"International terrorism may be the central specter of our ""time,"" but the threat of violence is as old as history. Among all the Buddha's ""experiences,"" perhaps this story of his eye-to-eye encounter with a fearsome terrorist is the most relevant for us today. What happens when a man committed to violence is confronted by a man committed to nonviolence? Who is more powerful? Who can influence whom? Kumar's retelling of this ancient Buddhist tale of transformation speaks to the possibility of changing the world. September."