Ann's Reviews > Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment

The life of the Buddha is far too long & complicated to put down easily in such a small volume but overall good starts for those who want to read & learn how Buddhism come about. It is light and easy to read. Since this partly fictionalized version, the historical backgrounds have to be taken as just that while the fictional part lacks interesting quality in my opinion. Buddha's life can be concluded in three phases: the Prince, the Monk, and the Enlightened Buddha. I like the way Deepak throw in great spirituality insight & motivation word in his writing as well. In other word, this book is more spiritual then historical.

Every living being has the same basic wish – to be happy and to avoid suffering. If we want to decrease our suffering and the suffering of others, then we have to wake up to our own potential.

It all begin with Prince Siddhartha realize that all living beings without exception have to experience the sufferings of birth, sickness, ageing and death. Because he understood the laws of reincarnation he also realized that they experience these sufferings not just once, but again and again, in life after life without cessation. Seeing how all living beings are trapped in this vicious circle of suffering he felt deep compassion for them, and he developed a sincere wish to free all of them from their suffering. Realizing that only a fully enlightened Buddha has the wisdom and the power to help all living beings in this way, he resolved to leave the palace and retire to the solitude of the forest where he would engage in profound meditation until he attained enlightenment.

At the time of his awakening he realized complete insight into the cause of suffering, and the steps necessary to eliminate it. These discoveries became known as the "Four Noble Truths", which are at the heart of Buddhist teaching, the secret to true peace and happiness. Through mastery of these truths, a state of supreme liberation, or Nirvana, is believed to be possible for any being. The Buddha described Nirvāna as the perfect peace of a mind that's free from ignorance, greed, hatred and other afflictive states, or "defilements".