Life of the Buddha, The According to the Pali Canon

Translated by: Bhikkhu Nanamoli

Publisher: Pariyatti Publishing Imprint: BPS Pariyatti Editions
2001
Trade Paper, English
$21.00 Available now Pages: 400 Size: 5.5" X 8.5" Inches
ISBN 13: 978-1-928706-12-0
ISBN 10: 1928706126
Product Code: 771410

The Life of the Buddha: According to the Pali Canon is a unique biography that presents the Buddha's revolutionary solution for humanity leading to the end of ill will, craving and delusion. Through the vivid recollections of his attendant Ananda and other disciples and drawn from the oldest written record (the Pali Canon), the teachings of "the Awakened One" also reveal a warm and moving portrait of the person.

Though born a prince surrounded by luxuries, Gotama Buddha was transformed when he realized that no one escapes unhappiness or suffering. He found and taught, for the remainder of his life, the answer to the great question: "Is there a way out of this cycle?” The Life of the Buddha not only illustrates how to walk on the path to freedom; it offers us profound inspiration and guidance for doing so.

Contents: The Birth and Early Years • The Struggle for Enlightenment • After the Enlightenment • The Spreading of the Dhamma • The Two Chief Disciples • Anathapindika, the Feeder of the Poor • The Formation of the Order of Nuns • The Quarrel at Kosambi • The End of the First Twenty Years • The Middle Period • The Person • The Doctrine • Devadatta • Old Age • The Last Year • The First Council

Review By: David Cosentino, Foreword Magazine - October 1, 2001

Arguably the most definitive of the biographies of Siddhartha Gotama, this book is also a fine introduction to the Pali Canon. The Theravadin tradition of Buddhism, whose scriptures are preserved in the Pali Canon, is considered by modern scholars to be the most authentic representation of the teachings spoken by the actual Buddha. Since a chronological sequence in the Canon is far from explicit, the work is then intended to be as accurate a presentation of the Buddha's life as could be drawn out from the existing materials. Born Osbert Moore in England in 1905, the author was ordained at the Island Hermitage in Sri Lanka in 1948. He has translated many texts of Theravada Buddhism, including The Path of Purification. In this volume, he attempts to reconstruct a chronology of the Buddha's life, drawing primarily from the traditional texts. The Pali Canon itself was preserved by oral tradition for approximately 500 years before it was put down in writing, so the language is rendered in such a way as to make it amenable to memorization. Nanamoli's textr, due to the repetitive nature of the oral tradition that preserved it, is thus written in an austere language that can be, at times, tedious. The work should not be criticized on this account since it was intended to be an accurate translation of the original texts, which were preserved in this fashion. The Life of the Buddha is an excellent introduction to the Pali Canon for those who wish to study the most authentic and ancient of the Buddhist teachings.