An intimate portrayal of one of history's most important and obscure figures; the Buddha; this chronicle reveals him not as a mystic; but a warm and engaged human being that was very much the product of his turbulent times. This biographical account traces the path of Siddhartha Gautama as he walked away from the pleasure palace that had been his home and joined a growing force of wandering monks; ultimately making his way towards enlightenment beneath the bodhi tree; and spending the next 45 years sharing his insights along the banks of the Ganges. The Buddhist canon is expertly harvested to provide insight into the Buddha's inner life and to grant a better understanding of how he came to play his pivotal role as founder of one of the world's largest religions.
#3043876 in Books 2003-06-01 2003-06-01Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 11.00 x 8.50 x .75l; #File Name: 0971765006320 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. 2nd Edition 2013 - Even more epicBy John E. LarsenThis is the long awaited reprint of Mark Bando's epic account of the 101st Airborne Division in WW2. I just missed out on the earlier edition and I've been avidly waiting for it to become available again (and had to go through quite a process; being sent the French edition twice!) Bando has been strongly interested in the 101st for decades and has conducted hundreds of interviews with its veterans. This book covers the 101st from its formation to the end of WW2.The crux of the book is the epic battles the 101st fought against the German army; starting with the legendary jumps into Normandy and Holland before the epic stand at Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge. It is primarily a book about these battles and let there be no illusion about what this means. This is no sanitized; politically correct puff; the combat stories contained are frequently extremely graphic. There is a lot of brutality in war and here the veterans and Bando spell it out in absolute clarity. The fighting is very savage and the effect of weapons on flesh and bone is terrible. It is the reality of war that some men become adept at it and I think one of the strengths of Bando's work is that he doesn't apologise for this. Rather he is clear that winning battles means killing the enemy and he gives due credit to those who were proficient enough to do just that. Over the four campaigns; there is a lot of combat and many casualties. This includes atrocities; the killing of prisoners (by both sides) and even examples of torture and sadism.Yes Burgett and Winters and others well known from their separately published memoirs are here but their contributions form only a minor part of the text. Bando has interviewed almost a 1;000 men from the 101st and the great bulk of the text consists of their exact words; so there is a host of primary material to digest. It's almost impossible to summarise; the trooper wounded seventeen times; the many heroes; the ornery types; some fools and the host of troopers who grimly did their duty and slogged forward every time they were asked. Bando is clearly a trusted confident and many men have revealed a vast range of intimate personal stories about fighting; comradeship and tragedy.While the book is handsomely presented; the French company who has reissued it has not always got it right. A few times continuity is lost between pages and some passages are missing. There are some typos and most annoying; the potted histories for some of the German divisions that opposed the 101st (listed in an index and a great idea) have been badly mixed around. I also think it would've helped if the numerous first person contributions were more clearly differentiated from the main text but these are all minor quibbles when weighed against the incredible volume and quality of the first hand combat stories and numerous period photos. This book really delivers in terms of revealing the face of battle and even more so the face of the extraordinary American fighting men of the 101st Airborne Division.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good book; took too long to receive it.By WickBook as good as expected. Enjoyed the pictures detailing differences in equipment and clothing patterns. Disappointed in delivery of the purchase. Three weeks from NY to FL way to long.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very good. Author knows his stuffBy Sandra P.Very good. Author knows his stuff.
