Reading Notes 10.1 Jataka Tales, Part B

Part B of the Jatakas:

Bibliography: Jataka Tales from the Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie Shedlock.


Bull That Demanded Fair Treatment

• Bodisat = bull, called Nandi Visala by the Brahmin who had brought him up
• Bodisat tells Brahmin to go bet on his strength
• a hundred carts (small wagons made for two bullocks) with sand and gravel and stones, ranged them all in a row, and tied them all firmly together, cross-bar to axle-tree
• Brahmin calls Bodisat a wretch...bet lost
• Bodisat tells Brahmin that the loss was his fault since he sat down and called him a wretch for no reason, tells Brahmin to go bet again
• Bodisat pulls all 100 with encouragement and support of Brahmin

The Bull That Proved His Gratitude

• Bodisat = bull, raised by old woman
• known as "The old woman's Blackie"
• Bodisat wants to earn money so the "mom" doesn't have to work
• He pulls 500 carts, caravan people thought they could trick him, but he was smart and did not move out of their way until he was rewarded the promised amount
• went to mom and she was delighted, but also inquisitive as to why he would exhaust himself that his eyes were bloodshot
• the women bathed, fed, and comforted the bull
• at the end both passed away together

Horse That Held Out to the End

• Buddha = horse
• made THE HORSE = King's Destrier 
• King of Benares is threatened to either give up kingdom or to fight by 7 kings passing Benares
• Destrier was taken by the Knight to help in the capturing of the seven kings, each one was brought back and made prisoner.
• at 6th camp horse was wounded and the knight took off the armor of the horse to suit up another one
• horse was determined to not let his king down and told the knight to suit him back up
• 7th king captured and brought back
• Horse requests the king of Benares to bind the other kings by oath and let them return home instead of killing them
• the horse passed away after he had requested the king while his armor was being removed
• King returned the other kings to their respective homes and ruled with justice and righteousness until his death

The Monkey That Saved the Herd

• Buddha = King of Monkeys
• trees in this forest that are poisoned, and lakes that are haunted by ogres. Eat no fruit and drink no water of which you have not already tasted without consulting me
• water-ogre saw that they were not invading his domain he appeared in the form of a terrible monster with a blue belly, a white face, and bright red hands and feet
• Orge gets power via those who drink the lake water
• King tours the whole forest via hollowed cane
• monkeys drank via cane...ogre leaves in rage since he could not get the monkeys to fall under his control

The Mallard That Asked for Too Much

• Buddha = Brahmin 
• married, 3 daughters
• after death born again as Golden Mallard
• feathers = gold, goes back to give wife and daughters each a feather so that they may live in comfort
• soon they are wealthy and mom gets greedy 
• tried to convince the girls that who knows if and when their "dad" will come back so the best thing to do is to pluck him clean
• girls refuse...mom does against the Golden Mallard's wishes
• feathers turn to crane feather
• new feathers aren't gold they are white and he flies away never to come back

Golden Mallard

Week 10 Story: Oh Silly Hare

There once existed a nervous and ever dreadful hare, Demar, who got frightened at the slightest of sounds. He was born to strong and loving parents, who could not understand why in the world their child was always so afraid. When the parents, Delia and Somar were around Demar was a bit less easily rattled. One nice spring day Delia and Somar went to visit some relatives leaving Demar with a a family friends, the Lion. Demar loved Lion like an uncle and thought he was smart and strong. Lion took Demar to park nearby with many blooming trees.

While playing, Demar ran into a tree and caused a fruit to fall down. Demar could not see the fallen fruit and assumed the worst was happening, "the earth is collapsing!" Shouting over and over again that the earth was collapsing Demar ran as fast as he could. Lion tried to stop him, but the young one was just to fast for him. Demar ran past a few other hares in the parks and they started running as well when they heard what Demar was shouting. Soon the birds heard and told the deer who were grassing on the perennials. The wild boars saw the massive group of animals running all shouting that "the earth is collapsing" and started running also. Not much time later the tigers, lions, elephants, buffalos, monkeys, and camels had joined in and were shouting "the earth is collapsing" at the top of their lungs.

The Lion who was left behind at the park by Demar finally caught him and made him stop. Demar was so afraid that he was fighting his uncle to let him go so he could continue to run. At this point the Lion was utterly confused as to why Demar would think that the earth is collapsing. He had Demar explain what he had encountered to make him think that. Demar reiterated how he had ran into a tree trunk and heard a loud crack sound. With that Lion took Demar back to the park to get to the bottom of this mystery.

