The physical is central to an understanding of the psychological and the spiritual: a fact that traditional religious discourses have failed to grapple with.\nDrawing from various sources – such as the Pali canon, Mahayana texts, Zen Buddhism, J. Krishnamurti, Ramana Maharshi, U.G. Krishnamurti, Nietzsche, post-modernist thinkers and biological sciences – Mukunda Rao tells the story of the Buddha and discusses his teachings in physiological terms. He tackles such questions as: What was the Buddha like? How was he different from other religious masters? Was he a ‘superman’? Was he a ‘mutant’, an avatar, or a sage? Was he a dry humourless person, as he is often depicted to be in the traditional texts? Did he believe in reincarnation? Did he really start the sangha of bhikkhus and encourage conversions?\nThe Buddha aims to put an end to the rivalry between science and religion and, indeed, among the various religions. This radical new reading offers an entirely new understanding of the sages in a language that is not shrouded in mysticism and mystery. \n
About the Author
Mukunda Rao is the author of six insightful philosophical works, six books of fiction and two plays. His Biology of Enlightenment (HarperCollins, 2001) is a much read and discussed work the world over, and has become a cult book among spiritual aspirants. His play Baba Saheb Ambedkar, which had a successful run four years ago, was produced again, this year to critical acclaim. There were altogether ninety-five shows in different parts of Karnataka. After his voluntary retirement from a teaching job in a college in 2000, he now lives with his wife on a farm outside Bengaluru.
