Before He Was Buddha: The Life of Siddhartha

by Hammalawa Saddhatissa, Jack Kornfield (Introduction)

Here is a Buddha for the rest of us. Before He Was Buddha draws from 2,000-year-old Pali and Sanskrit texts to present a personal picture of the man who became the spiritual leader of one of the world's great religions. Unlike overly reverential biographies that treat him as a distant, divine figure, this book shows a very human seeker who discovers the secrets of life.

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction

180 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1998

Reviews

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read many biographies of the Buddha. This one was written by a well-respected Buddhist scholar--known for his writings on ethics. It's written largely in the manner of a simple religious tale, appropriate for children and adults. About a fifth of the time the author departs from telling the tales of the Buddha's life and brings in some of the core religious principles.

Most of the stories were the same as the others I was familiar with, but some varied, such as the one about him coming out of asceticism and into enlightenment. I'm not sure how reliable the point of view is. There are a couple of stories about women who tried to trick the Buddha that I was not familiar with. Based on the discourses, I would have thought the Buddha had a more contentious relationship with the founder of Jainism than is depicted here.

All in all, it's a short and anecdotal version of his life which is probably grounded more in fable than fact. If you want one that is more factual and grounded in history, try Karen Armstrong's. Thich Nhat Hanh's is long, but more inspirational and beautiful, and Nanamoli's is grounded in the Buddhist discourses.

[Shreeya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddhism has always piqued my interest, and I was curious to learn more about it. So, I was looking for a book that would give me a general idea of Buddha’s life, and this book was perfect for that. It’s not overly focused on facts or historical detail, instead, it’s written more like a story, which makes it very engaging to read. While it doesn’t delve deeply into Buddha’s core teachings and the idea of enlightenment or nirvana, it definitely made me curious to dive deep into it, and there are also many questions and topics that I would like to explore further.

[Mr. Wakiki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice and enjoyable book with insight about Buddha

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book, Before He Was Buddha by Hammalawa Saddhatissa, Siddhartha Guatama is born into a royal family. Siddhartha is shielded from all of the suffering in the world until he requests to take a few rides around the countryside. Siddhartha sees an old man, an ill man, a dead body, and an ascetic on his ride. He decides to leave his family and go on a quest to seek enlightenment. Eventually, after almost starving himself and meditating for an extended period of time, Guatama achieves enlightenment.
I really enjoyed reading this book because I didn’t know the story of how Siddhartha Guatama became the Buddha. I found it quite interesting when Guatama was trying to find enlightenment through experimenting with different things like fasting and meditating. I didn’t know that enlightenment doesn’t come through just fasting. My favorite part was when he finally found enlightenment under a Bodhi tree.
You don’t have to be a high-leveled reader to understand this book. Although it gave the basic story and answered the questions I had originally had about the Siddhartha Guatama, it wasn’t as intriguing as I had expected it to be. It is a very straight-forward book. I would suggest this book to anyone who doesn’t know the story of how Siddhartha Guatama became Buddha. It is a quick read that clearly tells the highlights of how Guatama gained enlightenment.

[Kelly O'brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book that I chose to read was Before He Was Buddha by Hammalawa Saddhatissa. This book portrays the life of Siddhartha Guatama. Siddhartha was born into a royal family, not knowing about all of the suffering outside of the palace. He asks to take a stroll around the countryside. Guatama sees four sights that change his life forever. An old man, an ill man, a dead body and a ascetic. After seeing these sights Siddhartha decides to leave his family and seek enlightenment. After traveling for a long time, Siddhartha had not yet reached enlightenment. Almost starving himself, he finally achieves enlightenment under the famous Bondi Tree.

I really enjoyed this book because in class we briefly went over the story of Buddha. From what I knew before I found it so interesting, that is why I decided to read this book. This book was very easy to read. I thought that reading a book about religion would be tough and quite boring to read. I defiantly would recommend this book to people of all ages because it is very simple. However, this book briefly talks about all of the events in his life and does not cover all aspects of his life.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as part of a book swap with a Buddhist co-worker. I gave her C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity. I learned a lot, but was largely unmoved by the philosophical underpinnings of Buddhism as presented here. Love reading the Tao Te Ching, though.

[Mariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this deceptively simple book.