解説

The Purpose of Life, with its vibrant ink paintings that create immersive experiences, gently explains Buddha’s famous parable, which delves into some fundamental questions: Why do we live, even when life is painful? What is the purpose of life?

Russian literary giant Leo Tolstoy, upon coming across this parable that portrays the true nature of human existence, declared in astonishment, “This is no fable but the literal incontestable truth that everyone may understand.”

By the time you finish reading this book, you will likely feel a renewed strength to live, realizing that although life has many ups and downs, every bit of your life is a part of the process of fulfilling your one purpose in having been born human, without anything wasted.

The illustrations are by a world-renowned sumi-e artist Hidekichi Shigemoto.
The English version features beautiful prose by Juliet Carpenter, a distinguished translator of many Japanese literary works, and a former student of Edward Seidensticker.