What is the secret of Buddha’s hold on the mind and imagination of vast numbers of Asiatic humanity over two millenniums? What should one think when on the one hand Buddhism tells us that life is suffering and on the other we are told to enjoy life’s every moment?
The Life and Times of Gautam Buddha seeks to answer these questions. It brings together the leading ideas and tenets of Buddhism, interpreting them in the light of the fundamental principles of human life as well as of the latest research in the science of human mind.
The book takes reader through the life of Siddhartha Gautam in a manner of a mortal hero and establishes basis for his eventual enlightenment and observations. It describes his protected royal youth, search for a way to end suffering and his enlightenment. The book also takes up the core teachings one by one—the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path and the Six-sense media. The book brings together teachings of the Buddha ranging from basic ethical observances recommended to the busy man or woman of the modern world.

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Contents

Author’s Note —Pgs. 7

1. Reference to the Context —Pgs. 11

2. A Civilisation of Sixteen Realms —Pgs. 14

3. Birth and Childhood —Pgs. 17

4. Marriage —Pgs. 22

5. The Four Encounters —Pgs. 23

6. Disenchanted with Youth —Pgs. 26

7. The Great Departure —Pgs. 28

8. I Strive —Pgs. 31

9. First Teachers —Pgs. 33

10. Truth in the Doctrine of Karma —Pgs. 35

11. Mortification —Pgs. 38

12. The Enlightenment —Pgs. 43

13. Merchants of Myanmar —Pgs. 46

14. Beginning of the Mission —Pgs. 47

15. The First Sermon —Pgs. 49

16. Discourse on Non-Self —Pgs. 53

17. Conversions —Pgs. 57

18. Monasteries —Pgs. 61

19. Return to Kapilavastu —Pgs. 62

20. Rajagriha and Sravasti —Pgs. 65

21. The Ideal of a Wife —Pgs. 69

22. King Prasenjit of Kosala —Pgs. 71

23. Growth of Sangha —Pgs. 73

24. Vishakha —Pgs. 75

25. Glory of Mahanama —Pgs. 77

26. Failed Mission in Kaushambi —Pgs. 78

27. I Sow Faith, my Plough is Wisdom —Pgs. 79

28. Relationship with Rahula —Pgs. 81

29. Angulimala —Pgs. 83

30. Ananda the adjutant —Pgs. 86

31. Contemporary Thoughts —Pgs. 87

32. A Decade of Crisis —Pgs. 89

33. Killed by its Own Fruit —Pgs. 90

34. Amrapali —Pgs. 92

35. Legacy —Pgs. 96

36. Nirvana —Pgs. 98

37. The Last Rites —Pgs. 101

38. The Canon —Pgs. 102

39. Distinctive Types of Buddhism —Pgs. 104

40. Buddhism’s Decline in India —Pgs. 106

41. Buddhism in Myanmar —Pgs. 107

42. Ideals of Different Schools of Buddhism —Pgs. 109

43. Buddhist Doctrine —Pgs. 111

44. Three Types of Men —Pgs. 119

45. Four Noble Truths —Pgs. 125

46. The Four Great Existents —Pgs. 127

47. Five Aggregates of Existence —Pgs. 133

48. Genesis of Karma —Pgs. 136

49. Five Aspects of Speech —Pgs. 143

50. The Five Precepts —Pgs. 148

51. Five Evils in the World —Pgs. 151

52. Six Sense-Media Theatre —Pgs. 152

53. Noble Eight-fold Path —Pgs. 158

54. Defilements of the Mind —Pgs. 161

55. The Principle of Skilful Action —Pgs. 163

56. Ending of the Fermentations —Pgs. 169

57. Managing Emotions —Pgs. 176

58. Cultivation of Discrimination —Pgs. 179

59. Three Frames of Reference —Pgs. 180

60. Ideal Emotional State —Pgs. 182

61. The Fruits of Contemplative Life —Pgs. 187

62. Folly of Misapprehending the Dharma —Pgs. 191

63. Recapitulating —Pgs. 195

References —Pgs. 201

Timeline —Pgs. 207

Arun Tiwari did his master’s in mechanical engineering from G.B. Pant University and joined the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) at Hyderabad as a missile scientist in 1982. He was airframe designer and project manager (system integration) in the first three Akash Missile Developmental Flights.
As a member of Dr. Kalam’s team, Arun Tiwari set up the first link of pan-Africa e-network of Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd. (TCIL). The network now connects universities and hospitals across the African continent with their Indian counterparts. In 1999, Arun Tiwari co-wrote Wings of Fire, the autobiography of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. The book became a modern classic, going into thirty reprints and selling more than a million copies. It has been translated into eighteen languages. He has written twelve books since then.
Arun Tiwari is currently consulting to evolve the blueprint for FDI in the Defence Sector and towards the creation of a strong Defence Technological Industrial Base (DTIB) in India. He is an adjunct Professor in the School of Management Sciences, University of Hyderabad.