Buddhism: On the Path to Nirvana

by Swati Chopra

With a heightening interest in Buddhism worldwide, and a fast-growing respect for the Dalai Lama as a preacher of peace and contentment, "Buddhism: On the Path to Nirvana" is a welcome and much needed introduction to the life and teachings of Buddha. Swati Chopra is the perfect guide as she walks the path of Buddha's life with the reader to his eventual discovery of the joy of being. Interesting cameos on Padmasambhava, the mandalas, Jatakas and excerpts from an interview with the Dalai Lama add to the readers' understanding of Buddhism. Lavishly illustrated with almost 200 images depicting varying aspects of Buddhism in south east Asia - stupas, temples, rock carvings, monasteries, rites and ceremonies, religious objects and symbols, lamas in prayer - this is a book that will inform and enlighten the reader.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Swati Chopra is a New Delhi-based writer whose work explores spirituality and religion, and their engagement in contemporary life. She is author of 'Dharamsala Diaries' (Penguin, 2007) which is a travelogue of the spirit, and 'Buddhism: On the Path to Nirvana' (Mercury Books, London; Brijbasi Art Press, New Delhi, 2005), a modern introduction to Buddhism.

Her essay (‘Gentle Bridges and Golden Seeds: The Dalai Lama’s Dialogues with Science’) appeared in the anthology, Understanding the Dalai Lama (Penguin, 2004).

Swati has worked as editor of a quarterly journal, Life Positive Plus, as contributing editor of India’s premier English language magazine on spirituality, Life Positive, and as spirituality correspondent of one of the largest English dailies in India, The Times of India.

In her career as writer and journalist, she has interviewed and written about significant thinkers, spiritual masters, philosophers, artists and activists of our times, including the Dalai Lama, Fritjof Capra, James Lovelock, Sulak Sivaraksa, Vandana Shiva, Carlo Petrini, Ven. Khandro Rinpoche, Tenzin Palmo, among many others.

Swati’s writing has appeared in journals in India and abroad, such as the British eco-spiritual magazine Resurgence, American magazine Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, and The Hindustan Times, Daily News and Analysis in India.

For the past three years, Swati has been involved in researching a book project that documents contemporary women’s spirituality. For this research, she was awarded a fellowship by Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP), a South Asian research initiative that facilitates the leadership of women in areas of peace, security and international affairs. WISCOMP is affiliated with the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama (FUR).

Swati presented a paper on the findings of her research at the First International Conference on Indology, Goa, India, 2007, and has written several articles on this subject which have appeared in Life Positive, The Times of India, The Hindustan Times in India, and in the Algerian literary magazine, Arabesques.