BUDDHISM

The best professors are performers, and David Eckel is one of these. He's having fun; you're having fun and also--surprise--you're learning the history of Buddhism. Born in 566 B.C., Siddharta Gautama woke up to the realization that "all of life is suffering." Not exactly a catchy idea, but it's caught on 'round the world and now has roots in America. Some lectures are purely informative. Did you know that the word Zen is the Japanese mispronunciation of the Chinese mispronunciation of an Indian word that means something like meditation? Other talks have the very pith of faith. The lectures were taped before a live audience. Each ends with the sound of many hands clapping. B.H.C. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB / MAR 03]