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Buddha (manga)
Encyclopedia
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 gritty, even sexual, portrayal of the Buddha's life. Buddha received the 2004, 2005 Eisner Award
. As of early 2006, each volume had sold an average of 8,500 copies, with Kapilavastu having sold 20,000 copies. 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.
, 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, becomes Gautama Buddha
, "the Enlightened One," and attempts to bring about a spiritual rebirth of the people in this desperate age.
: The main character of the Buddha series and prince of the Shakya tribe. He is born in book 1, shortly after his birth his mother 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 a lower caste who decides to make a better life for himself. After saving the life of a well-known Kosalan general, Chapra is adopted by him as his own son, under the belief that Chapra is a warrior
orphan. 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.
Princess Yashodara: A beautiful princess who loved Siddhartha. He married her against his will, and together they had a son named Rāhula
. Siddhartha left on the day Rahula was born.
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 but still failed to win Yashodara over. He then resigns himself to taking a plump noblewoman as his wife and is later killed while fighting the invading Kosalan army.
Prasennajit
: The ruler of Kosala
. 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, Prasentnajit gradually wanes physically and mentally until Buddha convinces his son to release him. He dies shortly afterward, reduced to a mere beggar.
Virudhaka
: Prasentnajit's son. After learning of his mother's true caste, he ostracizes her to the slave quarters and later orders her to be killed with the other slaves when plague breaks out among them. For tricking his father, Virudhaka begins a gradual extermination of Buddha's tribe until Buddha shows him that all he's accomplished is to increase the suffering he already felt. He is sometimes called Prince Crystal due to the Lapis Lazuli set in his forehead.
Bimbisara
: The king of Magadha
, whom Asaji prophesies will be killed by his son. This torments Bimbisara all his life. Drugged by Devadatta, Bimbisara is overthrown by his son Ajasattu and locked in the same tower he jailed his son in for attempting to kill Buddha where he gradually starves to death.
Prince Ajasattu
: Bimbisara's son, who is imprisoned in book six because he shot and almost killed Buddha with an arrow. He falls in love with a blue-eyed blonde slave named Yudelka, and vows revenge on his father when she is murdered. Ajasattu, with the help of Devadatta, overthrows his father. The guilt causes him to have a malignant tumor, which Buddha cures.
Tatta: A fictional thief of the 'Pariah', making his status even lower than that of the slave caste. As a child, Tatta is very close to nature and has the unique ability to possess animals, which the Brahmin Naradatta takes great advantage of. In volume 1, after befriending the slave Chapra, his mother and sister are murdered by the rampaging armies of Kosala. After Kosala's soldiers execute Chapra and 'Moms', Tatta vows revenge upon the kingdom of Kosala. As he grows up, Tatta becomes a bandit and reveals his plan of vengeance is to show the outside world to the sheltered child, Siddhartha, in hopes of persuading him to vanquish Kosala when he becomes king. In book three, he agrees to stop being a bandit. In book five, he becomes a lay disciple to Buddha, unwilling to become a monk because it would mean cutting his hair. Despite Buddha's attempts to convince him otherwise, Tatta is unable to forgive the Kosalans for killing those close to him and joins a renegade Shakyan army who sought revenge for the atrocities inflicted on them by Crystal Prince. He dies in the last book fighting the Kosalan army.
Migaila: A sexy bandit whom Buddha falls in love with in book two. Her eyes are burnt out on order from Buddha's father for scheming to marry him which leaves her blind for the rest of the series. She is Tatta's wife, and they have one son in book 4, a stillborn, and triplets, introduced in book 7.
Dhepa: A samanna (a non-Brahmin monk), whose philosophy is that humans were meant to suffer. Tatta and Migaila force him to burn out one of his eyes. Buddha befriends Dhepa in book 3, but the two part ways when Buddha decides against Dhepa's lifestyle. Despite ridiculing Buddha's teachings and even attempting to kill him at one point, Buddha saves Dhepa's life in book five whereupon Dhepa becomes his disciple.
