If Only I Had Listened with Different Ears: Three Buddhist Tales

These three tales belong to the same genre as Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. The first two tales revolve around the Buddha, while the third tale takes place a thousand years later, when the Bodhisattva Maitreya appears, but only to Asanga's eyes.

If Only I Had Listened with Different Ears

Three Buddhist Tales:

King Bimbisara's Chronicler

A novel about a young man sent by King Bimbisara to memorize the teachings of the Buddha, told thirty years later during the turbulent reign of King Ajatasattu.

After the Parinibbana

A short story about an old monk who is the last living person to have heard the Buddha teach and was present at the Buddha's parinibbana.

Myth of Maitreya

A novella about the Bodhisattva Maitreya visiting Asanga during his twelve years alone in the forest and the subsequent creation of a new Buddhist philosophy with the help of Asanga's brother, Vasubandhu.