An End to Suffering: The Buddha in the World [Paperback]

Pankaj Mishra is an excellent writer and in his "An End to Suffering: The Buddha in the World" he uses this ability to great effect. He tells the story of Buddhism between accounts of his travels in India, England, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States, weaving a coherent tale that does not spare the negatives, but also presents the positive aspects of Buddhist history. Like other belief systems, Buddhism has been misused, misinterpreted and misapplied, sometimes in the service of quite evil goals, as in Japan's militarism in the 20th Century and in Cambodia's destruction of the city-dwellers during the Pol Pot regime. That said Buddhism at its best is a very civilized religion (or philosophy, if you prefer.) It has no gods, no real holy prophets (Buddha says that he is no greater than any of his followers and asserts that he is only "awake", not holy,) and its texts are considered teachings, not revelations.

In its essence, Buddhism has a number of similarities to early Greek philosophy, but also was more egalitarian, including all sentient beings. The Buddha himself says that women, slaves, and untouchables are all capable of enlightenment, although like any other mortal he sometimes did not practice what he preached, especially in regard to women. Still he was among the first (if not the first at around 500 BCE) to recognize that women could be as good as men in the spiritual realm.

Mishra has told this story with good humor, local color and skill. This is no dry history of Buddhist theology, but a living and charming exposition of both reality (as much as we know it) and myth behind the modern rise in Buddhism. Indeed, Buddhism's attraction lies both in its positive goal of compassion and the ending of human suffering and in its lack of the literalism that dogs other worldwide religions in their too often expressed extreme forms. It is certainly refreshing not to hear absolutist rantings for a change (unfortunately the worst of the three revealed religions seems often to the forefront these days, between bombings, attempts to control national politics and laws and indeed, nihilist longings for the End Times!)

Mishra is a native of the part of the world where the Buddha lived and it is also refreshing to read an account of the history of Buddhism from someone who has experience with the land out of which it arose, someone who knows it intimately.

If you would get the essence of Buddhism, its history, geography, concepts, and failures and successes, this is definitely the book to read!

As the previous reviewers noted. This is a very complex undertaking. It is obvious that Pankaj Mishra is a very talented and original writer and thinker. It is also very obvious that he really needed to sit and contemplate long and hard on what he wants to say in this book.

As previously noted, this is a autobiography of a student in search of a life and a calling. This is also a cultural biography of the Buddha, thirdly, this is also a meditation on the meaning of Buddhism in contemporary society.

I would say that Mishra missed on all three but he aimed so high that upon reflection, the sum of the effort is brilliant. The synthesis of the bits was ragged, which made for rough reading and understanding, which in turn detracted from the intent of the author.

I felt the meditation on the meaning of Buddhism was the weakest part of the three. Not that he lacked valid points and arguments, on the contrary, he did a greatjob of raising questions and ideas for contemplation. The whole section towards the end of the book dealing with our society as we know it and as we saw it metamorphose in the aftermath of 911, seems forced and rushed. It really did not seem like he had much time to really think through his ideas. He had done much hard work, and he needed to do more, but he stopped short.

The history of the Buddha was much more successful, although I think a more pedantic and to the point biography can be found in Karen Armstrong's Buddha.

The autobiography was very interesting, the main disappointment I had with it was that I had expected a linkage between the autobiography, the history of the Buddha, and the meditation on the applicability of Buddhist philosophy. There were parts where he was brilliant in integrating the three, but ultimately he failed.

This does not mean that this book is not a good read, or that it does not raise important and fascinating points, it does. But you finish the book with the feeling that a great opportunity was missed.

"An End to Suffering" combines three books into one. It includes: 1.) the author's autobiographical coming of age amidst the brutalities of contemporary India; 2.) an account of what little is known about Gautama Buddha (the historical Buddha), and how his actual existence only came to light relatively recently (through the odd efforts of various fascinating Western scholars and explorers over the past couple centuries); and 3.) a serious and lucid consideration of the Buddha's practical philosophy, illuminated by comparisons with various ancient and modern philosophers (ranging from Epicurus and Rousseau to Nietzsche and Gandhi). `An End to Suffering' is especially relevant to intellectuals trying to come to terms with our contemporary world's fall into ever-greater chaos and violence (which, according to Mishra, is strikingly similar to the Buddha's India of the 5th Century BC). For example, Mishra's description of the circumstances in which he first saw the 9/11 attack (on a small, blurred black-&-white TV in a Himalayan village) reframe the significance of that event from a perspective unfamiliar to most American readers; his philosophical reflections go far beyond contemporary politics -- as he takes into consideration such things as the Buddha's personal response to the genocide of his times, inflicted on his very own people. If you're looking for a quick E-Z `self-help' fix on Buddhism, then this certainly isn't the book for you. But those who appreciate good writing will find Mishra's style masterfully personable in its presentation of serious subject matter -- bringing it all to life far better than more 'trendy' or academic authors can. This is the ideal `five star' book for earnest readers who understand that the way to deeper understanding can often be more circuitous than direct.

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