Mediocre Monk: A Stumbling Search for Answers in a Forest Monastery

Lindsley debuts with a witty if somewhat grating memoir of his search for enlightenment in the forests of Thailand. After a friend died in a car accident in 2014, Lindsley quit his corporate job and headed to southeast Asia, hoping that “grief and adventure... [would] transform [him] into a venerable sage.” There, he aligned himself with the ascetic Thai Forest Tradition to gain “discipline, insight and self-reliance,” and quickly discovered the rules featured one meal a day, a language he didn’t know, and endless kitchen chores (or, in monastery parlance, “working meditation”). He struggled for months with obsessive thoughts about food, and sex was another mental distraction (“masturbate, then meditate”). At the end of his six-month retreat, Lindsley left the monastic life, realizing that “I didn’t really want it.” Readers may appreciate his wit, but Lindsley’s self-psychologizing grows old fast, and the frequent extended riffs on everything from meditation to potential dream jobs (diplomat, renowned author, meditation teacher) are more irritating than gratifying. It has its moments, but the author too often gets in the way of his own story. (Apr.)