Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, Their Legacy

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, Inspiring and Moving
Review: One has to read the work on Sariputta and Ananda to know that great virtues do live in the heart of mankinds. Especially at the reading of 'Last Debt Paid' concerning to last days of Sariputta, I cannot help but to be moved by the details of the event. Each reading, makes me feel the presence of the Great Disciples near me. So inspiring and motivating. A good read and re-read for the future. A must have!

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, Inspiring and Moving
Review: One has to read the work on Sariputta and Ananda to know that great virtues do live in the heart of mankinds. Especially at the reading of 'Last Debt Paid' concerning to last days of Sariputta, I cannot help but to be moved by the details of the event. Each reading, makes me feel the presence of the Great Disciples near me. So inspiring and motivating. A good read and re-read for the future. A must have!

Rating:
Summary: Real live superheros and heroines
Review: People who can fly, walk on water, multiply themselves or have x-ray vision are usually associated with comic books. According to Buddhist teachings, these powers are accessible to those who can perfect their concentration. Apart from including biographies of some individuals credited with the above sorts of psychic abilities, it also has equally gripping accounts of the more ordinary aspects of these and many other disciples of the Buddha most of whom became enlightened. It is thus an account of the principal individuals after the Buddha who were supposed to have finished everything that needs accomplishing with no further burdens or debts to pay having gained superknowledge.

The book includes several self contained short biographies, mainly by the Germans Helmuth Hecker and the late Ven Nanyaponika. It is sadly short on details on the great female disciples. Perhaps more room can be created later.

A must for anyone inspired by Buddhism and the potentiality of the human mind for lasting freedom.

Rating:
Summary: Real live superheros and heroines
Review: People who can fly, walk on water, multiply themselves or have x-ray vision are usually associated with comic books. According to Buddhist teachings, these powers are accessible to those who can perfect their concentration. Apart from including biographies of some individuals credited with the above sorts of psychic abilities, it also has equally gripping accounts of the more ordinary aspects of these and many other disciples of the Buddha most of whom became enlightened. It is thus an account of the principal individuals after the Buddha who were supposed to have finished everything that needs accomplishing with no further burdens or debts to pay having gained superknowledge.

The book includes several self contained short biographies, mainly by the Germans Helmuth Hecker and the late Ven Nanyaponika. It is sadly short on details on the great female disciples. Perhaps more room can be created later.

A must for anyone inspired by Buddhism and the potentiality of the human mind for lasting freedom.

Rating:
Summary: Priceless
Review: This is a really good resource for anyone interested in expanding their knowledge in addition to the prose of all the ancient Pali texts. As the title of this book suggests, what you are setting out to read here is ultimately an exploration into the careers and character of the Buddha's greatest disciples. He covers tough subjects such as their ambiguous and esoteric past lives and their aspirations towards enlightenment. Sometimes Nyanaponika, when possible, gives us an account as to the nature of the individual's death. For anyone who studies the Pali Cannon, or who wants to further their understanding of Buddhist theological history - this is your book.

The lives depicted here demonstrate that indeed upholding spiritual ideals are apparently documented as having paid off. And not necessarily by means of having gained some "thing." Here are examples of people who struggled against their human existence as much as we all do. Only through faith in the Buddhist path and their practice, were they able to transverse the mundane realm of existence into the realm of the spiritually noble. What a wonderful book we have here. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Rating:
Summary: Poorly written, but containing valuable information
Review: Well, I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about Buddhism. I did learn more, but it was painful. The information in this book is valuable and important, but the book is poorly written and, frankly, boring. I suppose that good writing is another aspect of worldliness that the authors have shunned.