You Don't Have to Know Where You're Going to Get Where You Want to Be
by Bruce Berlin
A spiritual quest for deeper meaning, Berlin's memoir demonstrates how the practice of letting go and allowing whatever arises in the present moment can be a guide to transforming one's life.
Do you need to know your destination to begin the journey?
Maybe not! In this thought-provoking memoir, Bruce Berlin, a restless, unfulfilled young lawyer, leaves behind a budding legal career to answer a deeper calling—one that can't be mapped or planned. From Camden to Kathmandu chronicles his passage from American courtrooms to a Himalayan monastery, capturing a life-defining quest for truth, meaning, and spiritual grounding.
Guided by a thirst for his life’s purpose and driven by an insatiable hunger for greater meaning (what Buddhists call a "hungry ghost"), Berlin's path winds through Europe, then overland from Turkey to India and Nepal where he immerses himself in Tibetan Buddhism to find the answers he is seeking.
Much more than a travel memoir—it’s an insightful account of self-transformation. For those in search of their authentic self or examining their life's purpose, this story will inspire them to widen their horizons, open themselves to questions they may not have even known they had, and find meaning that can draw them further along the road to self-discovery. Perfect for readers of: true-life adventures, personal transformation narratives, and anyone standing at a life crossroads.
“Berlin’s account of his year-long odyssey as a young man offers a journey well worth following. A spiritual quest for deeper meaning, his story demonstrates how the practice of “letting go…and allowing whatever arose in the present moment” can be a guide to transforming our lives. His memoir contains many lessons we can all benefit from. ”
Henry Shukman, author of One Blade of Grass and Original Love
“A heartwarming memoir that captures the transformative spirit of the ’60s and the timeless yearning of the soul to know its purpose. ”
Charlotte Levinson, The Levinson Foundation
“This is much more than an armchair adventure read. Bruce takes us on the inner journey, where the insights come as fast and furious as the exotic locales. From the bazaars of Morocco to caves in Turkey, the Taj Mahal, the Himalayas, and beyond, his unique explorations resonate with anyone looking to illuminate their own inner path. The journey itself keeps asking, “who am I, and where am I going?” Sex, drugs and inner turmoil, set in the Vietnam war times, give way to discovering the spiritual treasures of the East. From gardens of ecstasy to dangerous crossings, the external environs mirror the questions within, the seeking for inner peace and clarity that only comes when one opens and least expects it.”
Victor La Cerva MD, author of Letters To A Young Man In Search of Himself
“Much to the dismay of his parents, 27-year-old Bruce Berlin stepped away from his nascent legal career to embark alone on a year-long spiritual “magical mystery tour” through Europe and overland to India and Nepal. Berlin was what Buddhists call a hungry ghost: someone “who could never quench his thirst or satisfy his cravings…driven by intense emotional needs...” Fifty-two years later, Berlin revisits his trip and discovers “Everything happened for a reason, though we might have no idea what that reason was.” Berlin’s book is the story of a meditative, and sometimes harrowing, journey on the other side of the glob, that swept me up like a hitchhiker absorbing each sound and sight for the first vivid time. ”
Albert Norman, author of Slam-Dunking Walmart, and Ravings: American Wild Talk.
“ Berlin’s memoir takes the reader on a journey, filled with adventure, that led to his finding meaning in his life and an enduring spiritual path. He captures what it is like for a young man to explore the world and his mind. His travels created the foundation for a life of purpose from which the world has greatly benefited through his work for social change. His odyssey is an inspiration to all those who are searching for their way in the world. ”
Nomi Green MA, ordained member of the Buddhist Order of Interbeing by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn
“Berlin leaves a predictable pathway as a young lawyer to take an epic global journey in the counter-culture of the 1970’s in search of life’s meaning. But his thirst is not quenched by alluring places and people throughout Europe and Asia. Rather, he discovers an inward spiritual journey which finally grounds his soul. This revealing personal account from Bruce’s past offers inspiration for contemporary seekers. ”
Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, Author, The Soul Work of Justice: Four Movements of Contemplative Action
About Bruce
Bruce Berlin has been a Buddhist meditator since 1973 when he trained with Thubten Zopa Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe at the Kopan monastery outside Kathmandu. Since then, he has attended several sesshins with Zen Master Sasaki Roshi as well as Vipassana retreats at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. Berlin began his legal career at the Legal Aid Society in Trenton, New Jersey. He also practiced poverty law at Western Massachusetts Legal Services in Greenfield, Massachusetts. In 1982, he co-founded and directed New Mexicans for a Bilateral Nuclear Weapons Freeze. He also created and directed The Trinity Forum for International Security and Conflict Resolution to bring together people with diverse political views to find common approaches to such issues as furthering US-Soviet relations and ending the Nicaraguan War diplomatically. Berlin conducted the latter project as a US Institute of Peace Fellow. He later founded and directed New Mexicans for Money Out of Politics. Prior to his retirement in 2012, Berlin spent eight years as a senior attorney with the New Mexico Public Education Department, where he brought disciplinary charges against educators for violations of the department's code of ethics. The author of "Breaking Big Money's Grip on America," Berlin has one daughter and resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico.