From the Fifty Jātaka
From the Fifty Jātaka

Author:

Publisher: Silkworm Books

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9786162151279

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"For over two thousand years, jātaka--tales of the Buddha's previous lives--have been popular as teaching and entertainment. Apart from the classical jātaka from India, many other jātaka appeared in Southeast Asia and were assembled in collections known conventionally as the "Fifty Jātaka" (Paññāsa Jātaka). Once considered minor and apocryphal, they are now acclaimed as the lifeblood of the region's literature. This book offers the first published translations in English of twenty-one stories from the Thailand collection. The selections include some of the best-known Thai stories, such as Sudhana- Manoharā, the Golden Conch, and Rathasena (Twelve Sisters), among other adventurous quests, accounts of self-sacrifice, moral tales, strings of riddles, and story cycles. Here the tales are translated fully and faithfully in readable English prose with full annotation, an introduction on the background of the stories, and summaries of all sixty-one jātaka in the Thailand collection"--back cover.

Endless Path
Endless Path

Author: Rafe Martin

Publisher: North Atlantic Books

Published: 2011-03-15

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 1583943331

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***WINNER, 2011 Storytelling World Resource Award – Best Storytelling Collection The jataka tales—stories of the Buddha’s past lives (in both human and animal form)—were first said to have been told by the Buddha himself 2,500 years ago. Five hundred and fifty jataka tales comprise part of the oldest Buddhist text, the Pali Canon. From this wealth of folklore, award-winning author and storyteller Rafe Martin has chosen ten tales that illustrate the ideals of the Buddhist paramitas, or “perfections” of character: giving, morality, forbearance, vitality, focused meditation, wisdom, compassionate skillful means, resolve, strength, and knowledge. Artist and designer Richard Wehrman helps bring the spirit of these stories alive with rich illustrations that open each chapter. Endless Path presents these ancient stories, usually reduced to children’s tales in the West, for adults, reconnecting modern seekers with the more imaginative roots of Buddhism. The jatakas help readers see their own lives, their failures and renewed efforts, in the same light as the challenges the Buddha faced—not as obstacles but as opportunities for developing character and self-understanding. Endless Path demonstrates the relevance of these tales to Buddhist lay practitioners today, as well as to those more broadly interested in Buddhist teaching and the ancient art of storytelling.

Jataka Tales: Volume 1
Jataka Tales: Volume 1

Author: Eric Van Horn

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2018-05-11

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 9781719063456

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The Jataka Tales are the Buddhist equivalent of Aesop's Fables. They are morality stories. In the Buddhist cultures of that time, these were the stories that children grew up hearing. They were the popular entertainment. Families would gather together in the evening after the day's work was done and share these tales. And it is from these stories that people learned about the standards of conduct for followers of the Buddha. Like Aesop's Fables, the main characters in these stories can be a king, a merchant, a craftsperson, or an animal. In this collection, which contains the first 50 of the 547 total stories, we learn about a foolish merchant in Jataka #1. We read about a wise monkey who outwits an ogre to save his followers in Jataka 20. In Jataka 19 we learn about the Buddhist reverence for animal life. Jataka 24 tells the story of a brave war horse who saves the kingdom, and the touching relationship between the war horse and his cavalryman. And Jataka 27 tells of the friendship between an elephant and a dog, their separation, and finally the happy ending and their joyous reunion. Not all of the stories are happy ones. There are a number of stories about Devadatta, the monk who tried to kill the Buddha. There are also stories about foolish people, including a dim-witted son who accidentally killed his father and a parallel story about an equally dim-witted daughter who killed her mother. In all these stories represent the whole of the human experience. What we see is that in 2500 years, the spectrum of humanity has not changed at all.

Buddhist Tales for Young and Old, Volume 1
Buddhist Tales for Young and Old, Volume 1

Author: Kurunegoda Piyatissa Maha Thera

Publisher: Pariyatti

Published: 2024-07-11

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1681726769

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Volume 1: Stories of the Enlightenment Being, Jātakas 1–50. Interpreted by Kurunegoda Piyatissa Maha Thera. Stories Told by Todd Anderson. Illustrated by Sally Bienemann, Millie Byrum, Mark Gilson. 2nd edition, revised and enlarged by Kurunegoda Piyatissa Maha Thera and Stephan Hillyer Levitt. Republished by Pariyatti Publishing (2024). ------------------------ The stories published in five volumes, are compiled and interpreted by Ven. Kurunegoda Piyatissa and retold by Todd Anderson (Vols. 1 and 2) and Stephan Hillyer Levitt (Vols. 3,4 and 5). The stories are drawn from ancient Pali and Sinhalese sources, and have been adapted for a modern audience while preserving the original moral and ethical teachings. These stories have been used for centuries in Buddhist education and sermons to teach important values such as compassion, generosity, honesty, and the dangers of greed and craving. They cover a wide range of themes and characters, from princes and kings to animals and mythical beings. They have also influenced literature, art, and architecture across various cultures. The Buddhist Tales for Young and Old series provides a rich collection of stories that can help readers of all ages develop moral and ethical values, as well as a deeper understanding of Buddhist teachings and philosophy. The combination of engaging narratives and beautiful illustrations (volumes 1 and 2) makes these books a valuable resource for both personal and educational purposes. Volume 1: Jātakas 1–50. Volume 2: Jātakas 51–100, 514. Volume 3: Jātakas 101–150. Volume 4: Jātakas 151–200. Volume 5: Jātakas 201–250.

The Thiri Rama
The Thiri Rama

Author: Dawn F. Rooney

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2017-03-27

Total Pages: 390

ISBN-13: 1315313960

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The Thiri Rama – or the Great Rama – was written for court performance and is the only known illustrated version of the Ramayana story in Myanmar. Based on palm-leaf manuscripts and scenes carved on over 300 sandstone plaques at a mid-nineteenth-century Buddhist pagoda west of Mandalay in Myanmar, this book presents an original translation of the Thiri Rama rendered in prose. The volume also includes essays on the history and tradition of the Ramayana in Myanmar as well as the cultural context in which the play was performed. It contains many helpful resources, incorporating a glossary and a list of characters and their corresponding personae in Valmiki’s Ramayana. With over 250 fascinating visuals and core text contributions by distinguished Burmese scholars, U Thaw Kaung, Tin Maung Kyi, and U Aung Thwin, this book will greatly interest scholars and researchers of South and Southeast Asian culture, literary forms, epics, art and art history, theatre and performance studies, religion, especially those concerned with Hinduism, as well as folklorists.