The Fourth Rule of Ten: A Tenzing Norbu Mystery (A Tenzing Norbu Mystery series Book 4) (38 page)

I am so grateful for our Hay House family—Reid Tracy, Patty Gift, Sally Mason, Laura Gray, Charles McStravick, and so many others—for taking such care with our books. We couldn’t be in better hands. And thanks to all at Sandra Dijkstra Agency for helping shepherd our books out into the world.

I could not write with confidence without the help of those who are willing to share their expertise with me. Thanks to Susan Kinsley, and to Laurinda Keys, each of whom imparted invaluable “boots on the ground” reporting from their time in Bosnia-Herzegovina. A big “e-wallet” of thanks to Rick Amore for his insight and patience as he spent hours explaining the mysterious worlds of Tor and bitcoins to this Internet Luddite, and to Cesia at Spytech Support for introducing me to the latest spyware nano-technology. Special thanks to Nan Narboe for sending me a small stone talisman from Bosnia precisely when I needed it.

I am not so much standing on the shoulders of certain authors as riding piggyback into the unknown, carried by their works of immense courage. I relied heavily on the following writers, who bravely reported from the trenches of both the Bosnian conflict of the past—Peter Maass, Roy Gutman, and Noel Malcolm—and the heartbreaking present tragedy of human trafficking—Carissa Phelps, Kathryn Bolkovac with Cari Lynn, and Rachel Lloyd. I learned so much from your hard-earned wisdom. Thank you.

And finally, a big shout-out to my husband, Cameron Keys, who tells me every morning to “write like the wind,” and then, guess what? I do. You never waver in your support—not just of my writing but every other aspect of my life. Your humor buoys me, and your love steadies me, whatever rapids I may face. Lucky me.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

ABOUT
GAY HENDRICKS

Gay Hendricks, Ph.D., has served for more than 35 years as one of the major contributors to the fields of relationship transformation and body-mind therapies. He is the author of 36 books, including
The Corporate Mystic, Conscious Living,
and
The Big Leap,
and with his wife, Dr. Kathlyn Hendricks, has written many bestsellers, including
Conscious Loving
and
Five Wishes.
Dr. Hendricks received his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Stanford in 1974. After a 21-year career as a professor of counseling psychology at the University of Colorado, he and Kathlyn founded The Hendricks Institute, based in Ojai, California, which offers seminars worldwide.

In recent years Dr. Hendricks has also been active in creating new forms of conscious entertainment. In 2003, along with movie producer Stephen Simon, Dr. Hendricks founded the Spiritual Cinema Circle, which distributes inspirational movies to subscribers in 70-plus countries around the world (
www.spiritualcinemacircle.com
). He has appeared on more than 500 radio and television shows, including
The Oprah Winfrey Show
and
48 Hours,
and on networks including CNN and CNBC.

ABOUT
TINKER LINDSAY

Cameron Keys

Tinker Lindsay is an accomplished screenwriter, author, and conceptual editor. A member of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC), and Women in Film (WIF), she has worked in the Hollywood entertainment industry for over three decades. Lindsay has written screenplays for major studios such as Disney and Warner Bros., collaborating with award-winning film director Peter Chelsom. Lindsay and Chelsom wrote
Hector and the Search for Happiness,
which stars Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, and Christopher Plummer (among others) and was released by Relativity Media in September 2014. Lindsay and Chelsom recently completed a screenplay about Charles Dickens and a spin-off of the Hector franchise, for Egoli Tossell Film. She also co-wrote the spiritual epic
Buddha: The Inner Warrior
with acclaimed Indian director Pan Nalin, which is in preproduction, as well as the sci-fi remake of
The Crawling Eye,
and
Hoar Frost,
with Cameron Keys, the latter currently in preproduction.

In addition to the Tenzing Norbu detective series, Lindsay has written two books—
The Last Great Place
and a memoir,
The Sound of One Heart Breaking
—and worked with several noted transformational authors, including Peter Russell, Arjuna Ardagh, Dr. John C. Robinson, and Dara Marks.

Lindsay graduated with high honors from Harvard University in English and American Literature and Language, and was an editor for
The Harvard Crimson.
She studied and taught meditation for several years before moving to Los Angeles to live and work. She can usually be found writing in her home office, situated directly under the Hollywood sign.

READING GROUP GUIDE

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHORS: We are delighted that you have chosen
The Fourth Rule of Ten
for your reading group. While we hope our book engaged both your heart and mind, most especially we hope that it entertained you! We love writing these books, and find that with each one, we, along with Tenzing, forge new paths of discovery, both inner and outer. As an ex-Buddhist monk living and working in Los Angeles, Ten is uniquely challenged to balance his commitment to Buddhist principles with his deep desire to live in the world and “right wrongs.” While we may not be Tibetan Buddhist monks ourselves, we face similar challenges when it comes to living balanced, mindful, passionate, and creative lives. We are constantly discovering new insights as authors of this series of books, which is why we love to write them! We hope that you like the result, and find yourselves at times inspired to incorporate Ten’s hard-earned wisdom into your own personal journeys. Think of these questions as signposts along the way. Have fun with them, and above all, enjoy!

