The Light of Asia

The Light of Asia is a book by English poet and journalist Edwin Arnold, first published in 1879. Arnold’s best-known work, it is a poetic adaptation of the Lalitavistara Sūtra, presented as a narrative poem recounting the life of the Buddha.

The poem traces his birth as Siddhartha, prince of Kapilavastu, his first-hand encounter with suffering, and his turning toward meditation and spiritual discipline. It also introduces key elements of the philosophy he taught, including the recognition of suffering as a natural part of existence, and follows his transformation into the Enlightened One.

One of the earliest popular works to introduce Buddhism to Western readers, The Light of Asia enjoyed wide influence and, since its publication, has been translated into more than thirty languages.