An Interim Report
The happy author enjoys his sabbatical and his book reviews
I’m sitting in a comfortable air-conditioned condo in Pawley’s Island, South Carolina. I’m not crazy about the beach and the heat, but you know what they say:
One taste.
If you’re not familiar with it, that’s a Buddhist phrase for equanimity—treating whatever comes without letting it get to you.
I can’t complain. I mostly hang out in the air-conditioning while Carol enjoys the beach with our son, Carl, at a family reunion. And I’ve been getting a lot of work done during my one-month sabbatical from feeling responsible for several From the Pure Land posts a week. That pace will pick up again on July 7 with a return to spiritual content, but here’s an update on my new book-publishing career.
I completed the all-consuming task of narrating The New Middle Way on Monday, June 16. Audible accepted it for sale, subject to a 10-day quality check. So it should be available in early July. I ran three marathons 45 years ago, and narrating the book was harder. It amounts to six recorded hours that took me 80 to 100 to record and edit.
The book is chugging along with sales and ranking reasonably well with the Amazon algorithms. The reviews continue to happily surprise me, and I’ve started working on Book Number 2. From the Pure Land’s readers will get a taste of it in the blog posts that will resume on July 7.
You’ll find a sampling of the reviews below in a nifty format to share with any friends who might be interested.
What They’re Saying About The New Middle Way
Welcoming, sincere pathway
He (Pine) steers away from rigidity, instead urging readers to discover their own awakening, and delivers many practical tips for anyone seeking a new perspective on joy. From exploring quantum mechanics to advice on how to face suffering to guiding readers on finding a teacher, Pine constructs a welcoming, sincere pathway to letting the ego die and “becom[ing] the modern equivalent of the wandering ascetic, free from fear of death.”
BookLife by Publishers Weekly
***
Like sitting with a wise and compassionate elder
...accessible to readers who may be new to Buddhism while still offering meaningful insights for experienced practitioners. His conversational tone feels like sitting with a wise and compassionate elder and teacher who speaks from both knowledge and experience. This inclusivity makes the book a welcoming space for all readers, regardless of their level of familiarity with Buddhist teachings.
Maileen Hamto review in Discovery
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Delightful book will benefit many
Mel Pine has distilled a lifetime of learning and packaged it in the most caring heart. This is a delightful book dealing with noble truths that will benefit many.
Andrew Holecek, author of Reverse Meditation
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Recognizing innate wisdom already within us
With a humble heart, Mel Pine gently guides us to discover our own new middle way by relating to Buddhist teachings with an open and relaxed mind, encouraging an accessible understanding of this ancient wisdom tradition for continued growth, while recognizing the innate wisdom already within us.
Chelsea Waves, Death Doula, Lucid Dreaming Guide, and Grief Companion
***
A compassionate hand reaching out across the page
The New Middle Way is resonating with me. Your thoughtful approach, grounded in decades of lived experience, humor, and honest reflection, feels like a compassionate hand reaching out across the page.
Sophia J. Bennett, award-winning author
***
Combines Buddhism, philosophy, and science
Mel Pine achieved something in The New Middle Way that I have never encountered before. He wrote an interdisciplinary book on Eastern spirituality that combined Buddhism, philosophy, and science. The truly extraordinary part is that he was true to each of the three without compromising one for the other. Perhaps even more astoundingly, this is not some heady discourse for a select few; rather, it presents a coherent and liberating approach to life that you could start living today. Whatever your current religious, spiritual or philosophical views, even the skeptic, you owe it to yourself to read Mel Pine's book with an open mind and heart.
Jim Palmer, Founder, Center for Non-Religious Spirituality, and author of Inner Anarchy
***
An accessible guide to the Buddhist path
The New Middle Way is a wonderful book for anyone interested in an accessible guide to the Buddhist path. With traditional teachings, as well as personal stories of trauma, healing, and resilience, Pine’s book demonstrates that everyone can draw on Buddhist practices to develop wisdom, compassion, and clarity for themselves and others.
Kimberly Brown, author of Happy Relationships and Navigating Grief and Loss
***
21st-Century Approach to Buddhism
I love Mel’s 21st-Century approach to Buddhism, his humility and the fact that he doesn’t take him"self" seriously. Mel is not simplistic. He unpacks the subtleties of Buddhist meditation. I much prefer this to the current secular trend.
Mary Finnigan, author of Sex and Violence in Tibetan Buddhism: The Rise and Fall of Sogyal Rinpoche
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A gift to the world
The best book I've read on Buddhism...a gift to the world.
Award-winning poet Teressa L Wagers
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Like remembering something you forgot you already knew
Mel Pine doesn’t teach Buddhism. He lives it, then writes from what’s left. The New Middle Way isn’t here to hand you a program or a philosophy. It’s a lived invitation. Reading it feels like remembering something you forgot you already knew. A book that meets you where you are, then gently opens the door.
Youri Hermes, author of Enlightenment, No Refunds
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Spiritual nourishment
I get more spiritual nourishment from Mel’s blog posts than from any other source.
Russ Araujo, From the Pure Land subscriber
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Doesn't demand blind faith or blind skepticism
By positioning himself between “secular” and “ossified” (rigidly traditional) Buddhism, Pine carves out a space for genuine spiritual growth that doesn’t demand blind faith or blind skepticism.
Chat GPT-4
Mel’s book, The New Middle Way: A Buddhist Path Between Secular and Ossified - Enlightenment for Regular Folks, is available from Amazon.
Subscribe to Mel’s Awakening for Regular Folks newsletter and receive six guided meditations.
From the Pure Land has thousands of readers and subscribers in 40 U.S. states and 29 countries, and the podcast has thousands of listeners in 80 countries.
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