Questions for Discussion

1. In the opening chapters of
   The Fourth Rule of Ten
   , Tenzing has formulated a new life-rule: let go of expectations, for expectations lead to suffering. What were Ten’s expectations of his Fourth of July celebration with his friends Bill and Martha Bohannon, and how did they lead to suffering? Have you ever been a part of a special event or celebration that went drastically awry? What did you learn from the experience?
   
2. Ten is shocked and confused by an unexpected revelation concerning Bill and Martha’s marriage. Have you ever had a relationship change drastically as a result of something you suddenly learned? How did the discovery affect your relationship? If you could go back and do anything differently, what would that be?
   
3. Ten’s motives for going to Sarajevo are very mixed, and he finds himself struggling to make a final decision. Ultimately, he draws on a technique from his past for help, turning inward to have a dialogue with his heart. Do you think he made the right decision, and for the right reasons? What tools do you draw upon when faced with a complicated choice?
   
4. In writing this book, we discovered that human trafficking is an international epidemic with a global reach, yet is also widespread in our own communities. As one of our readers from around the world, you, too, may be affected by this pressing issue. What do you know about the presence of human trafficking in the area where you live?
   
5. Thousands of years ago, the Buddha taught that to be human means to struggle. Today, we still experience that eternal push and pull between past regrets and future longings, seldom finding the ease that comes with staying in the present. For Tenzing, breathing, allowing, exercising, and meditating are some of the ways he brings himself back to the present moment. Do you experience difficulty staying present in your life? What are some of your solutions?
   
6. Ten’s troubled relationship with his mother figures prominently in
   The Fourth Rule
   . As a child, he often functioned more as a caregiver to his parent. How did this past experience affect his current perceptions and relationships with the women in this story, including Martha, Mila, Julie, and Stephanie? As a child, did you ever experience this child-as-caregiver phenomenon with an adult in your life?
   
7. Ten learns a few life lessons of his own from Kim, his new assistant. What are they? Do you relate to her odd but astute perceptions? Do you have any “teachers” like Kim in your world?
   
8. Did you relate more to Bill, Martha, or Mila in the awkward and unexpected triangle this book explores? Why?
   
9. Irena’s behavior throughout
   The Fourth Rule of Ten
   is puzzling and inconsistent, and only at the very end do we find a clue as to her motivations. Tenzing brushes aside her final mysterious warning, but what do you think she is trying to tell him? (Note: there may be hints and warnings from Tenzing’s past at play here!) Do you find the ambiguity intriguing or frustrating?
   
10. At the end of the book, Tenzing poses a scary (for him) question to Julie. What do you think was the key learning moment in
    The Fourth Rule of Ten
    that allowed him to make this leap? Have you had any similar moments of clarity that enabled you to change a behavior, or do something life-changing?
    

We hope you enjoyed this Hay House Visions book. If you’d like to
receive our online catalog featuring additional information on Hay House
books and products, or if you’d like to find out more about the
Hay Foundation, please contact:

Hay House, Inc., P.O. Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100
(760) 431-7695 or (800) 654-5126
(760) 431-6948 (fax) or (800) 650-5115 (fax)
www.hayhouse.com
^®
•
www.hayfoundation.org

***

Published and distributed in Australia by:
Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.,
18/36 Ralph St., Alexandria NSW 2015
Phone:
612-9669-4299 •
Fax:
612-9669-4144 •
www.hayhouse.com.au

Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by:
Hay House UK, Ltd., Astley House, 33 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3JQ
Phone:
44-20-3675-2450 •
Fax:
44-20-3675-2451 •
www.hayhouse.co.uk

Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by:
Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd., P.O. Box 990, Witkoppen 2068
Phone/Fax:
27-11-467-8904 •
www.hayhouse.co.za

Published in India by:
Hay House Publishers India,
Muskaan Complex, Plot No. 3, B-2, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 110 070
Phone:
91-11-4176-1620 •
Fax:
91-11-4176-1630 •
www.hayhouse.co.in

Distributed in Canada by:
Raincoast Books,
2440 Viking Way, Richmond, B.C. V6V 1N2
Phone:
1-800-663-5714 •
Fax:
1-800-565-3770 •
www.raincoast.com

***

Take Your Soul on a Vacation

Visit
www.HealYourLife.com
^®
to regroup, recharge,
and reconnect with your own magnificence.
Featuring blogs, mind-body-spirit news, and
life-changing wisdom from Louise Hay and friends.

Visit
www.HealYourLife.com
today!