Project Gutenberg 1996-12-01 Public domain in the USA. 316 John of Damascus, Saint 675 749 Mattingly, Harold 1884 1964 Woodward, George Ratcliffe 1848 1934 Woodward, G. R. (George Ratcliffe) Barlaam and Ioasaph Produced by Douglas B. Killings. HTML version by Al Haines. "Barlaam and Ioasaph" by Saint John of Damascus is a religious narrative likely written in the 8th century. The story serves as an allegorical retelling of the life of Buddha, interwoven with Christian themes, focusing on the protagonist, Ioasaph, and his journey towards enlightenment through Christ's teachings. The text explores profound philosophical and theological questions about morality, the nature of existence, and the quest for true happiness and fulfillment. The opening of "Barlaam and Ioasaph" sets the stage in a land referred to as Ind, where the fervent rise of Christianity faces the challenges posed by a king named Abenner, who is deeply troubled by his childlessness. Amidst this turmoil, the faith of many monks flourishes, drawing the ire of the king, who authorizes persecutions against them. Within this context, the narrative introduces key characters, including a nobleman who forsakes worldly attachments to embrace monastic life, leading to a dramatic confrontation with the king. The text delves into themes of spirituality, suffering, and the eternal conflict between faith and worldly desires, foreshadowing Ioasaph's quest for wisdom, guided by the wisdom of Barlaam. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 65.1 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Gautama Buddha -- Legends -- Adaptations Christian saints -- India -- Romances Princes -- India -- Romances PQ Text Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore Category: Classics of Literature Category: Philosophy & Ethics Category: Religion/Spirituality 512684 2025-07-01T07:03:40.451582 text/html 498649 2021-01-01T10:51:52 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 182809 2021-01-01T10:51:52 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 265716 2025-07-01T07:03:47.609568 application/epub+zip 273430 2025-07-01T07:03:43.196594 application/epub+zip 254846 2025-07-01T07:03:42.131611 application/epub+zip 476720 2025-07-01T07:03:51.201521 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 456925 2025-07-01T07:03:46.945539 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 426678 2022-09-01T07:58:30.807101 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 487607 2025-07-01T07:03:39.959585 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 487367 2021-01-01T10:51:52 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 181139 2021-01-01T10:51:52 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 20429 2025-07-01T07:03:51.340529 application/rdf+xml 15315 2025-07-01T07:03:42.609567 image/jpeg 3824 2025-07-01T07:03:42.368589 image/jpeg 260015 2025-07-01T07:03:40.493585 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia