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Advanced Praise:
“A heartfelt and honest work, whose lively, self-deprecating style enables the reader to empathise with Yogis at every stage of his journey, whether he’s fleeing home, immersed in Buddhist ritual in a French monastery, grappling with surf Nazis in Santa Cruz or suffering for his art while on board a commercial fishing boat. His art proves to be writing, but his embrace of the surfer’s search - he kept the faith by subway journeys to surf New York’s freezing winter waves - is what gets him there.”
The Times of London
“A journalist, photographer, surfer and Zen Master, Yogis began the life of a roving seeker his junior year of high school, when he ran away from his Sacramento, Calif. home to learn how to surf in Hawaii. His subsequent travels include a handful of prime surfing spots, but Yogis’s more arresting journey is spiritual, taking him to monasteries in France and Berkley, Calif., and deep into the living tradition of Zen Buddhism. Captured here in short chapters and wonderful, visual prose, Yogis’s coming-of-age odyssey also takes readers into the culture of indigenous Hawaiians, who believe the gods were surfers. Yogis’s long-time surfing mentor Rom provides insight into the science of surfing, ocean swells, the bathymetry of the continental shelf, deep water canyons and sea mounts. Even land lovers will find Yogis’s lessons resonant and entertaining, but surfers will find this a quick, surprisingly deep tribute to the quest for surf and serenity.”
Publishers Weekly
“Great stuff with the words ‘cult classic‘ stamped all over it.”
Alex Wade, Surf Nation
“If there’s anything wrong with the book, it’s that it’s too short (256 breezy pages) and leaves you wanting more. I would have loved to see Jaimal describe more of the gritty details, the havoc with girlfriends and family as he romped fairly carelessly around the globe. A sequel seems imminent as Jaimal, now 29, continues to travel and surf, writing for various magazines as he goes. But even if not, I do know this: Having had a brief opportunity to get to know this young author during a blissful Malibu surf session (fellow surf author Stuart Coleman along-side as both authors toured through Los Angeles together), I can attest to this: Jaimal definitely “surfs his talk” and we can expect other fine literary works from him in the future.”
Surfers Journal
“Yogis comes to keenly understand the continuity between the physical and the spiritual, the particularity of a life lived in the world and the lessons of the Buddha. He takes us through some vividly hair-raising experiences, from vertiginous waves to a stomach-churning episode on a fishing boat caught in an Atlantic storm. His story is also, in part, an adventure story in which the sea is a powerful antagonist, at once the siren and the ogre, irresistible and terrifying in its sheer, monstrous power. For this author, it’s a voracious and demanding lover, and he is skilled at summoning its ever-changing presence.”
The Huffington Post
“Saltwater Buddha is a string of polished gems, each short chapter distilling the essence of what Yogis’ adventures taught him.”
The Age
“There’s something about Saltwater Buddha that makes the book not only easy to read, but a very relaxing experience. Through Yogis’s vivid beachside descriptions, the reader can almost feel as though they are standing on the sandy shores alongside Yogis, seeking out something in the great beyond. This would make a great summer read, and should intrigue even those who do not generally read for fun.”
Sacramento Book Review
“Any self-respecting surfer who’s paddled out into the ocean’s fury and caught a wave knows that Zen and surfing are inseparable. It’s just that most don’t know it - yet. Now with Jaimal Yogis’ new book Saltwater Buddha: A Surfer’s Quest to Find Zen on the Sea the connection between the two is at last articulated, coming full-circle into the reflective light off the ocean. This breezy, coming-of-age tale is in fact a memoir, a quest for pelagic vitality and terrestrial enlightenment all rolled into the spiritual spindrift of Zen. Like the ebb and flow of the tides, Saltwater Buddha floats between the esoteric surfing/Zen connection and the real life of a young man coming to terms with adulthood.”
