A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants

A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants
by Jaed Coffin

A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants
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Book Summary Information

Author: Jaed Coffin
Edition: Paperback
Published: 2008-01-07
ISBN: 0306815265
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Da Capo Press

Book Reviews of A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants

Book Review: A gentle and unusual look at Buddhist village life
Summary: 5 Stars

First, let me just say that I recommend this book heartily to anyone interested in Buddhism, Thailand, coming-of-age stories, or inter-cultural understanding in general.

This book is gentle, unlike many memoirs these days, and Coffin takes the time to make you understand why he becomes a monk, and why he later decides to disrobe (which is entirely acceptable in Thai culture). But what is truly different about this book is that it gives the reader an intimate view of "village Buddhism," which can be quite different from the actual instructions to monks by the Buddha. Nobody does anything bad, but the attitudes are really different from other accounts of dedicated monks one might have read. It's all fascinating and not in the least disheartening, so hopeful Buddhists need not fear it.

I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to whatever Mr. Coffin has planned next.

Summary of A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants

Six years ago at the age of twenty-one, Jaed Muncharoen Coffin, a half-Thai American man, left New England's privileged Middlebury College to be ordained as a Buddhist monk in his mother's native village of Panomsarakram--thus fulfilling a familial obligation. While addressing the notions of displacement, ethnic identity, and cultural belonging, A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants chronicles his time at the temple that rain season--receiving alms in the streets in saffron robes; bathing in the canals; learning to meditate in a mountaintop hut; and falling in love with Lek, a beautiful Thai woman who comes to represent the life he can have if he stays. Part armchair travel, part coming-of-age story, this debut work transcends the memoir genre and ushers in a brave new voice in American nonfiction.

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