Author(s): Tenzin Chogyel

Philosophy, Spirituality & Religion

This is a call to mindfulness, dedicated to easing suffering. The story of Shakyamuni Buddha's epic journey to enlightenment is perhaps the most important narrative in the Buddhist tradition. Tenzin Chogyel's The Life of the Buddha, composed in the mid-eighteenth century and now with a new translation, is a masterly storyteller's rendition of the twelve acts of the Buddha. Chogyel's classical tale seamlessly weaves together the vast and the minute, the earthly and the celestial, reflecting the near-omnipresent aid of the gods alongside the Buddha's moving final reunion with his devoted son, Rahula.