All the animals followed them and started to wonder why earth was still here and no gone. Demar lead the Lion to the tree and Lion walked the perimeter to discover a fallen coconuts in the back. In a low voice he called Demar over to the other side of the tree to show the fallen coconuts. Soon others started coming over to the tree when they heard Demar repeating "Oh no, what big mistake I have made!" Instead of laughing or getting mad at him the other animals understood that mistakes happen and left after saying "Next time just look before scaring yourself and assuming the worst." Realizing his mistake, Demar slowly became less easily frightened. Whenever Demar was frightened he thought back to his mistake before running off again.

Author's Note: So I revamped this story to hold the original message of the story, but adding a few characters names and made a few events different. Overall the story's message was to think and look before you ask. That was the lesson that the Lion in the original story teaches the Hare in the end.

Bibliography: The Hare That Ran Away, Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie Shedlock

The animals gathered around the tree

Reading Notes 10.1 Jataka Tales, Part A

Welcome back everyone!

For the next two weeks I am reading through the Jataka Tales from the Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie Shedlock.

The Hare That Ran Away:

• Buddha born as lion to help fellow animals
• Hare: nervous, dreadful of something bad happening
• Started running - "the earth is falling in" when she heard the rustling caused by a falling fruit 
• she tells her brother who tells another hare soon...
• deer -> sheep -> wild boar -> buffalo -> camel -> tiger -> elaphant
• Lion stops then and asked where the info came from...takes the hare to the original site and explains nothing is happening

The Monkey and the Crocodile:

• Brahmadatta was king of Benares, the Bodhisatta, came to life at the foot of Himalaya as a Monkey
• lived by the River Ganges
• New crocodile fam in town..wife hungry for the monkey
• husband goes to the monkey and offers a ride across the river
• croc tells the monkey why his wife sent him
• Monkey is smart, tricks croc by telling him that monkey hearts are not inside instead hang on trees
• Croc goes back without the hear for his wife

The Spirit That Lived in a Tree:

• Buddha was re-born as a Tree-Spirit
• King of Benares says he will build a palace resting on only one column
• in the King's Park was a lordly Sal tree, straight and well grown, worshiped by village and town, and to this tree even the Royal Family also paid tribute, worship, and honor to be cut down
• King gets a visit from the Tree Spirit and is shown why the trees can't be cut down...King tells that they won't be cut

The Hare That Was Not Afraid to Die:

• Buddha was born a Hare and lived in a wood; on one side was the foot of a mountain, on another a river, on the third side a border village
• three friends: a Monkey, a Jackal, and an Otter
• Hare thought the friends important lessons in the evening
• One time Buddha (Hare) tells that tomorrow is a fast day and to give food from their own store if a beggar comes by
• Next day:
• Otter takes fisherman's fishes...called out but no response from owner
• Jackal takes milk curds and lizards
• Monkey takes mangoes
• Hare has nothing..lies in grass says he will give his own flesh
• Sakka, king of gods, disguises himself as Brahmin to test the Hare
• Hare passes Sakka's test for his virtue...fire was icy cold

The Parrot That Fed His Parents:

• Buddha was re-born in the shape of a Parrot
• father makes son the flock leader
• flock eats rice and leader takes some back in his beak
• farmer fears there will be no rice left despite all of his attempts to steer the parrots away from the rice fields they still end up eating their fill
• farmer goes to Brahmin to get advise
• trap the leader 
• Farmer sets trap..leader thinks if he cries out his kinsfolk will leave foodless
• his cries are ignored by the others and they fly away
• Brahmin questions and hears the story of the parrot 
• paying a debt, storing a treasure
• taking food for parents and chicks who cannot yet fly
• Brahmin moved by the story and the parent was granted full permission and even given a part of the land

The Man Who Worked to Give Alms:

• Buddha was born as a merchant named Vissaya (and being endowed with the Five Virtues)
• had alms halls built at the four city gates
• set on foot alms-giving and every day 600,000 men went forth to beg and the food of the beggar and the merchant was exactly the same
• Sakka, the King of the gods, grew suspicious
• he took away all the goods, money, worker from the Merchant and wife
• Merchant and wife discover that they don't have any money...cut grass to make money
• They aren't able to raise enough to feed people...Sakka sees their determination and restores the wealth

The King Who Saw the Truth:

• Wisdom Child that should in time become the Buddha was born a King
• King decreed to give anything that anyone would ask would get
• He enjoyed giving..his heart is filled by giving to others
• Sakka tests how much truth the King's words hold...
• Sakka comes as a blind Brahmin and requests the king for one of his eyes..
• people question the king and he says he shall not break his vow 
• surgeon does the procedure..few weeks later King's sight was restored to him and allowed him to see perfect and absolute Truth.

The Running Hare