The Jātaka Tales
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The Jātakas are a collection of Indian Buddhist folk stories which were attributed to past lives of the Buddha.
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I begin with some general observations on the gender of the Buddha’s past lives as reported in jataka narratives, followed by a translation of the relevant section from the Ekottarikaagama. Then I compare this Ekottarika-agama version to three other versions of this tale preserved in Pali and Chinese, in particular in relation to the way they deal with the dictum that a woman cannot receive a prediction of future Buddhahood.
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I here present a translation of the fourth decade (stories 31-40) of the Avadānaśataka, using Speyer’s 1906-1909 edition as my base text.
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The prince and his two wives, buddhas of the ten directions, gods and nāgas all shed tears, which collect to form a big lake. Lotus flowers bloom on the lake, and from them spring buddhas. The earth quakes, and rainbows and flowers rain down from the sky.
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In the mixture with rags, strings and pegs together, well it was my image [rūpa].
So in the mixture with bone, flesh and sinews it is the individual rūpa of living beings.
If I divide the body parts apart, there is no individuality by name.
As my love was in rags, so it is in the body. Oh, blind passion! -
Then, when King Brahmadatta had released the elephant, he said in verse:
‘You should now leave, O king of elephants!
Serve your parents and be filial (towards them)!’ -
This article examines the portrayal of justice in the Jataka tales and analyzes how these narratives reflect societal norms and values related to justice in early Indian history.
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The Vessantara Jātaka is not only the most popular of all the Buddhist Jātaka tales, but is important in the tradition as a whole, generally considered by the Theravādin tradition to display the epitome of the Bodhisatta’s perfection of giving (dānapāramī). While most studies have focused on philological approaches, numerous questions as to the text’s structure and how to interpret individual parts within that structure have remained unresolved My study shall employ the theory of ‘chiasmus’ (inverted parallelism) to shed new light on both the key message of the story and also the sub-themes within it.
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Jātakas are often associated with specific locations, both within the land of Buddhism’s birth, and in other parts of Asia. There are records suggesting that such locations became early pilgrimage sites; contemporary sources also make reference to ‘local’ jātakas, which in many cases help to assimilate Buddhism into the local culture through its geography.
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The weaving together of first- and third-person narration in the JA allows the Buddha to identify himself with the story whilst simultaneously stepping back from it.
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In Jainism there is no equivalent path to the bodhisatt(v)a path; the karma that guarantees jinahood is bound a mere two births before that attainment, and the person who attracts that karma cannot do so willfully, nor is he aware of it being bound. There is therefore no Jain equivalent to the ubiquitous jātaka literature. In this paper I will explore what the absence of a jātaka genre in Jain traditions tells us about the genre’s role in Buddhism.
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An overview of Kings and their families in the Jātaka Tales and what their stories say about the ideology of Kingship in ancient India.
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This article offers an edition and translation of the Vyāghrī-jātaka chapter as preserved in the Mahāvastu. The verses show some parallels with those found in the Chinese translation of the Buddha’s biography, Fobenxingji jing (佛本行集經), allowing for an emendation of the text.
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May I too accomplish the transcendent perfection
Of ethical discipline, just like you!
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⭐ Recommended
Short, easy-to-read summaries of all the traditional Jātaka tales.
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… a free online searchable database of jātakas in Indian texts and art
In the Library (5)
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An English translation by Bhikkhu Anandajoti of the first Jātaka story, along with a commentary on the text, which has not been translated until now. This Jataka is of the Buddha as a wise caravan merchant who avoided evil yakkhas and returned home safely with all of his retinue.
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An English translation by Bhikkhu Anandajoti of the second Jātaka story, along with a commentary on the text, which has not been translated until now. This Jātaka offers a lesson in perserverance and effort on the path of awakening.
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An English translation by Bhikkhu Anandajoti of the third Jātaka story, along with a commentary on the text, which has not been translated until now. This Jātaka offers a lesson in faith and honesty in leading toward a good rebirth and progress along the path of awakening.
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