The Life Of Buddha And Its Lessons [Paperback]

Henry S. Olcott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 8, 2005

THIS 20 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Theosophy: Religion and Occult Science, by Henry S. Olcott. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 1564593908.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC (December 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1425304737
• ISBN-13: 978-1425304737
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,896,406 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Glad it was free, December 18, 2010

By 

Lilleth Wendell "Don't believe the hype!" (San Fran, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Life of Buddha and Its Lessons (Kindle Edition)

Just read this on my new kindle. I've been studying Buddhism for a couple of years and have found this so far to be the most useless text so far.

It starts out talking about how great figures in many religions are exxaggerated, cautions us not to do the same thing, then starts to go on about all this weird mystical stuff that Buddha supposedly did. I was especially disappointed in the discussion about the German experimentalist who "claims to have proved that a man's soul is a 'volatile odiferous princple, capable of solution in glycerine".

Really?

Maybe I just don't understand, but the bottom line is I wouldn't spend money on this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Buddhism from a Theosophical Worldview, May 1, 2011

By 

Edward J. Barton (Tukwila, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Life Of Buddha And Its Lessons (Paperback)

A short commentary on the historical life of Buddha, as well as an overview if Buddhist thought - including tolerance, peace, benevolence, a brotherhood of all men. Against that backdrop are also balance, detachment, concepts of an illusory world and self-control and self-purification. Olcott was a theosophist, so the book reflects that worldview. Nevertheless, it is a classic and interesting work on the life and teachings of one of the great teachers of all time.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Less about Buddhism, more anti-everything else, April 1, 2011

By 

L. Tam - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Life of Buddha and Its Lessons (Kindle Edition)

I got this book because I like learning about different cultures and religions. Although the author eventually gets on to talking about Buddhism, I feel like he spends more time defining Buddhism by what it is not - other religions and worldviews. Rather than speaking about the virtues of Buddhism, I was greatly distracted (and a little incensed) by what was instead a lot of pot-shots at other views, mainly Christianity. Want to learn about Buddhism? Don't start here. This gains a star because the writing in and of itself was pretty decent.