A detailed historical account of the life of the Buddha. Drawing upon years of experience and research on the oldest, most reliable texts, Nakamura creates a vivid, chronological account of the life of Sakyamuni. Beginning with the social context in India at the time of the Buddha's birth and taking the reader through all the stages of his life, Nakamura carefully considers myth and history, engaging in a thorough analysis of the relevant textual evidence. Gotama Buddha is the most comprehensive account of the life of the historical Buddha published to date. This fascinating work is the first of two volumes.


Gotama Buddha, Hajime Nakamura, Kosei Publishing, Paperback, 528 pp., $29.95

Hajime Nakamura (1912-99), a world-renowned authority on Indian philosophy, was president of the Estern Institute, Tokyo, and a professor emeritus of the Universty of Tokyo. He was engaged for many years in extensive research on Asian thought and religion. Among his other works translated into English are Ways of Thinking of Eastern People, A Comparative History of Ideas, and Gotama Buddha.