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LESSON โ 20JATAKA TALES
Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.
– Buddha
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I.
KAMMA
REBIRTH
AWAKEN-NESS
BUDDHA
THUS COME ONE
DHARMA
II.
ARHAT
FOUR HOLY TRUTHS
EIGHTFOLD PATH
TWELVEFOLD CONDITIONED ARISING
BODHISATTVA
PARAMITA
SIX PARAMITAS
III.
SIX SPIRITUAL POWERS
SIX PATHS OF REBIRTH
TEN DHARMA REALMS
FIVE SKANDHAS
EIGHTEEN REALMS
FIVE MORAL PRECEPTS
IV.
MEDITATION
MINDFULNESS
FOUR APPLICATIONS OF MINDFULNESS
LOTUS POSTURE
SAMADHI
CHAN SCHOOL
FOUR DHYANAS
FOUR FORMLESS REALMS
V.
FIVE TYPES OF BUDDHIST STUDY AND PRACTICE
MAHAYANA AND HINAYANA COMPARED
PURE LAND
BUDDHA RECITATION
EIGHT CONSCIOUSNESSES
ONE HUNDRED DHARMAS
EMPTINESS
VI.
DEMON
LINEAGE
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The Illustrated Jataka & Other Stories of the Buddha
INTRODUCTION
The Number of the Jataka Stories
To determine the actual number of the Jatakas is, however, a matter of controversy. According to the Niddesa, a book of the Khuddakanikaya (generally, ascribed to Sariputta and Mahakacchana) the total number of the Jatakas is 500. The memoirs of Fah-hian (Faxian), the famous Chinese traveler - who visited Abhayagiri in Sri Lanka and recorded 500 representations of Bodhisatta in successive births - also confirm the above view. The Saketa-Jataka (No.68) states that Sakyamuni Buddha had 1500 births. The Fausbollโs edition contains 547 Jatakas; or the Jataka tales.
Concept of the Buddha and Bodhisatta
As the Jatakas delineate a kaleidoscopic view of the journey of the Bodhisatta (Sanskrit Bodhisattva) undergoing several stages of birth or junctions to become a Buddha the acquaintance with the concepts of the โBuddhaโ and the โBodhisattaโ is of great relevance. Thus in the above context a brief exposition of the meaning and purport of the two aforementioned terms - โthe Buddhaโ and โthe Bodhisattaโ - is being made below.
The Buddha
The Buddha is a generic and appelative name, which must not be confused with one proper name though it commonly refers to Sakyamuni Gotama Buddha (543โ483 B.C.).
Phussa, Vipassi, Sikhi, Vessabhu, Kakusandha, Konagamana, Kassapa, and Gotama, Ajanta
Literally, the โBuddhaโ means โone who has attained Enlightenmentโ. But such an interpretation, with every due respect to a linguistโs query, is not of much consequence to a reader or an audience interested in the stories of the Buddha or the Buddhas. This is because such interpretations can not expound the specific purport of the term used down the ages in a specific context. As โthe meaning of the word lies in its useโ, we must, therefore, try to explore the original meaningof the term as is specifically and contextually used in the Buddhist corpus for its definite connotative comprehension.
The Pali commentaries mention that there are four categories of the Buddha. The first is designative to the Sammasambuddhas or Sabbannu Buddhas (the Omniscient Buddhas). A Sabbannu Buddha is endowed with the ten powers (bala-s) and has the mission to proclaim the saving truth to all beings for their Nibbana (Deliverence). He is therefore called the โSattharoโ (โTeacherโ or โMasterโ) by way of the above characteristic. Further, because a Buddha plays the leading role of a pre-eminent person he is styled as the โBhagavaโ (โLordโ). He is compared with the Universal Monarch (Raja Chakkavatti); and a lion (siha). He is called a โphysicianโ (โbhisakkoโ) because he diagnoses the cause of suffering and prescribes the remedy; a โKinsman of the Sunโ (โAdiccha-Bandhuโ) as he dissipates the darkness of ignorance; a โBuddha Viraโ as he gives shelter to all;an โAnuttaraโ, as he excels all; a โBrahmanaโ (though born in a Khattiya/Chatriya family) because he carries on the sacred tradition and excels in wisdom; self-control; and virtue. In short, a โBuddha is superior to all other beings - human or divine - by his knowledge of the truthโ.
