All Our Waves Are Water : Stumbling Toward Enlightenment and the Perfect Ride
Author(s): Jaimal Yogis
In this meditative memoir—a compelling fusion of Barbarian Days and the journals of Thomas Merton—the author of Saltwater Buddha reflects on his "failing toward enlightenment," his continued search to find meaning and a greater understanding of grace in the world’s oceans as well as everyday life.
Born to a family of seekers, Jaimal Yogis left home at sixteen to surf in Hawaii and join a monastery—an adventure he chronicled in Saltwater Buddha. Now, in his early twenties, his heart is broken and he’s lost his way. Hitting the road again, he lands in a monastery in Dharamsala, where he meets Sonam, a displaced Tibetan.
To help his friend, Jaimal makes a cockamamie attempt to reunite him with his family in Tibet by way of America. Though he does not succeed, witnessing Sonam’s spirit in the face of failure offers Jaimal a deeper understanding of faith. When the two friends part, he cannot fathom the unlikely circumstances that will reunite them.
All Our Waves Are Water follows Jaimal’s trek from the Himalayas to Indonesia; to a Franciscan Friary in New York City to the dusty streets of Jerusalem; and finally to San Francisco’s Ocean Beach. Along his journey, Jaimal prays and surfs; mourning a lost love and seeking something that keeps eluding him.
The poet Rumi wrote, "We are not a drop in the ocean. We are the ocean in a drop." All Our Waves Are Water is Jaimal’s "attempt to understand the ocean in a drop, to find that one moon shining in the water everywhere"—to find the mystery that unites us.
Review(s):
“[A] disarming memoir [that] seeks the stillness inside the chaos, the union inside duality.”
“Evocative and unpretentious...wry but engaged...articulate and genuinely funny.”
“Captivating.... Yogis finds wisdom everywhere [and] shows that the search for enlightenment, with its storms, lulls, and occasional thrills, is not much different from the search for the perfect wave.”
“All Our Waves Are Water seeks profound lessons in the ocean.”
“Engaging... As he draws wisdom from Tibetan monks, fellow surfers, and a beloved journalism professor, Yogis infuses All Our Waves with a rich mix of spiritual quest and down-to-earth adventurism.”
“Insightful, contemplative, and eloquently written, Yogis leaves us to realize that life isn’t about that elusive end goal of understanding humanity; it’s about the risks we’re willing to take in our journey to get there.”
“Jaimal Yogis writes in a fun, engaging style, and the ideas he conveys are timeless, All Our Waves Are Water is a great pleasure.”
“I’ll follow Jaimal Yogis into any ocean, walk whichever road with him, and read everything he writes. It always leads to growth.”
“Spiritual questing, serious surfing, a little hip-hop, and a significant dose of deep, honest humanity—another perfect Jaimal Yogis book!”
“Jamal Yogis has done it again: reminded us that our humanity depends on our connection to nature and how much we are willing to risk. It’s good to know that there is another brother like him out there in the mountains and on the waves.”
ISBN: 9780062405180