TIBETAN BUDDHISM What Is Buddhism?

7. TIBETAN BUDDHISM

What Is Buddhism?

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  A belief in reincarnation lineages of certain lamas (known as tulkas) such as the Dalai Lama.
  
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  A practice wherein lost or hidden ancient scriptures (called termas) are recovered by spiritual masters.
  
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  The belief that a Buddha can be manifest in human form such as in the person of Padmasambhava, the saint who brought Tibetan Buddhism to the Himalayas in A.D. 774.
  

Monasticism is also a key feature of Tibetan Buddhism. It is estimated that 25% of the entire population of Tibet was monastic from the 16^th century up to the Chinese invasion. There were thousands of monasteries in Tibet, and nearly all were ransacked and destroyed by Chinese communists. However most of the major ones have been at least partially re-established.

Hergé’s interest in Tibetan Buddhism was sparked by Alexandra David-Neel, a pioneering western Tibetologist. A prolific writer, it was David-Neel’s many books published in the 1930s (including such lively titles as With Mystics and Magicians in Tibet) that were the principle source of Hergé’s highly authentic and sympathetic depiction of the religion. The details of the rituals, costumes, monasteries and philosophy found in Tintin in Tibet were largely drawn from David-Neel’s writing.

A comic book is a magazine or book containing sequential frames of art work in the form of a narrative. Comic books are generally referred to as comics for short. However whilst this name implies comedy, the subject matter in comic books is not necessarily humorous. And in fact its dramatic seriousness varies widely.

Like jazz, rock and roll and Westerns comic books are a rare indigenous American art form. Since the invention of the comic book format in the 1930s, the United States has been the leading producer of comics, with only the British comic (during the inter-war period through to the 1970s) and Japanese manga coming close in terms of quantity.

Since their invention in the late 1930s, the superhero comic book has developed into a rich and complex genre. Like any artistic genre the superhero comic has its own clearly defined set of rules and conventions. These rules can act as useful guidelines for dreaming up your own comic book hero.

The name of your hero will doubtlessly be the name of your comic (Tintin being a prime example), so choose this very carefully. Above all keep it simple – the name Superman is hardly a work of genius - likewise Wonderwoman or Spiderman - yet these names have brought their characters huge popularity and lasting appeal. In fact your name cannot be too simple, and will preferably describe either what the character looks like (Batman), what their personality’s like (Dennis the Menace), or what they do (Elastigirl from The Incredibles).

For your hero to actually be super they need some unique and special abilities. Sometimes these are special powers beyond the capabilities of mortal human beings (Superman can fly, Spiderman can climb up walls etc), although this is by no means essential. Some heroes are just normal people, but normal people with extraordinary or extreme qualities. These characters are often defined in part by their job – Tintin for example is a newspaper reporter (an incredibly adventurous one) and Minnie the Minx is a schoolgirl (an unbelievably naughty one).

The next question to ask is how did they end up being so special? To make comic book heroes authentic their past should be as ridiculous as possible. Some good examples include Spiderman (bitten by a radioactive spider); Superman (crashed to earth on a meteorite from the planet Krypton); Batman (witnesses his parents’ murder by muggers and decides to fight crime dressed as a bat); and most ridiculous of all Wonderwoman (from a race of eternally young amazonian women discovered on a pacific island and drafted in to fight the Nazis)!

When creating the now legendary Simpsons, cartoonist Matt Groening followed this most simple of rules: make sure your character is regonisable in silhouette. The most successful product of this rule is Mickey Mouse, as half the population of the world can identify him just from the outline of his head. Tintin is instantly recognisable too, primarily from his trade- mark quiff.

The silhouette rule does not mean however that colour is not important. In a predominantly visual medium, superheroes are defined and identified by what they wear. The design of their costume – no matter how outlandish or simple – is crucial. Bold, primary colours are good (just picture Superman or Dennis The Menace), however something more simple can work too. Tintin’s blue jumper, or Bart Simpson’s orange t-shirt may not seem integral to the character, but if their clothing was suddenly changed it would immediately seem strange and disorientating.

A well formulated catchphrase and strong pose or symbol will make your character more memorable. It will also help you generate millions of pounds in marketing revenue.

Catchphrases: “To infinity and beyond” (Buzz Lightyear); “My wings are like a shield of steel” (Batfink); “Eat my shorts” (Bart Simpson). “ Blistering Barnacles” (Captain Haddock).

Even the toughest superheroes rarely work alone. The trusty sidekick is a staple of the genre, and can prove very useful in creating variation and complexity in the narrative. Furthermore it is often essential for generating dialogue - as it gives our heroes somebody to talk to about the challenges they face. Classic comic book partnerships include Tintin and Snowy, Asterix and Obelix and Batman and Robin.

What would Batman be without Catwoman, the Penguin, the Joker and the Riddler? What would Tintin do if he didn’t have baddies like General Alcazar and Rastapopoulos to contend with? Villains are invariably generated using the same sets of rules as the heroes, except of course that they use their special powers for evil, selfish causes.