With such bestsellers as A History of God and Islam, Karen Armstrong hasconsistently delivered "penetrating,
readable, and prescient" (The New York Times) works that have lucidly engaged a wide range of religions and religious
issues. In Buddha she turns to a figure whose thought is still reverberating throughout the world 2,500 years after
his death.
Many know the Buddha only from seeing countless serene, iconic images. But what of the man himself and the world
he lived in? What did he actually do in his roughly eighty years on earth that spawned one of the greatest religions
in world history? Armstrong tackles these questions and more by examining the life and times of the Buddha in this
engrossing philosophical biography. Against the tumultuous cultural background of his world, she blends history,
philosophy, mythology, and biography to create a compelling and illuminating portrait of a man whose awakening
continues to inspire millions.