InampampnbspWhat the Buddha Thought Richard Gombrich argues that the Buddha was one of the most brilliant and original thinkers of all time.Intended to serve as an introduction to the Buddhaampamprsquos thought and hence even to Buddhism itself the book also has larger aims it argues that we can know far more about the Buddha than it is fashionable among scholars to admit and that his thought has a greater coherence than is usually recognised. It contains much new material. Interpreters both ancient and modern have taken little account of the historical context of the Buddhaampamprsquos teachings but by relating them to early brahminical texts and also to ancient Jainism Gombrich gives a much richer picture of the Buddhaampamprsquos meaning especially when his satire and irony are appreciated.