Presenting vivid pictures of Gautama Buddha's life, teaching, suffering, death and subsequent nirvāṇa, the Mahāparinibbānasutta is one of the principal Buddhist texts. In Hermann Beckh's words, it describes '...one of the greatest human beings that ever lived, who stood at the threshold of the super-human – a teacher and leader of humanity.' Prof. Beckh's translation of this important sutta achieved a quality and faithfulness that was based on decades of extensive study and meditation. From his academic and spiritual knowledge, Beckh added insightful editorial material, including an introduction, commentary and notes. The English rendering here, by Indologist and long-standing Buddhist practitioner Dr Katrin Binder, is based on both the original Pālī and Beckh's German translation. An afterword by Thomas Meyer, informed by Rudolf Steiner's research, traces the development of Buddha's individuality in the afterlife. Departure of the Perfected One brings to a conclusion the publication of Beckh's great triad of works on the subject of Buddha, including Buddha's Life and Teaching and From Buddha to Christ. Through a contemporary reading, these books open up vast new perspectives on the world of sacred Buddhist scriptures to anyone interested in spiritual development.

This book is an attempt to explain to the layperson what contemporary economics is about. It starts on the assumption that most economics is just refined common sense and clearly explains the key ideas associated with each issue. All the main topics of academic economics are considered: the theory of individual choice, the labour market, the competition between firms, international trade, economic growth, the stock market, unemployment, and money. The general principles are sketched first without maths or diagrams, and then discussed in the context of topical problems such as the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the lack of development in the third-world countries, the contrast between market forces and the protection of the environment, showing how economics is not necessarily a dry academic pursuit.