Little Pilgrim

This achingly beautiful book, written by Korea's Poet Laureate Ko Un (it took him 23 years to write) is a fictionalization of the 39th volume of the Avatamsaka (Flower Garland) Sutra, sometimes separately known as the Gandavyuha Sutra. It recounts the journey of Sudhana, the Little Pilgrim, to seek knowledge from 53 different masters, starting with Manjushri, and ending with Samanthabadra. On his journey, he encounters and masters the concepts of emptiness, impermanence and interconnectedness, so necessary to a true understanding of Buddhism. The kind of book that makes you glad to be a Buddhist (if you need a book to do that.)

If you haven't heard of Ko Un, take note. This Korean poet is a former Buddhist monk and a two-time Nobel Prize-nominee for literature. The fall book season sees the release of two English translations of his work, a novel and a collection of poetry (Ten Thousand Lives from Green Integer). An accessible introduction to Ko Un, Little Pilgrim is a fictional tale based on the Avatamsaka or "Flower Garland" sutra, one of the most influential scriptures in East Asian Buddhism. It's the story of a young boy, Sudhana, who sets out on a journey and meets fifty-three teachers-Buddhist, spirit, and otherwise-who help him to become a bodhisattva. Ko Un has rendered it as an engaging narrative that will be a treasure for a young, modern audience, fulfilling a promise he made to his teacher more than thirty years ago.