Retellings 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 careers to exploring hagiographical materials, each applying their own methodological and theoretical interests to shed new light on the enduring story of Buddhism. Using multiple perspectives, voices, and sources, this volume underscores the multivalent centrality of this story. The book will be an invaluable resource to practicing Buddhists and students of Buddhist Studies to help them engage in the most foundational story of the tradition.

About the Author
Vanessa R. Sasson is Professor of Religious Studies at Marianopolis College, Research Fellow at the University of the Free State, and Research Member of Centre d'etudes et de recherches sur l'Inde, l'Asie du Sud et sa diaspora at Universite du Quebec a Montreal. She is the author or editor of numerous books, including Yasodhara and the Buddha (2021) and The Gathering: A Story of the First Buddhist Nuns (2023). Kristin Scheible is Professor of Religion and Humanities at Reed College. She is the author of Reading the Mahavamsa: The Literary Aims of a Theravada Buddhist History (2016).

Reviews
Drawing on both visual and textual materials, these insightful essays will be a valuable resource for research scholars, but accessible and lively enough to be assigned to students in introductory classes on Buddhism as well. Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. * S. Cohen, Choice *
This edited volume comprises ten essays by prominent scholars of Buddhism on various aspects of the life story of the Buddha...Drawing on both visual and textual materials, these insightful essays will be a valuable resource for research scholars, but accessible and lively enough to be assigned to students in introductory classes on Buddhism as well. * Choice *



Book Information
ISBN 9780197649473
Author Vanessa R. Sasson
Format Paperback
Page Count 280
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 467g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 157mm * 16mm