description       author's bio & news       chapter 2       photographs       what others say       talking points     author's journal & links       meditation       to order       home       Click here to buy Beneath Buddha's Eyes from Amazon.com		A Warning as We Go to War Beneath Buddha's Eyes offers a warning to anyone who would participate in a war — to those doing the planning and to those who will fight. My book is about the effects of war on its participants. Moreover, the book poses an interesting question about what makes certain people choose to participate. The Truth of War War is about life and death. Beneath the politics, the essence of war is about living and dying — surviving in the face of a constant threat of real and immediate death. The Casualties Are Not Just Those Who Die We cannot count only those who are killed on the battlefield as casualties, but those who are mortally wounded by the experience of war itself. The greatest number of casualties is counted among the survivors. Wars Do Not End When the Fighting Stops Battles continue to rage on in the hearts and minds of those who survive. In Beneath Buddha's Eyes, Peter Hill, who has had to suppress his emotions about surviving the death of his best friend, becomes consumed by anger, which eventually turns to rage. It takes twenty years before he finally acknowledges his rage and alcoholism and is able to start the healing process. Reliving the War Brings Emotions to the Surface I began writing Beneath Buddha's Eyes during my therapy for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as I experienced the surfacing of raw emotions, writing became an important part of my therapy. Memories Regained Become the Eventual Chapters of My Book When forgotten memories began to re-appear, they became the eventual building blocks of my novel. Beneath Buddha's Eyes begins with Peter Hill's vague memory of an Australian reporter who had been killed on the battlefield in Vietnam. Was her name Katherine, or Kate or … ? With the aid of a therapist, Peter starts to remember. Rules Change Rules for normal behavior are suspended when men and women exist in a life-or-death situation, where there is a very real feeling that they may not live to see the next day. Emotions are heightened. Falling in love happens more quickly and more deeply. There is no time for pretense or lies — our "BS Factor" becomes zero. Rebirth of a Man's Spirit The essence of Beneath Buddha's Eyes is of one man's transformation — a man who begins to feel the love that had lain dormant for so long. By acknowledging his love for Kate, he experiences a rebirth of all his emotions and ultimately learns that love heals. A Note on the Style of Writing The book is written in Photojournalist style; snapshots, quick reality bites. The experience of photojournalism is one of "not having time;" it is living in "instances," quick time bytes. I chose to write the book this way to move the story quickly from page to page.