Bruce Wiley, The Monterey Herald
“Long characterized by adrenaline-charged photos overshadowing lackluster text, surfing literature finds a new, more profound incarnation in San Franciscan Jaimal Yogis’s first book. Between assignments for this magazine and others, Yogis penned a memoir of his quest for self-knowledge, spi ritual enlightenment, and, of course, epic waves. At once playful and intensely contemplative, Saltwater Buddha is lush with descriptions of the natural landscapes and the psychological terrain that Yogis traverses as he escapes to Hawaii to surf, dabbles in Buddhist monkhood, and gets a master’s in journalism. At every stage, the ocean acts as both protagonist and antagonist, revered and lethal—the writer’s epiphanies take place during near-death experiences in the water as often as they do during transcendent moments in the lotus position. Despite his introspection, Yogis takes an open-arms approach to storytelling that makes his book refreshingly accessible: Conversational, humble, and humorous, he welcomes die-hard surfers, seasoned meditators, and the uninitiated alike, tak ing great pains to explain every thing from technical wave-riding maneuvers to Zen his tory. Ultimately, this is a book about balance, and that’s a concept Yogis has mastered.”
Annie Tucker, San Francisco Magazine
Yogis’ diffidence and truth-telling make him an attractive character, one a reader is happy to follow through the peripatetic life of one who is always yearning for the next wave. The scene in which he surfs in the snow off the 98th Street beach in Brooklyn (yes, Brooklyn, New Yawk) is masterful…A weekend with this book is well spent: There is wisdom, there is humor, there is learning and, above all, there is sincerity.
Honolulu Advertiser
“An incredibly honest story by a writer who, like most of us, is searching for answers about life and where his was heading. He found some of these answers in the waves, but not all of them. Some came from people he met, others by hard lessons and some by accident. Yet he found surfing was the perfect metaphor for life. Sometimes the waves will pound you, other times they go flat, but when the conditions are right, when a slight breeze blows offshore, the sunlight reflecting off the water, and it’s just you feeling the natural flow. It’s a spiritual moment in which you truly know what it feels like to be alive. By the time I closed the book, my cynicism was long gone. I couldn’t wait to get back in the water. And keep paddling. ”
Outdoor Japan
“Jaimal Yogis has done, in this terrific first book, what every artist
and writer strives to do: he has made something beautiful and
universal from the particulars of his own life. He writes well about
surfing; he writes well about Buddhism; he writes well about what it feels like to be a person; but mostly, he just writes well. Yogis’s
sentence are clean, clear, and disciplined, and his story-telling
instincts are strong, so strong that this book will surely find the
audience it deserves–among surfers, among seekers, and among those
who enjoy being swept along on a curious ride.”
Daniel Duane, author of Caught Inside: a surfer’s year on the California Coast
“A fun, lively account of Yogis’ journey toward becoming an enlightened surfer. He goes to Maui, broke and inexperienced, and follows a twisting route around the globe, past the notorious surf Nazis of Santa Cruz and toward a more peaceful place where the break is always just right.”
Jeff Baker, The Oregonian
“Jaimal’s tale of survival and perseverance reminds us to follow our hearts without fear. A bold young man’s coming of age, Saltwater Buddha is not only entertaining, it’s inspiring and motivating. I loved this story!” Urijah Faber, World Champion Mixed Martial Artist
“As a city boy, I’ve never been on a surfboard and a day on the water means a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge . But reading Jaimal Yogis transformed me to a different — and dare I say higher — reality. I can feel the wind in my face, the sand between my toes and the surging sea beneath my feet. This book is a joy to read.” Ari L. Goldman, author of National Bestseller, The Search for God at Harvard
“Jaimal Yogis starts off as an Everyteen with two deep hungers—to learn surfing and to calm his mind—and his simple, amused, deadly serious report on how he tries to satisfy those desires may ultimately launch an entirely new breed of memoir: the coming-of-sage story. Yogis’ prose is etched yet effortless, a conversation with a friend who pretends to be naïve, but has clearly drunk up so much life experience that you trust his authority as a truth-telling more than you know. He rocked me happily for chapters as he recounted his journey from Atlantic island to California suburb to a series of beach towns (including, memorably, Brooklyn). But each time I was lulled, I always was also on edge, wondering if bigger surf may be coming. Indeed, it was: several moving, sharp-edged episodes—sets, really—that will stay vivid in my mind for a long, long time.”
