Mick Brown
Zen & Now
From Stone to Flesh: A Short History of the Buddha
By Donald S Lopez Jr
University of Chicago Press 289pp £18
Who was the Buddha? We think we know. Named Gautama (or Siddhartha, or Shakyamuni), he was the son of a king, born around 563 BC in Lumbini, in what is now Nepal. His father, in a vain attempt to shield his son from the harsh realities of human existence, secluded him in a state of cloistered comfort. But stepping out of his gilded prison into the world, Gautama realised the truth of sickness, old age and death. Intent on understanding the nature of suffering, he pursued the life of an ascetic until, finally, sitting in meditation under the Bodhi Tree, he attained enlightenment, realising the path to liberation – the so-called Four Noble Truths.
A real man then, whose philosophical insights transformed man’s understanding of himself. This is the picture that we in the West have of the Buddha. But as Donald Lopez, an American academic who has written extensively in the past about the Western encounter with Buddhism, demonstrates in this erudite, discursive
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
Twitter Feed
Are iPhones ruining children's lives? A prominent American psychologist thinks so.
@tiffanyjenkins is not so sure:
Tiffany Jenkins - The Smartphone Pandemic
Tiffany Jenkins: The Smartphone Pandemic - The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an...
literaryreview.co.uk
India's 'festival of democracy', or general election, begins next month. Like every good festival, it looks likely to have its fair share of murders and arrests.
@OwenBennettJon probes the state of democracy in India:
Owen Bennett-Jones - New Delhi Confidential
Owen Bennett-Jones: New Delhi Confidential - The Incarcerations: BK-16 and the Search for Democracy in India by Alpa Shah
literaryreview.co.uk
Where is the world's newest narcostate and why is it thriving?
@AdamBrookesWord investigates Asia's meth mecca.
Adam Brookes - Meth Comes to Myanmar
Adam Brookes: Meth Comes to Myanmar - Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel That Outwitted the CIA by Patrick Winn
literaryreview.co.uk