The second category of the Buddha is that of the Paccheka Buddha, which is designative of the Enlightened ones but not bound by the pledge to preach the Way of Deliverence to the world.
The third category of the Buddhas is referent to the Chatusaccha Buddha, who has destroyed the mental defilements or asavas. Finally, we also come across the category of the Bahussuta Buddha designating a learned person.
Nonetheless, the use of the ‘Buddha’ in the Pali literature is generally restricted to Sabbannu or Omniscient Buddha. Since Gotama was a Sabbannu Buddha he, too, is embellished with the epithet of the Buddha; and bears all other epithets applicable to any other Buddha.
Sumedha’s abhinihara-karana or mulanidhana before the Dipankara Buddha,
who was the first Buddha. Sumedha later became Gotama Buddha
Gotama Buddha
Jataka Tales Monkey Stories; The Golden Sand
In the first story, Bodhisattva was born as a monkey. He was the king of eighty thousand monkeys. They lived happily on a mango tree by the side of the river Ganges and ate its tasty fruits. Brahamadatta, the king of Varanasi, on knowing that the mangoes of the tree where the monkeys lived were very delicious and sweet, surrounded the mango tree with his soldiers. They started killing the monkeys with arrows. The monkey king at the risk of his life decided to save the lives of the other monkeys. He found a long thick creeper. He tied one end of the creeper to the mango tree and its other end to his waist, jumped across the river and. When he found that the length not enough for crossing the river, he stretched his body and made a living bridge across the river. His friends crossed to safety by using the bridge consisting of the bamboo pole and the stretched body of their king. Devadatta who was also a monkey was the rival of the monkey king. Devadatta found in this situation an easy opportunity for killing the monkey king. He jumped on him violently. The monkey king’s fell on a rock. When Brahamadatta saw the supreme sacrifice of the monkey king his heart filled with sorrow. The Bodhisattva before dying gave a sermon to Brahamadatta. Brahamadatta performed the last rites of the monkey king with honour and respect.
There are four more stories, enjoy.
Author โ Ven. Weragoda Sarada Maha Thero
In its latest publishing effort, the Singapore Buddhist Meditation Centre will bring out an illustrated version of the Jataka Stories. (Traditionally, it is assumed that there are 547 birth stories,) This monumental work will present to the world, the first-ever fully illustrated edition of the Jataka Stories in English. The present version of the Jataka Stories< ?xml:namespace prefix = o />
Number of pages: 1500 ( about ) (Hardcover - A4 size)
- Jฤtaka Storia della tigre affamatta
The Jฤtaka Tales (Sanskrit เคเคพเคคเค and Pali, Malay: jetaka, Lao: satok) refer to a voluminous body of folklore-like literature concerning the previous births (jฤti) of the Buddha. The word most specifically refers to a text division of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism, included in the Khuddaka Nikaya of the Sutta Pitaka. Jatakaalso refers to the traditional commentary on this book.
The canonical book itself comprises 547 poems, arranged roughly by increasing number of verses. According to Professor von Hinรผber, only the last 50 were intended to be intelligible by themselves, without commentary. The commentary gives stories in prose that it claims provide the context for the verses, and it is these stories that are of interest to folklorists. Alternative versions of some of the stories can be found in another book of the Pali Canon, the Cariyapitaka, and a number of individual stories can be found scattered around other books of the Canon.
Many of the stories found in the Jataka have been found in numerous other languages and media โ many of them being translations from the Pali but others are instead derived from vernacular traditions prior to the Pali compositions[citation needed].
Sanskrit (see for example the Jatakamala) and Tibetan Jataka stories tend to maintain the Buddhist morality of their Pali equivalents, but re-tellings of the stories in Persian and other languages sometimes contain significant amendments to suit their respective cultures.
Apocrypha
Within the Pali tradition, there are also many apocryphal Jatakas of later composition (some dated even to the 19th century) but these are treated as a separate category of literature from the “Official” Jataka stories that have been more-or-less formally canonized from at least the 5th century โ as attested to in ample epigraphic and archaeological evidence, such as extant illustrations in bas relief from ancient temple walls. Some of the apocryphal Jatakas (in Pali) show direct appropriations from Hindu sources, with amendments to the plots to better reflect Buddhist morals.
Buddhism
In Theravada countries, several of the longer Jataka tales are still performed in dance, theatre, and formal (quasi-ritual) recitation to this day, and several are associated with particular holidays on the Lunar Calendar used by Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.
Translations
The standard Pali collection of jatakas, with canonical text embedded, has been translated by E. B. Cowell and others, originally published in six volumes by Cambridge University Press, 1895-1907; reprinted in three volumes, Pali Text Society[2], Bristol. There are also numerous translations of selections and individual stories from various languages.
source Wikipedia
- movie from www.jatakkatha.com
All ancient civilizations had taken upon them the responsibility of maintaining moral values in society. Though they had different value systems, yet a common factor in those times was propagating moral teachings through storytelling. In Buddhist communities too, Jataka tales were a major source for inculcating in people a deep sense of moral values. The Jataka tales date back to the third century BC and are considered the oldest form of story-narrating practice. Lack of literacy in those days necessitated the appointment ofJataka storytellers known as Jataka bhanakas. The Jataka bhanakas would travel far and wide to propagate the message of kindness, compassion, generosity, non-violence, self-sacrifice, charity, refrainment from greed etc. through these stories. The Buddha himself used jataka stories to explain concepts like kamma and rebirth and to emphasize the importance of certain moral values.
The Jataka tales depict the Buddha in several of his births in the form of animals. These stories, though simple, are high on moral content considered good for oneโs emotional, moral and spiritual health. The Buddha is the protagonist and the central character in each of these stories.
Over a couple of thousand years old, the Jataka tales are just as relevant in content in the modern times. Perhaps, even more so. Living in fragmented and nucleus families, children grow up on a staple diet of violence and other negative traits they pick up from the TV. They do not have the luxury of having the good olโ granny to educate them with moral teachings imparted by such stories. In cultures where joint family systems are in practice, one would find children well endowed with moral bearings and emotional strength.
The Jataka tales have stood the test of time and will continue to do so, as long as man remains in material pursuit and is led by greed and selfishness.
Changing times have necessitated the use of new technology to narrate these Jataka tales to the young generation, which we have through the medium of animated stories. However, ample care has been taken to project the original messages in these tales without diluting their moral content.
Source : http://www.jatakkatha.com/
| THE JATAKA TALES | |
|
Written and directed by Andrew Lines |
Many of the paintings illustrate stories from the Jataka tales, which are moralistic tales of the Buddha’s previous lives. The Mahajanaka Jataka describes the future Buddha’s birth as a prince named Mahajanaka. Mahajanaka’s kingdom was usurped by his wicked uncle, and Mahajanaka became a merchant to gain the fortune that would allow him to regain his kingdom, in the process having many adventures. After many years his uncle died without sons, and his daughter Sivali was only allowed to marry a man who fulfilled certain conditions. Mahajanaka was able to do these, and so he married her and regained his kingdom.
This picture shows a scene from palace life, in which Mahajanaka sit on his throne, watching a dance performance arranged for his amusement by Sivali, who clearly has eyes only for him. Their high status is clearly shown by their rich jewelry and ornamentation, and by the servants surrounding them.
For awhile all was well, but as time went by Mahajanaka became increasingly disenchanted with the attractions of worldly life, seeing them all as a mirage. Sivali was heartbroken, and made many attempts to change his mind, but was unable to do so. Mahajanaka eventually renounced his kingship to become a wandering ascetic, a life story that carries strong parallels with that of Siddhartha, the historical Buddha).
This picture shows Mahajanaka leaving the palace to take up life as a renunciant ascetic.
As part of his ascetic initiation, Prince Mahajanaka received a ritual bath that symbolically cleansed him from the elements of his past life, and marking the transition between householder and renunciant life. This picture shows Mahajanaka getting his bath, surrounded by his attendants.
This picture, a detail of Mahajanaka’s bath picture, shows servants from the palace carrying jars of water for his bath. Of particular interest is the dwarf at the bottom of the picture who is shown handing a jar of water to a young attendant.
In this final scene, the newly initiated monk is sitting with his begging bowl in hand, surrounded by women who have come to give him alms. Giving alms to a newly ordained monk is believed to generate great religious merit.
In this final scene, the newly initiated monk is sitting with his begging bowl in hand, surrounded by women who have come to give him alms. Giving alms to a newly ordained monk is believed to generate great religious merit.
Jataka Tales, like the tales of panchatantra are very old and have a long tradition of being passed on from generation to generation serving as source for moral behaviour for humans in general. These stories are stories of wisdom, and morals written around 300 B.C in a language called PALI, which were later translated and distributed to people across the world. These stories are mainly about past incarnations of Buddha, and are meant to teach the values of self-sacrifice, honesty, morality and other didactic values to a common person. They are a total of 547 in number. They really make interesting reading just like the counterparts in Panchatantra.
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Jataka Tales: A Window Into Buddhist India
By Cherian Philipose, The Epoch Times, Oct 28, 2008
Taipei, Taiwan – The teachings of the Buddha have contained both doctrine and stories. Buddhism has traditionally been taught by monks in societies that have been illiterate. Most people could not read the scriptures. Not everyone could comprehend subtle intellectual concepts. Therefore, the Buddha used stories to communicate spiritual truths.
The Jataka Tales are part of this tradition. They are tales told by the Buddha about his previous lives. In these narratives, the Buddha is always referred to as the Bodhisattva (a spiritual practitioner who has not yet reached perfection).
The literature of early Buddhism is always illuminating. The ideas found in it are quite contemporary. Buddhist doctrine did not confine itself to the notion of enlightenment. It often dealt with social issues. In the Buddhaโs time animal sacrifice was quite common. He opposed the practice, teaching that those who killed animals would accumulate karma for their actions. They would have to pay it back.
Today, the idea of animal rights is well established. Those who campaign for animal rights, however, may not believe in karma. Their concern is often simply to prevent, or at least reduce, cruelty to animals.
We use animals, for our profit and our pleasure. Australia exports millions of sheep to the Muslim world to be slaughtered for Ramadan. Activists are rightly concerned about the manner in which the sheep are transported. They do not like the fact that the sheep are killed in a brutal fashion once they reach their destination.
The response to the manner is which we treat animals, is interesting. There are people who are vegetarian for political reasons. Some are vegan. The shift in the public mind, has led to supermarkets that sell free-range eggs and free range chicken.
The world is of course, increasingly committed to animal rights, as it remains committed to human rights. There is much greater awareness now, that the whole planet is interlinked, and that what we do to it, comes back to us.
It is quite possible then, that in a subtle way, we are moving back towards the idea of karma.
The Goat that Laughed & Cried
(It is important to note that in his past lives, the Buddha is known as the Boddhisattva)
The Buddha was assembled along with his disciples at a time when many people were sacrificing animals in a Feast for the Dead. They believed the animals had to be killed in order to feed their dead ancestors.
The monks asked Buddha if he thought these sacrifices did any good. He replied that they did not. He said one accumulated karma by doing this and one suffer for it later. Then, he told the following story:
โDuring the reign of Brahmadatta, in the city of Benares, there lived a Brahmin. One day, he told two of his disciples to take his goat down to the river and sacrifice it for The Feast of the Dead. His sons bathed and groomed the animal and began to lead the goat down to the river. At that moment, the goat remembered the deeds it had committed in its past lives. It became overjoyed that on that day it would be freed from its misery. In its happiness, it burst out laughing. A little later, when it realized that the Brahmin would pay a price for killing it, it was moved to compassion and started crying. The disciples were amazed.
