Gotama Buddha: A Biography Based on the Most Reliable Texts, Vol. 1

Gotama Buddha #1

by Hajime Nakamura, Gaynor Sekimori (Translator)

In Gotama Buddha, Professor Hajime Nakamura embarks on a search for the details of the historical Buddha's life. He conducts an exhaustive analysis of both the oldest, most reliable texts and later biographies of the Buddha that contain mythological material.

Carefully sifting these texts to separate facts from embellishments, he constructs a biography that begins with the Indian historical context at the time of Buddha's Birth and takes the reader through all the stages of his life. Professor Nakamura also compares the oldest Buddhist texts with the earliest Jain and Hindu writings and finds surprising similarities that elucidate the significance of the historical Buddha. Archeological discoveries and factual elements from Buddhist art support Professor Nakamura's fascinating story. This is the first of two volumes; The second will be printed at a later date.

Genres: Buddhism, Zen, Religion, History, Nonfiction

528 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1977

Reviews

[Serdar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The three stars are not for the quality of the book but rather the verticality and esotericism of the discussion. Nakamura sifts through material about the life of the Buddha to separate fiction and myth from likely fact. A lot of this is comparative textual analysis, so it's either going to be didactic as all-get out or deeply absorbing. Definitely an advanced read, and only if you're really interested in the nitty-gritty of this subject.

[Clayton Brannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I had never really read anything on The Buddha. Looking forward to volume 2.