Amazon.com Book Description (ISBN 0312425090, Paperback)

An End to Suffering tells of Pankaj Mishras search to understand the Buddhas relevance in todays world, where religious violence, poverty and terrorism prevail. As he travels among Islamists and the emerging Hindu Muslim class in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, Mishra explores the myths and places of the Buddhas life, the Wests discovery of Buddhism, and the impact of Buddhist ideas on such modern politicians as Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Mishra ultimately reaches an enlightenment of his own by discovering the living meaning of the Buddhas teaching, in this unusually discerning, beautifully written, and deeply affecting reflection on Buddhism (Booklist).