Dear All,
I have a book recommendation, but mostly for serious Buddhism history wonks. It is a recent effort by the wonderful Zen and Buddhism historian, Prof. Bernard Faure, entitled:
.
It really brought to life for me several "legends" surrounding the life of the Buddha, some of which we take for granted (although it is quite likely that the stories are not historical events, especially the recounting of his '4 Encounters' with suffering, his departure from wife, child and parents, his enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, and his Parinirvana death scene) or may write off too easily as just "myth" filled with fantastic elements (the scenes of his mother's pregnancy and his birth, his spiritual combat with Mara), among others.
Professor Faure walks a fine line to bring out the many meanings (plural) of each of these stories. Most or all are most probably not "historical," and most were added to his biography centuries after the assumed lifetime of the Buddha, and then changed and elaborated with time and different cultures. However, neither does Faure find meaning in them simply as "myths" which contain important truths (although they all are that too!) Rather, Faure asks what these stories meant to Buddhists themselves through the centuries. How did Buddhists, from India to Thailand to China to Korea to Tibet to Japan and even in the modern West, encounter these stories, and what value did faithful Buddhists find in them.
His approach helped me appreciate several aspects of the Buddha's story that I tended to skip past, such as the miracle story of his conception and encounters with various Indian gods. There is great meaning in many of them, and the story of their background, development and implied symbolism is often fascinating.
It is important to remember that these stories and legends were important to Zen folks too, including Master Dogen, whose Shobogenzo often repeats and riffs on the classic legends of the Buddha's life. I would recommend the book to anyone reading a biography of this "historical Buddha" who would also appreciated a historian's take on what actually was "historical" (perhaps not much of it) but meaningful to us Buddhists (all of it in some way.) However, it is for folks really into the history of Buddhism, and not perhaps the casual reader or beginner.
From the publisher:
Here is the listing for the book: LINK
He was interviewed about the book here: LINK
A short review by another scholar is here: LINK
Gassho, Jundo
stlah
.
I have a book recommendation, but mostly for serious Buddhism history wonks. It is a recent effort by the wonderful Zen and Buddhism historian, Prof. Bernard Faure, entitled:
.
The Thousand and One Lives of the Buddha
.It really brought to life for me several "legends" surrounding the life of the Buddha, some of which we take for granted (although it is quite likely that the stories are not historical events, especially the recounting of his '4 Encounters' with suffering, his departure from wife, child and parents, his enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, and his Parinirvana death scene) or may write off too easily as just "myth" filled with fantastic elements (the scenes of his mother's pregnancy and his birth, his spiritual combat with Mara), among others.
Professor Faure walks a fine line to bring out the many meanings (plural) of each of these stories. Most or all are most probably not "historical," and most were added to his biography centuries after the assumed lifetime of the Buddha, and then changed and elaborated with time and different cultures. However, neither does Faure find meaning in them simply as "myths" which contain important truths (although they all are that too!) Rather, Faure asks what these stories meant to Buddhists themselves through the centuries. How did Buddhists, from India to Thailand to China to Korea to Tibet to Japan and even in the modern West, encounter these stories, and what value did faithful Buddhists find in them.
His approach helped me appreciate several aspects of the Buddha's story that I tended to skip past, such as the miracle story of his conception and encounters with various Indian gods. There is great meaning in many of them, and the story of their background, development and implied symbolism is often fascinating.
It is important to remember that these stories and legends were important to Zen folks too, including Master Dogen, whose Shobogenzo often repeats and riffs on the classic legends of the Buddha's life. I would recommend the book to anyone reading a biography of this "historical Buddha" who would also appreciated a historian's take on what actually was "historical" (perhaps not much of it) but meaningful to us Buddhists (all of it in some way.) However, it is for folks really into the history of Buddhism, and not perhaps the casual reader or beginner.
From the publisher:
Many biographies of the Buddha have been published in the last 150 years, and all claim to describe the authentic life of the historical Buddha. This book, written by one of the leading scholars of Buddhism and Japanese religion, starts from the opposite assumption and argues that we do not yet possess the archival and archeological materials required to compose such a biography: All we have are narratives, not facts. Yet traditional biographies have neglected the literary, mythological, and ritual elements in the life of the Buddha. Bernard Faure aims to bridge this gap and shed light on a Buddha that is not historical but has constituted a paradigm of practice and been an object of faith for 2,500 years.
The Thousand and One Lives of the Buddha opens with a criticism of the prevalent historicism before examining the mythological elements in a life of the Buddha no longer constrained by an artificial biographical framework. Once the search for the “historical Buddha” is abandoned, there is no longer any need to limit the narrative to early Indian stories. The life—or lives—of the Buddha, as an expression of the creative imaginations of Buddhists, developed beyond India over the centuries. Faure accordingly shifts his focus to East Asia and, more particularly, to Japan. Finally, he examines recent developments of the Buddha’s life in not only Asia but also the modern West and neglected literary genres such as science fiction.
The Thousand and One Lives of the Buddha opens with a criticism of the prevalent historicism before examining the mythological elements in a life of the Buddha no longer constrained by an artificial biographical framework. Once the search for the “historical Buddha” is abandoned, there is no longer any need to limit the narrative to early Indian stories. The life—or lives—of the Buddha, as an expression of the creative imaginations of Buddhists, developed beyond India over the centuries. Faure accordingly shifts his focus to East Asia and, more particularly, to Japan. Finally, he examines recent developments of the Buddha’s life in not only Asia but also the modern West and neglected literary genres such as science fiction.
He was interviewed about the book here: LINK
A short review by another scholar is here: LINK
Gassho, Jundo
stlah
.
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