Buddha

Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born in 563 B.C. on the border of India and Nepal. At age 29, he left his family and life of privilege behind to become a wandering ascetic in search of enlightenment. He studied meditation with many teachers, and after six years of seeking, became enlightened under a bodhi tree.

In the 25 centuries since the Buddha lived, his teachings have spread across the globe, inspiring practitioners as well as writers both famous and obscure. This collective portrait gathers writings from contributors including Hermann Hesse, Jack Kerouac, Thich Nhat Hanh, Jack Kornfield, religious scholar Karen Armstrong, and death-row prisoner Kevin Sack, and intersperses them with color photos depicting Buddhism around the world.