ILLUSTRATED WITH PAINTINGS FROM BUDDHIST TEMPLES IN SRI LANKA The Sri Lankan tradition of Buddhist painting highlighted in the present volume covers works executed from the Fifth Century to the Nineteenth, The bulk of the reproductions belong to the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries-an epoch in Buddhist temple art characterised by the development of a pictorial style strongly oriented towards narrative. Taken as a whole, the reproductions in this volume constitute a visual history of Buddhism and Buddhist culture in Sri Lanka. Unlike any previous volume in the field, The Buddha and His Teachings blends a clear yet erudite textual exposition of the Buddha's Life and Doctrine with an unusually comprehensive selection of paintings representing the country's long tradition of Buddhist temple art. In this book, text and picture exist in a mutually supportive relationship. The paintings themselves complementing and illustrating the words, are in turn enriched hy their association with the word. The text, by the Venerable Narada Maha Thera, is a model of its kind. The Venerable Maha Thera, who in his lifetime was acclaimed for 'his tireless work for the Dhamma' had the rare gift of explaining profound doctrinal matters in lucid, illuminating phrase that both novice and scholar could appreciate. The Buddha and His Teachings bears ample testimony to the Venerable Maha Thera's renowned ability to render abstruse religious con¬cepts into simple language. It is, in addi¬tion, an appealing narrative of the Life of the Buddha, which can be read with inte¬rest and profit by Buddhist and non-Buddhist alike.