Asaji
: In volume 3, Siddhartha and Dhepa are sheltered by a huntsman and his family. In return, the huntsman asks the monks if his infant son, Asaji, can join them on their travels. Judging Asaji by his dimwitted look and runny nose, Dhepa and Siddhartha refuse, attempting to flee from Asaji by any means necessary. When Asaji catches a fever after pursuing the monks through the monsoon season, Siddhartha is determined to save him. Siddhartha cures Asaji by sucking the poisonous pus from his body. Meanwhile the unconscious Asaji encounters a god in a vision that tells him in ten years time he will be devoured by beasts in payment for his father's meaningless hunting. As time passes, when Siddhartha is separated from the other monks, Asaji successfully and precisely predicts natural disasters. His predictions are a gift from a god. Eventually, he is brought forth before King Bambisara and prophesies his fate and that of many other palace nobles. When Siddhartha undertakes the trials of the forest, he is astounded that Asaji is completely fearless of his gruesome destiny. When the moment of truth arrives, Asaji approaches a litter of starving wolf-cubs and sacrifices himself to the ferocious parents that tear him apart, much to Siddhartha's horror.
Devadatta
: One of Buddha's first disciples. The son of Bandaka, Devadatta had a difficult childhood. He met Tatta when looking for a warrior, and through Tatta, Devadatta met the Buddha. He leaves the sect when he is not chosen to be Buddha's successor and attempts to form his own sect by stealing Buddha's followers. When that fails Devadatta plots to kill Buddha; first by dropping a boulder on him, then by having an elephant stampede him. When his initial attempts fail, Devadatta poisons his nails but accidentally injures himself with them when he trips. In his final moments, he reveals that he hated the Buddha because he wanted to be just like him but couldn't.
Ananda
: Ananda is the half-brother of Devadetta as mentioned briefly in book 3. A former criminal who becomes one of Buddha's major disciples. The devil Mara protected him after Ananda's father offered him in exchange for sparing his life. Following his mother's murder, Ananda seeks revenge on all humanity until Buddha saved his life. Ananda then becomes Buddha's personal attendant and companion although visions of hell and death continue to haunt him.
Lata: A pretty former slave with whom Ananda falls in love. She has difficulty speaking. Lata cuts off her hair to achieve enlightenment. She dies after receiving a snake bite meant for Buddha in book 7.
Naradatta: A monk who is turned into an animal for forty years as punishment for killing several animals in order to save one human. He becomes a mentor for Devadatta. Naradatta dies in the last book, moments after he is forgiven for his murder and returned to his human state.
Yatala: A twenty foot giant. The son of a slave who studied herbs and plants, Yatala's father gave him a potion that would make him grow to be powerful and invincible. His parents were killed shortly after he received the potion which caused him to grow twenty feet high by adulthood. Yatala then killed the elephant that killed his parents and wandered off, killing livestock and terrorizing villages. Many tried to kill him unsuccessfully, including a person with a bazooka. Finally, Virudhaka, or Prince Crystal, tamed him by offering him a position within the Kosalan palace guard. However, Yatala was angered by how Virudhaka abused his mother simply because of her caste and escaped whereupon he met Buddha who helped him achieve enlightenment. He later went to work for the Kinga of Magadha before shaving his head and becoming Buddha's disciple.
Master Asita
: Naradatta's master. He appears in the first book briefly and sends Naradatta to find a man with the power to save the world. He later goes to the baby prince Siddharta
and gives him blessings from Brahma
and Indra
. He later curses Naradatta for killing several animals to save the life of one human. He was also shown to have siddhis
Brahman
: Supreme universal Spirit. Appearing frequently to Buddha as a wizened old man, Brahman sets Siddhartha on the path to seeking a solution to suffering. After Buddha obtained enlightenment, Brahman bestowed him with the title of Buddha. After the Buddha died in book 8, Brahman personally escorted the Buddha to the afterlife where he promised to reveal what awaited those who pass into death.
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. Influential metal band X Japan
composed and recorded "Scarlet Love Song
" specifically to be the theme song of the film.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
drawn by Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka
was a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
and is Tezuka's unique interpretation of the life of Gautama Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
, the founder of Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. The critically acclaimed series is often referred to as a gritty, even sexual, portrayal of the Buddha's life. Buddha received the 2004, 2005 Eisner Award
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
. As of early 2006, each volume had sold an average of 8,500 copies, with Kapilavastu having sold 20,000 copies. 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.
Plot
In ancient IndiaHistory of India
The history of India begins with evidence of human activity of Homo sapiens as long as 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including Homo erectus from about 500,000 years ago. The Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from...
, the lives of many people are plagued by drought, famine, constant warfare and injustices in the caste system
Caste system in India
The Indian caste system is a system of social stratification and social restriction in India in which communities are defined by thousands of endogamous hereditary groups called Jātis....
. The intertwining lives of many unhappy souls are drawn together by the birth of the young prince Siddhartha, who embarks on a spiritual journey, becomes Gautama Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
, "the Enlightened One," and attempts to bring about a spiritual rebirth of the people in this desperate age.
Characters
Siddhartha Gautama (Sakyamuni Buddha)Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
: The main character of the Buddha series and prince of the Shakya tribe. He is born in book 1, shortly after his birth his mother 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 a lower caste who decides to make a better life for himself. After saving the life of a well-known Kosalan general, Chapra is adopted by him as his own son, under the belief that Chapra is a warrior
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
orphan. 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.
Princess Yashodara: A beautiful princess who loved Siddhartha. He married her against his will, and together they had a son named Rāhula
Rahula
Rāhula was the only son of Siddhartha Gautama , later known as the Buddha, and his wife Princess Yasodharā.Accounts of his life differ in certain points. The following is that given in the Pāli Canon.- Life :...
. Siddhartha left on the day Rahula was born.
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 but still failed to win Yashodara over. He then resigns himself to taking a plump noblewoman as his wife and is later killed while fighting the invading Kosalan army.
Prasennajit
Pasenadi
Pasenadi was a dynasty ruler of Kosala. He succeeded his father . He was a prominent of Gautama Buddha, who built many Buddhist monasteries.-Life:...
: The ruler of Kosala
Kosala
Kosala was an ancient Indian region, corresponding roughly in area with the region of Awadh in present day Uttar Pradesh. According to the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya and the Jaina text, the Bhagavati Sutra, Kosala was one of the Solasa Mahajanapadas in 6th century BCE and its cultural and...
. He married a slave from Kapilavastu
Kapilavastu
Kapilavastu is the name of a region of ancient Shakya kingdom that is considered a holy pilgrimage place for Buddhists. The search for the Buddha's birthplace following the accounts left by Xuanzang and Faxian involved various searches in the late 19th century...
, tricked to think she was a Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
, 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, Prasentnajit gradually wanes physically and mentally until Buddha convinces his son to release him. He dies shortly afterward, reduced to a mere beggar.
Virudhaka
Virudhaka
Virudhaka was son of Raja Prasenjit and king of Kashi Kosala.Soon after usurping the prosperous kingdom built up by his father Bimbisara, the parricide Ajatashatru went to war with his aged uncle Prasenjit, and gained complete control of Kashi...
: Prasentnajit's son. After learning of his mother's true caste, he ostracizes her to the slave quarters and later orders her to be killed with the other slaves when plague breaks out among them. For tricking his father, Virudhaka begins a gradual extermination of Buddha's tribe until Buddha shows him that all he's accomplished is to increase the suffering he already felt. He is sometimes called Prince Crystal due to the Lapis Lazuli set in his forehead.
Bimbisara
Bimbisara
Bimbisara was a King, and later, Emperor of the Magadha empire from 543 BC to his death and belonged to the Hariyanka dynasty.-Career:There are many accounts of Bimbisara in the Jain texts and the Buddhist Jatakas, since he was a contemporary of Mahavira and Gautama Buddha. He was the king of...
: The king of Magadha
Magadha
Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
, whom Asaji prophesies will be killed by his son. This torments Bimbisara all his life. Drugged by Devadatta, Bimbisara is overthrown by his son Ajasattu and locked in the same tower he jailed his son in for attempting to kill Buddha where he gradually starves to death.
Prince Ajasattu
Ajatashatru
Ajatasatru was a king of the Magadha empire in north India. He was the son of King Bimbisara, the Great Monarch of Magadha. He was contemporary to Mahavira and Buddha. He took over the kingdom of Magadha from his father forcefully by imprisoning him...
