The true accomplishments of any leader are often compromised when legend wraps itself around the man himself. This is particularly true when the accomplishments of religious leaders are considered. The mythic trappings become as though unavoidable and the man himself often disappears beneath them.
This certainly occurred to Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. The man himself is sometimes rendered almost invisible. As Swati Chopra in her account of the historical Buddha sees it: "While mythology has its place in culture and religion, its proclivity for glorification might, at times, obscure what really happened."
What really happened is the basis for her very interesting text, which considers the Buddha not as the all-mighty knower but as the man who originally found the way, the "path to Nirvana." This impressively beautiful book is the guide.
Born around 446 B.C., Siddhartha led a comfortable life until 29 or so. Then, having become aware of the problems of human existence, he sought a solution through renunciation. Comfortable life gone, he became an ascetic. After six years of this, he experienced a great enlightenment and became the Buddha -- "one who has awakened to the truth." Until reaching the age of 80 he went around sharing his insight, then, after a quiet death, he became known by the honorary name of Sakyamuni.
From this life Chopra has taken episodes ("The Essence of Buddha's Dharma," "In the Footsteps of the Buddha," "Modern Resurgence," etc.) and has created a series of essays that reflect Siddhartha's accomplishment.
There is no abject glorification, most of the many doctrinal differences go unmentioned, and there is a basic insistence upon simple humanity. As the publishers state: "This is a book for the common man: a contemporary presentation of the life of the Buddha . . . the author walks the path of Buddha's life with the reader."
In his foreword, Lokesh Chandra says that "the Buddha is neither a messenger of god, nor of revelation, but is supremely human . . . the prime concern of Buddhism is with human and other sentient beings, while in other faiths the response is to a god or gods."
We are shown in this text a series of selected scenes, views on the Buddha's path to Nirvana, as it were. The life is limned, the progress of the religion throughout the world is noted, the later manifestations are indicated -- particularly through the example of the Dalai Lama.
And all of this is splendidly illustrated by the color photos that stud this volume. There is Buddhist art from almost every Asian country. (The text, typically, makes small mention of the differences between Hinayana and Mahayana -- "lesser vehicle," "greater vehicle" -- Buddhism.) We are shown not only Buddhism in action (festivals in Bhutan, ceremonials in Sikkim) but also the products of Buddhist devotion: palm-leaf manuscripts from Kolkata, copper figures from Kashmir, Gandharan sculpture, stucco portraiture from Afghanistan, and much more.
Text and image are joined in fruitful affinity, one supporting the other, the photos reinforcing the text and lending a patterned complexity to what is largely a straightforward narration.
This pictorial richness is the work of Lance Dane who has photo-edited some of the most beautiful books on India. Along with these images he has also created long and informative captions that provide a second narrative running alongside the first.
His contribution is a container for Chopra's ruminations on the truth of Siddhartha. It is like a jeweled reliquary, all gold and silver, rubies and diamonds, in which resides a perfectly modest bit of bone -- a relic, a reminder of reality.
The result is a book that affirms the humanity of the Buddha but still retains the richness of his times and the variety of his followers.
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