Bruce Kelley, editor-in-chief, San Francisco Magazine
“…lighthearted and natural and unafraid…a beautiful coming of age story.”
Abby Gruen, New York Times contributing writer
“Saltwater Buddha is a wryly told, compelling nonfiction saga of a young
man’s apprenticeship in breaking waves and the deep, still waters of
Buddhism. A pilgrim’s progress, this attractively self-deprecating narrative
makes no grandiose claims for either the teller’s surfing or for his soul.
Still, we perceive, finally, that surfing becomes him–as does writing.
Saltwater Buddha will be rich reading for both surfers and spiritual
seekers, who are, we learn here, sometimes one and the same.”
Thomas Farber, author of The Face of the Deep
“It’s the perfect read for those who love the ocean as much as their yoga mats, or for anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the spiritual practice that is surfing.”
Karen Macklin, Yoga Journal
“An incredibly fun ride. Yogis has written a great book about surfing and zen and what it means to be young and what it means to want life to matter and how, sometimes when you’re very, very lucky, all of these things can come together on one perfect wave.”
Steven Kotler, author of West of Jesus
“As a surfer, Saltwater Buddha is a reminder to focus on the positive even in difficult situations. Whether it’s fierce localism, cold water, or endless big waves, we could all use a little more Zen.”
Holly Beck, professional surfer
“With Saltwater Buddha, Yogis, now 29, joins an impressive posse of surfer/writer/intellectuals…who have, over the recent past, given surfing a language and a literature.”
Louise Rafkin, San Francisco Chronicle
“Saltwater Buddha is that rare book that you just don’t want to put down, but don’t want to finish either. I cherished every chapter and every character I met along the way.”
Todd Walsh, surfstronger.com
“A famous guru once said, you can’t stop the waves but you can learn how to surf. Jaimal learned how, and now takes the reader on his board with him, riding the wave to awakening. It’s a thoroughly unique, enjoyable, wild and wet spiritual journey.” Wes Nisker, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of Essential Crazy Wisdom.
“At sixteen, Jaimal Yogis ran way on a spiritual journey of a magnitude few of us even dream of, to learn to ride the waves of the world’s oceans, and the bigger surf within his own mind. As Jaimal gains hard-won spiritual lessons with a teenager’s eagerness and a surfer’s passion, we cannot help but see our own spiritual life with fresh, beginner’s eyes. His journey started in nothingness–at least in a material sense. But it ends in deep riches of spiritual insight, human warmth and humor. The pages kept turning. I couldn’t put this book down.”
Michael Ellsberg, author of The Power of Eye Contact (HarperCollins, forthcoming)
“The quality of Yogis writing is up there with, amongst others, Daniel Duane, Allan Weisbecker, Kem Nunn, Tim Winton etc. Surfers and searchers alike will love it. Out in May 2009….reserve a copy!”
Matt Strathern, extremehorizon.blogspot.com
“Yogis carries it off with humor and snapshot looks at his experience and his spiritual awakening.
Likely most of us imagined at least once growing up what it would be like to be free of our parents, school or the latest teenage angst moment. Yogis didn’t just imagine it; he lived it. The resulting memoir is a sneak peek at what the rest of us missed out on.”
Contra Costa Times
“A personal Odyssey in which the writer has followed his dreams and listened to the quiet whispers of his soul as if they were carried on a gentle offshore wind. It’s an inspiring and thought-provoking book which may well have you returning to it again and again.”
Tim Kevan, author of Why Lawyers Should Surf
“I’m just not into spirituality, or so I thought. Turns out I read it in two sittings. As will you.”
