Товч агуулга:Relatives and Disciples of the Buddha, which is the second book in the series of Buddhism books that I have written, is my fifth publication. Once the students have knowledge of the life story of the Buddha, they need to be introduced to His relatives and disciples. Parents or educators should introduce the students to the appropriate life stories as they mature in the Dhamma. They will then have a strong foundation and background, which will enhance their studies in the Dhamma. This book is also written for the purpose of encouraging young students to emulate the lives of these heroic men and women. It has been written using plain language, structured in short chapters, and illustrated by some of the young children of Canada and Sri Lanka so as to appeal to the younger reader. The positions held by the Buddha's close relatives and disciples were not chance happenings. They were positions that each of them had aspired to many aeons ago. They were positions of honour towards which each of them had worked tirelessly over many life cycles. As such, I wanted to include in each of these life histories the true beginning - the point at which the aspiration was made. I have researched and attempted to document the true beginning of many of the Buddha's close "relatives and disciples. It should be noted, however, that the Buddha had eighty great disciples on whom He conferred titles, and many thousands of disciples. As it was not possible to include all of them, a selection was made based on their contribution to the preservation of the Dhamma and on availability of material.
