Departure of the Perfected One

Presenting vivid pictures of Gautama Buddha’s life, teaching, suffering, death, and subsequent nirvāṇa, the Mahāparinibbānasutta is a principal Buddhist text. In Hermann Beckh’s words, it describes “one of the greatest human beings that ever lived, who stood at the threshold of the super-human—a teacher and leader of humanity.”

Prof. Beckh’s translation of this important sutta achieved a quality and faithfulness based on decades of extensive study and meditation. From his academic and spiritual knowledge, Beckh added insightful editorial material, including an introduction, commentary, and notes. The English rendering here—by Indologist andlong-standing Buddhist practitioner Dr Katrin Binder—is based on both the original Pālī and Beckh’s German translation. An afterword by Thomas Meyer—informed by Rudolf Steiner’s research—traces the development of Buddha’s individuality in the afterlife.

Departure of the Perfected One concludes Beckh’s great triad of works on the subject of Buddha, which includes Buddha’s Life and Teaching and From Buddha to Christ. Through a contemporary reading, these books open up vast new perspectives on the world of sacred Buddhist scriptures to anyone interested in spiritual development.