La vida de Buda

by Sherab Chödzin Kohn

"Kohn's masterful blend of the life and teachings of the Buddha renders this book a valuable guide for those who would follow the path of the Awakened One."—Publishers Weekly

"A splendid combination of biography and instruction. Highly recommended." —Library Journal Eastern Philosophy

Genres: Buddhism, Spirituality

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Sherab Chödzin Kohn is coeditor of the best-selling anthology "The Buddha and His Teachings". He has been teaching Buddhism and meditation for more than thirty years, and he has edited a number of the books of his teacher, the Tibetan meditation master Chögyam Trungpa. He has also published numerous translations, including an acclaimed version of Hermann Hesse’s "Siddhartha". He lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Reviews

[Patrick Fernandes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whilst I am familiar with the basic tenants and culture of buddhism, this book had at several times had me learning new things all the while amaze me with beauty, richness and complexity of the Buddhist worldview.

It describes the universe as inhabited by conscious entities locked in an endless cycle of death and rebirth, with people either ascending into powerful, near-god like entities or degrading into lower base animals based on the nature of the prior karma they have accrued. Whilst each rebirth brings it’s own unique experience it’s ultimately a pointless pursuit involving endless repetition, disappointment and dissatisfaction.

The story is primarily about buddha’s final rebirth where he discovers the laws that govern the universe and feels driven to set living beings free from the tyranny of the cycle of death and rebirth by provide them with a path towards higher experience and enlightenment. He wanders across india preaching the message of karma and the path to universal salvation via the eightfold path. The book follows the buddha from birth,. enlightenment, death and legacy.

The story is beautifully told and almost poetically written invoking a sense of awe and elevation at several points. I really like the idea of rebirth, karma and the intergenerational personal journeys people take towards buddhahood. I found the logical explanations of why the ego can be a hinderance in the larger pursuit of enlightenment fascinating and worth exploring further. There’s also a richness of the lore within the heavenly landscape of beings of all type from all planetary systems coalescing in the kingdom of heaven.

The primary faults of this book come purely from a narrative perspective which despite this book being vivid to remember can also makes it boring to read at times. There’s also the supernatural elements that don’t mesh with my rational and skeptical worldview but overall I enjoyed this book.

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read, easy to understand, beginning book on the life of Buddha - who he was, and what he taught.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction and pretty easy to understand. Very functional. However, I desperately wish that there had been footnotes. I vaguely remember what a brahmin is from a college class on world religions, but the term is never fully explained in the text. And this happens frequently.

This book is most likely great when you are taking a course on Buddhism and basic terms and ideas are being explained in class (which makes sense because that's how the person who recommended this book to me read it). But as a stand-alone book, I think it suffered from assuming a certain level of understanding in the reader.

Content warning for Sexism and Misogyny.

I didn't realize that misogyny was a foundational part of Buddhism so that was a bit of an unpleasant surprise when it was revealed. For example, Gautama Buddha didn't want to have bhikshunis (female monks) as part of the Sangha. And after he relents and allows them to join, he bemoans the fact that this will shorten the holy life from 1,000 years to 500.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

very factical but easy to read account of who Buddha was and how he taught and why he taught in that way... no emotions, some not-so-well-known stories..

[Ayd Alcantara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Una lectura demasiado aburrida, siento que no me da información realmente de Buda, tarde mucho en leerlo y no me quedo realmente con muchas cosas.

[Sumayyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography reads more like a fairy tail rather than an account of the life of a real historical figure. The story of Gautama Buddha is told with all of the myths and legends that surround him, instead of as an accounting of his life and deeds. Enjoyable read, but not quite what I was looking for.

[Ricardo Rios · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustó! Fácil y muy rápido de leer!