Footprints Of Gautama The Buddha

The Lord Buddha as his disciples remember him.

Originally published in 1958, this volume discusses the Buddhist monuments of Sri Lanka, which represent a distinctive and valuable portion of the art of the ancient and medieval world. It traces the development of this artistic achievement and places it in the appropriate religious, philosophical and historical context. Supporting the text are thirty-one black & white plates and a glossary of terms used helps to guide the reader throughout the book.

Buddha was great philosopher who came near to revolutionising the religious thought and feeling of Asia. The starting point of Gautama Buddha's philosophy was his own question as a fortunate young man, why am I not completely happy?. It was an introspective question. Buddha concentrated upon Self and sought to destroy it.

The Buddhapada is one of the most enigmatic artistic developments that has derived from the Buddhist faith. Literally 'foot (or feet) of the Buddha', its most common manifestation is that of a footprint, rendered in three dimensions in stone or metal, or less commonly on cloth or paper. The author traces the evolution of this pinnacle of early Buddhist art from its origins in north India over two millennia ago, through its long migration in time and space, to its present prominence throughout Buddhist Asia. This is the first survey of the Buddhapada.

Unlike stiff biographies of the Buddha or biographies that are replete with mystery and magic, Footprints in the Dust enables us get to know the Buddha as a human being—a deeply compassionate and wise person who not only actualized the path to enlightenment but also shared the way to accomplish that path with countless others so that they too may gain supreme peace. We learn of the challenges Gotama faced—many similar to our own—and how he dealt with them. We see his responses when praised and blamed, when confronted with crises within the Order and disputes among kings and couples. We see how he guided monastic and lay disciples with their diverse personalities and dispositions. In getting an insider’s glimpse into how his wisdom and compassion manifested when engaged in situations that we too may experience, we learn how to work in a constructive way with whatever life brings us. This is an inspiring and engaging book that you will read and reread many times. —Bhiksuni Thubten Chodron, Dharma teacher, author, and abbess of Sravasti Abbey What was the Buddha like as a human being? How did he relate to others? With great care and an eye for detail, Venerable Dhammika pieces together the life events we can 'read' from very early texts. The result is a truly authoritative biography. It shows that as a man, as well as a teacher, the historical Buddha was remarkable indeed. The chapter headings are refreshingly original: a day in the life of, his humour, his debating style, his background. I really enjoyed thinking about Gotama Buddha simply as a person - and clearly an extraordinary one, as Ven. Dhammika shows us. I recommend this book to anyone who would like a down-to-earth, accurate and readable appraisal of the founder of this great world religion, seen through modern eyes. —Sarah Shaw Oxford, March, 2021

"An environmental history of Buddhism. The book addresses the basic concerns of environmental history: the history of human thought about "nature" or "the environment"; the influence of environmental factors on human history; and the effect of human-caused environmental changes on human society"--