Foundations of Buddhism interprets fundamental philosophic notions of Buddha’s teaching, such as reincarnation, the laws of Karma, Nirvana and also discusses the deep underlying moral principles of such teachings, which refuted one of the main stereotypes of Western thought, which believed that in Buddhism man was worthless and as a creature forsaken by God.
The image of Buddha the Lord, his teachings, the principles of formation of a Community, and the topics and questions related to it, are often found in all of the creative work of Helena Roerich.
In 1926, in Ulan Batore (Mongolia), during the preparation for the final phase of the Central Asian Expedition, two books were being simultaneously prepared for release: The Community and Foundations of Buddhism. An Introduction to the basics of the teachings of Gautama Buddha, on which Helena Roerich was working in India for a quarter of a century, is distinguished by the use of a large variety of sources, unpretentious style of wording, and by the power and beauty of the description. The list of Buddhist texts used in the book makes us state that this book cannot be perceived as an individual interpretation of the Buddhist Teaching. We are dealing with the scientific view.
The book Foundations of Buddhism was first published in Russian in spring 1927. In 1930, in New York a supplemented edition of Foundations of Buddhism was released in English under the name Natali Rokotova (the pseudonym of Helena Roerich).