Gripping story, simplistic premise

Bach did a great job of putting Tenzin’s dramatic story into words: you learn a lot about the daily struggles of rural Tibetans. A well-written, real page-turner of a book!
However, the plot is based on the simplistic & over-generalized premise that Buddhism is ineffective, it has never been able to alleviate the sufferings of Tenzin, the protagonist, his family, and Tibetans in general, and that Jesus is the only way to peace and happiness.
Tibetan Buddhists (especially monks) are depicted as murderous fundamentalists ready to beat you to a pulp (literally) if you reject your roots in favor of Jesus. There are no shades of grey, you never get to meet wise, compassionate & open-minded Buddhists in the book (except the Dalai Lama perhaps).
While I sympathize with Tenzin for his numerous sufferings and hardships, and while I understand why he was open to a new faith, the book’s conclusion (that you have to turn your back on your ancestral traditions in order to be able to practice another religion) doesn’t appeal to me.

I personally much prefer the inclusive attitude of inter-religious tolerance and openness exhibited by one of my favorite authors, the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, who, after meeting some Christians living in the true spirit of Christ, came to respect Jesus as one of his spiritual ancestors, and frequently uses Gospel stories to make his point. Reading his books, you never get the feeling that he considers Buddhism to be the only path to liberation, or that it might be superior to Christianity in any way – just a different path to the same ‘peak’.

I wish Christian authors like Bach could approach other religions with the same respect and ‘loving embrace’, rather than the zeal to point out others are wrong and they’d better convert to Christianity if they know what’s good for them.

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