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The Life of Buddha and Its Lessons
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
76 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1912
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
November 10, 2018
Ughh! This book was more of a rant about irrelevant ideas and I didn't learn anything useful.
November 19, 2012
I think this book is not about getting all the answers to Buddhism but to understand a bit the way It has changed in the western world. HSO was one of the first Occidentals to turned to Buddhism and it's really interesting reading his catholic mentality speaking about something completely different.
April 26, 2019
The author extols Buddhism and denigrates several other religious figures including “apocryphal Jesus.” The few meager sources he refers to are mythical and dubious. I did not know when I came across this that the author was one of Helen Blavatsky’s spiritualist cohorts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2021
It’s a brief explanation about the life of buddha and the author has explained briefly about other religious leaders in the beginning.
It explains the early life of buddha’s as a king’s son and how he spent the life after giving up all the wealth. It’s much brief on the lessons that the buddha has given. The Author uses heavy vocabulary and bit difficult to read But it’s pretty good for an introduction to the life of Buddha.
It explains the early life of buddha’s as a king’s son and how he spent the life after giving up all the wealth. It’s much brief on the lessons that the buddha has given. The Author uses heavy vocabulary and bit difficult to read But it’s pretty good for an introduction to the life of Buddha.
January 2, 2021
Author was very opinionated and quite close minded. He focused on many irrelevant points and certainly made some questionable claims. For a book about theosophy it was too close minded for someone who has different opinions to enjoy it.
December 11, 2012
A specious beginning, proclaiming the ills of euhemerization deteriorates with laughable rapidity into a grandiloquent deification of Buddha.
Olcott's self-view as a gimlet-eyed critic is apparent from his self-aggrandising spree of religion-bashing. In reality, his perspicacity extends no further than his sometime decision to buy a good thesaurus.
Exotic quotes, flowery vocabulary and saccharine expression serve to powder a turd. I have never seen the central tenets of Buddhism so grossly misinterpreted.
The sole educational value is to aid the reader in understanding the possible necessity for censorship, or a least strong disclaimers, around 'works' apparently representative of a belief system.
Psychogen? Bitch, please ...
Olcott's self-view as a gimlet-eyed critic is apparent from his self-aggrandising spree of religion-bashing. In reality, his perspicacity extends no further than his sometime decision to buy a good thesaurus.
Exotic quotes, flowery vocabulary and saccharine expression serve to powder a turd. I have never seen the central tenets of Buddhism so grossly misinterpreted.
The sole educational value is to aid the reader in understanding the possible necessity for censorship, or a least strong disclaimers, around 'works' apparently representative of a belief system.
Psychogen? Bitch, please ...
December 29, 2018
A very short book, more an essay than a book. A very convoluted language, but keeping in mind when was written probably I should expected. Anyway, I didn't enjoy it. The good thing was short and free on amazon kindle.
December 15, 2010
Absolutely brilliant. I highly recommend it. A must read book.
September 11, 2016
Horrible and hard to follow
I was looking for a book to help me better understand Buddhism.....this isn't it. The good thing about the book is that it is short
I was looking for a book to help me better understand Buddhism.....this isn't it. The good thing about the book is that it is short
September 19, 2016
Thoroughly confused, I am!!!!!
October 13, 2017
Short. Introduction discusses making men into (demi) gods. Intellectual look at history and fiction of Sakyamuni Buddha
January 31, 2019
A quick read into the beliefs
Just a short read into the life lessons and how it is interpreted by the author . Fine perceptions but could be different for others to understand.
Just a short read into the life lessons and how it is interpreted by the author . Fine perceptions but could be different for others to understand.
May 26, 2024
It was really interesting, a short read that drove me out of my slump and made me read 700 pages, though I wouldn't say Buddhas perfect as they make him out to be in the book. It was interesting that's for sure.
June 2, 2020
24 pages...It’s this for real?
