---
product_id: 3554528
title: "Buddha, Vol. 1: Kapilavastu"
price: "€ 25.88"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.at/products/3554528-buddha-vol-1-kapilavastu
store_origin: AT
region: Austria
---

# Deep cultural & philosophical context 8-volume epic manga series Striking black & white cinematic art Buddha, Vol. 1: Kapilavastu

**Price:** € 25.88
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 📖 Dive into the manga that blends ancient wisdom with modern storytelling—don’t miss the legend!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Buddha, Vol. 1: Kapilavastu
- **How much does it cost?** € 25.88 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.at](https://www.desertcart.at/products/3554528-buddha-vol-1-kapilavastu)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Collector’s Gem:** Used book in good condition—own a piece of manga history.
- • **Visually Cinematic:** Dynamic black & white illustrations that captivate every page.
- • **Critically Acclaimed:** 4.6-star rating with hundreds of passionate readers worldwide.
- • **Epic Manga Masterpiece:** Osamu Tezuka’s storytelling genius redefines spiritual biography.
- • **Philosophy Meets Humanity:** Explores enlightenment through compassion, humor, and action.

## Overview

Buddha, Vol. 1: Kapilavastu is the first installment of Osamu Tezuka’s acclaimed eight-volume manga series that reimagines the life of Siddhartha with profound humanity, humor, and philosophical depth. Featuring striking black and white artwork and a narrative that challenges traditional views, this used book in good condition offers a transformative reading experience highly rated by critics and readers alike.

## Description

Osamu Tezuka's vaunted storytelling genius, consummate skill at visual expression, and warm humanity blossom fully in his eight-volume epic of Siddhartha's life and times. Tezuka evidences his profound grasp of the subject by contextualizing the Buddha's ideas; the emphasis is on movement, action, emotion, and conflict as the prince Siddhartha runs away from home, travels across India, and questions Hindu practices such as ascetic self-mutilation and caste oppression. Rather than recommend resignation and impassivity, Tezuka's Buddha predicates enlightenment upon recognizing the interconnectedness of life, having compassion for the suffering, and ordering one's life sensibly. Philosophical segments are threaded into interpersonal situations with ground-breaking visual dynamism by an artist who makes sure never to lose his readers' attention. Tezuka himself was a humanist rather than a Buddhist, and his magnum opus is not an attempt at propaganda. Hermann Hesse's novel or Bertolucci's film is comparable in this regard; in fact, Tezuka's approach is slightly irreverent in that it incorporates something that Western commentators often eschew, namely, humor.

