Tricycle Talks ‘To Live the Right Way’ with David Guterson
Jan 28, 2026
David Guterson, novelist from Washington State and author of Evelyn in Transit, reflects on a lifelong engagement with Buddhism and the real-life Sakya family that inspired his story. He talks about reincarnation and a mother’s wrenching choice, the meeting of Western and Tibetan lives, and the search for freedom from the self. Short, reflective conversations touch on faith, doubt, and cultural crossing.
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Real Family Who Inspired The Novel
- Carolyn Massey, a Seattle follower of the Sakya, sent her son to Nepal after he was recognized as a tulku.
- Her real-life choice inspired part of Guterson's novel but the novel diverges in key fictional ways.
Childhood Fight That Became A Lifelong Bond
- As a boy, David Guterson fought with Ani Sakya and later became close friends with the Sakya family in Seattle.
- That relationship exposed him to Tibetan Buddhist life and kindness that shaped his lifelong interest in Buddhism.
Early Awakening Fuels A Lifelong Quest
- Early awakening to mortality can drive lifelong searching and receptivity to Buddhism.
- Guterson ties that childhood awakening to Siddhartha's story as a natural beginning for his novel.