June 29, 2016
Henry Steel Olcott's Life of Buddha and Its Lessons is a little book/essay with a good strong half but which falls quite short in its delivery thereafter. At first, Olcott writes of the misfortune that so many people deify, or practically deify, a normal person thought to have spiritual powers, which, Olcott argues, denigrates the ordinary lives that other people experience. Then Olcott writes briefly about the Buddha learning about human suffering and being a model for dealing with human suffering. But surely, as would be consistent with Olcott's earlier sections, the Buddha was just a person too, and one who suffered from back pain later in his life and died of food poisoning at that. I am not saying that the Buddha cannot be a model for how to live but rather that Olcott was not careful enough in his essay to avoid the trappings of practically deifying someone, a position he so acutely militated against.
December 28, 2017
This book is very concise in what it tries to express. I understand this is a part of a larger book that explore theosophy. Reading only this short piece, for someone without a basic understanding of Buddhism, can be very confusing and difficult to comprehend what the author is really trying to express. As this is part of a larger book, what is written is basis on the understanding that the author seems to have provided in earlier chapters.
While this is an attempt to provide a concise understanding of Buddhist philosophy stemming from Buddha's life, I would not recommend it to anyone who isn't acquainted with the basic philosophy of Buddhism or is looking to understand it through this text.
While this is an attempt to provide a concise understanding of Buddhist philosophy stemming from Buddha's life, I would not recommend it to anyone who isn't acquainted with the basic philosophy of Buddhism or is looking to understand it through this text.
May 22, 2020
Good knowledge provided
Add some.more knowledge in getting to understand Buddhism. There are plenty of books it there about Buddha. Not so easy to find That one that fully completes you. This one helps a bit more.
Add some.more knowledge in getting to understand Buddhism. There are plenty of books it there about Buddha. Not so easy to find That one that fully completes you. This one helps a bit more.
December 19, 2013
The Life of Buddha and its Lessons at best is an attempt to articulate very mingled thoughts of the author. Speaking of profound philosophies of Euhemerization and of the Buddha and of Christianity in a short book, Olcott leaves a lot to be desired. Partially intriguing and largely disappointing, the books gives a spine-jerk in the beginning but an eye ache as it moves towards the end. For those who have studied the Buddha (especially the works of Thic Naht Hanh) would remain largely disappointed by this very random work.
April 8, 2013
I was not impressed by this book. The author was very closed minded and opinionated and his arguments were very unbalanced and one-sided, which I feel is not in sync with writing about a spiritual philosophy. His writing borders on fanaticism with is antithetical to Buddhism.
November 30, 2016
Understanding religion
The author covers the broad aspects of every religion and derives from it the essence of Buddhism that separates it from its peers. A lot of research has gone into creating this quality work.
The author covers the broad aspects of every religion and derives from it the essence of Buddhism that separates it from its peers. A lot of research has gone into creating this quality work.
September 11, 2018
Good half an hour read, finishes to early tough
The book is good. It briefly tells the teachings of Buddha. But as you keep reading it you want to know more and suddenly the book ends. Leaving behind some questions in your mind.
The book is good. It briefly tells the teachings of Buddha. But as you keep reading it you want to know more and suddenly the book ends. Leaving behind some questions in your mind.
May 2, 2011
I thought I'd feel enlightened and like I understood a bit more about Buddha and the lessons after reading this, unfortunately I didn't.
February 9, 2013
Very elaborate wording for simple Buddhist concepts. Jumping from his own ideas to others's without doing proper quoting. Not worthwhile.
July 22, 2013
Concluded on many assumptions that were never addressed. I found myself flicking backwards, wondering if I'd missed a few pages.
December 31, 2013
This short book is a little gem. Father finishing this book I feel that Buddhism has some insights into the human psyche that Christianity misses
January 23, 2014
The author is overly dramatic and exaggerates on irrelevant points.
April 14, 2014
Generalization of different theories is bound to miss some points.
February 16, 2017
Theosophy
Read it and in the end I was to find out it was Theosophy. Quick read and it was free so I can't complain.
Read it and in the end I was to find out it was Theosophy. Quick read and it was free so I can't complain.
December 29, 2015
It was ok
It was good be not the best of books I have read before interesting though for what it was may read it again
It was good be not the best of books I have read before interesting though for what it was may read it again
January 5, 2016
Well meaning
Heavy going, too much time dissing other religions ,but just in its accountabilities of mankind. for me a little too negative ,notspeaking of direction.
Heavy going, too much time dissing other religions ,but just in its accountabilities of mankind. for me a little too negative ,notspeaking of direction.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews