The Life of the Buddha

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Back of the Book Smith was born in Dublin on 3 June 1848 which was then part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. His father was Dr Aquilla Smith, well known in medical and numismatic circles in Dublin and London.

He passed the Indian Civil Services exam in 1871 and was appointed to what would become the United Provinces in India. He would go to serve between 1871-1900 in a variety of magisterial and executive positions including terms as district and sessions judge eventually retiring as commissioner in July 1900.

By 1910 Smith was settled in Oxford where he joined St. John's College and was appointed a Curator of the Indian Institute. After his return to England, Smith wrote books on various rulers such as the Hindu emperor, Ashoka and the Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a history of fine arts in India and Ceylon. He also published two comprehensive volumes on Indian history, The Early History of India and The Oxford History of India.

Smith was honoured with the award of Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire and awarded a doctorate by Dublin University in 1919. He died in Oxford on 6 February 1920

About the Book This short introduction of the Life of the Buddha, rendered as Part I of a two volume work, was compiled by the Rev. Siri- Dhamma when he was a novice monk in the Brickfields Buddhist Temple. After the script had been completed, the Venerable H. Guna- ratna and Mr. Lim Eng Chuan, went through the details and each gave suggestions and ideas which had since then, been incorporated and used to complete this valuable booklet. This publication meets a long-felt need for a suitable text- book for Lower Secondary School standards that deals particularly with the period of earthly existence of the Buddha. Although the account of the Life in the book is set down very briefly, I believe that this presentation offers a good deal of material for the study of our Great Master's Life. Teachers of the Dhamma classes in the various Buddhist Sunday Schools and even other religious institutions may elaborate on certain lessons to their satisfaction in their classes, when this booklet is used as a textbook. Since the material dealt with is very fundamental and comprises the basic knowledge desired of a junior beginning the study of Buddhism, it is recommended that teacher make sure the students have grasped the principles involved in each topic or lessons by getting the class to answer questions set down at the end of every chapter.

**Contents and Sample Pages**