BUDDHISM

Somewhere in the territorial tangle involving present day Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Nepal - more than two thousand years ago, took place a prophetic, decisive birth; the birth of 'the Buddha'. Prince, wanderer, a questioning spirit to the point of inconsolable companion - the Buddha, the Sakyamumi, Gautam, Siddharth, or whatever other name the world will tag on to him - was at the very least, an 'enlightened' man but more than that there is no god. The teaching, its manifest discourse, its ethics, legends and artistic representation recognise in all this and beyond, the civilizational presence of an object of faith, practise and preaching: Buddhism.

This book fluently divides itself into the personal story of the Buddha, the import of Buddhist philosophy, the series of orders, their practices, Buddhism's spread beyond India, intertwined with an attractive packaging - and unpacking - of Buddhist art through the ages. As a special focus, the story of the institution of Dalai Lama is the obvious highlight gilding the textual framework; making it further easy on the eye and the reader's sensibility are the archival, illustrative, wonderful pictures full of wonder.

About the Author:

Pushpesh Pant, born in Nainital in 1946, is Professor of Diplomacy in the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. A versatile writer, Pushpesh Pant has written a novel and scripted numerous television serials and documentaries. He writes both in Hindi and English. He has also produced telefilms on travel and environment, and among his several books is a researched volume on the beautiful cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora, published by Roli Books.