{"product_id":"the-buddha-a-storied-life-9780197649473","title":"The Buddha: A Storied Life","description":"Retellings of the Buddha's life story have animated and sustained Buddhist thought and practice through some 2,500 years of history. To this day, Buddhist holidays and rituals are pinned to the arc of his biography, celebrating his birth, awakening, teaching, and final nirvana. His story is the model that exemplary Buddhists follow. Often, there is a moment of insight akin to the Buddha's experience with the Four Sights, followed by a great departure from home, and a period of searching that it is hoped will lead to final awakening. The Buddha's story is not just the Buddha's story; it is the story of Buddhism. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this book, twelve leading scholars of South Asian texts and traditions articulate the Buddha-life blueprint--the underlying and foundational pattern that holds the life story of a buddha together. They retell the episodes of Buddha Gautama's extended life story, while keeping in mind the cosmic, paradigmatic arc of his narrative. The contributors have dedicated their careers to exploring hagiographical materials, each applying their own methodological and theoretical interests to shed new light on the enduring story of Buddhism. Using multiple perspectives, voices, and sources, this volume underscores the multivalent centrality of this story. The book will be an invaluable resource to practicing Buddhists and students of Buddhist Studies to help them engage in the most foundational story of the tradition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVanessa R. Sasson\u003c\/strong\u003e is Professor of Religious Studies at Marianopolis College, Research Fellow at the University of the Free State, and Research Member of Centre d'études et de recherches sur l'Inde, l'Asie du Sud et sa diaspora at Université du Québec à Montreal. She is the author or editor of numerous books, including \u003cem\u003eYasodhara and the Buddha\u003c\/em\u003e (2021) and\u003cem\u003e The Gathering: A Story of the First Buddhist Nuns\u003c\/em\u003e (2023). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKristin Scheible\u003c\/strong\u003e is Professor of Religion and Humanities at Reed College. She is the author of \u003cem\u003eReading the Mahavamsa: The Literary Aims of a Theravada Buddhist History\u003c\/em\u003e (2016).\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50692058874130,"sku":"9780197649473","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_dab7e9fa-ec73-4d74-848f-2dcf6c65683e.jpg?v=1734114994","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-buddha-a-storied-life-9780197649473","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}