Review: Buddha: postmodern in style, humanistic in message - I posted the following review in the Buddha Vol. 8 page, but place it here again as I hope to encourage potential readers to discover this amazing collection. Reading Osamu Tezuka’s 8-volume Buddha, took me nearly two years to achieve, as I ordered the books in pairs from desertcart when my budget allowed. This is a manga tour de force, breathtaking in scope and sometimes perplexing in tone and style. It was at first hard for me to get the hang of Tezuka’s narrative style, as this is the first manga of his I read, although I was an Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion fan when a little kid (the shows were broadcast in Mexico dubbed to Spanish in the late 60s). His combination of anachronistic references, plethora of invented storylines, and American slang spoken by lower cast characters in this translation, initially put me off. But the story is captivating enough to keep one going. I say the style is postmodern because of the aforementioned anachronisms, mixture of high and popular culture motifs, intertextual references from Tezuka’s own work and that of others’ (from Kurosawa to Disney and Spielberg!). (The following migh be seen as a "spoiler" by some) There’s also a self-reflexive aspect when author himself pops (as he does in much of his extensive work); a particularly fascinating episode occurs in volume 7 when a monk goes into a skeptical fit, doubting everything to an almost Cartesian degree, and even confronting Tezuka telling him he doesn’t believe “a word of this stupid manga” and that the author himself doesn’t exist! The black and white ink drawings are splendid, often reminiscent of ancient Japanese engravings, other times extremely cinematic in movement, like film storyboards. I was able to appreciate the significance of this work better when, with the last order of volumes I also purchased Helen McCarthy’s amazing Osamu Tezuka: the God of Manga, which gave me an understanding of the suffering Tezuka went through during his relatively short but amazingly productive life (witnessing the horrors of war, his several ailments), also the dilemmas he faced (choosing between a career in medicine and a career as a manga artist, for example). This is probably why the title character of Buddha comes across not as a solemn proverb-quoting mystic, but as a human being who attains enlightenment through his compassion for even the most evil of people, and ability to see beyond the material, violent world. The combination of spiritual messages and childish humor can strike readers as odd, but I imagine even the Dalai Lama would enjoy this series (if he hasn’t already read it), as he’s also an enlightened person with a sense of humor. In terms of story, there are so many characters spread about a dozen locations that it was hard for me to keep track, and it was necessary to revisit past volumes to remember who’s who. Volume 7 seemed to be the most satisfying, as one can better appreciate Buddha’s true message, and the several story threads approach full circle. Some reviewers mention Volume 8 as feeling rushed, but I found it to be an excellent conclusion, moving me to tears near the end when the initial parable of the self-sacrificing rabbit is retold. Indeed, I found Buddha to have a profound spiritual message, with a powerful humanistic faith in people’s ability to overcome pettiness and destructive ambition. A note about the editorial aspect: I bought the paperback editions up to Vol. 6, and then ordered Vols. 7 & 8 in hardback. The books’ design by Chip Kidd is excellent, but it’s a pity the detail of Buddha’s face changing throughout the entire collection’s spine is not maintained in the paperbacks. I also found the hardcovers a bit hard to handle, what with the wobbly dust-jacket ribbon and the cover’s material, which is bound to be easily soiled. Given the huge amount of characters and places, it would have been great to have an index at the end. Vol. 7 arrived with an internal tear, and desertcart was gracious enough to send a replacement without requiring me to spend money in shipping back the defective book. I give Osamu Tezuka’s Buddha five stars because, in spite of not being a “perfect” series (is there such a thing?), reading it was a deeply inspiring and transformative experience for me. I’ll now start to read Phoenix, which I’m beginning to order in the Spanish “deluxe” edition through desertcart.es.
Review: Beautiful. Wise. Touching. Page turner. - I have never liked manga and was unsure about trying this one. It hooked me, picked me up, carried me and didn't put me down until the last page. The story is wise, touching and seemed to speak directly to my soul. The art is simple and beautiful, easy to follow. This is not a story about Buddha. It is an original set of characters and events that live alongside the birth of Buddha. I have never experienced anything like this and find myself at a loss for words to explain why I was so taken. Maybe try this book and leave a comment if you see what I mean?

## Features

- Used Book in Good Condition

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #221,886 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #135 in Philosopher Biographies #565 in Comic Strips (Books) #2,767 in Action & Adventure Manga (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 377 Reviews |

## Images

![Buddha, Vol. 1: Kapilavastu - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91b9Qy1A9iL.jpg)

## Available Options

This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options.

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Buddha: postmodern in style, humanistic in message
*by A***O on January 31, 2015*

