Jataka Tales - Bird Stories

JATAKA TALES - BIRD STORIES

Jataka Tales of brains versus brawn


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. The Bodhisattva came in many forms - man, monkey, deer, elephant. 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.


The Jataka Tales, on which the present title is based, is a collection of 550 stories included in the Pali canon. These are based on folklore, legends and ballads of ancient India. The Jataka stories are so old, there is no definite date assigned to the Jataka stories.


This title is from the ACK Jataka tales collection.