Does a "Historical Buddha" Matter?

Many people gain confidence in the path of Buddhist practice by thinking of the Buddha's own story. We'll consider the difference between a story based in history and one based in myth and legend. We'll take a look at how both Socrates and the Buddha had a keen interest in the distinction between the two, and how that distinction may matter to some of us today. Then we'll consider the problem of finding a good historical account of the Buddha's life today, and I'll propose a solution!
My new course The Buddha's Life can be found at onlinedharma.org!
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Image in thumbnail: Buddha's First Sermon at Sarnath, 2nd C. CE Gandhara (Met Museum). www.metmuseum....
Link:
classics.mit.ed...
Books that look at the life of the Buddha from a more or less historical perspective:
HW Schumann, The Historical Buddha: amzn.to/2MynEVL
Vishvapani Blomfeld, Gautama Buddha: amzn.to/2YuEPJn
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