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The Gospel of Buddha
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149 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 6, 1894
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684 people want to read
About the author
Paul Carus
707 books12 followersPaul Carus, Ph.D. (18 July 1852 – 11 February 1919) was a German-American author, editor, a student of comparative religion, and professor of philosophy.
Carus considered himself a theologian rather than philosopher. He is proposed to be a pioneer in the promotion of interfaith dialogue. He explored the relationship of science and religion, and was instrumental in introducing Eastern traditions and ideas to the West. He was a key figure in the introduction of Buddhism, to the West.
Carus considered himself a theologian rather than philosopher. He is proposed to be a pioneer in the promotion of interfaith dialogue. He explored the relationship of science and religion, and was instrumental in introducing Eastern traditions and ideas to the West. He was a key figure in the introduction of Buddhism, to the West.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 12, 2016
أهدموا الإدراك والشعور الخاطئين تقضوا على الشهوات ؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛ أهدموا الشهوات تتخلصوا من كلّ تعلّق مريض ؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛ أبعدوا التعلّق تهدموا أنانية الأناني ؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛؛ وإذا هدمت أنانية الأنا تصبحون فوق الولادة والهرم والمرض والموت وتتخلصون من العذاب
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لا تؤمنوا بشيء لأنكم سمعتوه.
لا تؤمنوا بشيء لأنه يشاع على ألسنة الكثيرين.
لا تؤمنوا بشيء بناء على سلطة معلميكم و شيوخكم.
لا تؤمنوا بالعادات و الأحاديث لأنها منقولة إليكم عبر الأجيال.
بعد الملاحظة و التحليل, عندما تجدون شيئا يتوافق مع العقل و يؤدي إلى خير و مصلحة الواحد و الكل, عندها فقط إقبلوا به و إنهضوا بحياتكم الى مستواه.
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لا تؤمنوا بشيء لأنكم سمعتوه.
لا تؤمنوا بشيء لأنه يشاع على ألسنة الكثيرين.
لا تؤمنوا بشيء بناء على سلطة معلميكم و شيوخكم.
لا تؤمنوا بالعادات و الأحاديث لأنها منقولة إليكم عبر الأجيال.
بعد الملاحظة و التحليل, عندما تجدون شيئا يتوافق مع العقل و يؤدي إلى خير و مصلحة الواحد و الكل, عندها فقط إقبلوا به و إنهضوا بحياتكم الى مستواه.
September 13, 2016
Wonderful book. It is true that having some working knowledge of Buddhism helps to understand and cherish all that is said in it, but even so, it seems quite clear: the most important parts of the Buddhist doctrine, stripped away from the so-called "spiritism" which sometimes is associated with Buddhism.
It isn't all that astounding that Buddhism and Christianity are quite similar; the most important tennets of both advocate charity and compassion, as well as a renunciation of the "self", and encouragement towards performing good deeds selflessly. It is too bad that both of these messages have been muddled overtime, saddled by ritual, losing the teaching in the process.
I would recommend this book to those that are interested in Buddhism, the people who have heard about the teachings, and have a real calling to understand and apply these teachings to everyday life.
It isn't all that astounding that Buddhism and Christianity are quite similar; the most important tennets of both advocate charity and compassion, as well as a renunciation of the "self", and encouragement towards performing good deeds selflessly. It is too bad that both of these messages have been muddled overtime, saddled by ritual, losing the teaching in the process.
I would recommend this book to those that are interested in Buddhism, the people who have heard about the teachings, and have a real calling to understand and apply these teachings to everyday life.
January 3, 2010
I have no idea how distorted this gospel is from the ancient sources, but it is the book on Buddhism I have long searched for. I have really wanted to know more about Buddhism for quite a while, but book after book has been a huge scholarly disappointment, telling me about Buddhist rite and ritual, giving convoluted accounts of the philosophy of Buddhism which seem to obscure rather than enlighten.
This book presents the accounts of what the Buddha himself said and did. Just as with the Christian gospels it presents an exciting and relevant teaching where the religion only offers superstition and the fossilisation of these original and profound ideas.
The teaching presented here is exciting and challenging and well worth reading. It can be read online here: http://reluctant-messenger.com/gospel...
This book presents the accounts of what the Buddha himself said and did. Just as with the Christian gospels it presents an exciting and relevant teaching where the religion only offers superstition and the fossilisation of these original and profound ideas.
The teaching presented here is exciting and challenging and well worth reading. It can be read online here: http://reluctant-messenger.com/gospel...
