I had to. I still don't quite know what to say, except that HoloBuddhism is a departure from the ordinary, for works of this type. I'm not referring to the subject matter of Buddhism itself, but instead, to the unique way it has been presented by author Derek Kittle.

Broaching concepts including Oneness, Nowness, Karma, Death, Compassion, Attachment, and how coming to terms with all of these components, and more, can lead to Enlightenment - the author takes your mind, and quite deliberately turns it into pizza dough. Throwing it up in the air, spinning it around, letting it hit the bench, then kneading it, rolling it flat, and turning what you thought you knew, into something altogether different. The ideas here, will almost certainly numb your brain momentarily, before you eventually come to grips with them. But all of that bending and twisting of convention will ultimately result in an immensely satisfying massage for your thought process. I must underline - the book demands to be read the first time to be digested, then reread to be appreciated.

The author stresses that the mere act of reading the book will not itself lead you to nirvana, and that no book on the subject of Buddhism can do that, as there are no shortcuts to Enlightenment - that is a journey one must experience for oneself.

The book won't give you the meaning of life on the last page, either: fair enough, I suppose - that would be cheating. Don't be disappointed though, as it does, however, point you in the right direction for getting started with Buddhism. HoloBuddhism is essentially for those with an open mind who wish to open it further.

Neither a self-help, or how-to book, HoloBuddhism is a gentle nudge forward on the path to inner peace.

The author, to his credit, assumes that his reader is intelligent, and resists the urge to pontificate. He poses questions you'll spend the rest of your life trying to answer, and you'll be better off for it. If you've been thinking of employing Buddhism as way of making sense of yourself, and what surrounds you, then having this volume on your shelf is, most assuredly, a solid place to start.


~ Bradley Brian Drain

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