Everything that is wrong in the portrayal of the life of Buddha.

Many scholars, authors, and philosophers failed to portray the accurate picture of Buddha, the man who laid the foundation of a new religion, that was deemed revolutionary in those days. They either portray his life in the pattern of other religious faiths or in a fictitious way or in an esoteric poetic way or sometimes with too much philosophical content. They fail to understand the real import behind the life of Buddha, and amplify simple things into a complex maze of passages. One has to cut down this complex maze of things to arrive at his real life. One has to crop the fictitious stuff to appreciate the real beauty of his life. We will examine the elements that did not help to make up the real life of Buddha.

One of the most famous scholars, Paul Carus, the author of the celebrated 'Gospel of Buddha', adopted the pattern of New Testament to portray the life of Buddha. Although, he made comparisons with the teachings of Christ to the teachings of Buddha, yet, adopted many Christian elements from the New Testament, and incorporated it into the life of Buddha. For example, the concept of a devil is completely absent in the life and teachings of Buddha, yet it was introduced in the form of 'Mara', the devil, who tempted Buddha prior to his enlightenment. Mara is not a devil, as commonly understood, but desires or 'Vrittis', that hinder the liberation process. This Mara, then comes again and again, like a villain in a movie plot, and utterly ruins the beauty of the life of Buddha.

'Mara' attacking Buddha with his host of armies.

Buddha was born as Siddhartha and passed away into Nirvana, as an enlightened person. Buddha never paid heed to the idea of a personal God, yet, many of his followers elevated Buddha to the status of God and placed him in the highest among the pantheons of numerous Gods and Goddesses. There was a scene, in some books, where Brahma and other Gods, fold their hands in front of the enlightened Buddha and listen to his sermons. This is completely absurd, and contrary to the teachings of Buddha. Buddha condemned cult-worship, and himself become the subject of cult-worship in later days. Buddha condemned idol worship, and, yet, his idol was one of the most worshiped ones across the world.

Buddha's life was completely rooted in intense reality. Reality and fiction cannot go together. Yet, many poets, from the west, romanticized his life in a fictitious way. Even some famous manga artists from the east, massacred his life, in the form of fiction. 'Buddha', by Osamu Tezuka, was one such horrible depiction. The portrayal of the life of Buddha, in a fictitious way, is only a failure, for the man lived a life, rooted in intense reality. One must remember that religion is not fiction.

Manga massacre.

There are some books by philosophers, which take up the philosophical standpoint, in depicting the life of Buddha. Buddha, in his life, paid little heed to philosophical constructs, he, in fact, remained silent to many of the philosophical arguments, focusing only on practice rather than vague theories. It does not mean that Buddha was not philosophical at all. Philosophical speculations are good as long as it is applicable in the pragmatic form.

What we need is the unbiased life of Buddha, rooted in his teachings, free from elements of other religions, devoid of fiction, and too much of philosophical endorsements.

Thank You.

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