Buddha, Vol. 8: Jetavana

And so I have come to the last of the 8 books, Buddha, Jetavana. Osamu Tezuka has mostly done well by his readers and the ending is at minimum honest. What we know that Buddha may have not, is that his presence and his message has survived and spread, but has the example of Buddhism changed humanity? Throughout the series, Buddha has been faced with temptations. The usuals, women, power family loyalties and of course he does not fall. In the last book he will face the real challenges. What is his legacy and what is the human condition? Tezuka has Buddha coming to some conclusions and it is up to use to follow or not.The art work in book eight stays with the mix of beautiful particularly his rendering of nature and the cartoonist, particularly some of his humans. Tezuka continues to love anachronisms, but he is not dependent on them. The violence in this book was forewarned and is in service to the notion of making The Buddha face some of the consequences of his decisions and in the truth of human failings.The questions to me are: Do I think I have been exposed to more than a basic education in the beliefs and practices of Buddhism? My guess is: no. My interest has been fed, but not sated. Have I been exposed to an honest version of the history of Buddha? I suspect the answer is no, but it is on me to learn more; to find how much in the books is consistent with the Japanese understanding of the travels of The Buddha.My suspicion is that the series is intended to be more an entertainment than an enlightenment. If so Tezuka has achieved his goal. The stories and especially the ending are worth the journey. More than this it can kindle and interest in a more serious effort to learn.

I love how Osamu sama create a new plot to the original story about the life of Buddha. However, those last volumes really bother me since it depicts Buddha too much of a normal person who still let his emotions affect a lot of his thought and action, which is not supposed to be cause Buddha was already enlightened & those common things should never bother him.Overall, the manga is good but I recommend readers should also read the original story of Buddha’s life.

Really.

I have enjoyed each of the 8 volumes of this work. I am not always moved by comics, but this form and the way it is handled is wonderful. I would recommend this set to everyone who is interested in Buddha and the spiritual practice of meditation.

I picked up one of these books at our local library and fell in love with the story. After purchasing the complete set, I am glad I went into the library that day.

I have read the Japanese version of this and bought English sets for my boyfriend.We are super happy, everybody should have a set in their house.

A famed old-school Disney-loving Japanese Manga artist re-interprets the story of Buddha's life. Funny and educational. This is the eighth and last volume, the most serious of the set.

awesome product!

Amazing series , i'd recommend it to anyone

Ich liebe diese Reihe! Ganz zauberhaft erzählt, mit Witz und Herz. Stimmt bestimmt nicht 100%ig mit Buddhas Lebensgeschichte überein, aber man erhält einen schönen Einblick und es ist unterhaltsam.

Great books easy to get hooked into Osamu Tezuka’s manga’s, I would strongly recommend if anyone is a fan of any of his comics.

Highly recommend

I had the book in Japanese, and I find the translation pretty good. That' it. There is nothing else to write=)