Jataka tales

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Bhutanese painted thangka of the Jataka Tales, 18th-19th Century, Phajoding Gonpa, Thimphu, Bhutan

The canonical book itself comprises 547 poems, arranged roughly by increasing number of verses. According to Professor von Hinüber,^[1] 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 — 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 TibetanJataka 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 — 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.

[edit]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 Calendarused by Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.

[edit]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.

Contents

• Interpreter’s Introduction
• From the Storyteller to the Reader

• King Goodness the Great[Perseverance]

King Fruitful and Queen Sivali

• Rebirth of the Bodhisattva) [chapter 1]
• Gaining Power [chapter 2]
• Giving Up Power [chapter 3]
• A Gang of Drunkards [Sobriety]
• The Whatnot Tree [Prudence]
• Prince Five-Weapons and Sticky-Hair [The Diamond Weapon]
• A Huge Lump of Gold [Moderation]
• Mr Monkey and Sir Crocodile [Good Manners]
• A Prince of Monkeys [Carefulness]
• Two Ways of Beating a Drum <[Excess]
• <Two Mothers [Renunciation]
• The Priest Who Gambled With a Life [Misguided Morality]
• The Wicked Lady and the Buttermilk Wise Man [Seduction]
• Country Man and City Wife [Adultery]
• The Wisdom of Queen Tender-hearted [Lust]
• <Wife and Mother Who Was a Sister First [An Intelligent Woman]
• The Strong-minded Snake [Determination]
• The Shovel Wise Man[Renunciation]
• The Green Wood Gatherer [Laziness]
• The Elephant King Goodness [Generosity and Ingratitude]
• Four on a Log [Gratitude]
• New Homes for the Tree Spirits [Wise Advice]
• The Fish Who Work a Miracle [Power of Truthfulness]
• The Meditating Security Guard [Fearlessness]

The Dreams

• The 16 Frightening Dreams [chapter 1]
• Roaring Bulls With No Fight [chapter 2]
• The Frightening Sound of ‘Munch, Munch, Munch’ [chapter 3]
• Teaching [chapter 4]
• Illisa the Cheap [Miserliness]
• A Motherless Son [Betrayal]
• Fear Maker and Little Archer [Self-deception]
• Forest Monks in a Kings Pleasure Garden [Pupils without Teacher]

The Curse of Mittavinda

• Jealousy [chapter 1]
• Greed [chapter 2]
• Pleasure[chapter 3]
• A Hero Named Jinx[Friendship]
• A Question From a 7-year-old [Six Worthy Ways]
• A Lesson From a Snake [The Value of Goodness]
• A Priest Who Worshipped Luck[Superstition]
• The Bull Called Delightful [All Deserve Respect]
• The Phoney Holy Man [Hypocrisy]
• <One Way Hospitality [Ingratitude]
• Poison Dice [Deception]

The Mystery of the Missing Necklace

• One Crime Leads to Another [chapter 1]
• The Mystery is Solved [chapter 2]
• The Careless Lion [Circumspection]
• The Holy Man Who Tired To Be Too Holy [Extremism]
• Clear-sighted the Great [Impermanence]

The Prince and the She-devils

• Five Meals in the Forest [chapter 1]
• A Feast in the Palace [chapter 2]
• A Man Named Bad [Self-Acceptance]
• A Man Named Wise [Cheating]
• Achieving Nothing [Nothing]
• A Mother’s Wise Advice [Non-violence]

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jataka_tales
http://www.buddhanet.net/bt_conts.htm