Sid
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
What would the life of Buddha look like if it were lived today?
Anita Feng has crafted in Sid a delightful jewel that captures both the classic story of the Buddha, as well a deeply personal and familiar reflection of the story in a contemporary retelling.
Sid weaves the traditional tale of Siddhartha, the Buddha-to-be with the story of Sid, an everyman who finds himself waking up amid the reality of work and family life in the modern world. Returning to the standard tale with careful consideration of the relationships in Buddha’s life—to his wife, parents, and child—Feng’s narrative embodies the Mahayana perspective of living one’s enlightenment in the world.
Beautifully told in poetic prose, Sid teaches that the key to the story of the Buddha’s life is that the story could be about any of us.
Includes beautiful black and white illustrations, created especially for this book.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Jumping back and forth between present-day Boston and fifth-century B.C.E. India, Feng, a Zen teacher, invites readers to experience the joys and sorrows of the original Buddha and his 21st-century analogue, Sid. The original Siddhartha's life is familiar: his sheltered privilege, his search for meaning and eventual enlightenment. In the modern version, Sid grows up protected from hardship by his father, a Harvard linguistics professor. Archetypal characters of the Buddha's life including his father, mother, wife, and nursemaid have modern counterparts in Sid's story, and their accounts provoke thoughtful questions about parenting, the pain of growing, leaving home, privilege, and dissatisfaction. In Feng's telling, Sid's survival after an accident is his catalyst for changing his life (akin to Siddhartha's accidental encounters with old age, illness, and death). Accompanying Feng's small chapters are poems and calligraphic drawings of important Buddhist animals, such as the rabbit and crow. Feng's slight book is mythical in spirit and light in tone, making it accessible for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. Sid's experience of enlightenment is a relevant one for an increasingly egocentric society; he does not become a famous teacher, but rather an individual who exudes curiosity and compassion for the world around him.
