In the novel, Siddhartha, a young man, leaves his family for a contemplative life, then, restless, discards it for one of the flesh. He conceives a son, but bored and sickened by lust and greed, moves on again. Near despair, Siddhartha comes to a river where he hears a unique sound. This sound signals the true beginning of his life -- the beginning of suffering, rejection, peace, and, finally, wisdom.

Join historian Bettany Hughes as she explores the different beliefs and practices that form the core of the Buddhist philosophy and investigates how Buddhism started and where it travelled to, through visits to seven of the most spectacular monuments built by Buddhists across the globe.

""What makes you purr? Of all the questions in the world, this is the most important. Because no matter whether you are a playful kitten or sedentary senior, whether you're a scrawny alley Tom, or sleek-coated uptown girl, whatever your circumstances you just want to be happy. Not the kind of happy that comes and goes like a can of flaked tuna, but an enduring happiness. The deep down happiness that makes you purr from the heart." His Holiness's cat...

""If you ever doubted that your feline companion has her own inner life, just watch what happens when she falls asleep, and loses conscious control of her physical being. a twitching of limbs, a quivering of the jaw, sometimes, perhaps, a snuffling noise or a meow. Cats may indeed be capable of great mindfulness, but we are thinking beings too. In my own case, unfortunately, a being who thinks rather too much." In the latest installment of the Dalai...