Life of the Buddha, The

Arguably the most definitive of the biographies of Siddhartha Gotama, this book is also a fine introduction to the Pali Canon. The Theravadin tradition of Buddhism, whose scriptures are preserved in the Pali Canon, is considered by modern scholars to be the most authentic representation of the teachings spoken by the actual Buddha. Since a chronological sequence in the Canon is far from explicit, the work is then intended to be as accurate a presentation of the Buddha's life as could be drawn out from the existing materials. The Pali Canon itself was preserved by oral tradition for approximately 500 years before it was put down in writing, so the language is rendered in such a way as to make it amenable to memorization. Nanamoli's text, due to the repetitive nature of the oral tradition that preserved it, is thus written in an austere language that can be, at times, tedious. The work should not be criticized on this account since it was intended to be an accurate translation of the original texts, which were preserved in this fashion. The Life of the Buddha is an excellent introduction to the Pali Canon for those who wish to study the most authentic and ancient of the Buddhist teachings.

This book allows insight into the life of a very spiritual man. It is difficult to find a book that can retell the life of the Buddha in terms of an ordinary man seeking the spiritual life. This one does.

The ultimate biography of Gotama from the original Pali sources. A must-read for all practitioners!

This is the most accurate and complete biography of the Gautama Budddha. Even though the original Teachings were preserved in oral tradition, but they were memorized by super minds, the mind of the Arahants. Until the 1st century B.C. these Teachings were transfered from the super minds into writing in Sri Lanka. Nanamoli Bhikkhu has done a wonderful work gathering all these events which were scattered all over the place in Tipitaka in this book. Reading this book gives me a lot of inspiration. I have more than 5 copies of this book, keep 1 for myself and donate the rest.

I'm reading this book now and like it very much.