The living Buddha : an interpretive biography / by Daisaku Ikeda ; translated by Burton Watson.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The young Shakyamuni. Shakyamuni ; Shakyamuni's names ; The Shakya tribe ; The historical setting ; Shakyamuni's family ; Shakyamuni's early years -- The great departure. The ascetic and Indian society ; The departure and wanderings ; The rise of a new culture ; The six-non-Buddhist teachers -- The years of austerities. The encounter with King Bimbisara ; The two Brahman hermits ; The practice of austerities ; The rejection of austerities -- The Enlightenment. Buddhagaya ; The temptation of Mara ; What is Enlightenment? ; The content of Sakyamuni's enlightenment ; The law of causation -- Shakyamuni the teacher. The decision to propagate the law ; Turning the wheel of the law ; Shakyamuni's disciples ; Preaching at Uruvela -- The company of disciples. Shariputra and Maudgalyayana ; Mahakashyapa ; Sudatta -- Shakyamuni's visit to Kapilavastu ; Ananda ; Upali and Anuruddha -- The growth of the order. The other major disciples ; The city of Savatthi ; Management of the order ; Devadatta's revolt -- The entry into nirvana. The sad events of Shakyamuni's closing years ; The last journey ; Chunda, the blacksmith ; Parinirvana.