Beyond the core concepts of their doctrines, religious books are commonly padded with incidents and beliefs imported from folklore etc., to boost the prestige of the founder and glorify the dogma. The vast collection of Buddhist literature is no exception. Application of common sense can easily detect these “frills” in the Dharma and story of the Buddha. As the title suggests, this book seeks to separate fact from fiction in Buddhist literature and present in a Q&A format, the essence of Buddha’s teaching for reflection upon.
Author’s comment:
I trust, readers will ponder with open minds to make their own judgment on the material presented. It could be held that it is inappropriate to critique the Dharma preached by a great person like Buddha. I humbly contend that it is the Buddha himself who introduced a new norm to the world by the Kalama Sutta, which in summary says: “take nobody’s mere word for it. Not even my own.”
My opinions presented must be seen merely as the viewpoints of “an individual.”
Understand the core Buddhist teachings with an open mind!
