Forum: buddhism.stackexchange.com
Tags: <theravada><the-buddha><reference-request><history><books>
Title: Looking for a book that covers the biography of the Buddha's life
Question: Which biography of the Buddha is written in (or translated into) English, and is the most widely read (from a Theravada perspective)?

Answers:
sents: text: You may see these two books: Buddha by Karen Armstrong, The Life of Buddha according to the Pali Canon by Bhikkhu Nanamoli.
answer_details: author: buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/5442/Soumen
score: 4
sents: text: A book titled In the Buddha's words is "An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon" byBhikkhu Bodhi.
text: You can find it online as a PDF.
text: Its second chapter (only 25 pages) is titled "The Bringer of Light" and is a biography: it has section titles like, "The Buddha's Conception and Birth", "The Decision to Teach", and
text: "The First Discourse".
text: Its advantage is that it's quoting suttas, so I guess that's "widely read" and reportedly autobiography.
answer_details: author: buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/254/ChrisW
score: 2
sents: text: If you can read old book with very details, you want might to consider ' The Great Chronicle Of Buddha ' by Mingun Sayadaw .
text: The biography of Gautama Buddha starts at volume two, part one.
answer_details: author: buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/503/aknay
score: 1
sents: text: There are many books on this topic, my favorite one is "Gotama Buddha: A Biography Based on the Most Reliable Texts" by Hajime Nakamura.
text: It is based on a very thorough, I would even say fanatical, research into the primary sources (mostly Pali Canon) -
text: and I found it by far the most detailed (two volumes!)
text: and very well specified with references.
answer_details: author: buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/43/Andrei Volkov
score: 1
sents: text: You can read AccessToInsight's " A Sketch of The Buddha's Life: Readings from the Pali Canon ".
text: The same website also has another shorter biography of the Buddha entitled " The Buddha and His Dhamma " by Bhikkhu Bodhi .
answer_details: author: buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/471/ruben2020
score: 1
sents: text: From a Theravada perspective, the life of the Buddha is given in the Vinaya and Sutta Pitaka.
text: These texts are in an unknown language.
text: The name that corresponds to 'the Buddha' in the canon is Sammasambuddho.
text: A Bodhisatto becomes a Sammasambuddho as a consequence of achieving Sammasambodhi.
text: The texts cover the life of Bodhisatto from birth to Sammasambodhi.
text: Every single moment from Sammasambodhi to Parinibbana is accounted for in the texts.
answer_details: author: buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/1094/user1387280
score: 0
sents: text: The most comprehensive I have come across in English is: Maha Buddhavamsa
text: The Great Chronicle of The Buddhas by Tipitakadhara Mingun Sayadaw Also comprehensive but shorter books: Buddha and this Teaching by Venerable Nārada Mahāthera
text: Thus We Heard:Recollections of the Life of the Buddha by Bhante Walpola Piyananda and Stephen Long
answer_details: author: buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/295/Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
There are many books in English on the life of the Buddha. Thes include The Great Chronicle of Buddha by Mingun Sayadaw, Maha Buddhavamsa, Buddha  by Karen Armstrong and  The Life of Buddha according to the Pali Canon  by Bhikkhu Nanamoli  From a Theravada perspective, the life of the Buddha is given in the Vinaya and Sutta Pitaka.
Recommendations include: Buddha,  by Karen Armstrong;  The Life of Buddha according to the Pali Canon,  by Bhikkhu Nanamoli; In the Buddha's words,  An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon, by Bhikkhu Bodhi;  The Great Chronicle Of Buddha, by  Mingun Sayadaw; Gotama Buddha: A Biography Based on the Most Reliable Texts, by Hajime Nakamura; A Sketch of The Buddha's Life: Readings from the Pali Canon, from AccesstoInsight; Maha Buddhavamsa; The Great Chronicle of The Buddhas,  by Tipitakadhara Mingun Sayadaw; Buddha and this Teaching,  by Nārada Mahāthera ; and Thus We Heard: Recollections of the Life of the Buddha  by Bhante Walpola Piyananda and Stephen Long . From a Theravada perspective, the life of the Buddha is given in the Vinaya and Sutta Pitaka.