[Buddha-l] Best Buddha bio?

[Piya Tan]

After anyone has died or attained nirvana (especially so), people tend to do
what they
like of the Buddha (Alan Cole's "Text as Father" is an interesting study of
this).

Osamu's "Buddha" is fiction, and should be taken so. It reflects the
Buddha's influence
on a culture.

Even the recent Thai production of Angulimala does not keep true to the
script(ure),

But it's good that people vent their views for the education of others.

BTW the Buddha was not the Buddhist, too. Indeed, all the Buddha's are not
either.
David Loy once gave a talk on "Why I am not a Buddhist" here.

Piya.


On 10/22/07, Jim Peavler <jmp at peavler.org> wrote:
>
>
> On Oct 21, 2007, at 7:47 PM, [DPD Web] Shen Shi'an wrote:
>
> > Er... what's the (in)appropriate word... Osamu's "Buddha" series
> > seriously "sux". I
>
> I am the idiot who recommended reading it, and I should not have
> recommended it as a biography of the Buddha, nor an accurate
> depiction of the details of Buddhist "theology".  I should have
> recommended it as a good "epic". It is not suitable for kids, as has
> been implied, because of the rather horrendous (and roughly accurate
> as far as I can tell) depiction of the horrors of the caste system
> and as well as the notion that all sentient beings suffer (because
> ALL beings suffer, and I mean really suffer, in this book, whether
> they are untouchables, thieves, kings or princes, boddhisatvas or
> buddhas). In spite of its self-deprecating humor, the book thoroughly
> explores the ideas of impermanence and suffering.
>
> Perhaps impermanence and suffering are the only Buddhist ideas I
> understand.
>
> I think it is a rather Buddhist book, and stand by that.  Tesuku
> himself, of course, was not a buddhist. Perhaps I ain't neither.
>
> Jim Peavler
> jmp at peavler.org
>
>
>
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