Journeys of Transformation : Searching for No-Self in Western Buddhist Travel Narratives

A gripping exploration of thirty notable travel memoirs, each recounting a journey to a Buddhist culture. These Western travel narratives, the best known of which is Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard, describe journeys and religious experiences that often led to self-transformation and are interpreted through the Buddhist concept of 'no-self'.

Western Buddhist travel narratives are autobiographical accounts of a journey to a Buddhist culture. Dozens of such narratives have since the 1970s describe treks in Tibet, periods of residence in a Zen monastery, pilgrimages to Buddhist sites and teachers, and other Asian odysseys. The best known of these works is Peter Matthiessen''s The Snow Leopard; further reflections emerge from thirty writers including John Blofeld, Jan Van de Wetering, Thomas Merton, Oliver Statler, Robert Thurman, Gretel Ehrlich, and Bill Porter. The Buddhist concept of ''no-self'' helps these authors interpret certain pivotal experiences of ''unselfing'' and is also a catalyst that provokes and enables such events. The writers'' spiritual memoirs describe how their journeys brought about a new understanding of Buddhist enlightenment and so transformed their lives. Showing how travel can elicit self-transformation, this book is a compelling exploration of the journeys and religious changes of both individuals and Buddhism itself.