EPIC OF THE BUDDHA: His Life and Teachings

A translation of the modern Nepalese classic. Winner of the Toshihide Numata Book Award in Buddhism and the Khyentse Foundation Prize for Outstanding Translation, this book contains the English translation of Sugata Saurabha ("The Sweet Fragrance of the Buddha"), an epic poem on the life and teachings of the Buddha. Chittadhar H'daya, a master poet from Nepal, wrote this tour de force while imprisoned for subversion in the 1940s and smuggled it out over time on scraps of paper. He tells the Buddha's story in dramatic terms, drawing on images from the natural world to heighten the description of emotionally charged events. It is peopled with very human characters who experience a wide range of emotions, from erotic love to anger, jealousy, heroism, compassion, and goodwill. By showing how the central events of the Buddha's life are experienced by Siddhartha, as well as by his family members and various disciples, the poem communicates a fuller sense of the humanity of everyone involved and the depth and power of the Buddha's loving-kindness. For this new edition of the English translation, the translators improved the beauty and flow of most every line. The translation is also supplemented with a series of short essays on political issues, ethical principles, literary life, gender discrimination, economic policy, and social reform. 416 page paperback.