The Bodhi Tree Grows in L.A.

Truth is regularly stranger than fiction for the abbot of a Buddhist temple that happens to be situated right in the far-from-tranquil inner city. Here are the adventures of Bhante Walpola Piyananda, abbot of a Theravada Buddhist meditation center in Los Angeles, California. Whether he's talking a dangerously unbalanced man out of buying a gun, confronting a naked woman in his Dharma hall, helping reform gossipers and gamblers, or simply teaching meditation, Bhante is ever unflappable, and his teaching is always heartfelt, warm, and wise. To Bhante, every experience is an opportunity for learning and appreciating the Dharma, or the Buddha's teachings, and he is never at a loss for the perfect parable for the occasion. His stories are peppered with traditional Buddhist lessons, blessings, and morality tales, which he explains with clarity and zeal. But he also reflects on social and political issues and events such as the racial tension in his neighborhood after the Rodney King trial or the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan.

Bhante Walpola Piyananda was born in Sri Lanka and has been living in the United States for more than thirty years. He is the founder-president and abbot of Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara in Los Angeles, California.