Buddhist Legends. The Life of Buddha

This edition is a collection consisting of two works on Buddhism by the outstanding Russian and Soviet Orientalist, academician, and permanent secretary of the Academy of Sciences Sergei Fyodorovich Oldenburg (1863-1934).

The first part of the collection is the book "Buddhist Legends". It is a translation into Russian of two of the most important sources on the history of Buddhism. The first is called "Bhadra Kalpa Vadanā" ("Tale of the Blissful Era", dated no earlier than the 11th century). It recounts events from the life of the Teacher, interspersing the narrative with sermons and legends. The second source is "Jatakamala" ("Garland of Jatakas"), a work by the Buddhist poet Arya Shura (6th-7th centuries), also narrating the life of the founder of one of the leading world religions.

The second part of the collection is the lecture "The Life of Buddha", delivered by the author at the opening of the First Buddhist Exhibition in St. Petersburg on August 24, 1919.