The Gods Drink Whiskey: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment in the Land of the Tattered Buddha [Hardcover]

Stephen T. Asma (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2005

Buddhism, Booze, and the Four Noble Truths

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Asma opens this memoirish spiritual travel guide with a central purpose: by journeying to Cambodia to see the collective manifestations of Theravada Buddhism, the tradition closest to that avowed by the historical Buddha, he will disabuse Western readers of the widespread misconceptions so prevalent in a privatized, narcissistic and consumerist Buddhist mentality. Asma, professor of philosophy and a practicing Buddhist who taught Buddhism in Cambodia in 2003, dispels the basic falsehoods common to all schools of Buddhism, e.g., that nirvana is heavenly bliss, that austere detachment from one's deepest feelings is par for the course or that karmic merit can be acquired by magical or superstitious practices. Curiously, he scarcely discusses the most basic schism between Theravada and Mahayana (the other great school of Buddhism), namely, the consequential difference between an arhat and a bodhisattva. Nor does he, in the field of practice, explain how the magical shamanism pervading Cambodian Buddhism is different from Western practices that also use, for instance, fortune-telling or individualized mantras as magical panaceas. Nonetheless, Asma's descriptions are skillfully interwoven with firsthand encounters from his time in Cambodia. His forays into Southeast Asian politics, violence and globalizing trends, colorfully entertaining as travel writing, illuminate the ways in which Buddhism plays a primary role in the collective welfare of the region. (June)
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From Booklist

Asma, a professor of Buddhism at Columbia College in Chicago and the author of Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads (2001), recounts his intense and revelatory Cambodian adventures while teaching at Phnom Penh's Buddhist Institute. In an electrifying and frank mix of hair-raising anecdotes and expert analysis, he explicates the vast difference between text-based Buddhist teachings and daily life in a poor and politically volatile Buddhist society. Amid tales of massage parlors, marijuana-spiced pizza, and bloodshed, he cogently explains how Theravada Buddhism, the form practiced throughout Southeast Asia, differs from the Buddhism Westerners are familiar with, and how entwined it is with animistic beliefs. This fusion of Buddhist rationalism with superstition is but one of many juxtapositions Asma relishes as he assesses the terrible scars left by the Khmer Rouge and the profound self-possession of the people he meets. His striking insights into Cambodian reality lead to a bracing critique of American pop culture and the manipulative tactics of Cambodia-based fundamentalist Protestant missionaries--and an incisive argument for learning about and respecting religions other than one's own. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 1st Printing edition (May 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060723955
• ISBN-13: 978-0060723958
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,111,091 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen T. Asma is Professor of Philosophy at Columbia College Chicago, where he holds the title of Distinguished Scholar.

Asma is the author of seven books, including "Against Fairness: In Favor of Favoritism" (Univ. of Chicago Press, 2012), "On Monsters: an Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears" (Oxford Univ. Press), "Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads" (Oxford Univ. Press), "Why I am a Buddhist" (Hampton Roads), and the best selling "Buddha for Beginners" (originally published in 1996 and reissued in 2008). His writing has been translated into German, Spanish, Hebrew, Czech, Romanian, Hindi, Portuguese, and Chinese.

Dr. Asma is a founding Fellow of the "Research Group in Mind, Science and Culture" at Columbia College Chicago. The Research Group is actively working on a philosophical and scientific understanding of the mind/brain that properly incorporates the emotional dimensions of mammalian consciousness.

In addition to Western philosophy, Asma has an abiding interest in Buddhism and Confucianism. In 2003, he was Visiting Professor at the Buddhist Institute in Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia, teaching a "Buddhist Philosophy" seminar course as part of their Graduate Program in Buddhist Studies. In addition to Cambodia, he has also researched Asian philosophies in Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Laos. He has also lived and studied in Shanghai China.

Asma has lectured at Harvard, the Field Museum, the Newberry Library, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, and many more.

His website is: www.stephenasma.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stumbling in the Right Direction!, June 10, 2005

By 

Mike Choe (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gods Drink Whiskey: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment in the Land of the Tattered Buddha (Hardcover)

I was first drawn to this book by the awesome title, and I was not disappointed. The jacket copy makes the book seem like it's going to be a lightweight and sensationalistic story, but don't be fooled. Right from the start the author digs into what he calls "philosophical journalism." He tells a riveting story about his adventures in Southeast Asia (page turning stuff, as a travelogue ), but all the while he is weaving in more and more of the deep ideas of Buddhism. The author actually moved to Cambodia for a while to teach and study Buddhism, and his "outsider" status gives rise to some funny cultural episodes. But he's also got one foot back in the States, and gives us some interesting comparisons of East and West. Without really noticing it, you are learning a lot about the fundamentals and the idiosyncrasies of the region's spiritual traditions -but Asma does this by telling stories rather than lecturing the reader (although a few times he cuts loose on some pretty funny rants -like his comparison of American pop-culture and Southeast Asian youth culture). The author is such a comical travel companion (he barfs at a sacred shrine from food poisoning, and sings bad karaoke at a bar, and gets high on hemp pizza, etc.) that you don't realize you're slowly wading into deeper issues of self-identity and ultimate reality. This book makes me want to visit Bangkok and Angkor Wat and many of the other locations, but it also makes me want to try my hand at some serious meditation. I'm very happy to have "stumbled" on to this book.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly funny., August 1, 2005

By 

Oscar Maltsev (Manhattan, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gods Drink Whiskey: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment in the Land of the Tattered Buddha (Hardcover)

You wouldn't think that an adventure set in the land of the Killing Fields could be humorous, but the author gives us a side of Cambodia that many of us have never seen. Without downplaying the violence and chaos, Asma shows us that there is far more to this part of the world than just misery. The local people he meets are warm, hopeful, and deeply spiritual people, and the expats are quirky characters that make you laugh one minute and horrify the next. The Buddhism here is complex too and Asma proves an excellent guide.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally something for us outsiders!, June 25, 2005

By 

Edna Price (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gods Drink Whiskey: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment in the Land of the Tattered Buddha (Hardcover)

I've been interested in Buddhism since I was in Highschool (I'm in my 40s now), but I've always been annoyed by the "cliquish" quality of other Buddhist practitioners. Maybe I've had some bad luck, but everytime I find a little sangha, I seem to end up in a smug clique of people who want to out-meditate and out-enlighten the others in the group. I'm really thankful for Asma's no-nonsense approach to the ideas in this book. I read him as a kind of "outsider" who's honestly grappling with his own confusions/inspirations about Buddhism and Cambodia, etc.. Asma's approach seems unorthodox in that healthy way that reformers often pursue.

I found his description of the political assasination that he witnessed to be rather moving. Plus, if you're interested in traveling to the region, Asma's book might make good preparation material --then again, it might scare the hell out of you too!