Jataka Tales of the Buddha (Volume I)
Jataka Tales of the Buddha (Volume I)

Author: Ken and Visakha Kawasaki

Publisher: Pariyatti Publishing

Published: 2018-02-15

Total Pages: 489

ISBN-13: 168172104X

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Whereas Western intellectuals seek the essence of Buddhism in its doctrines and meditation practices, the traditional Buddhists of Asia absorb the ideas and values of their spiritual heritage through its rich narrative literature about the Buddha and his disciples. The most popular collection of Buddhist stories is, without doubt, the Jatakas. These are the stories of the Buddha's past births, relating his experiences as he passed from life to life on the way to becoming a Buddha. At times he takes the form of a bird, at times he is born as a hare, a monkey, a prince, a merchant, or an ascetic, but in each case he uses the challenges he meets to grow in generosity, virtue, patience, wisdom, and compassion.This anthology of Jatakas, ably told by Ken and Visakha Kawasaki, remains faithful to the original yet presents the stories in clear and simple language. It thereby makes the Jatakas accessible even to young readers and to those for whom English is not their first language.

Jataka Tales of the Buddha (Volume III)
Jataka Tales of the Buddha (Volume III)

Author: Ken and Visakha Kawasaki

Publisher: Pariyatti Publishing

Published: 2018-02-15

Total Pages: 470

ISBN-13: 1681723735

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Whereas Western intellectuals seek the essence of Buddhism in its doctrines and meditation practices, the traditional Buddhists of Asia absorb the ideas and values of their spiritual heritage through its rich narrative literature about the Buddha and his disciples. The most popular collection of Buddhist stories is, without doubt, the Jatakas. These are the stories of the Buddha's past births, relating his experiences as he passed from life to life on the way to becoming a Buddha. At times he takes the form of a bird, at times he is born as a hare, a monkey, a prince, a merchant, or an ascetic, but in each case he uses the challenges he meets to grow in generosity, virtue, patience, wisdom, and compassion.This anthology of Jatakas, ably told by Ken and Visakha Kawasaki, remains faithful to the original yet presents the stories in clear and simple language. It thereby makes the Jatakas accessible even to young readers and to those for whom English is not their first language.

When the Buddha Was an Elephant
When the Buddha Was an Elephant

Author: Mark W. McGinnis

Publisher: Shambhala Publications

Published: 2015-12-01

Total Pages: 97

ISBN-13: 0834803208

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The Buddhist Jataka tales are simple lessons in living with honesty, wisdom, and compassion that contain the power to transform the hearts and minds of those who hear them. They are stories of the Buddha’s past lives—in such forms as a boar, a parrot, a monkey, or a peacock—that have enchanted children and adults for millennia. Their animal characters powerfully and sometimes humorously demonstrate the virtues and foibles to which we humans are prone, and they point the way to more enlightened ways of living. Mark McGinnis retells the Jatakas in poetic and accessible language, rendering the Buddhist teachings they contain abundantly clear. Each tale is brought to life by Mark’s full-color illustration, making the book a visually stunning entrée to this edifying and highly entertaining literary tradition.

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.

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.