Michael La Vasani

Shiniwa: the Story of a Reclaimed Life Michael La Vasani

Battered and psychologically abused by an alcoholic father and neglected by an equally abused mother, Michael, age seven, descended into rage at the murder of his beloved pet rooster and the death of his adored sister. Consumed by murderous hate, Michael was exiled to an obscure monastery between China and Tibet in the back of beyond, from a place it was assumed he would never return. A very special Buddhist monk, Kako, made it his life's work to reclaim the wreck that was this belligerent boy. It took Kako eleven years to transform Michael into the man of peace and charity he is today. The path was difficult and often seemed impossible as Michael resisted all of Kako's patient teaching. Michael's transformation was aided by a handwoven soccer ball made from bamboo and coconut skin and a team of young monks who played a game they had never seen before in their lives. By the time Kako passed away at the age of forty-four, Michael was ready to return to a world that had long ago forgotten him. Shinawa: The Story of a Reclaimed Life is the remarkable story of the long and difficult path to Michael's transformation.