I posted the following review in the Buddha Vol. 8 page, but place it here again as I hope to encourage potential readers to discover this amazing collection. Reading Osamu Tezuka’s 8-volume Buddha, took me nearly two years to achieve, as I ordered the books in pairs from Amazon when my budget allowed. This is a manga tour de force, breathtaking in scope and sometimes perplexing in tone and style. It was at first hard for me to get the hang of Tezuka’s narrative style, as this is the first manga of his I read, although I was an Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion fan when a little kid (the shows were broadcast in Mexico dubbed to Spanish in the late 60s). His combination of anachronistic references, plethora of invented storylines, and American slang spoken by lower cast characters in this translation, initially put me off. But the story is captivating enough to keep one going. I say the style is postmodern because of the aforementioned anachronisms, mixture of high and popular culture motifs, intertextual references from Tezuka’s own work and that of others’ (from Kurosawa to Disney and Spielberg!). (The following migh be seen as a "spoiler" by some) There’s also a self-reflexive aspect when author himself pops (as he does in much of his extensive work); a particularly fascinating episode occurs in volume 7 when a monk goes into a skeptical fit, doubting everything to an almost Cartesian degree, and even confronting Tezuka telling him he doesn’t believe “a word of this stupid manga” and that the author himself doesn’t exist! The black and white ink drawings are splendid, often reminiscent of ancient Japanese engravings, other times extremely cinematic in movement, like film storyboards. I was able to appreciate the significance of this work better when, with the last order of volumes I also purchased Helen McCarthy’s amazing Osamu Tezuka: the God of Manga, which gave me an understanding of the suffering Tezuka went through during his relatively short but amazingly productive life (witnessing the horrors of war, his several ailments), also the dilemmas he faced (choosing between a career in medicine and a career as a manga artist, for example). This is probably why the title character of Buddha comes across not as a solemn proverb-quoting mystic, but as a human being who attains enlightenment through his compassion for even the most evil of people, and ability to see beyond the material, violent world. The combination of spiritual messages and childish humor can strike readers as odd, but I imagine even the Dalai Lama would enjoy this series (if he hasn’t already read it), as he’s also an enlightened person with a sense of humor. In terms of story, there are so many characters spread about a dozen locations that it was hard for me to keep track, and it was necessary to revisit past volumes to remember who’s who. Volume 7 seemed to be the most satisfying, as one can better appreciate Buddha’s true message, and the several story threads approach full circle. Some reviewers mention Volume 8 as feeling rushed, but I found it to be an excellent conclusion, moving me to tears near the end when the initial parable of the self-sacrificing rabbit is retold. Indeed, I found Buddha to have a profound spiritual message, with a powerful humanistic faith in people’s ability to overcome pettiness and destructive ambition. A note about the editorial aspect: I bought the paperback editions up to Vol. 6, and then ordered Vols. 7 & 8 in hardback. The books’ design by Chip Kidd is excellent, but it’s a pity the detail of Buddha’s face changing throughout the entire collection’s spine is not maintained in the paperbacks. I also found the hardcovers a bit hard to handle, what with the wobbly dust-jacket ribbon and the cover’s material, which is bound to be easily soiled. Given the huge amount of characters and places, it would have been great to have an index at the end. Vol. 7 arrived with an internal tear, and Amazon was gracious enough to send a replacement without requiring me to spend money in shipping back the defective book. I give Osamu Tezuka’s Buddha five stars because, in spite of not being a “perfect” series (is there such a thing?), reading it was a deeply inspiring and transformative experience for me. I’ll now start to read Phoenix, which I’m beginning to order in the Spanish “deluxe” edition through Amazon.es.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beautiful. Wise. Touching. Page turner.
*by K***K on March 17, 2026*

I have never liked manga and was unsure about trying this one. It hooked me, picked me up, carried me and didn't put me down until the last page. The story is wise, touching and seemed to speak directly to my soul. The art is simple and beautiful, easy to follow. This is not a story about Buddha. It is an original set of characters and events that live alongside the birth of Buddha. I have never experienced anything like this and find myself at a loss for words to explain why I was so taken. Maybe try this book and leave a comment if you see what I mean?

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Touching and fun series
*by R***M on July 15, 2008*

I have just finished reading the complete series for the third time. I am always amazed how Tezuka managed to make a book about Buddha which is funny, touching and without pandering for religious groups. It is just the amazing journey of a man to find within himself the promise of peace and self preservation. Tezuka has made the book very witty, and even adlibs here and there with funny characters. If you want to add some variety to your reading, this final series by the brilliant master of drawing, scripting and framing, Osamu Tezuka is strongly recommended. Just read it for fun, without too much of an expectation, or looking to find flaws in the book, since it is linked to a man that becomes enlightened and starts a religion. Tezuka does not proselytize. He was at the end of his life, when writing this series, so he could care less. The series is fresh, and has some innocence to it, a quality that is so hard to find these days... I am sorry if the review sounds very one-dimensional, but I had never read anything by Tezuka, and this series was one of the best comic book series I have ever read.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Buddha, Volume 1: Kapilavastu
- Buddha Four Encouters - Vol. 2
- Devadatta

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*Product available on Desertcart Austria*
*Store origin: AT*
*Last updated: 2026-09-08*