They asked the goat. โTell us why you laughed earlier and why you cry now.โ
The goat replied, โAsk me this question in front of your master.โ
The Brahminโs sons led the goat back to their master and told him what had happened. After hearing the story, the Brahmin asked the goat why it had cried and why it had wept.
One being asked that question, the goat remembered its past lives very clearly.
It replied โIn the past, O Brahmin, I too, was like you, well-versed in the scriptures. In order to make an offering for the Feast of the Dead, I sacrificed a goat. For the karma I accumulated from sacrificing that goat; I have had my head cut off lifetime after lifetime. So far, my head has been cut off 499 times. This will be my last time and after this I shall have repaid my karma for that deed. I laughed because I was happy at the prospect that I would at last be set free from this crime. I cried because I felt great compassion for you. I knew that you too would have your head cut off 500 times.โ
When the Brahmin heard this, he was greatly moved.
โDo not fear, goat,โ he said. โI shall not kill you.โ
โWhatโs this you say, Brahmin?โ cried the goat. โYour protection is too weak. I am destined to die today and the force of my karma is much greater than the force of your protection.โ
The Brahmin ordered his disciples to set the goat free and make sure that no one hurt it wherever it wandered.
As soon as the goat was set free, it stretched out its neck to eat the leaves of a bush growing near a rock. At that moment, a bolt of lightning struck the rock. A huge piece of the rock broke off and hit the goat on its outstretched neck. Its head was severed instantly. People came running and gathered round to stare.
In those days, the Bodhisattva was a Tree-Fairy. And now he floated cross-legged above the people. He thought, โIf only these people knew the truth about evil-doing, perhaps they would stop killing.โ In a honeyed voice, he began to give the people a teaching on karma and reincarnation.
When those people heard the teaching, their inner wisdom awakened. They gave up animal sacrifice and spent the rest of their lives in acts of charity. When they died, they went up to Heaven.โ
When the Buddha finished the story, he told the monks, โIn that life, O monks, I was the Tree-Fairy.โ
The Power of a rumour
A hare resting under a banyan tree had a premonition of doom.
โWhat would happen to me if the earth were to break up?โ he wondered. Suddenly, there was a โthudโ followed by a rumbling sound.
โItโs happened,โ thought the hare, โthe earthโs breaking up!โ
He jumped up and ran.
โWhy are you running?โ asked a hare who crossed his path.
โThe earthโs breaking up!โ shouted the hare. โYouโd better run too.โ
The second hare ran so fast he overtook the first.
โThe earthโs breaking up, the earthโs breaking up!โ he shouted to other hares he passed. Soon thousands of hares were scampering through the forest.
Other animals got caught up in the panic. The word spread from mouth to mouth, and soon everyone knew: the earth was breaking up.
It was not long before the whole jungle was on the move. Reptiles, insects, birds and four-footed animals fled in wild disorder, and their cries of terror filled the air.
A lion standing on a hillock, saw the animals coming and wondered what was going on. He hastened down and positioning himself in front of the horde called for it to stop.
His commanding presence stemmed the rising tide of panic among the animals.
โThe earth is breaking up!โ shrieked a parrot, alighting on a rock near him.
โWho says so?โ
โI heard it from the monkeys.”
The monkeys said they had heard it from the tigers, who said their informants were the elephants, who gave the buffaloes as their source.When the hares were finally implicated they pointed one to another until the one who had started it all was identified.
โWhat makes you think the earth is breaking up?โ the lion asked him.
โI heard it cracking with my own ears, sire,โ squeaked the hare, trembling in fear.
The lion investigated the sound the hare had heard and found that it had been caused by a large coconut falling from a tree. It had landed on a pile of rocks, causing a minor landslide.
