Glimpses of Buddhism

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He preached the gospel of the four Aryan truths and the eightfold path to the distracted world. Without troubling himself with the subtleties of metaphysics, he preached the ethical way that he might save the masses of men living in sin and infamy.

The serenity and gentleness of his face, the beauty and dignity of his life, the earnestness and enthusiasm of his love, the wisdom and the eloquence of his message, won the hearts of men and women alike.

The great Buddha typifies for all time the soul of the East with its intense repose, dreamy gentleness, tender calm and deep love. He is known by several names: Sakyamuni, the sage of Sakyas; Tathagata, he who has arrived at the truth."

When the mind grapples with a great and intricate problem, it makes its advances, it secure its positons step by step, with but little realisation of the gains it has made, until suddenly with an effect of abrupt illumination, it realises its victory. So it would seem, it happened to Gautama. He had seated himself under a great tree by the side of a river, to eat, when this sense of clear vision came to him. It seemed to him that he saw life plain. He is said to have sat all day and all night in profound thought and then he rose up to impart his vision to the world.

The Glimpses of Buddhism", is the second volume published by the Department of Archaeology, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, the first being a report on the Piklihal Excavations by Dr. F. R. Allchin. It was originally intended to bring out a souvenir on the Buddha Jayanthi Celebrations in 1956, and the work was entrusted to my predecessor Dr. P. Sreenivasachar, who has spared no pains in collecting all the material for the illustrations in the book. For various reasons, there were some difficulties in bringing out the publication, and it was left to me, to write out the book afresh. The format of the book has, therefore, undergone a complete change, and the book is now published in its present form.

The year 1956 saw the completion of 25 centuries after the birth of the Buddha. In that year, Buddha Jayanti was celebrated in this country, in a manner fitting the great Name and Work and Ideals and Mission of one of the greatest teachers of all times. This book is in a way four years late. But the Buddha is timeless!