A warm and stimulating book, this text describes the India into which
the Buddha was born, recounts what is known of his life and the
development of his teachings, and then follows the course of Buddhism
through succeeding centuries in India and Sri Lanka. Far from being a
recluse concerned only with an inner mystical experience, the Buddha
always involved himself closely in the social and political world of his
time. If he preached detachment from many of the things by which
ordinary men are tied, he did so as a means of enriching life rather
than escaping it. These examinations and more make this a book to reveal
the social-revolutionary potential of Buddhism.

Trevor Ling was a cleric, theologian, and scholar who pioneered the study of comparative religion in British universities. He was the author of Buddhism and the Mythology of Evil, A Dictionary of Buddhism, and A History of Religion East and West.

Paul R. Fleischman, MD, is the former chief resident at the Yale University School of Medicine and was a psychiatric consultant to numerous New England hospitals and clinics. He is the author of numerous articles and nine books, including Cultivating Inner Peace and Karma and Chaos.