: Bimbisara's son, who is imprisoned in book six because he shot and almost killed Buddha with an arrow. He falls in love with a blue-eyed blonde slave named Yudelka, and vows revenge on his father when she is murdered. Ajasattu, with the help of Devadatta, overthrows his father. The guilt causes him to have a malignant tumor, which Buddha cures.
Tatta: A fictional thief of the 'Pariah', making his status even lower than that of the slave caste. As a child, Tatta is very close to nature and has the unique ability to possess animals, which the Brahmin Naradatta takes great advantage of. In volume 1, after befriending the slave Chapra, his mother and sister are murdered by the rampaging armies of Kosala. After Kosala's soldiers execute Chapra and 'Moms', Tatta vows revenge upon the kingdom of Kosala. As he grows up, Tatta becomes a bandit and reveals his plan of vengeance is to show the outside world to the sheltered child, Siddhartha, in hopes of persuading him to vanquish Kosala when he becomes king. In book three, he agrees to stop being a bandit. In book five, he becomes a lay disciple to Buddha, unwilling to become a monk because it would mean cutting his hair. Despite Buddha's attempts to convince him otherwise, Tatta is unable to forgive the Kosalans for killing those close to him and joins a renegade Shakyan army who sought revenge for the atrocities inflicted on them by Crystal Prince. He dies in the last book fighting the Kosalan army.
Migaila: A sexy bandit whom Buddha falls in love with in book two. Her eyes are burnt out on order from Buddha's father for scheming to marry him which leaves her blind for the rest of the series. She is Tatta's wife, and they have one son in book 4, a stillborn, and triplets, introduced in book 7.
Dhepa: A samanna (a non-Brahmin monk), whose philosophy is that humans were meant to suffer. Tatta and Migaila force him to burn out one of his eyes. Buddha befriends Dhepa in book 3, but the two part ways when Buddha decides against Dhepa's lifestyle. Despite ridiculing Buddha's teachings and even attempting to kill him at one point, Buddha saves Dhepa's life in book five whereupon Dhepa becomes his disciple.
Asaji
Hosuke Sharaku
is the main character of the Osamu Tezuka manga and anime The Three-Eyed One . In some English versions, Sharaku's name has been "anglicized" to "Shallack". Indeed, the names "Sharaku Hosuke" and "Wato-San" are references to Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Hosuke Sharaku is also part of Osamu Tezuka's...
: In volume 3, Siddhartha and Dhepa are sheltered by a huntsman and his family. In return, the huntsman asks the monks if his infant son, Asaji, can join them on their travels. Judging Asaji by his dimwitted look and runny nose, Dhepa and Siddhartha refuse, attempting to flee from Asaji by any means necessary. When Asaji catches a fever after pursuing the monks through the monsoon season, Siddhartha is determined to save him. Siddhartha cures Asaji by sucking the poisonous pus from his body. Meanwhile the unconscious Asaji encounters a god in a vision that tells him in ten years time he will be devoured by beasts in payment for his father's meaningless hunting. As time passes, when Siddhartha is separated from the other monks, Asaji successfully and precisely predicts natural disasters. His predictions are a gift from a god. Eventually, he is brought forth before King Bambisara and prophesies his fate and that of many other palace nobles. When Siddhartha undertakes the trials of the forest, he is astounded that Asaji is completely fearless of his gruesome destiny. When the moment of truth arrives, Asaji approaches a litter of starving wolf-cubs and sacrifices himself to the ferocious parents that tear him apart, much to Siddhartha's horror.
Devadatta
Devadatta
Devadatta was by tradition a Buddhist monk, cousin and brother-in-law of Gautama Siddārtha, the Śākyamuni Buddha, and brother of Ānanda, a principal student of the Buddha...
: One of Buddha's first disciples. The son of Bandaka, Devadatta had a difficult childhood. He met Tatta when looking for a warrior, and through Tatta, Devadatta met the Buddha. He leaves the sect when he is not chosen to be Buddha's successor and attempts to form his own sect by stealing Buddha's followers. When that fails Devadatta plots to kill Buddha; first by dropping a boulder on him, then by having an elephant stampede him. When his initial attempts fail, Devadatta poisons his nails but accidentally injures himself with them when he trips. In his final moments, he reveals that he hated the Buddha because he wanted to be just like him but couldn't.
Ananda
Ananda
Ānanda was one of the principal disciples and a devout attendant of the Buddha. Amongst the Buddha's many disciples, Ānanda had the most retentive memory and most of the suttas in the Sutta Pitaka are attributed to his recollection of the Buddha's teachings during the First Buddhist Council...
: Ananda is the half-brother of Devadetta as mentioned briefly in book 3. A former criminal who becomes one of Buddha's major disciples. The devil Mara protected him after Ananda's father offered him in exchange for sparing his life. Following his mother's murder, Ananda seeks revenge on all humanity until Buddha saved his life. Ananda then becomes Buddha's personal attendant and companion although visions of hell and death continue to haunt him.
Lata: A pretty former slave with whom Ananda falls in love. She has difficulty speaking. Lata cuts off her hair to achieve enlightenment. She dies after receiving a snake bite meant for Buddha in book 7.
Naradatta: A monk who is turned into an animal for forty years as punishment for killing several animals in order to save one human. He becomes a mentor for Devadatta. Naradatta dies in the last book, moments after he is forgiven for his murder and returned to his human state.
Yatala: A twenty foot giant. The son of a slave who studied herbs and plants, Yatala's father gave him a potion that would make him grow to be powerful and invincible. His parents were killed shortly after he received the potion which caused him to grow twenty feet high by adulthood. Yatala then killed the elephant that killed his parents and wandered off, killing livestock and terrorizing villages. Many tried to kill him unsuccessfully, including a person with a bazooka. Finally, Virudhaka, or Prince Crystal, tamed him by offering him a position within the Kosalan palace guard. However, Yatala was angered by how Virudhaka abused his mother simply because of her caste and escaped whereupon he met Buddha who helped him achieve enlightenment. He later went to work for the Kinga of Magadha before shaving his head and becoming Buddha's disciple.
Master Asita
Asita
Asita was a hermit ascetic of ancient India in the 6th century BCE. He is best known for having predicted that Prince Siddhartha of Kapilavastu would either become a great king or become a supreme religious leader ....
: Naradatta's master. He appears in the first book briefly and sends Naradatta to find a man with the power to save the world. He later goes to the baby prince Siddharta
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
and gives him blessings from Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
and Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
. He later curses Naradatta for killing several animals to save the life of one human. He was also shown to have siddhis
Brahman
Brahman
In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being...
: Supreme universal Spirit. Appearing frequently to Buddha as a wizened old man, Brahman sets Siddhartha on the path to seeking a solution to suffering. After Buddha obtained enlightenment, Brahman bestowed him with the title of Buddha. After the Buddha died in book 8, Brahman personally escorted the Buddha to the afterlife where he promised to reveal what awaited those who pass into death.
Anime film
In 2009, an animated feature-length film adaptation of Buddha was announced. The film is directed by Kozo Morishita, animated by Toei AnimationToei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
and distributed by Toei Company
Toei Company
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
and Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
. The film was released on May 28, 2011 during the celebrations of the 750th memorial of Shinran Shonin
Shinran
was a Japanese Buddhist monk, who was born in Hino at the turbulent close of the Heian Period and lived during the Kamakura Period...
, founder of the Jōdo Shinshū
Jodo Shinshu
, also known as Shin Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Today, Shin Buddhism is considered the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan.-Shinran :...
sect. Influential metal band X Japan
X Japan
is a Japanese heavy metal band founded in 1982 by Yoshiki and Toshi. Originally named X , the group achieved their breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their second album Blue Blood...
composed and recorded "Scarlet Love Song
Scarlet Love Song
"Scarlet Love Song" is a song released by X Japan on June 8, 2011 as a digital download. It was composed specifically to be the theme song for the animated movie adaptation of the Buddha manga, which was released May 28, 2011. The song, first performed at "" on March 6, 2011 at Yoyogi National...
" specifically to be the theme song of the film.