Carus arranges passages from the old Buddhist scriptures into one continuous story, some translated literally and some freely. It follows Prince Siddhattha from his birth and sheltered youth through his encounters with old age, sickness and death, his renunciation and austerities at Uruvelā, his awakening, and the parables and dialogues of his years of teaching.
Published in 1894, it introduced many Western readers to Buddhism and was soon translated in Asia as well. Download the free EPUB.