An abridged translation of one of the most important books on Theravada Buddhism in recent history-authored by the esteemed Thai monk P. A. Payutto.

This masterpiece of scholarship is an authoritative overview of Theravada Buddhism, the form of Buddhism that is predominant in Southeast Asia and has in recent decades been popularized in the West through the mindfulness movement and vipassana meditation. Venerable P. A. Payutto unpacks in great detail the core views and practices that are said to bring the Buddhist practitioner to the state of nibanna, or enlightenment.

Replete with passages from the ancient Pali canon of Buddhist texts, Payutto frames the Buddhist teaching in terms of broad existential questions that all of us face- "What Is Life?"; "What Is Life Like?"; "How Does Life Work?"; "How Should Life Be?"; and "How Should Life Be Lived?" Payutto's illuminating expertise shows Theravada Buddhism to be a thorough explication of how reality unfolds according to natural processes-as well as a way of life that can yield the highest form of happiness.

This book offers discussions of unparalleled sophistication on such foundational Buddhist teachings as the five khandas, dependent arising, kamma, the noble eightfold path, spiritual friendship, wise attention, the four noble truths, the nature of enlightenment, and more. This is an essential guide for anyone walking the Theravada Buddhist path.