Buddha

by Deepak Chopra

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060878819
• ISBN13: 9780060878818
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Interesting

hard to keep up with at times but i found the recorded book BY the author so it’s very interesting

The Mind of Buddha

This masterpiece is Chopra's ability to be there in the flesh, watching the buddha ,not living him. The book has no peaks , no trouphs and the realisations that emerge are not blinding. It is a tranquil tale of the turbulence of the mind . The intense temptations and visitudes shake the man Gautama. The reactions as they get low on intensity ultimately reaches the 'zero'the man emerges 'The Buddha'. Chopra has succeeded in having placed the Buddha as much more than a god-man and much lesser than a God.He is just the true teacher who has no claims of having knowledge of ways to happiness but shows the way to a consiousness where no sorrow or joy prevails. Love and compassion being the only 'goodness' that one can probably spread....The probable cause of his demise is also far from heroic ,infact it is so matter of fact that it gives all human beings the faith that a Buddha resides within them and will emerge if we stop reacting . The book is a must have ,to be read and reread to gain further insights everytime .

I am Catholic and I really like this book

I am Catholic, but for some reason I decided to purchase this book as part of my summer reading. To my surprise, I really enjoyed the message of this book and of Buddhism. I discovered a newfound respect for other religions. I will always be Catholic, but this is a book that both entertained me and expanded my mind. I was fascinated to read about the journey the Buddha took to reach enlightenment. I found familiarity. I found wisdom. I found strength and motivation. It helped for me to read this shortly after finishing "Change Your Thoughts..." by Dr. Wayne Dyer--a self help book with a spiritual twist--and "A Beautiful Bucket of Bones" by M. Luci--a fantastic novel about love, loss and faith--because it tied up all the motions those two other books stirred in me, and I achieved a sense of peace. It is a good feeling, and I hope other people are able to read these books and reach this sort of tranquility.

Can you handle the freedom this book offers?

The purpose of this book is to communicate, through the story of Buddha, what it means to be aware. The author presents an awake person, Buddha, and shows that he is not different than you. Buddha is you. You are Buddha. At one level this book is a beautifully written, entertaining, moving novel. I was captivated by Chopra's storytelling. At a deeper level we find the teaching of Buddha set forth: the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. At the deepest level, this book is about you, a you that is illusory. Deepak Chopra's point of view is stated as follows, from the book: "Whatever can be seen, heard, or touched is unreal. Whatever you cling to as permanent is unreal. Whatever the mind can think of is unreal. Does that leave anything free from the withering grip of illusion? No." ... "...this book has been a kind of seduction, coaxing the reader step by step toward a vision that none of us was brought up to see. Through the eyes of Buddha, the root of suffering is illusion, and the only way out of illusion is to stop believing in the separate self and the world that supports the separate self. No spiritual message has ever been so radical. None remains so terribly urgent." I'm going to return to this statement toward the end of this review and give it some perspective. There are three sections of the novel. In the first part, the first 29 years of his life, we meet Buddha as the Prince Siddhartha. The second part occupies the next six years and tells of Buddha as a wandering monk. In the third part we meet the enlightened Buddha. The road that makes up this story is built with the stones of love, death, war, karma, hatred, envy, violent passion, loneliness, fear, father-son and husband-wife relationships, friendship, betrayal, gurus, life as a dream, psychology, enlightenment, and the nature of reality; Hindu ritual, desire, pain, suffering, personal demons, weakness of the mind, strength of the mind, Yoga, meditation, the void, peace. The story of Buddha unfolds, scene after scene, like an epic movie. Reading this book, you will feel as though you are watching a classic film. At the end of the novel there is an effortless transition from the fictional novel to the non-fictional teachings of Buddha and Deepak Chopra. This transition is an important part of the book. It reminds one of the shift we all experience daily from the dreaming to the waking state. We can make use of observing that transition if we become curious as to who or what it is that is making the observation. In watching that transition we become like Buddha watching demons and fear turn to something ordinary and real. At some point it becomes clear that this novel is about you. Being a world teacher, Deepak Chopra is concerned with the individual, with you. All his books, as far as I know, are about teaching you something, expanding you. With this book Chopra has gone beyond presenting spirituality as a way of enhancing your life. Now he presents a teaching that u

buddha: a story of enlightenment

This an excellent book. Great read. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it to anyone on the path of spiritual enlightenment. Very well written.

A new classic

The story of the prince who awakened to become the Buddha is one of the most dramatic and compelling stories of all time. Deepak Chopra, a well-known and loved voice in the self-help arena, has a new book out that beautifully lets us experience just what the life of the Buddha was like as he embarked on his spiritual journey. We can really feel the natural internal conflict that he goes through as he seeks both wisdom and transformation. Deepak is a gifted writer. I'm sure you have read many of his non-fiction work; I have a whole "Deepak" bookshelf at my house! "Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment" is a novel, and an inspiring read. As an added kind of "bonus" to all of us on the path who crave nonfiction, Deepak has included a guide with commentary and teachings on core Buddhist principles. This book is destined to be a classic. And I could totally see it being turned into a movie. Two thumbs up from me!