Description
Book SynopsisRetellings of the Buddha''s life story have animated and sustained Buddhist thought and practice through some 2,500 years of history. To this day, Buddhist holidays and rituals are pinned to the arc of his biography, celebrating his birth, awakening, teaching, and final nirvana. His story is the model that exemplary Buddhists follow. Often, there is a moment of insight akin to the Buddha''s experience with the Four Sights, followed by a great departure from home, and a period of searching that it is hoped will lead to final awakening. The Buddha''s story is not just the Buddha''s story; it is the story of Buddhism. In this book, twelve leading scholars of South Asian texts and traditions articulate the Buddha-life blueprint--the underlying and foundational pattern that holds the life story of a buddha together. They retell the episodes of Buddha Gautama''s extended life story, while keeping in mind the cosmic, paradigmatic arc of his narrative. The contributors have dedicated their car
Table of ContentsAbout the Contributors Preface: Learning from John Strong--Multiple Ways of Reading the Many Life Stories of the Buddha Charles Hallisey Introduction: The Never-Ending Story Vanessa R. Sasson and Kristin Scheible 1. The Vow That Starts the Story Andy Rotman 2. Creative Tensions in the Past Lives of the Buddha Naomi Appleton 3. The Final Birth Reiko Ohnuma 4. A Timeless Love Story Vanessa R. Sasson 5. A Great Departure Kristin Scheible 6. Around the Tree of Awakening Todd Lewis and Jinah Kim 7. The Buddha's Teachings and Miracles David Fiordalis 8. Sorrow and its Ending in the Buddha's Last Days Maria Heim 9. The Buddha's Story Continues: Afterlives of the Relics Stephen C. Berkwitz 10. Overstory: First There is a Buddha, Then There is No Buddha, Then There is John S. Strong Bibliography Index
