Book review
Gautama, as we all know, left home to discover a way to end all human misery. He became Buddha, the Enlightened One, when one day in a flash, the truth dawned on him a he sat meditating under the Bodhi tree in Gaya. He came back with practical solutions which even a layman could adopt. Those who followed him had to first accept and comprehend the four Noble Truths: · Worldly existence is full of misery · Desire and attachment are the cause of worldly existence · Worldly existence could be ended by keeping out desire and attachment · There is a way to do this The path he advocated was the well-known eight-fold path – right speech, right action, right means of livelihood to achieve control on the physical plane, right exertion, right-mindedness, right meditation to achieve mental strength, right resolution and right point of view for intellectual development. When these guidelines are adhered to they bring about peace of mind – this is borne out by the Buddhist tales that have come down to us. A few such tales have been included in this Chitra Katha.