topics: |  religion | buddhism | graphic-novel | comic | india | folk

Cartoon strip story of how Buddha (563-483 BCE) met the merchant
Anathapindika, 'feeder of the poor', (formally, Sudatta) who becomes one of
the Buddha's greatest benefactors, and donated a monastery called Jeta's
grove, after Prince Jeta from whom he purchased it.  The story depicted,
shows Jeta unwilling to sell the park, and says in the end (hoping to dismiss
him) that the price would be the amount of gold needed to cover the whole
park.  Anathapindika agrees to the price, and is covering the park in gold
when Jeta yields.  A number of other stories.

    Depicted with touches of humour (though they are mostly peripheral to the
story).  ALso the stories of Samavati the queen and her maid Khujjutara, who
were reformed through contact by the Buddha.
Kalakanni, whose name means "Unlucky", proves himself otherwise for
Anathapindika's household.
Also the story of Devadatta, the ambitious monk who challenged the Buddha for
the leadership of the community of monks.

Notes:
A. Do the rich feel a stronger need for salvation?  Or is it the same among
   the population, and we only remember the rich?
B. The mere existence of Devadatta's challenge implies that Buddha's repute
   and power among his contemporaries was less absolute than the hagiography
   created after his passing.

[from W:
His cousins Ananda and Anuruddha were to become two of his five chief
disciples. His son Rahula also joined the sangha at the age of seven, and was
one of the ten chief disciples. His half-brother Nanda also joined the sangha
and became an arahant. Another cousin Devadatta also became a monk although
he later became an enemy and tried to kill the Buddha on multiple occasions.]