Buddha (Japanese: ブッダ, Hepburn: Budda) is a manga drawn by Osamu Tezuka and is Tezuka's unique interpretation of the life of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. The critically acclaimed series is often referred to as a visually explicit yet humorous and thought-provoking portrayal of the Buddha's life; the series itself has become a staple text in Buddhist temples for young adults and teens to learn about the Buddha's life. The series began in September 1972 and ended in December 1983, as one of Tezuka's last epic manga works.
Buddha has over 20 million copies in circulation and won Eisner Awards in 2004 and 2005. Due to differences between the ways in which Japanese and English are read, the American volumes published by Vertical Inc. are presented as mirror images of Tezuka's original work so they can be read from left to right, rather than from right to left. Nearly three decades after the manga was completed, an anime film adaptation was released in 2011. A second film was released in 2014.
Contents
Plot
In ancient India, the lives of many people are plagued by drought, famine, constant warfare and injustices in the caste system. The intertwining lives of many unhappy souls are drawn together by the birth of the young prince Siddhartha, who embarks on a spiritual journey and becomes Gautama Buddha, "the Enlightened One", and attempts to bring about a spiritual rebirth of the people in this desperate age.
Characters
Siddhartha Gautama (Sakyamuni Buddha): The main character of the Buddha series and prince of the Shakya tribe. He is born midway into book 1; shortly after his birth his mother Maya dies. The first book mentions omens that seemed to symbolize Siddhartha's future. In book 2, he is a child growing bored of the privileged life of a prince. He leaves the palace towards the end of the book to become a monk. In book 3, he is a struggling monk. In book 4, after many trials in the Forest of Uruvela, Buddha achieves enlightenment. He continues to teach his disciples and inspire others until his death in book 8.
Chapra: A fictional character from the lower Shudra caste who decides to make a better life for himself. After saving the life of a well-known Kosalan general Budai, Chapra is adopted by him as his own son, under the belief that Chapra is a Kshatriya warrior orphan, initially unknown to him that he's a Shudra, but later on knew the secret but still shuts up about it. After growing up, Chapra's true heritage is revealed when his mother shows up, resulting in conflict for Chapra. Chapra eventually decides to escape with her after the truth of his caste is revealed and the two are killed by Kosalan soldiers, seen by Tata and the cause of his vengeance against Kosala.
Princess Yashodara: A beautiful princess who loved Siddhartha and is also the latter's cousin. He married her against his will, and together they had a son named Rāhula. Siddhartha left on the day Rahula was born. She stayed on Kapilavastu with Siddhartha's parents.
Bandaka: An arrogant archer who appears in book 1 and 2. He was in love with Yashodara and fought Buddha for her hand in marriage. After Buddha left to pursue enlightenment, Bandaka convinced Buddha's father to name him heir to the Shakyan throne but still failed to win Yashodara over. He then resigns himself to taking a plump noblewoman as his wife, fathering Devadatta (also later on has Ananda), and is later killed with a javelin while fighting the invading Kosalan army.
Prasennajit: The ruler of Kosala, and a former wrestler. He married a slave from Kapilavastu, tricked to think she was a Kshatriya, and takes over Kapilavastu when he finds out the truth. When he objects to his son Virudhaka releasing Kapilavatsu, Virudhaka imprisons his father, claiming he is mentally unfit to rule. In his cell, Prasennajit gradually wanes physically and mentally until Buddha convinces his son to release him. He dies shortly afterward, reduced to a mere beggar, trying in vain to call upon King Bimbisara to assist him on retaking the throne.
Themes
Pratītyasamutpāda: The interconnectedness of life is highlighted first, in Master Asita's story of his master, Gosala, being saved by animals. In the story, a rabbit immolates itself to save his life. Later on, Assaji similarly sacrifices himself to be consumed by a pack of starving baby wolves.
Impermanence: Throughout the story, characters go through many ups and down – kings are imprisoned by their own sons, murderers become holy men, and numerous characters die, emphasizing the impermanence of life.
List of titles
Kapilavastu: Prince Siddhartha (the future Buddha) is born at towards the end of the manga.
The Four Encounters: Siddhartha rejects his heritage.
Devadatta: Siddhartha, accompanied by Dhepa and Assaji, visit a plague stricken town.
The Forest of Uruvela: Buddha visits the Forest of Uruvela, beyond which awaits enlightenment.
Deer Park: Buddha's divinity is tested as he attempts to thwart a war.
Ananda: Buddha confronts Ananda, who is possessed by his eternal enemy Mara.
Prince Ajatasattu: Devadatta becomes a power hungry monk with Prince Ajatasattu under his tutelage.
Jetavana: Buddha, teaching until his last breath, finds Nirvana.
Anime films
In 2009, an animated feature-length film adaptation titled Tezuka Osamu no Buddha – Akai Sabaku yo! Utsukushiku (English title: Buddha: The Great Departure) was announced. The film was directed by Kozo Morishita, produced by Tezuka Productions, animated by Toei Animation and distributed by Toei Company and Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was released on May 28, 2011, during the celebrations of the 750th memorial of Shinran Shonin, founder of the Jōdo Shinshū sect. Rock band X Japan performed the theme "Scarlet Love Song", composed by band leader Yoshiki at Morishita's request. A second film, Buddha 2: Tezuka Osamu no Buddha ~Owarinaki Tabi~ (BUDDHA2 手塚治虫のブッダ 終りなき旅), was released on February 8, 2014. Ayumi Hamasaki recorded "Pray", composed by Kunio Tago and arranged by Yuta Nakano, as the theme song of the film. The 14th Dalai Lama appeared on a Tokyo MX TV special on January 18, 2014, to state his approval. After seeing the film a month before it premiered in Japan, he said, "I am very thankful to have the world of the Buddha be spread by the film."
Originally, a series of three films was planned. However, the production of the third film was stopped for financial reasons.
Reception
Buddha is considered to be one of the greatest manga of all time, and often considered to be among Tezuka's best works. Craig Thompson called Buddha "the opus of Japan's greatest cartoonist, and a high watermark for the medium." Chester Brown stated that "Tezuka's dramatic skills make the pages fly by... his drawings add to the impact of the work; he places his lively, cartoony figures in beautifully rendered landscapes." Scott McCloud called Buddha "... one of Tezuka's true masterpieces."
Critic Andrew D. Arnold, in his review for Time Magazine titled "Learn from the Master", stated: "Filled with beauty, cruelty, drama, comedy, romance and violence, Osamu Tezuka's "Buddha" encompasses the entirety of life in a masterpiece of graphic literature. Deeply moral but never moralistic, "Buddha" merges the delight of cartooning with the epic seriousness of one of the great religions, becoming a thing wholly unto itself. Even if you can't achieve satori with "Buddha", you can open up another world."
Buddha has over 20 million copies in circulation. The English release of the manga won Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material at the 2004 and 2005 Eisner Awards and received a nomination in 2006. It also won the award for Best American Edition of Foreign Material at the 2004 and 2005 Harvey Awards. The film was nominated for the 2012 Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.