Meeting the Buddha: by Aitken, Molly Emma (ed) - 1995 On Pilgrimage in Buddhist India

Edited by Molly Emma Aitken, condition good. Minor wear to cover, some creasing on a few pages. A splendid and extensive sample of the journals of those who visited the geographical source of Buddhism. E.M. Forster observes a neglected tree similar to the one where the Buddha gained Enlightenment, and watches Tibetan pilgrims as they "light lamps so the temple floor looks like a lake of fire". Peter Matthiessen experiences "the clean air and absence of all sound" while reflecting on how Siddhartha Gautama was transformed from a wandering holy mendicant into the Buddha- the Awakened One. Fa-hsien climbs the rocky Vulture's Peak to honor the place where the Buddha once lived and preached- an experience shared by Allen Ginsberg 1,500 years later. This rare an rich collection of pilgrims' voices from the origins of Buddhist India to the present redefines what great anthologies are all about.