Over the past months I’ve been watching “The Buddha” series on Netflix, usually 3-4 episodes a week. It’s in Hindi with English subtitles and covers his life, from predicted birth to passing into paranirvana (55 episodes). A couple of the earlier episodes have some Bollywood features, but all-in-all I found it very engrossing and it led me to a number of things about the Buddha that I had to further explore. The series made his life and persona relatable in a way that helped me understand so much more about his struggles, his message and his eventual enlightenment. I originally viewed The Buddha as a weekly series in 2013-2014 on ZEE-TV (India), so it was a different experience being able to binge it on demand. I remember back in 2014 when the Dali Lama visited the set, it was a big deal to see his interest and support.
I agree. Be prepared to binge. It’s so good!
Thanks Margo, glad someone else has seen it. After viewing the show for over a year we went to India and traveled the Buddhist Pilgrimage path to most of the historical sites referenced in the show. It was wonderful to have this background information on the trip. It was surprising to hear the same chant from the series, in the same voice, looping at the entrance of the Mahabodhi Temple: Buddham Sharanam Gacchami, Dhammam Sharanam Gacchami, Sanggham Sharanam Gacchami.
Thanks for the recommendation, @_Barry and thanks also for the input @Margo . I definitely plan on watching this!
Have either of you read, “Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha” by Thich Nhat Hanh?
It reminded me a bit of what you both said…
Here’s a quote that Thich Nhat Hanh gave about his book:
I have not avoided including the various difficulties the Buddha encountered, both from his own disciples and in relation to the wider society. If the Buddha appears in this book as a man close to us, it is partly due to recounting such difficulties. – Thich Nhat Hanh.
Sounds similar, right? 
That was my experience with this book as well. I never binge-read a book, but it was so beautifully written I could not put it down!
Exactly. Ditto for Margo’s observations.
Sometimes, when I mention the number of episodes people recoil, perhaps not understanding what so much time on the subject would cover. (“Hey, get to the point”) However, when you see Siddhartha’s struggles and his sacrifices and how Buddha’s teachings were given, you can really wrap your arms round those teachings with some appreciation for the times in which he lived, and the timelessness of his teaching.