The Life of the Buddha: According to the Pali Canon

After most of the dust has settled and quite a few years on the raft this remains for me the best introduction to the Dharma - or Dhamma! After a long trail through various texts and life experiences I have ended up within the Pure Land expression of the Dharma but reading this Life of the Buddha all the seeds of every path can be found. The simplicity at times confounds any Mahayana mindset, but the exposition of the doctrine that follows the life story is as profound as anyone could wish (if wish is the right word) I have always been grateful that I first gained the peg of Theravada before coming to the Mahayana - which can be a quagmire, if not quicksand, at times. Many of the essays of Nyanaponika Thera have been constant companions. Zen and Dogen, the Tibetan expressions, have been, and are, a blessing as I stumble along, a Pure Land bombu, but here in genesis is the heart if we care to listen. This is Osbert Moore at his best, Bhikkhu Nanamoli. A unique mind/heart giving expression to the Dharma. A pleasure to read. Thank you.

I knew really nothing about Buddha but this book has been a revelation on the journeys and insights that came throughquite severe conditions.To be recommended

Thank you, a very concise account and factual.

on time. Good quality. Great price. Thank you very much for spreading this teachings. Not available in my country. Etc.

My abbot's favourite book on this subject.

Great book. Brilliant intuitive writing. Very good service - arrived promptly. No problems

Brilliant piece of work. A must for all Buddhists!

Best Book to get to know about Buddha's teachings....Loved it.....Inspirational...Awesome....BestGreat work....To understand enlightenment and nibbana.....

Livro bem legal, baseado nos textos em Palio. Uma cronologia interessante.

Quest'opera di Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli si inserisce nel più ampio contesto del lavoro suo e della tradizione buddhista dell'Hermitage Island Monastery: e palpabile con mano lo sforzo di comprendere e spiegare il Dhamma alla luce del Dhamma stesso, tramite le parole del Canone e dei commentatori antichi.Questo è il pregio principale: si tratta di un florilegio di brani tratti dai due canestri canonici dei Sutta e del Vinaya, dalle opere poetiche canoniche e, presumo, parafrasati da Buddhaghosa. Tramite l'intervento "mascherato" di Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli stesso (il primo narratore), il materiale tradizionale è riorganizzato su base cronologica seguendo il filo della vita del Buddha, nello sforzo di dare un'idea organica e armoniosa della vita stessa del Risvegliato lasciando da parte tutto quel mare di tradizioni successive e di stampo più propriamente agiografico.Forse non è adatto a un pubblico completamente digiuno di buddhismo e di letteratura buddhista canonica, e nemmeno a chi stia cercando una semplice introduzione al Buddha e al Suo insegnamento: esistono altre pubblicazioni che soddisfano pienamente questo scopo.Per quanto mi riguarda, è uno dei libri più belli, densi e magistralmente concepiti che io abbia mai letto sull'argomento.

A fascinating look into Buddha's original suttras (teachings) of 2500 years ago, translated from Pali to Sanskrit to English. A striking accomplishment.

I learned of Nanamoli via one of Stephen Batchelor's books. Nanamoli must have been an interesting man. His scholarly credentials are impeccable. The aim of this book is to say what can be said about the Buddha as found in the most reliable -- i.e, earliest -- Pali texts. He presents the material from four points of view, all woven together in more or less chronological order. The format works very well, assisting the non-scholar in getting a sense of the Pali Canon -- or so I think, anyway, since I'm a non-scholar!I wanted a reliable telling of the Buddha's story. I've read several well-known and generally recommended biographies, but I did not get a clear picture of how his teachings motivated others to preserve them accurately. After reading this book I'm a lot more certain that the wisdom we call 'Buddhism' was inspired by the teachings one man -- not an accumulation of teachings that grew willy-nilly from a variety of communities. Readers will be surprised to find a very sparse account of Siddhartha's first 29 years. On the other hand, the few passages Nanamoli is willing to use come straight from Siddhartha. They are very candid stories about a man who left his home because he was restless and unhappy. He clearly did not know what he was looking for. In that light, the stories of the five years preceding Enlightenment make a lot more sense.2600 years having passed since Siddhartha's lifetime. Most of us Americans have come to Buddhism via less than perfect books and lectures. Nanamoli's book lets us make a connection with the first teacher, so to speak, and this, I think is both refreshing and re-assuring.