The book begins with the prehistory of India, then moves on to the Indus civilization, the Aryan invasion, and the development of Brahmanism, detailing the process of the birth and decline of Buddhism. You will learn in an easy-to-understand manner why Buddhism was born, to which people Buddha's teachings resonated, how the Buddhist cult spread through India, and how it ended up declining in the end, and these major trends.

There are countless books explaining Buddhist teachings and ideas, but there are surprisingly few that summarize the historical background and climate in which these ideas were born in an easy-to-understand manner. This book is a valuable work that contains many unexpected discoveries for us Japanese. I am sure you will be surprised if you read this book.

中村元先生は思想だけではなく、その時代背景も詳しく語ってくれる先生です。ですので六師外道が生まれてきた背景やそこからブッダが活躍するまでの流れもこの本では知ることができます。ブッダもたったひとりで全ての思想を生み出したわけではありません。六師外道をはじめとした優れた思想家たちとの切磋琢磨を経て思想を生み出しています。こうした思想形成の流れを知る上でも六師外道やジャイナ教を学ぶことは大きな意味があると思います。

I highly recommend this work.

本書は中村元先生の講義録を基にして作られた作品です。中村元先生は１９９９年に亡くなられました。その中村元先生の講義の雰囲気を感じられる本書はまさに貴重な一冊となっています。

Gen Nakamura's teachings are unique in that he discusses Buddhism not only in terms of ideology, but also in terms of historical background and his actual experiences in India. He shares many interesting topics in a language that is easy to understand, even for the novice student. This book is sure to be a good introduction to Buddhism.

This book is a great introduction for those who want to learn the basics of Buddhism. We encourage you to pick up a copy.

神話化されていない仏伝。それがこちらの『ゴータマ・ブッダ〈普及版〉』です。

Frankly speaking, you may be surprised to learn that it contains some things that are different from the Buddhist tradition and philosophy we are usually familiar with. And it cannot be said that there are no inconvenient points from the Japanese Buddhist priests' point of view. However, if we hide or cover up such inconvenient points, the development of thought and the Buddhist Way may be closed. It is precisely because we are now able to verify history that it is important for us to face these facts and question our own way of being.