readable and interesting

books:


	• Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment Deepak Chopra HarperOne, 2008 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 60 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Loved it!

Deepak Chopra is one of the few authors who seems to just get better with age. Not only is this novel informative from a historical basis, it is also inspiring and uplifting. I listend to the 9 hour audio book while on a long car trip. Loved it!

readable and interesting

Most of Chopra's work is an entertaining novel of Gautama's early life. The last two or three chapters--which I found the most informative--delve more deeply into the tenets of Buddhism. Although I'm neither a mystic nor even a dabbler in Eastern religions, I am fascinated by the way others view the world.

To my way of thinking, shedding of the material world is impossible as long as we're alive. Attempting to do so, in that it is doomed to failure, is therefore...foolish. On the other hand, under certain circumstances, and in very limited ways, it can be approximated. I am reminded of T.E. Lawrence of "Lawrence of Arabia" fame who had a simple trick. He would hold a flaming match to his hand and wouldn't flinch. When asked, "Doesn't it hurt?" He replied, "Of course it hurts but...the difference between you and me is that I don't care if it hurts." Try it the next time you go to your dentist and maybe you'll find that Lawrence, and almost certainly Buddha, were on to something.

Maybe some of you all have read the last stanza's of Poe's "El Dorado". I'll paraphrase:
"When his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim's shadow.
"Shade," said he.
Where can it be,
this land of El Dorado?"

"Over the Mountains of the Moon
through the Valley of the Shadow.
"Ride, boldly ride,"
the Shade replied,
"If you seek for El Dorado."

Lord Buddha wouldn't have agreed.

Ron Braithwaite, author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico

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Excellent book

I have read several other Deepak Chopra books in the past, but this one feels different. Style of writing is a lot easier to read and this fictionalized version of the life of Buddha makes for fascinating reading. Growing up in India, I had some understanding of Buddha's life and wanted to know more. I could not put the book down till the end. Strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in knowing more about Buddhism and how it evolved.

Decent

Quick fun read. I did not know anything about Buddha or Buddhism and this was a fun way to get introduced to the general history of where he is from and what his philosophy is about.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Deepak Chopra brings the Buddha back to life in this gripping New York Times bestselling novel about the young prince who abandoned his inheritance to discover his true calling. This iconic journey changed the world forever, and the truths revealed continue to influence every corner of the globe today.

A young man in line for the throne is trapped in his father's kingdom and yearns for the outside world. Betrayed y those closest to him, Siddhartha abandons his palace and princely title. Face-to-face with his demons, he becomes a wandering monk and embarks on a spiritual fast that carries him to the brink of death. Ultimately recognizing his inability to conquer his body and mind by sheer will, Siddhartha transcends his physical pain and achieves enlightenment.

Although we recognize Buddha today as an icon of peace and serenity, his life story was a tumultuous and spellbinding affair filled with love and sex, murder and loss, struggle and surrender. From the rocky terrain of the material world to the summit of the spiritual one, Buddha captivates and inspires?ultimately leading us closer to understanding the true nature of life and ourselves.

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