A Life of the Buddha

Drawn from a Burmese manuscript tradition, this is a narrative life of Gautama rather than a philosophical treatise. It follows the prince's youth in the palace, the Four Sights of an old man, a sick man, a corpse, and an ascetic, and the Great Departure from household life. After years of austerity he sits beneath the Bodhi tree, withstands Mara, and attains enlightenment. The later chapters cover the first sermon, the gathering of disciples, and the years of teaching. Doctrine is carried by incident and speech, in the manner of a recited sacred biography.

Quarter bound in brown leather with plain yellow canvas boards. Yellow slipcase.