The Path to Enlightenment

The predominant theme of the novel is the personal voyage of Ray Smith, the narrator and primary protagonist, on a path leading to enlightenment. The novel opens with a summarization of Buddhist philosophy with a focus on two elements. First, all life is suffering, and second, the suppression of suffering can be achieved. Ray, an East Coast beat writer of some repute is living a life of active dissipation, which has left him unsatisfied and searching for a better way. He has realized that all life is, indeed, suffering, and he wants to believe that the suffering can be suppressed. To this end, he has embarked on a path of asceticism and the study of Buddhist philosophy. Ray's asceticism is perhaps not traditionally ascetic, as his typical excesses are somewhat egregious. Nevertheless, he moves toward the simple life and tries to refute desire.

Ray is...