BOSTON - March 16, 2016 - PRLog -- "With six unconventionally religious novels to date, this brave, meditative author has carved a unique niche in American literature." - Kirkus starred review of Dinner with Buddha
AJAR Contemporaries, a division of PFP Publications, announces the release of Rinpoche's Remarkable Ten-Week Weight Loss Clinic. This novella brings back two main characters from Roland Merullo's beloved Buddha Trilogy (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner with Buddha). This time, though, instead of cruising the American road together, Otto Ringling and Volya Rinpoche are part of the famous meditation master's offbeat weight loss clinic, held over the course of ten Saturdays in a New York City yoga studio.
"These characters have been alive in my imagination for a decade now," Merullo says, "and I just had the sense that Rinpoche, out of his deep compassion, would try to do something about America's obesity epidemic. I've also been fascinated for a long time by the way addiction works - whether it's addiction to food, drugs, alcohol, sex, work, or anything else - the way it occupies the mind and moves us to do things we know we would be better off not doing. I've always wondered what advice Rinpoche would give on the subject."
Known - across twenty books, scores of essays, and twenty-five years of publishing - for being willing to try his hand at an unusually wide variety of themes, subjects, and genres, here Merullo works for the first time in the novella form, putting together a deft, moving, and tightly compressed tale that includes his trademark mix of spiritual inquiry and ordinary human emotions.
"This story is about the challenge of losing weight, yes," the author says, "but there's a twist to it at the end, and that opens into a wider territory. I tried to approach it with a full appreciation for the difficulty of breaking old habits, and I gave up a beloved food myself for ten weeks, just to keep things honest."
While it does not promise to help readers with their troublesome eating habits or other addictions, Rinpoche's Remarkable Ten-Week Weight Loss Clinic does look at those painful issues from a fresh angle, one full of sympathy and wisdom. It will certainly please lovers of the Buddha Trilogy, and perhaps bring new fans to the hundreds of thousands who've already enjoyed the travels and conversations of Otto and his enlightened teacher.
Roland Merullo is an award-winning author of 21 books including 15 works of fiction. His books have been translated into German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Croatian. He has been a frequent contributor of commentary for National Public Radio affiliates.
For additional information, please visit http://www.rolandmerullo.com
Print copies are available from independent bookstores everywhere, Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Books-A-Million (BAM) as well as from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Digital versions are available in Barnes & Noble NookBook, Amazon Kindle, Apple iBook and Kobo eBook versions.
Photos: (Click photo to enlarge)
Read Full Story - Rinpoche's Remarkable Ten-Week Weight Loss Clinic | More news from this source
Press release distribution by PRLog
