Buddha Da - Anne Donovan

You can tell from the very first lines that Anne Marie loves her Da. "Ma Da's a nutter. Radio rental. He'd dae anythin for a laugh so he wid; went doon the shops wi a perra knickers on his heid, tellt the wifie next door we'd won the lottery and were flittin to Barbados, that wis daft stuff compared tae whit he's went and done noo. He' turnt intae a Buddhist. Her Da is mental, but it's fun, he's a great Da to have. Not such a great husband maybe, you think, as "Mammy turn roond…and gied him wanny they looks…" The other thing you've noticed by the bottom of the first page is that may not be the ... more

I bought this book a couple of months ago after reading a positive review in a magazine. However, there was something slightly important that the review left out. But first; 'Buddha Da tells the endearing story of a working-class Glaswegian man who discovers Buddhism, rejects old habits and seeks a life more meaningful, only to alienate his immediate family in the process' So all sounds good, I was interested in this because I recently studied the Dalai Lama and found Buddhism and everything surrounding the DL fascinating. The book arrived, nice looking cover, 344 pages so not too long, then I ... more

I originally bought this book several months ago to read on a long train journey - it was part of a 3 for 2 offer at Waterstones I think. Unfortunately I ended up falling asleep on the train, and the book languished unread on my shelf until last weekend, when, searching around for something to entertain myself with, I picked it up. I read the back and was intrigued (as I had been when I bought it) by the contrast of the ideals of Buddhism with the lifestyle of working-class Glasgow. Despite being fully aware of the subject matter I was still somewhat surprised to open the book and find the ... more

A touching account of the lives of a Glasgow family, telling the tale of what happens when one member of the family wanders off the beaten path of everyday life, here, Daddy becomes a buddhist but it is easy to relate the events and emotions surrounding his decision to a number of other life choices. I found that this novel spoke to me as a Glaswedgian, but I think that many people would enjoy it, whether they have a particular fondness for the city or have no previous ideas or experience of the place that the characters call home. Anne Donovan's Buddha Da gains its strong sense of setting and ... more

Visakha was the devout and generous daughter of a millionaire. When she was only seven years old, the Buddha visited her birth place. Her grandfather, hearing of the Buddha’s visit, advised her to go out and welcome the Buddha. Though she was so young, she was religious and virtuous. As such, immediately after hearing the Dhamma from the Buddha, she attained the first stage of sainthood. When she was fifteen years old, some Brahmins who saw her, thought she would be an ideal wife for their master Punnavaddhana, the son of a millionaire named Migara. Visakha possessed the five kinds of feminine ... more