From Stone to Flesh
A Short History of the Buddha
- Contents
- Review Quotes

CHAPTER ONE: THE IDOL
CHAPTER TWO: THE MYTH
CHAPTER THREE: THE MAN
CHAPTER FOUR: THE TEXT
CONCLUSION: THE AFTERMATH
CODA
Acknowledgments
Appendix One: Names for the Buddha Occurring in European Sources before 1800
Appendix Two: The Buddha in Diderot and d’Alembert’s Encyclopédie
Appendix Three: Table of Contents of Transactions of the Literary Society of Bombay, 1819
Notes
Index
“This book is a welcome sequel to The Scientific Buddha— or a ‘prequel,’ since it deals with the period before the discovery of the ‘historical Buddha’ in the mid-nineteenth century. It is vintage Donald Lopez: scholarly, well written, and entertaining. A must read.”
“In describing this emergence of the Buddha from the fog of confusion, misunderstanding, and ignorance, and his transformation ‘from stone to flesh,’ Donald Lopez has written a book not only of great scholarship but also of great wisdom.”
Asian Studies: General Asian Studies
History: Asian History
Religion: South and East Asian Religions
You may purchase this title at these fine bookstores. Outside the USA, see our international sales information.