May 13, 2025
Once of the best books on Buddhism I've ever read. I'll be going back to this one repeatedly.
May 23, 2019
Este libro de Paul Carus te adentra y te inicia de manera sencilla y clara en el mundo del budismo, su filosofía y las enseñanzas de Buda. Cómo creció, qué son las cuatro nobles verdades, el óctuple sendero y cómo alcanzar el nirvana. Habla sobre la felicidad, el dolor y la fugacidad de la vida. Es un libro ideal para quienes no conocen nada del mundo oriental. Las filosofía de este libro te llevará a vivir una vida más acorde y con paz mental. Es un libro maravilloso, me encantó.
"¿Cómo puedes presenciar las escenas desoladoras que pasan a tu alrededor y continuar hinchando tu egoísmo?" -Pág. 154
"¿Cómo puedes presenciar las escenas desoladoras que pasan a tu alrededor y continuar hinchando tu egoísmo?" -Pág. 154
March 20, 2019
Written in a way to mirror the narrative structure of the Gospels - that is, part wisdom teachings and part timeline - the Gospel of Buddha makes Buddhism accessible to Western audiences. Carus draws on diverse sources but compiles his information in a concise, immensely readable collection.
It is no substitute for academic works (like Christmas Humphreys' evergreen classic, Buddhism) or for actual Buddhist scripture (like the Dhammapada or the Lotus or Amitabha Sutras) - this book strikes a good balance and is a solid introduction.
It is no substitute for academic works (like Christmas Humphreys' evergreen classic, Buddhism) or for actual Buddhist scripture (like the Dhammapada or the Lotus or Amitabha Sutras) - this book strikes a good balance and is a solid introduction.
February 18, 2016
Very Powerful Read
This book was instrumental in helping me understand Buddhism, making concepts from the many other books gel in my mind. I will be rereading it often.
This book was instrumental in helping me understand Buddhism, making concepts from the many other books gel in my mind. I will be rereading it often.
May 20, 2019
One should definitely read this in one's life.
Siddhartha was the perfect human ever lived on this planet.
Siddhartha was the perfect human ever lived on this planet.
February 27, 2023
This is a set of selections from the Pali Canon, summarizing the Buddha's life and his most central stories, parables, and teachings. This is a massively illuminating book and I believe any reader who reads these teachings deeply and comprehensively will almost certainly be better off. The Buddha's rejection of the self as arbitrary is radical even today, and his arguments are beautiful.
The Buddha is often compared to the figure of Jesus Christ in the Western Tradition, and this comparison is quite understandable with his shimmering compassion, concern for human suffering, willingness to establish a 'heresy', and encouraging of others to overcome the terms of the self. Another comparison, that is made much less often, however, could be drawn with the great Greek philosopher Socrates. The Buddha's philosophical discussions often remind me acutely of the Socratic Dialogues; the style, with the Buddha thoughtfully, though often with acute humor, considering and discussing his positions with those who disagreed with him, and encouraging others to do the same is itself deeply reminiscent. I am reminded that the Buddha encouraged his followers to doubt and question him at every turn, and promoted a sort of free thought and conversation to lead to those abstract and hard to grasp truths he espoused and begin to feel, in many ways, that this may be an even closer connection to the one with Christ. There is also, of course, Lao Tzu, whose Taoist/Daoist philosophy is quite similar to Buddhism (with many in China historically combining the two traditions). With all these philosophical and intellectual similarities, I am left wondering and, quite honestly, believing, that these four monumental figures, though separated by hundreds of years and thousands of miles, had witnessed the same great universal truth, and spoke of it in their own terms.
The Buddha is often compared to the figure of Jesus Christ in the Western Tradition, and this comparison is quite understandable with his shimmering compassion, concern for human suffering, willingness to establish a 'heresy', and encouraging of others to overcome the terms of the self. Another comparison, that is made much less often, however, could be drawn with the great Greek philosopher Socrates. The Buddha's philosophical discussions often remind me acutely of the Socratic Dialogues; the style, with the Buddha thoughtfully, though often with acute humor, considering and discussing his positions with those who disagreed with him, and encouraging others to do the same is itself deeply reminiscent. I am reminded that the Buddha encouraged his followers to doubt and question him at every turn, and promoted a sort of free thought and conversation to lead to those abstract and hard to grasp truths he espoused and begin to feel, in many ways, that this may be an even closer connection to the one with Christ. There is also, of course, Lao Tzu, whose Taoist/Daoist philosophy is quite similar to Buddhism (with many in China historically combining the two traditions). With all these philosophical and intellectual similarities, I am left wondering and, quite honestly, believing, that these four monumental figures, though separated by hundreds of years and thousands of miles, had witnessed the same great universal truth, and spoke of it in their own terms.