โGo back to your homes,โ said the lion to the animals who had been running away, and who were now looking very foolish. โThe earthโs safe. Next time, check a rumour before acting on it.โ
Deer Stories
The Hindus believe that all living creatures die to be born again. Siddhartha who became the Buddha was no exception. Legend has it that several lifetimes as a Bodhisattva went into the making of the Buddha, the Enlightened One. The Bodhisattva has come in many forms โ man, monkey, deer, elephant and lion. Whatever his mortal body, he has spread the message of justice and wisdom, tempered with compassion. This wisdom of right thinking and right living is preserved in the Jataka tales. These tales are based on the folklore, legends and ballads of ancient India. We cannot assign a definite date to the Jataka stories. Taking into account archaeological and literary evidence it appears that they were compiled in the period, the 3rd Century B.C. to the 5th Century A.D. They give us invaluable information about ancient Indian civilization, culture and philosophy. This volume of deer stories will keep the children amused, while never failing to point out the ultimate triumph of good over evil.
The Mouse Merchant
The Hindus believe that all living creatures die to be born again. Siddhartha who became the Buddha was no exception. It is believed that several lifetimes as a Bodhisattva go into the making of the Buddha, the Enlightened One. The Bodhisattva has come in many forms โ man, monkey, deer, elephant and lion. Whatever his mortal body, he has spread the message of justice and wisdom, tempered with compassion.
This wisdom of right thinking and right living is preserved in the Jataka tales. These tales are based on the folklore, legends and ballads of ancient India. We cannot assign a definite date to the Jataka stories. Taking into account archaeological and literary evidence it appears that they were compiled in the period, the 3rd Century B.C. to the 5th Century A.D. They give us invaluable information about ancient Indian civilization, culture and philosophy. This volume of Jataka tales will keep the children amused, while never failing to point out the ultimate
Stories Of Wisdom
All living creatures die to be born again, so the Hindus believe. The Buddha was no exception. Legend has it that several lifetimes as a Bodhisattva went into the making of the Buddha, the Enlightened one. br>The Bodhisattva came in many forms โ man, monkey, deer, elephant, lion. Whatever his mortal body, he spread the message of justice and wisdom, tempered with compassion. This wisdom, the wisdom of right thinking and right living, is preserved in the Jataka tales.
Buddhist Animal Wisdom Stories: Artist’s Statement
Left: The Beetle and the Elephant
For larger view click on image.
My first knowledge of Buddhist Animal Wisdom Stories came to me when I was a graduate student at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, in the early 1970’s. Along with my major study of painting, I also pursued a minor study in Oriental art history. In those studies I first encountered Buddhism and was immediately drawn to its gentle, introspective spiritual path. I can recall my professor’s lectures on the Indian relief carvings that depicted some of the Jataka Tales, the stories of the Buddha’s previous reincarnations in various animal forms.
Right: The Falcon and the Waterfowl
This stimulus lay dormant for twenty years until in the early 1990’s when I was working on a body of paintings based on Lakota and Dakota Animal Wisdom Stories. This project was undertaken as part of a reconciliation effort between the native people of South Dakota and the dominant white culture. As I was working on this series I recalled the Buddhist stories and decided to do a project based on the Jataka Tales. I had since become a practicing lay Buddhist and wished to use my talents to express some of the qualities I had found in my studies of Buddhism.
Left: The Fearful Elephant
But the decade of the 1990’s became filled with other projects dealing with world religions and two series of portraits and interviews with religious elders. When I was finishing the last group of portraits in 1999, I began to research the Jataka Tales and prepare for the long delayed Buddhist Animal Wisdom Stories project. I found that the Jataka was a body of ancient Pali Buddhist scripture that described 550 previous lives of the Buddha before he was born in his final human form. When this happened in the late 6th century BC, he found complete enlightenment that released him from any future rebirth. This is in accordance with the widely held Indian belief in karma which in its simplest form is cause and effect โ everything we do in this life shapes our current existence and the kind of life we will be born into in our next life. In the 550 previous lives of the Buddha, he had taken on a multitude of animal forms and human roles. In each life his noble and compassionate deeds moved him higher and higher toward his final greatness
Right: The Fish and the Tortoise
I searched for any and all published versions of animal Jatakas, sometimes finding four or five versions of the same story. To conclude my research at the end of 1999 I made a three-week research/pilgrimage trip to India. My intent was to travel the Buddhist pilgrimage path for my personal spiritual growth and to search for more Jataka tales. I also planned to do sketches and photographic research to aid me in creating the illustrations in my studio at home. All that I had planned happened, but not at all as I had planned. I rapidly learned that India is immune to Western planning and will shape and teach the visitor as she wishes.
