Biography of the Buddha

[sattva]

I have a friend who would like to know more about Buddha's life. She is looking for something fairly accurate, but a good read. It has been so long since i have read any that i don't know which one would be a good recommendation. Any suggestions?

[David N. Snyder]

Here is an e-book: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/lifebuddha.pdf

"Sketch" of the Buddha's Life: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/buddha.html

Video:

part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZQ9OZ_JACA
part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxOHFj7cueg
part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcD9O_E-xec
part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xuE53jhlXk
part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ypFmNfPLng

[tiltbillings]

http://www.amazon.com/Buddha-Very-Short-Introduction-Introductions/dp/0192854534/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311193807&sr=8-1

[alan]

Karen Armstrong has an Ok attempt; concise and short, informative. But she has her own theories of history. TNH was at his poetic best in "Old path white clouds", but he has a viewpoint to sell.
I'd say a fair-minded person who reads both these books would have a good idea of whether or not to continue exploring. Whatever you do, avoid that awful BBC documentary!

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

Without a second's hesitation, I recommend...

The Life Of The Buddha According To The Pali Canon by Bhikkhu Nanamoli
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Buddha-Accor ... 1928706126

... possibly cheaper direct from the publisher BPS.

Metta,
Retro.

[alan]

I've been thinking about reading that one, but thought Is it just a recitation of the suttas that talk about his life. Is there more information?

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Alan,

It's modelled around the suttas, but as best as is possible, they're sequential in the story they tell, and where relevant they are supported by commentary (but the commentarial additions are clearly designated as such). Its strength lies of in the use of multiple "narrator" modes... from memory, one suttanta, one Mahavihara, one something else (possibly non-sectarian historian?).

Sorry if I'm a bit sketchy, it's been a while, but to put it in context, I read this after reading the Majjhima and Samyutta Nikayas and still found much benefit from it and it would be my first port of call if there was some aspect of the Buddha's life I wanted to revisit.

The Amazon customer comments as linked to above are bound to contain additional information.

Metta,
Retro.

[alan]

Thanks Retro! Your recommendation sells it for me.

[tiltbillings]

This is chaper 12 of Ven Nanamoli's book: http://www.buddhanet.net/cmdsg/bt-1.htm

[sattva]

Thanks all for the links and the suggestions!

[IanAnd]

While I have a copy of The Life Of The Buddha According To The Pali Canon by Bhikkhu Nanamoli, and it's very good, for people not used to reading large extracts from the suttas, it may be a bit dry (although I personally didn't find it so).

As far as good biographical tomes go, one which might be a bit more entertaining to read in addition to insightful in its presentation, there is Hans W. Schumann's treatment published in 1982 and translated from German in 1989 titled The Historical Buddha, The Times, Life and Teachings of the Founder of Buddhism.

A more recent treatment that is surprisingly well written and thought out as well as entertaining and insightful in that it is taken from the same source material (the Pali discourses) as the first book mentioned above is Vishvapani Blomfield's Gautama Buddha: The Life and Teachings of the Awakened One. Although the author uses Sanskrit spellings, his source material was from the Pali scriptures, which he stuck to assiduously as his reliance for authority.