Embrace Nothing: If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha. Live your life as it is, not bound to anything ~ Linji

Killing Buddha: A Humorous Novel Approach to the Truth

Listen up Bleep fans. Betsy Chasse is out with a new novel about enlightenment and questions about the deepest thoughts a modern woman can face. Deep truths. Like how much tequila is too much. And can anyone ever find nirvana if they’re trudging through a muddy field in five-inch Christian Louboutin black leather pumps?

Like I said, this is a Betsy Chasse book, which means it’s not your typical “let’s all find happiness through a three-day intensive with kumbaya moments”. Of course it features shoes.

Spoiler alert: I know the real Betsy Chasse. I’ve known her longer than either one of us would care to admit—pre Bleep, in fact. I’ve said on many occasions how her magnificent contribution to self-empowerment What the Bleep Do We Know!? changed my life and led me on the road to who I am today. So I’m a bit biased.

Seriously, when I got the chance to read Killing Buddha I wondered how much it would skew to Betsy’s real story and whether this would be her long awaited version of what she really wanted to say about Bleep but was afraid to admit.

The answer is about as enigmatic as that quote from Linji, and we’re all better off for it. Killing Buddha is an enjoyable romp that throws daggers at the inanities of Hollywood and the New Age movement. But as we’re along for the ride we gradually find ourselves at another place, where we get to take a look at ourselves and ponder that eternal question: who am I really?

I don’t think I’m ruining anything by saying the book is somewhat based on Betsy’s life, and she’s earned the right to tell it however she wants. She’s changed enough of the plot points to protect the guilty and create a masterful narrative that is incredibly funny and poignant at the same time.

We meet her protagonist Sara on the worst day of her life, or at least one of the black mark days on her existential spiral downward. To the outside world she’s a successful Hollywood producer, with the BMW, trophy boyfriend, designer clothes, and Jimmy Choos to prove it. Inside though, she’s seething with the rage of someone whose spent her life pleasing others in the hopes that by toeing the line and doing what’s expected of her she’ll finally get what she deserves. Not surprisingly, Sara is forever disappointed.

Through a course of events befitting her self-destructive nature, Sara wakes up to find herself broke, carless, out of work, dumped by her boyfriend and seeing a future of living on the streets with her faithful dog Zak. Okay, maybe she’s never seen rolling a shopping cart filled with Gucci scarves and Valentino dresses down Melrose Avenue, but she’s a wine-drinking, chain-smoking hot mess and going nowhere fast.

Given one last chance, she signs on to produce Killing Buddha, a documentary about spirituality, a subject the self-absorbed Sara knows nothing about but hopes will give her more gravitas in the industry that had pigeonholed her into the go-to girl for making soft porn fantasies.

Nothing appears as it seems, and what was supposed to be her road to redemption looks like it might be her undoing.
Sara’s filmmaking adventure with her motley crew of misfits takes us on a carnival ride of consciousness raising events, both hilarious and thought provoking. Each experience forces Sara to examine herself in ways she never imagined. Would she come out of it with a soul revealing breakthrough. Even more important–would we care?

A hard as nails woman like Sara could have come across like a world class bitch or the world’s most privileged yet clueless white girl, but in Betsy’s skillful hands we root for her all the way. We see her humanity and ache for her to find happiness. It’s easy for us to see a part of ourselves in her; that is, anyone who’s ever wondered why they’re here on Earth and struggled to figure out their place in it.

We’re glad to go on the ride with her. At times she gets herself into some unfortunate situations that call into question how much love and light goes on behind the scenes at spiritual growth events. Sara handles it all with humor and ingenuity—and a hefty amount of wine and cigarettes. If they’re not fictionalized versions of real life events (I swear I really don’t know), they’re the type of things I’ll bet Betsy wished she’d done in similar circumstances.

Speaking of humor; this book is flat-out funny. There’s a scene early on where Sara’s bike collides with a tree, and while that may not sound humorous, in Betsy’s hands it elicits the same kind of chuckles you get from watching crash videos on YouTube. Her venture into the dog biscuit making world (which is based on real life) takes a humorous look at what happens when good intentions go wrong.

There is something for everyone here. Hollywood and New Age meet in this rollicking fast paced novel that might be too much to bear for those who still believe that these institutions are full of candy hearts and unicorns. Killing Buddha has enough stories about the dark side of Tinseltown to convince anyone with good sense never to set foot south of the Cahuenga Pass. Yet enough of the entertainment biz’s good points show through and make it clear why someone like Sara would be attracted to it. Behind the hypocrisy shown by some of the so-called gurus described here, there’s also plenty of valuable wisdom for anyone truly searching for answers.

