What a blessing!

Perfect reading to stumble on during my journey back from a Buddhist gathering at the mountains of Tibet. So many of my inquiries about suffering and my strange path in this lifetime have been answered and I am at peace with my past, awake for my presence, and free from my future. Thank you and Namaste.
( )

So, Hamlet, how many people of color would you say are big names in the contemporary Western new age scene—two, one, how many?

—No, not so much, not two….

🤓

Anyway. I felt rewarded to some extent because I could see how modern this God-mythology novel is compared to the sorta medieval manuscript biographies of the Buddha which exist, you know; it’s from closer to 2000 AD than (say) 500 AD. (I always thought that CE was a little pedantic, personally.)

Although it took me awhile to get through this relatively short book because I find myself less moved by monastic religion than I used to be…. Although Deepak certainly portrays the difficulties of the thing even if he ultimately views the Buddha as a hero or whatever. If you become a monastic, and you have a steady place in society before you leave, then both you, and the other people you associate with, are dealing with a loss in your new position, at least from a certain point of view, and those other people might feel slighted and even push back against the whole idea…. And if you never had a steady place in society, and you decide to compensate by becoming a monastic, you’re open to the charge, that you’re running away from life….

I mean, I remember I was reading the Hunger Games, and somebody was like, Oh yeah I remember him. He got beaten to death in District 13 for stealing a potato. And I’m reading and in my mind I’m a monastic or whatever, so I’m like whatever, you know. I’m like, You know, you should really count calories. They probably had his week all planned out—and they knew that he didn’t need that extra potato.

I’m like, I’ve heard worse. I’m over it.

And now I read Napoleon Hill and Deepak’s success/abundance books and Joel Osteen and the billion dollar cosmetics company girl, you know.

And I still count calories, but it makes me feel abundant to have one more potato sometimes, if I think I need it to not be hungry, you know.

[The Fray: ‘Let’s re-arrange:
I wish you were a stranger, I could dis-engage….’
Me: (nods) I love dis-engaging.]

…. ‘Whatever you are, be a good one’, is a saying I heard once.

…. It’s a nice novel…. Of course, Muhammad is probably more practical, as such. (An empire is like a business….) Of course, I realize that’s not the group-think right now, but group-think is historically determined, in more ways than one…. And of course! Of course, that’s an ironic thing that I just did, if you can catch me in it….

…. It obviously works out for Buddha, then and now, for the enlightened one, but I feel like if /Eye/ were to keep this up much longer, I would end up selfishly hugging enlightenment to myself, and end up Much more selfish than the one who just wants to have two or three gold coins to rub together, you know. (Although I wouldn’t want to do it in the old way, which is basically slavery, you know. But, you know—you know how it is. Gold, what’s gold? —Gold is, money, Mommy. —The true gold is the Truth! —Then if we know the Truth, we’ll have lots of money! —No, no. Let me start again; let me begin at the beginning. There are Four Noble Truths. —Do the four nobles have money and nice estates, Mommy! —You know what: No. No, they do not.)

But Deepak’s a great guy, he really is. He can make almost anything work for him, and he can live a thousand different lives—and in the best way.

Very fictional account

I struggled with this one a bit towards the middle as it veered into an area that was almost too fictionalized for my taste but it is clearly stated in the forward that this is a fictional account. Overall still a good read. ( )

'The Buddha was as mortal as you and I, yet he attained enlightenment and was raised to the rank of an immortal. The miracle is that he got there following a heart as human as ours and mine, and just as vulerable.'-from the Author's Note

Bestselling author Deepak Chopra brings the Buddha back to life in this gripping novel of the young prince who abandoned his inheritance to discover his true calling. This iconic journey changed the world forever, and the truths revealed continue to influence every corner of the globe today.

A young man in line for he throne is trapped in his father's kingdom and yearns for the outside world. Betrayed by those closest to him, Siddhartha abandons his palace and princely title. Alone and face-to-face with his demons, he becomes a wandering monk and embarks on a spiritual fast that carries him to the brink of death. Ultimately recognizing his inability to conquer his body and mind by sheer will, Siddhartha transcends his physical pain and achieves enlightenment.

Although we recognize Buddha today as an icon of peace and serenity, his life story was a tumultuous and spellbinding affair filled with love and sex, murder and loss, struggle and surrender. From the rocky terrain of the material world to the sumimit of the spiritual one, Buddha captivates and inspires-ultimately leading us closer to understanding the true nature of life and our selves.

'An astonishing narrative, a veritable literary feast engaging every color of the bouquet of human experience. Deepak transports us on an adventure in enlightenment with all the twists and turns of a great movie.'-Peter Guber, chairman of Mandalay Entertainment and producer of Batman, Rainman, and The Color Purple.

Deepak Chopra, the founder of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, is the preeminent teacher of Eastern philosophy to the Western World. He has been a bestselling author for decades, and his writings have sold millions of copies. Visit the author online at www.deepakchopra.com.

'Outstanding! Deepak's creative and dramatic retelling of Buddha's life is proof that, when it comes to conveying spiritual verities, fiction can be truer that fact.'-Arvind Sharma, Birks Profesor of Comparative Religion, McGill University

'A page-turning masterpiece. This is storytelling at its best. I couldn't put it down. I now feel as if I have met the Buddha and he is in all of us who search for our own greatness. This book is destined to become a classic.'-Wayne Dyer, author of The Power of Intention

'Buddha is unlike anything deepak has ever written before. A timeless story retold by one of the most inspiring spiritual guides of our era, it is essential reading for anyone curious about the foundations of Buddhism.'-Brian Grazer, Oscar award-winning producer of A Beautiful Mind, Emmy-winning producer, 24.

'Deepak's insightful re-imagining of the life journey of one of the world's greatest spritual leaders is a captivating read and a road map to personal spritual growth from one of the most respected and inspiring leaders of our time.'-Terry Semai, chairman and chief executive officer, Yahoo!

Contents

Author's note
Part One Siddhartha the Prince
1 The Kingdom of Sakya, 563 BCE
Part Two Gautama the Monk
Part Three Buddha
Epilogue
Acknowledgments

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Chopra-Bouddha--Histoire-dune-illumination/448606 ( )