The Buddhacarita, Asvaghosa's second century sanskrit poem, is the oldest existing story of Buddha's life. The saga begins with prince Siddhartha's magical birth and ends with his enlightenment.
The ancient myth presents Buddha's relentless inquiry into the nature of reality and artfully weaves together an archetypal hero's journey, Buddhist philosophy, phantasmagorical occurrences, and historical facts.
In this modern sequel, poet and Zen priest Tai Sheridan has remained true to the story line and many original images, but has radically transformed the structure into seven line stanzas to imbue it with enchantment and lyricism. The rhyme scheme and alliteration hark back to olden times.
The authoritative English translations of the original are scholarly linguistic interpretations that make for difficult reading. This poetic rendition of The Buddhacarita brings the joy and meaning of Buddha's search to the modern reader.
The ancient myth presents Buddha's relentless inquiry into the nature of reality and artfully weaves together an archetypal hero's journey, Buddhist philosophy, phantasmagorical occurrences, and historical facts.
In this modern sequel, poet and Zen priest Tai Sheridan has remained true to the story line and many original images, but has radically transformed the structure into seven line stanzas to imbue it with enchantment and lyricism. The rhyme scheme and alliteration hark back to olden times.
The authoritative English translations of the original are scholarly linguistic interpretations that make for difficult reading. This poetic rendition of The Buddhacarita brings the joy and meaning of Buddha's search to the modern reader.
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