Kshemapala is a monk from the North who has been tasked with an important scholarly mission: fill in the gaps in the history of the monk, Ananda, the Buddha's close companion, about whom there are legends but few facts. To achieve this he must journey south, towards the source of many of the stories and also towards experiences which will challenge his perception of his practice and of himself. Highly trained in Buddhist meditation techniques and detachment, he must take in and study the evidence, and understand the behaviour and choices of a monk from the past who seems to have done things rather differently. Along the way, Kshemapala is assisted by old and new acquaintances and teachers, and thrown into peril by his confrontation with the supernatural, despite his years of discipline. He is challenged mentally, physically and metaphysically, all of which lead him to consider his own direction.

In Search of Bliss: A Tale of Early Buddhism, Greg Bailey, Vanguard Press, Paperback, 402 pages, $21.99

Greg Bailey, formerly Reader in Sanskrit, is an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Arts, Social Sciences and Communications, La Trobe University, Melbourne. He has published translations and studies of the Ganesa Purana, Bharthari's Satakatrayam and books on early Buddhism and many articles on Sanskrit literature.