My View of the Buddha

Author: (Japan) Daisaku Ikeda / Pan Guiming
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1997-06-01
Features: As one of the series "Religion and the World," following "My Buddhist View" and "Society and Religion," Sichuan People's Publishing House has recently published the Chinese edition of my book "My View of Shakyamuni." To have this opportunity to convey some of my insights to Chinese readers who are interested in Buddhism and general religion fills me with immense joy and gratitude. To portray the specific image of Shakyamuni, it is necessary to base oneself on reliable historical records and extensively collect historical facts. However, it is a great pity that there is not much material available to reconstruct the lives of sages and virtuous individuals. The reasons for this are twofold: first, the era in which Shakyamuni lived is extremely distant, and second, the characteristics of Indians, who were not inclined to leave behind historical records. This book attempts to describe my image of Shakyamuni as much as possible based on objectively proven facts, frankly discussing the image of Shakyamuni that I have grasped through personal and religious experiences. The reason for the book's title, "My View of Shakyamuni," is also due to this.