Left: The Jackal and the Crow
In Bodh Gaya, the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment, I had a remarkable find, a late 19th century compilation by E. B. Cromwell of the complete 550 Jataka tales. During the trip I produced about 70 sketches and took hundreds of photographs that were to prove invaluable in creating the paintings. While the trip was extremely demanding and difficult it was a great success in preparing for this project
Right: The Lion and the Woodpecker
Back at the studio, I began the task of selecting which stories I would work with in my series. It was a difficult job but I finally arrived at a choice of 37 stories that were selected for their moral teachings. The original tales were told in a rather stiff and somewhat difficult style of writing for today’s reader. I have chosen to retell the stories in a voice that speaks to contemporary Americans. I look at the stories as teaching lessons to the monks who were following the Buddha. He used parables to teach morals and virtues in much the same way that Jesus of Nazareth used parables to teach his disciples and followers. Monastic groups, even the Buddha’s, struggle with the same problems any group of people encounter when trying to form a community. The Buddha used these stories as one way to teach his monks how to live together harmoniously and learn the virtues that were at the core of his teachings.
Left: Mother Mouse
How many of these stories were original creations of the Buddha? How many were traditional folklore? How many were added after his death? We will never know the answers to these questions. We do know they are stories that deal with compassion, loving kindness, avoiding trickery, the importance and responsibility of leadership, harmony, the evils of intoxication, ungratefulness, greediness, the danger of addiction, the certainty of change, the price of deceit, the importance of education, the respect and care for elders, tolerance, generosity, false holiness, overcoming fear, the safety of familiar ground, the care needed in delegating duties, the danger of false praise, the consequences of talking too much, the necessity of looking ahead, the cruelty of hunting, the relative nature of beauty, the joys of friendship, knowing one’s limits, and many more. They are stories using animal parables to deal with the basic human condition, and they are every bit as relevant today as they were 2,500 years ago.
Right: The Otter and the Jackal
You will find some tales that have a very close resemblance to stories you have heard from other traditions, especially the Greek. The tale of The Jackal and Crow is very similar to The Fox and Crow in Aesop’s Fables. The Golden Mallard has many similarities to The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg, and there are others with resemblances. I do not know who borrowed from whom. Alexander the Great invaded India in 4th century BC and there was considerable cultural exchange. Stories certainly could have, and probably did, flow in both directions. In the early 1990’s when I was researching Lakota and Dakota Animal Wisdom Stories I found a nearly identical tale to The Talkative Tortoise listed as a traditional Dakota story. How did it get there? The mobility of wonderful animal stories seems to naturally flow from one culture to another. It is a tribute to the similarity of the human condition regardless of specific culture.
Left: The Partridge and the Hawk
My hope is that you will enjoy these stories and illustrations as much as I enjoyed researching, painting, and bringing them to you
Right: The Weak-Willed Wolf
Recent Showings–2002- Buddhist Animal Wisdom Stories, Isaac Lincoln Gallery, NSU, Aberdeen, SD; 2002 -Designs of Faith, paintings & essays, St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN; 2001 -Designs of Faith, paintings & essays, Mizel Museum of Judaica, Denver, CO; 2001- Elders of the Benedictines, portraits and interviews, Bede Gallery, Mount Marty College, Yankton, SD. Mark W. McGinnis - 1980-2000 - Major Projects showed at the Visual Art center, Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, SD.
Other shows in 2000 included Designs of Faith, paintings & essays, Steensland Art Museum, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN, Elders of the Benedictines, Isaac Lincoln Gallery, NSU, Aberdeen, SD, Studies for Designs of Faith, watercolors, Nobles County Art Center, Worthington, MN,Watercolor Sketches from India, Student Center Gallery, NSU, Aberdeen, SD.
Call Mark W. McGinnis at 605-229-5898 or 605-626-2515. Fax: 605-626-2263. E-Mail: mcginnim@northern.edu
Left: The Wind Antelop
Right: Granny’s Blackie