The story of Shakyamuni Buddha’s epic journey to enlightenment is perhaps the most
important narrative in the Buddhist tradition. Tenzin Chögyel’s The Life of the Buddha,
composed in the mid–eighteenth century and now in a vivid new translation, is a masterly
storyteller’s rendition of the twelve acts of the Buddha. Chögyel’s classical tale seamlessly
weaves together the vast and the minute, the earthly and the celestial, reflecting the nearomnipresent
aid of the gods alongside the Buddha’s moving final reunion with his
devoted son, Rahula. The Life of the Buddha has the power to engage people through a
deeply human story with cosmic implications.