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From his many births to his deathbed deeds, this authoritative biography unites the Buddha of history with the Buddha of legend in a bid to reveal the lasting spiritual relevance at the heart of the Buddhist tradition. Acclaimed scholar John S. Strong examines not only the historical facts, but also the supernatural accounts that surround this great religious figures, uncovering the roots of many Buddhist beliefs and practices. Accompanied by helpful charts and ...
This is the first English translation of the Askavadana text, the Sanskrit version of The Legend of King Asoka, first written in the second century A.D. Emperor of India during the third century B.C. and one of he most important rulers in the history of Buddhism. Asoka had hitherto been studied in the West primarily from his edict and rock inscriptions in many parts of the Indian subcontinent. Through an extensive critical essay and a fluid ...
Buddhism is popularly seen as a religion stressing the truth of impermanence. How then, to account for the longstanding veneration, in Asian Buddhist communities, of bone fragments, hair, teeth and other bodily bits said to come from the historic Buddha? Early European and American scholars of religion, influenced by a characteristic Protestant bias against relic worship, declared such practices to be true essence of Buddhism. John Strong's books, by ...