"Before I became a monk, I found that the world would sabotage my good intentions and considerable efforts at every turn. . . . Monastic life is much more contained, much more supportive of my commitment to simplicity, quietude, and contemplation," writes Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu, a Theravadan forest monk who was once a Chicago real estate mogul . The questions and answers in this book were compiled from his journals and diaries after 20 years of monastic practice. As a Western Buddhist monk, solitude, simplicity, and intense introspection have been at the hub of his meditative life.

Bhikku states that money cannot buy silence, peace of mind, and contentment. The latter is "the reward of a lightness of heart." The author speaks about the benefits of being in the present, managing the mind, seeing the whole picture, cultivating spiritual education, and looking death squarely in the eye. Bhikku advises: "Stop the war within yourself and you will do the world and humanity the greatest service." The wisdom from this forest mendicant sheds light on the essential spiritual challenges facing many urban dwellers.v