{"title":"Books by Vanessa R. Sasson","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781350163157","title":"Yasodhara and the Buddha","description":"By combining the spirit of fiction with the fabulism of Indian mythology and in-depth academic research, Vanessa R. Sasson shares the evocative story of the Buddha from the perspective of a forgotten woman: Yasodhara, the Buddha's wife. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthough often marginalized, Yasodhara's narrative here comes to life. Written with a strong feminist voice, we encounter Yasodhara as a fiercely independent, passionate and resilient individual. We witness her joys and sorrows, her expectations and frustrations, her fairy-tale wedding, and her overwhelming devastation at the departure of her beloved.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is through her eyes that we witness Siddhattha's slow transformation, from a sheltered prince to a deeply sensitive young man. On the way, we see how the gods watch over the future Buddha from the clouds, how the king and his ministers try to keep the suffering of the world from him and how he eventually renounces the throne, his wife and newly-born son to seek enlightenment. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlong with a foreword from Wendy Doniger, the book includes a scholarly introduction to Yasodhara's narrative and offers extensive notes along with study questions, to help readers navigate the traditional literature in a new way, making this an essential book for anyone wanting to learn about Buddhist narratives.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56298040754549,"sku":"9781350163157","price":65.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781350163157_fb341f4a-b3c5-412b-b1d9-3054d39207d8.jpg?v=1786018539"},{"product_id":"9781800503403","title":"The Gathering","description":"Sasson's new book is a retelling of the story of the women's request for ordination. Inspired in particular by the Therigatha and building on years of research and experience in the field, Sasson follows Vimala, Patachara, Bhadda Kundalakesa, and many others as they walk through the forest to request full access to the tradition.  The Buddha's response to this request is famously complicated and multi-faceted; he eventually accepts women into the Order, but attaches specific and controversial conditions (garudhammas). Sasson invites us to think about who these first Buddhist women might have been, what they hoped to achieve, and what these conditions might have meant to them thereafter. By shaping her research into a story, Sasson invites readers to imagine a world that continues to inspire and complicate Buddhist narrative to this day.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56307295584629,"sku":"9781800503403","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781800503403_60e8c8c1-cd62-43b3-a87b-bbad7cfa0ed2.jpg?v=1786027251"},{"product_id":"fourth-wife","title":"The Fourth Wife","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eVanessa Sasson brings early Buddhist history to life in this captivating retelling of Ajatasattu, the Magadhan king infamous for having imprisoned his father to take the throne and who later confesses to the Buddha, hoping for some reprieve from his now ongoing nightmares and regret.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrawing on her deep knowledge of Buddhist sources, Sasson presents Ajatasattu’s story as a great human tragedy that reflects the fundamental teachings of the Buddhist Dharma. She tells Ajatasattu’s story through the eyes of a fictional fourth wife, a vantage point that also enables the reader to imagine what women’s lives may have been like during the time of the historical Buddha. Sasson confronts the reader with painfully contemporary questions of how to live with tyranny, how to reckon with intergenerational trauma, and how to face the inevitability of karma. Her prose renders the ancient world with vivid emotional depth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book opens with a short introduction focused on the role of storytelling in Buddhist history. It then follows with the narrative retelling of Ajatasattu’s story, and ends with extensive endnotes that provide readers with a window into how Sasson drew on the classical sources, how the sources relate to each other, and give readers the tools required to reconstruct a story that belongs to ancient India.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57503617024373,"sku":"9781350648401","price":24.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781350648401.jpg?v=1786867324"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-vanessa-r-sasson.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}