Raoul Birnbaum holds a doctorate in Buddhism and Chinese Religions from Columbia University. He is now a member of the Department of Religion at Princeton University.

This book presents important discourses that deal with the Healing Buddha in his various manifestations and discusses the many symbols, colors, and deities that are used as objects of meditation. The accompanying photographs of sculptures, paintings, and mandalas demonstrate the importance of art and aesthetic experience in Buddhist healing practices. Also included is a history of healing in the development of Buddhism from the earliest texts and the famous Lotus Sutra to the Buddhism of Tibet, where elaborate ritual is used in the healing of body and mind. Some of the many herbs and medicines used to treat disease in the Buddhist cultures of Asia are described in an appendix. A new preface and a new essay on the search for long life in Chinese Buddhism have been added to this revised edition.