Jataka Stories

The Bodhisatta was once a lion. He lived on the north shore of a lake. Two hawks, one male and one female, lived on the south and west shores, and the male hawk asked the she-hawk to be his wife. First, she wanted to know if he had any…

The Bodhisatta was once a kinnara, a half-human, half-bird deity. He lived with his wife on a silver mountain in the Himalayas, and one day they went down from their home to play in a stream, covering themselves in flowers, singing and…

The Buddha was once an acetic who had many followers studying with him in the Himalayas. One rainy season when his group went to stay in the city, they resided in the royal park and were taken care of by the king. When the rains had ceased…

The Bodhisatta was once an illegitimate son of a king. While a king was out picking fruits and flowers in the forest, he met a peasant woman gathering firewood. They became intimate, and the Bodhisatta was conceived. The king gave the woman…

The Bodhisatta was once a crown prince. His mother died after giving birth to a second son, Prince Canda. The king took another chief queen and had a third son, Prince Suriya. The king was so overjoyed by the birth of this boy that he…

Bodhisattva was once a King’s appraiser. He alone determined the cost of everything the palace bought, and sellers had no choice but to accept his prices. The king was greedy and did not appreciate that the Bodhisatta paid fair prices, so…

The Bodhisatta was once a royal treasurer. He had an innate understanding of signs and omens. One day, when he saw a dead mouse along the road during a special position of the stars, he remarked out loud, to no one in particular, that…

The Bodhisatta was once a traveling pot and pan salesman. He and another salesman came to a new city at the same time and they each took half of it to do their business. The other salesman called at the home of a destitute family, just a…

The Bodhisatta was once a merchant who led large oxcart caravans to trade with distant lands. On one trip, he had to pass through a desert so extreme that travel was only possible in the cool of the night and all necessities needed to be…

The Bodhisatta was once a merchant who led large oxcart caravans to trade with distant lands. As he prepared to leave on a long, dangerous journey through a vast desert, he heard that another merchant, a young and stupid man, was going to…