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This comprehensive biography, originally published in Germany in 1982, examines the social, religious and political conditions that gave rise to Buddhism as we now know it.It explores the spiritual traditions from which Buddha broke away and places his teachings and influence in a thoroughly researched historical context. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Buddha Quest
Unlike Jesus, there don't seem to be that many works on the Quest for the Historical Buddha (or Mohammed, for that matter)that attempt to use the approach of the prior movement. This book is a fascinating exception. Schumann makes a detailed attempt to sift through layers of evidence, physical and textual, to arrive at what is most likely the historical core of the Buddha's life. It cuts through a lot of demonstrably later mythology to show us an insightful and intelligent man in the process of discovering a profound outlook on life and struggling to found a community to preserve his discoveries. The work uses the Buddha's life as its structure, dealing with critical issues at places where they logically rise from the narrative, and stearing a path between the extremes of mere belief in anything that was written about Buddha and a mere hyper-skepticism that would leave us with little. What emerges is a rounded image of the Buddha's life and character, in all its highs and lows, that yet shows why he became considered The Light of Asia. It's a pity that it's out of print, so watch for used copies to pop up. In the meantime, Nakamura's 2-volume set is a suitable substitute that is even closer to the text-critical approach seen more typically in Jesus studies.

Best English Buddhist History, (please republish this)!!!!
Excellent brief history of the person of Siddhartha Buddha, summarizing much disconnected information found in the Pali Canon, and organizing it into a chronology of his life, and the founding of the Buddhist Order. Many extremely interesting maps and pictures also. A valuable reference, should be a required text in any Buddhism 101 college course! My one quibble with this work is the presentation of the Buddha's Awakening in a somewhat overly rationalistic and reductive manner, which may appeal to some 'scientific' types, but will certainly disappoint the Mahayana Mystics, as well as even many Theravadans, I believe. But religious 'soteriology' is not the focus of this book, after all. ... Read more

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A book about the REAL history of India:
Much of Indian history has been distorted or subverted by BOTH Western and Indian academics. By doing a thorough analysis of Vedas compared/contrasted with Puranas, Dr. P.L. Bhargava has painted an accurate picture of Ancient Indian history with his description of 10 Great Indians before the time of Gautama Siddhartha ("Buddha"; 624-544 B.C.E.)... ... Read more

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Lafcadio Hearn’s books have charmed and captivated readers, just as the exotic subjects about which he has written have captivated him. GLEANINGS IN BUDDHA-FIELDS presents more Hearn magic as he enters into the spirit of Buddhism as though he were born into it. This collection of stories, subtitled "Studies of Hand and Soul in the Far East," takes the reader on a journey into the soul of Hearn’s adopted land as no other writer—especially a non-Japanese native—could. He writes of Kyoto in "Notes on a Trip to Kyoto" with such passion and realism he transports you to that place and time; "Dust" juxtaposes a children’s playground and death, but shows death as it is to a Buddhist: "The real sorrow and fear of death arise in us only after the slow accumulation of experience with doubt and pain; and these little boys and girls being Japanese and Buddhists will never, in any event, feel about death as you and I do...they have died a million times already, and have forgotten the trouble of it, much as one forgets the pain of successive toothaches." ... Read more

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pinnacle study
this is about the legendary 84 siddha who were able to transcend the dense activity of their time and reach a way of life that expresses the ideal. I compare this to the ideals of theosophy, etc. (compare with Spalding's "Life and Teachings") top rate. ... Read more

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A translation of the Chinese version of the Abhinishkramana Sutra; refers to the biographical legend of Buddha. ... Read more

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The legendary story of Gautama Buddha, told by Betty Kelen in this riveting book, captures the essence of both a man and a spirit. His teachings, characterized by a mystical eastern folklore and an inspirational wisdom, have never been matched by anyone else in history. They are marked by determination and a quest for the sacred, and led him to an enlightenment that shaped the foundation of many Eastern civilizations. ... Read more

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With so much interest in the teachings of Buddhism, what do we actually know about the life of Siddhartha, who later became known as the Buddha? Traditionally Buddhists have emphasized his teachings of compassion and forbearance, summarized in his sermons and in the Dhammapada, and less attention has been placed on his life. However, his story is inspiring in its simplicity and in the personal example he set by his renunciation.

"Prince of Dharma" tells this moving story, taken from the classical sources handed down to us from ancient India, with the help of 50 exquisite paintings by the renowned Indian artist B. G. Sharma. Hindus have long honored the Buddha has a divine incarnation, and the artist has approached his task with all the devotion of a traditional Hindu who reveres the Buddha as the ninth incarnation of Vishnu. His paintings add a unique and fresh new vision, heart-warming and colorful, to the cannon of Buddhist religious art that has grown up over thousands of years.

At a time when religious intolerance threatens world peace, it is worth remembering the shared reverence for the Buddha that has allowed Hindus and Buddhists to live peacefully side by side in Asia for 2500 years. "Prince of Dharma" is a unique presentation of the Buddha's story, because it draws upon the classic sources of both the Buddhist and the Hindu tradition to tell the story of a man who was born a Hindu prince, but who by his constant questioning and personal magnetism founded a new religious path that transformed the life of India and much of Asia. ... Read more

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