TY - BOOK AU - Warner,Brad TI - There is no god and he is always with you: a search for God in odd places SN - 1608681831 (pbk.) PY - 2013/// CY - Novato, California PB - New World Library KW - Warner, Brad KW - God KW - Buddhist interpretations KW - Zen Buddhism N2 - ""Perspectives on the 'God-or-no-God' debate from an idiosyncratic Soto Zen priest. With stories from his years of Zen practice and his travels to countries such as Israel, Mexico, and Northern Ireland, Warner suggests that Buddhist practice 'is a way to approach and understand God without dealing with religion'"--Provided by publisher"--; "In his "intimate, funny, conversational style" (Library Journal), Brad Warner stage dives into the Sam Harris, Karen Armstrong, Christopher Hitchens mosh pit of the God or no God debate - and body surfs up with a typically provocative perspective. Warner was initially interested in Zen because he wanted to find God, but Zen Buddhism is usually thought of as godless. Warner travels around the world looking for insight and what he finds, in chapters like "Sam Harris Believes in God," "God Doesn't Have to Be Real to Exist," and "What God Wants," and through visits to places including Israel, Mexico, and Northern Ireland, is the belief that Buddhism "is a way to approach and understand God without dealing with religion." The fact that the book's title is Warner's mis-remembrance of a Zen monk's quote is emblematic of his profoundly engaging and idiosyncratic take on the ineffable power of the "ground of all being." "-- ER -