The Path of Awakening by Angel Pena

The Path of Awakening follows Thalasion, a wealthy merchant of the ancient port city of Barygaza whose faith in wealth, power, and worldly security collapses after the sudden death of his brother. Haunted by the realization that everything he has built is impermanent, Thalasion abandons his fortune and begins a dangerous journey into the mountains in search of meaning.

Along the way, he encounters Anahita, a compassionate healer who introduces him to a different way of seeing suffering, fear, and desire. Under the guidance of the wise Master Eupolis, Thalasion begins studying the Buddha's teachings, confronting attachment, impermanence, karma, the Five Aggregates, and the concept of no-self.

But his transformation is threatened when Orontes, his former business rival, arrives with armed men determined to exploit the sacred valley for its forests and mineral wealth. Thalasion must now discover whether the wisdom he has learned can survive when confronted by greed, violence, loss, and injustice.

Spanning journeys across ancient cities, mountains, deserts, monasteries, and trading centers, The Path of Awakening is an epic fictional tale about the struggle between greed and compassion, power and wisdom, and the illusion of possession versus the freedom of letting go.