Here is an opportunity to approach one of the world's greatest spiritual teachers through the timeless tale of his search for enlightenment and the end of suffering. This is the first account of the Buddha's story that blends the elements of history, legend, and Buddhist teachings into a compelling, page-turning narrative. Experience the Buddha's life, from his extravagant youth and ascetic renunciation to awakening and decades of profound teaching.
The Buddha: The Story of an Awakened Life is a simple, elegant introduction to the Buddha's path, in which you may "work out your salvation with diligence."
Excerpt From the Book Excerpt from Chapter 21: There lived in the city of Kapilavastu the wife of a rich merchant, named Krisa, whose young child had died, stricken with an incurable illness. Her devotion to her son was such that she was overcome with grief and refused to believe in the death of her child. Holding her boy in her arms, she entered the street and began knocking on every door, asking for medicine with which to restore his health, believing that he would again open his eyes and smile at the sight of her as he had done all the days of his young life. One by one her neighbors turned her away, unable to provide the medicine she required. At last she came upon a wise and sympathetic soul who advised her to go to Banyan Park. "There is a physician there who can cure every human illness. It is Gautama, the Buddha."
Endorsements Kherdian . . . pens a simple, lyrical biography of Buddha suited for all ages. The Buddha's life is the stuff of legends, and this telling is mythopoeic rather than dully historical or biographical. . . .If the goal is to humanize an eminent spiritual leader from another time and place, the book succeeds. . . . it is an accessible introduction to the life of the Buddha for general readers wanting a taste of a legendary life story.
—Publishers Weekly