A Young Man
The protagonist of the book is the character of a young man, who has narrated his life experiences, his deep desires, fluctuating emotions and his decisions regarding the religion. The young man, who is the author of the book himself, became a monk at a very young age in a Buddhist school called Mahayana Buddhism. After becoming a monk, he fell in love with a nun and he encountered a conflict between his religious ideals, which compelled him to relinquish any romantic aspirations, and his passion of love which he considered as sacred. In order to resolve the conflict, the young man tried to understand the teachings of various scriptures and eventually he was awakened by this passion of love. According to him, he experienced religious awakening and life-long lessons because of his aspirations of love. The monk states that if a person controls his emotions and learns to respond in a proper way, he can get clarity and calmness in his life.
Nun
Another character in the book is that of a nun. The monk saw the nun in the Buddhist school, and he fell in love with her. He had never met anyone like her. She was so adorable that he could not resist his intense love for her. The nun becomes a reason for the monk’s journey towards enlightenment. She becomes his friend and the monk get enough time to know her. But she left her because of their oath of abdication of erotic passions. The monk suffers because of his passions for the nun but eventually he tries to make others understand that love enables us to care for everyone.
A Thelogian
Another character in the story is that of a theologian, who explains Buddhist scriptures with a new approach. Although it is the same person, who is a young monk but this side of the young man is different from his early life. When he becomes a religious theologian, he considers classical Buddhist teachings and beliefs as misunderstanding. He takes the two views about a matter as paradox instead of considering as two dimensions. He negates the Buddhist philosophy regarding love and states that it is through love that he undergoes religious awakening. He does not follow the Buddhist traditions blindly and looks at the multiple dimensions of an idea.
