Jataka tales
Buddhist stories of the Buddha's past lives teaching moral lessons.
The Jātaka tales are a voluminous body of Buddhist literature from the Indian subcontinent that recount the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal forms. They are considered one of the oldest classes of Buddhist literature and have been depicted on stupa railings and torans, as well as in early Indian art and inscriptions.
- field
- Buddhist literature
- known_for
- Stories of the Buddha's previous lives illustrating virtues and karma
- earliest_attestation
- Second century BCE (depictions in art)
- largest_collection
- Jātakatthavaṇṇanā of the Theravada school
- language
- Pāli (canonical), various Indian dialects
Lore & Background
The Jātaka genre is based on the idea that the Buddha could recollect all his past lives and used these memories to tell stories and illustrate his teachings. In these tales, the future Buddha appears as a king, an outcaste, a deva, or an animal, exhibiting virtues that the story inculcates. The tales often include an extensive cast of characters who get into trouble, which the Buddha character resolves, bringing about a happy ending. The Jātaka collections may have played an important role in forming and communicating ideas about buddhahood, karma, merit, and the Buddha's place in relation to other buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Reader's Guide
The Jātaka tales are significant for illustrating the many lives, acts, and spiritual practices required on the long path to Buddhahood. They teach Buddhist moral lessons, particularly within the framework of karma and rebirth, and highlight the perfections of the Buddha such as generosity. The tales are closely related to the avadāna genre, with some stories classifiable as both. They have been illustrated in Buddhist architecture throughout the Buddhist world and remain an important element in popular Buddhist art. The earliest such illustrations are found at Sanchi and Bharhut. The Jātaka tales also assimilated many traditional Indian fables and folklore, and as the genre spread outside India, it drew on local folk tales. Their intended audience included monks and nuns, who sometimes reached high levels of spiritual realization after hearing a story, though the simple format also made them adaptable for lay teaching and artistic entertainment.
Did You Know?
- The term 'Jātaka' appears as part of a schema of nine component genres of the Buddha's teaching.
- The earliest part of the Pali Jātaka, the verse portions, is considered among the very earliest part of the Pali tradition, dating from the fifth century BCE.
- In the jātaka found in the Suttapitaka, the Buddha is almost never portrayed as having been female.
- Some jātaka tales illustrate mistakes or bad actions the bodhisattva committed in a past life and the subsequent karmic retribution.
More in Buddhist Traditions 1-21
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