Betsy’s easy, stream of consciousness prose makes this a book you can breeze through in a weekend. But the substance hidden between those glasses of wine may make you want to read it again and again. An important book to add to your Kindle or bookshelf today.

Debbie Weisman

Debbie Spector Weisman, empowers dreamers to live a life they love through her Dream-Life Coaching practice. She has written or contributed to 29 books including 101 Dream Dates and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dreams and Premonitions. Her new radio show Dream Power Radio premieres November 5th on Amazingwomenofpower.com More information about her services at www.thedreamcoach.net.

www.thedreamcoach.net

The post In Killing Buddha, Betsy Chasse Offers Deep Truth through Humor appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

What it takes to Hang out a Shaman’s Shingle

We live in a time of boutique shamans and shamans-for-hire, New York fashionistas using crystal combs to calm their hair, and luxury hotel spas featuring sweats and soul cleansings. Therefore it is refreshing to find a book (Shamanism in the New Millennium) presenting a powerfully modern yet authentic look at shamanism and what it really takes to hang out a shingle with the word “shaman” on it.

Shamanism in the New Millennium is a fascinating, sometimes shocking, collection of stories told by 16 modern shamans from different countries, lineages, and traditions. They talk about their calling by Spirit and the various intense—and frequently harrowing—initiations they have undergone to enter into a shamanic healing tradition. It is compiled and edited by best-selling author Cate Montana (The E Word: Ego, Enlightenment & Other Essentials) and published by Rampant Feline Media run by Montana and Betsy Chasse (best-selling author of Tipping Sacred Cows and co-creator of the famous film What the Bleep Do We Know!?).

This fast-paced book does a credible job revealing the truth that, no matter what century you live in, it takes a lot more guts, pain, blistering intensity, hard work, and enormous sacrifice to walk the shaman’s path than the vast majority of so-called normal humans are willing to endure.

The Calling of the Shaman

“To be invited onto the mystic road of the shaman is a calling, a summons,” says Hank Wesselman, PhD, anthropologist, and author of The Enchantment. “This book reveals the richness and challenges facing those who respond to that call.”

Shamanism in the New Millennium

Montana, editor of Shamanism in the New Millennium, says the book is the culmination of a long-time dream to bring an authentic, yet modernized view of shamanism into the world. “Back in 2008 when I was first introduced to the powerful gift of plant medicine by Peruvian shaman Rossana Nascimento (whose chapter opens the book), I was deeply impacted by the dedication and profound knowledge of the native men and women guiding the ceremonies. At the same time, I was horrified to witness what I can only call “shaman wannabees” flooding into the Amazon and towns like Iquitos, staying for short periods of time then departing, thinking they had acquired wisdom.”

Equally unsettling, she says, was watching handsomely-paid spiritual teachers arriving with their flocks of followers from the US and Europe, handing over, at best, maybe a couple hundred dollars per ceremony to the native shaman doing all the work. “The exploitation of this resource is of tremendous ongoing concern,” says Montana. “When Betsy approached me about doing a compilation work on shamanism, I jumped at the chance.”

Shamanic Training around the World

The book is divided into three sections, the first highlighting stories of traditional shamanic training within several cultures: Peruvian, Bolivian, pre-Celtic, African, and Native American. The second section details stories of individuals extensively trained in the “old ways” who have bridged old and new, combining traditional training with psychology, medicine, and new energy technologies. The third and final section tells the stories of healers called by Spirit, some of whom do not even call themselves shamans.

“Working with the shamans, hearing their stories, seeing the relevance of their deep spiritual and humanitarian work in the face of Western society’s current ills was a humbling experience,” says Montana. “Psychologists, social workers, medical personnel, businessmen and women, mothers, fathers, millennials—anyone interested in what it’s going to take to change and heal humanity—need to read this book.”

Bottom line, if you’ve ever wondered what it takes to become a genuine shaman/healer, if you’ve ever been curious about different shamanic traditions, if you’ve ever contemplated engaging plant medicines, and wondered how to figure out who’s the real deal, this book is a treat and a valuable resource. Learn more about Shamanism for the New Millennium here.

Debbie Weisman

Debbie Spector Weisman, empowers dreamers to live a life they love through her Dream-Life Coaching practice. She has written or contributed to 29 books including 101 Dream Dates and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dreams and Premonitions. Her new radio show Dream Power Radio premieres November 5th on Amazingwomenofpower.com More information about her services at www.thedreamcoach.net.

www.thedreamcoach.net

The post Shamanism in the New Millennium appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.