The Voss Coin - In Search Of Nirvana

In my upcoming novel, The Voss Coin , one of my favourite chapters to write is called In Search of Nirvana and I'm not talking about the legendary rock band. It revolves around a Japanese Buddhist monastery located in the Kii mountains close to the vibrant city of Osaka. Through my research, I delved into the heart and mind of Buddhist belief and it's noble truth, that all suffering in life is caused by selfish craving and personal desire. These concepts are particularly applicable to our modern world, where countless atrocities occur on a daily basis driven by greed and self serving actions.

Nirvana, in Buddhist terms, is to rid yourself of all private desires by reaching a certain level of enlightenment. A perfect state of happiness, with no suffering. It can only be achieved through the eightfold path of right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and finally concentration. Sounds a little excessive doesn't it? Yes it does but you can be sure that the state of Nirvana is worth it. In my novel, Kevin Voss finds himself trapped in this monastery and as you will find out, it's no ordinary temple. Driven to the edge of his physical and mental capacity, he goes on a journey of self discovery that alters his mindset forever. You never know, it may just alter yours as well. 

I hope you enjoy reading this chapter in my novel as much as I did writing it.