NIXON UNDER THE BODHI TREE AND OTHER WORKS OF BUDDHIST FICTION

"Buddhist fiction" is a contradictory notion, admits Wheeler, a Buddhist practitioner and recipient of two O. Henry awards. "Everything that seems to be happening to 'you' and 'me' is already like a fiction, from a Buddhist's standpoint, and the thing to do is to unravel your involvement in the story, not become entranced and follow it to the end," she explains. Yet she also admits that the Buddhist tradition is rich in stories, especially in the teaching of the sutras. Best to sidestep the spiritual quagmire of this discussion, and just relish the beauty of these well-told tales. Wheeler has assembled a stellar collection, including the titular "Nixon Under the Bodhi Tree," an O. Henry award–winning story by Gerald Reilly. Many stories, with their Zen sparseness, clean imagery and lingering depths, could proudly stand beside the finest of the genre, such as the fiction of Gail Tsukiyama. Marie Henry's half-page story, "At the Change of Seasons," is so spare and profound it reads like a haiku that's been gently stretched into prose. Some speak so intimately to the teachings of Buddhism that they read like inside jokes—which isn't necessarily a bad thing, considering how satisfying these jokes are to insiders. For instance, Dinty W. Moore's exquisitely joyful two-page story about reality and illusion ("No Kingdom of the Eyes") could be lost on nonpractitioners, but will easily elicit a chuckle from many struggling students of Buddhism. Another standout is Ira Sukrungruang's classic tale, "The Golden Mix," a commanding, crass and earthy story about what might happen if Buddha showed up at the local dog pound. This collection is all that fans of fiction and Buddhism hope for—full of play, insight, revelation and diversity, and never compromising in delight. (Apr.)