Traditional religious discourses have failed to account for the biological process involved in the attaining of Nirvana. Drawing from sources as varied as the Pali canon, Mahayana texts, Zen Buddhism, J. Krishnamurti, Ramana Maharshi, U.G. Krishnamurti, Nietzsche, postmodernist thinkers and biological sciences, The Buddha retells the story of the Buddha and discusses his teachings in physical and physiological terms. This radical new reading turns most of the central spiritual concepts on their head, and hopes, in the course of time, to put an end to the rivalry between science and religion and, indeed, among the various religions.

The Buddha: An Alternative Narrative of His life and Teaching, Mukunda Rao, Element, Paperback, 193 pages, $14.99

Mukunda Rao is a novelist, playwright and author of six insightful philosophical works, including The Biology of Enlightenment (HarperCollins, 2001), which has become a cult book among spiritual aspirants. He now lives with his wife on a farm outside Bengaluru.