The Jatakas: Birth Stories of the Bodhisatta (Penguin Classics)

Associated With The Living Traditions Of Folk Tale, Drama And Epic, The Jatakas Recount The Development Of The Bodhisatta - The Being Destined To Become The Present Buddha In His Final Life - Not Just Through The Events Of One Lifetime But Of Hundreds. Written In Pali, The Language Of The Theravada Buddhist Canon, The Jatakas Comprise One Of The Largest And Oldest Collections Of Stories In The World Dating From The Fifth Century Bce To The Third Century Ce. Generations In South And South-east Asia Have Grown Up With These Tales. This Volume Contains Twenty-six Stories Drawn From Various Ancient Sources, And Each Story Reflects One Of The Ten Perfections - Giving, Restraint, Renunciation, Wisdom, Strength, Acceptance, Truthfulness, Resolve, Loving Kindness And Equanimity. A Detailed Introduction Elaborates On The Ten Perfections, Explains The Forms Of Enlightenment As Well As The Structure, And The Historical And Geographical Contexts Of The Stories. -- Book Cover The Far Past: The Bodhisatta Vow And The Ten Perfections -- A True Story -- The Story Of Makhadeva -- The Cane Stalk Story -- The Story Of The Partridge -- The Vedabbha Mantra Story -- The Story Of Five Weapons -- The Story Of The Fish -- The Hair-standing-on-end Story -- The Story Of The Great King Of Glory -- The Story Of More Than A Thousand -- The Story Of The Draining Bucket -- A Rustic Story -- The Kusa Grass Story -- The Cat Story -- The Story Of The Kimusa Tree -- The Story Of The Tortoise -- The Story Of The One Who Taught Forbearance -- The Story Of The Hare -- The Story Of Nandiya The Deer -- The Story Of The Barleymeal Sack -- The Story Of The Monkey King -- The Story Of The Swift Goose -- The Story Of Campeyya -- The Story Of Temiya, The Dumb Cripple -- The Story Of Mhajanaka -- The Story Of Sama -- Further Reading And Bibliography -- Appendix A: The Disciples Of Buddha -- Appendix B: Cosmology -- Appendix C: Indian Sites That Portray Jatakas -- Glossary And Index Of Proper Names. Translated From Pāli By Sarah Shaw. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [311]-320). With a new prologue 'Splendid . . . anyone who wants to understand Indian politics or think they do should read it' -Indian Express 'Delightfully written . . . he has a sharp eye for details, especially the actions of political leaders' - India Today 'Captures the drama of 2014 and the men who powered it'-Open 'Holds you to your seat, often on the edge . . . A procession of India's colourful political characters—Lalu Yadav, Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi and many more come intimately close through the author's accounts' -The Hindu 'Candid and forthright . . . and deliciously indiscreet' -Hindustan Times 'A racy narrative that goes beyond recording immediate political history' -Tehelka The 2014 Indian general elections has been regarded as the most important elections in Indian history since 1977. It saw the decimation of the ruling Congress party, a spectacular victory for the BJP and a new style of campaigning that broke every rule in the political game. But how and why? In his riveting book, Rajdeep Sardesai tracks the story of this pivotal election through all the key players and the big news stories. Beginning with 2012, when Narendra Modi won the state elections in Gujarat for a third time but set his sights on a bigger prize, to the scandals that crippled Manmohan Singh and UPA-II, and moving to the back-room strategies of Team Modi, the extraordinary missteps of Rahul Gandhi and the political dramas of election year, he draws a panoramic picture of the year that changed India. When My Concentrated Mind Was Purified; I Directed It To The Knowledge Of The Recollection Of Past Lives’ —the Buddha On The Night Of His Enlightenment Associated With The Living Traditions Of Folk Tale; Drama And Epic; The Jatakas Recount The Development Of The Bodhisatta—the Being Destined To Become The Present Buddha In His Final Life—not Just Through The Events Of One Lifetime But Of Hundreds. Written In Pali; The Language Of The Theravada Buddhist Canon; The Jatakas Comprise One Of The Largest And Oldest Collections Of Stories In The World Dating From The Fifth Century Bce To The Third Century Ce. Generations In South And South-east Asia Have Grown Up With These Tales. This Volume Contains Twenty-six Stories Drawn From Various Ancient Sources; And Each Story Reflects One Of The Ten Perfections—giving; Restraint; Renunciation; Wisdom; Strength; Acceptance; Truthfulness; Resolve; Loving Kindness And Equanimity. A Detailed Introduction Elaborates On The Ten Perfections; Explains The Forms Of Enlightenment As Well As The Structure; And The Historical And Geographical Contexts Of The Stories. Sarah Shaw Brings To Life The Teachings Of Buddhism For The Scholar And Lay Reader Alike. Written in Pali, the "Jatakas" comprise one of the largest and oldest collections of stories in the world dating from the fifth century BCE to the third century CE. This volume contains 26 stories drawn from various ancient sources. It explains the forms of enlightenment and the historical and geographical contexts of the stories.