Dailystoke.com
“In a time when the world seems to be ready to self destruct a little, this book brings with it a message of fun, wisdom, inner exploration and a way to find and lose yourself in the most prevalent element on the planet, water…will make a timeless addition to anyone’s collection whether you are a surfer or not.”
South West Surf Review
“Saltwater Buddha is well crafted and engaging. I would recommend this book for young people who are in their own particular rite of passage and for the young at heart.”
The Zennist
“Yogis’ watercolor portrait of a young man who accepts ‘who I am,’…uses language that is by turns funny, reflective and salty.”
Chico Enterprise-Record
“Anyone who has a love of the ocean, the beach and the waves and is overwhelmingly drawn to them will truly enjoy this book!”
Rob Nixon, blogger and founding Member of the South Texas Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation
“I am not a surfer; still Jaimal openly welcomes me into his world of passion for surfing, both the actual wet, cold, hard-rock bottom of the sport and the mistiness of the analogy for life.”
Ross Anthony, Hollywood Report Card
“You don’t have to be a surfer, which I am not, to understand where Jaimal is coming from. His writing style breaks it all down and speaks in such a way that I felt like I could get on the board and know what to do…he makes you believe you can truly do anything you put your mind to. And when you fall down, it’s ok to get back up and move on, to not give up and try again.”
preciousmetal.wordpress.com
“I know nothing about surfing and only a smattering about zen, but by the time I was through half of the book I was just speachless. It’s
fantastic and very well written!”
Power of Yoga Blog for Iyengar Yoga, Wellness, Philosophy and Life - theyoginme.blogspot.com
“I have always had an interest in things Zen since reading Zen and the Art of motorcycle maintenance as a young man. Now thirty years on Jaimal Yogis has written his version, all be it from a more youthful point of view, founded in the surf of Hawaii, California and New York.”
Tony Foster, surfr.blogspot.com
“Great book to put on the book shelf between ‘i am that’ and ‘The mindless ferocity of sharks”
kiwihobo.blogspot.com
“…captures the spirit of zen in a savory broth of water metaphors.”
Jack Ricchiuto, Jackzen.com
“The author has a mind born with spiritual habits and a brain able to write prose pictorially vivid and spiritually telling. I found it a pleasure to go along on this man’s adventure.”
pithingcontest.blogspot.com
Here are a few articles by Jaimal that helped catalyze Saltwater Buddha
Paradise Lost and Found
On a February day, so cold that it’s snowing on Mount Tamalpais, Jay Nelson, Mike Etchevers, and I are in the parking lot at the south end of Ocean Beach, preparing to jump in the dark green water. The air temperature hovers in the high 40s, the water temperature in the low 50s, and a drizzle settles on our bare skin as we slip into our black neoprene wetsuits: the sealskin–like rubber will allow us to bob in the frigid waters for a few hours with only minor shivers and slightly numbed extremities. Read on…
Diehard Dharma
JACK KEROUAC WROTE that the teenage years are an ideal age to be introduced to the Dharma. I agree, but it can also be a complicated time. Take the summer just after high school, shortly after I’d decided to be an official, practicing Buddhist. Like many teens, I was trying to do anything possible to differentiate myself from my obviously backwards parents. Unfortunately, my parents had been practicing Buddhism from the time I was born, while I was only now falling in love with the dharma. How could I become a Buddhist without becoming them? Read on…
Of Zen and Surfing
Often when I’m meditating, I catch myself fantasizing about surfing. My attention migrates from the breath to gliding on the steep face of a peeling wave. The water is warm. The wave is the color of clear jade. After ten years of regular sitting and surfing, I’ve noticed that my surf fantasies have a different quality than other thoughts. I let them pass like any other distractions, but I also notice that visions of waves help me settle into the sit. Read on…
Press for Saltwater Buddha
Review: extremehorizon.blogspot.com
Soul Surfing, an article in www.lime.com and Common Ground Magazine