August 7, 2022
Really boring but that’s more of a me problem than an author problem.
This book is catered to a western, Christian audience so it didn’t really resonate with me. There are a lot of words like ‘brotherhood’ and ‘fraternity’ that feel like they don’t belong in the context of Indian religions and are more suited to Christianity. Once again, it’s a me problem.
There’s also a lot of old English (thee, thy, thou) which makes sense cause it was written in 1894 but it just makes the content so much more time consuming to process.
The illustrator is a white European so even though she tried to replicate Indian art, it feels wrong but I can’t point out how to fix it. A bearded Buddha was a weird experience though.
I skimmed a lot but I did enjoy some of the lessons and morals the book teaches you. That can be credited to Buddha, not Paul Carus. I didn’t enjoy the discovery that Buddhism, like all religions, is sexist but it’s not really surprising since society hundreds of years ago is very different from what it is today. Once again, a Buddha issue, not an author issue.
This rating is more relevant to my personal experience than an actual metric for the quality of the book.
This book is catered to a western, Christian audience so it didn’t really resonate with me. There are a lot of words like ‘brotherhood’ and ‘fraternity’ that feel like they don’t belong in the context of Indian religions and are more suited to Christianity. Once again, it’s a me problem.
There’s also a lot of old English (thee, thy, thou) which makes sense cause it was written in 1894 but it just makes the content so much more time consuming to process.
The illustrator is a white European so even though she tried to replicate Indian art, it feels wrong but I can’t point out how to fix it. A bearded Buddha was a weird experience though.
I skimmed a lot but I did enjoy some of the lessons and morals the book teaches you. That can be credited to Buddha, not Paul Carus. I didn’t enjoy the discovery that Buddhism, like all religions, is sexist but it’s not really surprising since society hundreds of years ago is very different from what it is today. Once again, a Buddha issue, not an author issue.
This rating is more relevant to my personal experience than an actual metric for the quality of the book.
Read
November 15, 20203) Say what ye without God, show me what they have created from the earth, or have they share in the heavens Bring me a book before this or some vestige of knowledge, if ye are truthful (4) It is pushing those who calls without God does not respond to him until the Day of Resurrection, and are Their supplications are heedless (5) and when the people were crowded, they would have enemies and they were unbelievers by their worship (6)
(3) قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَرُونِي مَاذَا خَلَقُوا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ أَمْ لَهُمْ شِرْكٌ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ ائْتُونِي بِكِتَابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ هَذَا أَوْ أَثَارَةٍ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ (4) وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنْ يَدْعُو مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَنْ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَهُمْ عَنْ دُعَائِهِمْ غَافِلُونَ (5) وَإِذَا حُشِرَ النَّاسُ كَانُوا لَهُمْ أَعْدَاءً وَكَانُوا بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ كَافِرِينَ (6)
(3) قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَرُونِي مَاذَا خَلَقُوا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ أَمْ لَهُمْ شِرْكٌ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ ائْتُونِي بِكِتَابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ هَذَا أَوْ أَثَارَةٍ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ (4) وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنْ يَدْعُو مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَنْ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَهُمْ عَنْ دُعَائِهِمْ غَافِلُونَ (5) وَإِذَا حُشِرَ النَّاسُ كَانُوا لَهُمْ أَعْدَاءً وَكَانُوا بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ كَافِرِينَ (6)
December 15, 2017
Efectivamente, lleno de coincidencias con el cristianismo. Es una muy completa recopilación de los preceptos budistas.
El budismo tiene una sencillez que me seduce, pero, al igual que cualquier otra colección de verdades, al convertirla en religión, tiende a perder su esencia. Mejor sería dejar estas verdades como la “verdad” y propiciar q cada persona la busque y la encuentre. Hay cosas q no pueden ser enseñadas, sólo aprendidas!
Lastimosamente, la edición que leí, está PLAGADA de errores tipográficos!!! €]:~(
El budismo tiene una sencillez que me seduce, pero, al igual que cualquier otra colección de verdades, al convertirla en religión, tiende a perder su esencia. Mejor sería dejar estas verdades como la “verdad” y propiciar q cada persona la busque y la encuentre. Hay cosas q no pueden ser enseñadas, sólo aprendidas!
