The Lotus and the Spinning Wheel

First published in 1963, The Lotus and the Spinning Wheel tells the story of India’s two great sons, the Buddha and the Mahatma. Both were the teachers their age and country needed, and this book goes beyond the merits of their teaching. The reader is invited to come with the author firstly through the land the Buddha trod. Through the present-day landscape, the book tries to bring to life again the people who lived in these places 2500 years ago and listen to the Buddha teaching the way to deliverance from suffering.

Through the lesser-known stories of his ministerial life the book seeks to discover the Buddha his disciples knew, not the Buddha of legend nor of learned abstract discourses, but the human being who lived and taught. Then on the long train journey from northern India to Wardha, near Gandhi's ashram the book reviews the main events of Gandhi's life, connecting them where possible with the teaching of the Buddha. This fascinating work will be of interest to students of Asian studies, Buddhism, Gandhi studies and Indian philosophy.