false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172537694m/187166.jpg 27304 12 Books on Buddhism may overflow the shelves, but the life story of the Buddha himself has remained obscure despite over 2,500 years of influence on millions of people around the world. In an attempt to rectify this, and to make the Buddha and Buddhism accessible to Westerners, the beloved scholar and author of such sweeping religious studies as <I>A History of God</I> has written a readable, sophisticated, and somewhat unconventional biography of one of the most influential people of all time. Buddha himself fought against the cult of personality, and the Buddhist scriptures were faithful, giving few details of his life and personality. Karen Armstrong mines these early scriptures, as well as later biographies, then fleshes the story out with an explanation of the cultural landscape of the 6th century B.C., creating a deft blend of biography, history, philosophy, and mythology.<p> At the age of 29, Siddhartha Gautama walked away from the insulated pleasure palace that had been his home and joined a growing force of wandering monks searching for spiritual enlightenment during an age of upheaval. Armstrong traces Gautama's journey through yoga and asceticism and grounds it in the varied religious teachings of the time. In many parts of the world during this so-called axial age, new religions were developing as a response to growing urbanization and market forces. Yet each shared a common impulse--they placed faith increasingly on the individual who was to seek inner depth rather than magical control. Taoism and Confucianism, Hinduism, monotheism in the Middle East and Iran, and Greek rationalism were all emerging as Gautama made his determined way towards enlightenment under the boddhi tree and during the next 45 years that he spent teaching along the banks of the Ganges. Armstrong, in her intelligent and clarifying style, is quick to point out the Buddha's relevance to our own time of transition, struggle, and spiritual void in both his approach--which was based on skepticism and empiricism--and his teachings. <p> Despite the lack of typical historical documentation, Armstrong has written a rich and revealing description of both a unique time in history and an unusual man. <I>Buddha</I> is a terrific primer for those interested in the origins and fundamentals of Buddhism. <I>--Lesley Reed</I> 585602 2001 Buddha total:485|5:115|4:206|3:129|2:31|1:4| 485 1852 763 80 4 0 false false Thu Nov 20 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 22 13:41:18 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 22 13:41:59 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Jun 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 26 10:49:45 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 15:11:37 -0700 2009
Finally, after reading this boo...more...]]> 5 0 true false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 09:41:05 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 05 07:24:24 -0800 2008 1 more...]]> 0 1 false false Tue Jul 15 15:16:58 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 15 15:16:58 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jun 27 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Mon Mar 24 23:14:33 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 24 23:14:59 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Dec 15 15:18:48 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 15 18:36:37 -0800 2007 Armstrong's esteemed works, including such standards as A History of God and The Battle for God, have primarily focused on the monotheism of the Middle East. Now she turns farther eastward to craft this short biography for the Penguin Lives series. Armstrong carefully tie...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Jun 16 14:58:13 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 10 19:37:45 -0700 2007
Virtually nothing is known for sure about the de...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jan 11 21:04:14 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 11 21:11:44 -0800 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Thu Jul 10 12:48:04 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 15 11:25:25 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jul 03 23:57:10 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 04 00:00:22 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jan 30 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Aug 26 00:03:19 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 19 13:43:57 -0700 2008 1 more...]]> 0 0 false false Tue Oct 23 05:00:03 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 23 05:11:35 -0700 2007 more...]]> 1 0 false false Mon Oct 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 12 01:58:54 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 12 02:00:01 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Mon Jan 12 09:21:03 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 09:22:03 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Thu Oct 01 19:32:24 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 01 19:35:49 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Oct 01 10:15:28 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 01 10:22:45 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Dec 05 01:17:02 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 05 01:19:57 -0800 2008
]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jun 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 10:27:05 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 10:27:05 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Jan 13 19:10:05 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 18:29:51 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 13 19:10:05 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Tue Apr 14 22:08:31 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 22:09:18 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=187166