Lastimosamente, la edición que leí, está PLAGADA de errores tipográficos!!! €]:~(
April 3, 2020
Carus' work is best read as a representation of his own perception of Buddhism in a Christian framework and an attempt to convey Buddhist concepts through a lens understood in the Christian West.
Although it presents an interesting view of a period in which the West had a newfound fascination with the "mysticism" of eastern religion, it does a very poor job of presenting these texts as they are meant to be understood.
If you're looking for an accurate translations of these texts, look elsewhere.
Although it presents an interesting view of a period in which the West had a newfound fascination with the "mysticism" of eastern religion, it does a very poor job of presenting these texts as they are meant to be understood.
If you're looking for an accurate translations of these texts, look elsewhere.
April 24, 2020
This was interesting if hard to read in places. This expression of Buddha and his teachings was a bit dense but no more so than other reference books, and I think my main challenge was since it is based in a different cultural background the references and examples were not as familiar to me. While when it was written it was trying to share these ideas to a western audience there are much clearer more westernized versions today if that is what you are seeking.
December 5, 2016
Reads like a novel, it is a fictionalized telling of the life of the Buddha and sharing the Dharma. Easy and accessible; language may seem old fashioned since it was written in the late 19th century.
February 11, 2019
Truth triumphs
This book is ancient gospel of buddha. A very easy to understand book. I loved it. And have so many things to jot down as notes from this book.
This book is ancient gospel of buddha. A very easy to understand book. I loved it. And have so many things to jot down as notes from this book.
March 15, 2020
How can one ever be done reading this book! It's a world of wisdom. It's light to those on the path. Buddha guides through his words and life.
September 9, 2021
Bueno q pesar la traduccion, terrible
September 17, 2012
This is a collection of Buddhist parables and "stories". I give this five starts because I got a lot out of it and having studied Buddhism for many years understood a lot of the "meanings" and "morals". I don't know how useful this book would be to a new-comer. Yes, it is easy to read and simply written but it doesn't go much into the philosophy of The Buddha. It doesn't really explain the Eightfold Path, or the Four Noble Truths, but I think the passion of The Buddha comes out nicely. If this is your first book on Buddhism then I might recommend something else, but if you have studied a little while, then this is a nice little reminder of the life of The Buddha.
January 17, 2016
Read in the early 90's in the Dutch edition 'Het Evangelie van Boeddha'. This book together with 'De drie pijlers van Zen' is very insightful. Buddhism in its early form attracted me far more than all the different takes Buddhism 'fetched' while traveling eastwards. It became more and more about rules in rituals than the core teachings, ending on the Asian continent with the tight cage of Zen. For Dutch readers: the thriller writer Jan-Willem van de Wetering wrote two books about his stay in a Zen monastry in Japan and his search for enlightenment. I can certainly recommend these books for those interested in the practical outcome of the Buddhist teachings for a European person like J-W.
October 7, 2014
This book constructed as a gospel from ancient Buddhist texts is creative introduction to Buddhist teachings. At times it was a bit clunky and didn't flow very well but that is the nature of compiling from old texts. What was more interesting was what I found out about the compiler of this text. Paul Carus is an interesting and important individual especially when it comes to understanding different philosophies from different religions.
June 24, 2008
1915, I think. Noteable for its appendix comparing sayings of the Buddha with the New Testament, especially John, this is a refraction of the Buddha's actual teachings (of course, one of myriad possible refractions). It is good on atman, no-soul, and as this is fundamental, provides a basic antidote to some contemporary ersatz 'buddhism'.
February 17, 2008
I actually couldn't finish this book. I didn't like the style. I may appeal more to those that have had a background in Christian religion(s) but for me, it just doesn't have the same feel as most buddhist books I find.
August 25, 2022
Una joya para quien quiera adentrarse en la doctrina Budista. Este compendio es en realidad la historia de Buda, sin añadiduras ni análisis, simplemente la historia de Buda, con sus discursos tal cual fueron. Un trabajo excelente.
March 10, 2013
A very well written account of Buddhism. Well translated and written as a story, Paul Carus makes it easy to understand Buddhism, according to the ancient texts, rather than the man-made religion
October 12, 2013
interesting read
September 29, 2015
A linguagem é semelhante à da Bíblia, o que se torna estranho. Sempre tive curiosidade em saber coisas sobre Buda e este livro soube a pouco. Voltarei a este assunto brevemente.
March 9, 2021
A truly wonderful book, the Lord Buddha is such an awesome inspiration. I highly recommend this book. Definitely well worth a read!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews