The true accomplishments of any leader are often compromised when legend wraps itself around the man himself. This is particularly true when the accomplishments of religious leaders are considered. The mythic trappings become as though unavoidable and the man himself often disappears beneath them.
This certainly occurred to Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. The man himself is sometimes rendered almost invisible. As Swati Chopra in her account of the historical Buddha sees it: "While mythology has its place in culture and religion, its proclivity for glorification might, at times, obscure what really happened."
What really happened is the basis for her very interesting text, which considers the Buddha not as the all-mighty knower but as the man who originally found the way, the "path to Nirvana." This impressively beautiful book is the guide.