The Light of Asia

'The Light of Asia', or 'The Great Renunciation' is a book by Sir Edwin Arnold. In the form of a narrative poem, the book endeavors to describe the life and time of Prince Gautama Buddha, who, after attaining enlightenment, became the Buddha, The Awakened One. The book presents his life, character, and philosophy in a series of verses. It is a free adaptation of the Lalitavistara. A few decades before the book's publication, very little was known outside Asia about the Buddha and Buddhism. Arnold's book was one of the first successful efforts to popularize Buddhism for a Western readership.