How Siddhartha became Buddha: An Introduction to Buddhism

"This book makes it understandable why Buddhism is fascinating more and more people today, here in the West." wegweiser When the untouchable Svasti meets the hermit Siddhartha while herding buffalo at the age of eleven, he has no idea that he will be his destiny: As a monk, he accompanies him through his long, unusual life and returns home as a "venerable one" himself. In this poetic teaching novel, Thich Nhat Hanh tells the whole story of Buddha's life: his worldly life as a prince at his father's court, his training with the most famous meditation masters of ancient India, his enlightenment in Bodh-Gaya, his lifelong wanderings, his disciples, his adversaries - but above all his impressive teachings that changed the world. In this book, Buddha does not appear to us as a god or a saint, but as a human being for whom compassion and kindness were always more important than great spiritual experiences.