A Buddhist Path to Joy: The New Middle Way Expanded Edition

A funny thing happened on the way to my death...

Finding joy through Buddhist practices doesn’t require a pilgrimage to Kathmandu or years of living in a cave. It took me decades, but it needn’t take you as long. This book is my end-of-life effort to point the way.

"Written with humility, openness, and humanity, A Buddhist Path to Joy...provides a welcome starting-point for readers who want to go past the superficial layers of pop-culture meditation and yoga through understanding," says the IndieReader review. It's an "excellent overall primer to a living practice of modern Buddhism."

This isn't another scholarly treatise on Buddhism. It's dharma from the trenches—honest, accessible, and refreshingly free of spiritual pretense. Pine calls himself a "Jewish Buddhist contrarian," and his irreverent yet profound voice guides readers through everything from AI consciousness and Buddha Nature to the practical art of dying well while fully alive.

Whether you're new to Buddhism or a seasoned practitioner, this book offers a modern middle way between rigid tradition and shallow spirituality. Pine proves that awakening isn't reserved for monastery dwellers—it's available to anyone willing to make friends with their mind and embrace the radical ordinariness of joy.

"I am awake!" Pine declares with hard-earned confidence. His invitation is simple: you can be too.

NOTE: The author narrates this book, with voice actor Robin McAlpine playing the parts of AI platforms in conversation with the author in two chapters. It contains no AI narration.

© 2025 Mel Harkrader Pine (Audiobook): 9798992969788

Release date

Audiobook: November 10, 2025