THE JATAKAS
THE JATAKAS

Author: Sarah Shaw

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2006-06-08

Total Pages: 495

ISBN-13: 818475034X

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When my concentrated mind was purified; I directed it to the knowledge of the recollection of past lives’ —The Buddha on the night of his enlightenment Associated with the living traditions of folk tale; drama and epic; the Jatakas recount the development of the Bodhisatta—the being destined to become the present Buddha in his final life—not just through the events of one lifetime but of hundreds. Written in Pali; the language of the Theravada Buddhist canon; the Jatakas comprise one of the largest and oldest collections of stories in the world dating from the fifth century BCE to the third century CE. Generations in South and South-East Asia have grown up with these tales. This volume contains twenty-six stories drawn from various ancient sources; and each story reflects one of the ten perfections—giving; restraint; renunciation; wisdom; strength; acceptance; truthfulness; resolve; loving kindness and equanimity. A detailed introduction elaborates on the ten perfections; explains the forms of enlightenment as well as the structure; and the historical and geographical contexts of the stories. Sarah Shaw brings to life the teachings of Buddhism for the scholar and lay reader alike.

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.

Jātakas in South Indian Art
Jātakas in South Indian Art

Author: B. Subrahmanyam

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13:

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Early Buddhist monastic establishements of south India between 2nd centry B.C. and 5th century A.d. were embellished with sculptural panels depicting the life events of the Buddha and his former births. These visual barratives were created with a view to educate the pilgrims patrons and also general public about the morals and ethics contained in them. Though the sculptural panels depicted with jatakas recovered form various with jatakas recovered from various sites were published in differennt journals and excavation reports some of them were left untouched and unidentified perhaps due to lack of interest and research on this particular aspect.

A Companion to World Literature
A Companion to World Literature

Author: Ken Seigneurie

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Published: 2020-01-10

Total Pages: 3808

ISBN-13: 9781118635193

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A Companion to World Literature is a far-reaching and sustained study of key authors, texts, and topics from around the world and throughout history. Six comprehensive volumes present essays from over 300 prominent international scholars focusing on many aspects of this vast and burgeoning field of literature, from its ancient origins to the most modern narratives. Almost by definition, the texts of world literature are unfamiliar; they stretch our hermeneutic circles, thrust us before unfamiliar genres, modes, forms, and themes. They require a greater degree of attention and focus, and in turn engage our imagination in new ways. This Companion explores texts within their particular cultural context, as well as their ability to speak to readers in other contexts, demonstrating the ways in which world literature can challenge parochial world views by identifying cultural commonalities. Each unique volume includes introductory chapters on a variety of theoretical viewpoints that inform the field, followed by essays considering the ways in which authors and their books contribute to and engage with the many visions and variations of world literature as a genre. Explores how texts, tropes, narratives, and genres reflect nations, languages, cultures, and periods Links world literary theory and texts in a clear, synoptic style Identifies how individual texts are influenced and affected by issues such as intertextuality, translation, and sociohistorical conditions Presents a variety of methodologies to demonstrate how modern scholars approach the study of world literature A significant addition to the field, A Companion to World Literature provides advanced students, teachers, and researchers with cutting-edge scholarship in world literature and literary theory.

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.