What is the acceptability of the Jataka literature across various Buddhist traditions? Please answer with references from both traditional and modern perspectives if possible.

1. ***Please someone know the Jataka (past lives of the Buddha) reference number of the Bodhisatta's aspiration for Buddhahood? As Sumedha in the city of Amaravatī?*** > The E. B. Cowell Jataka edition 2. ***Secondly how many Buddhas ago was it?*** 3. ***What was the Buddhas name?*** 4. ***Finally how many aeons was it between Buddha Gotama and that Buddha?*** > notes: > 1. "four asaṃkhyeya and a hundred thousand kalpas ago" (from memory) The second and third question may come from secondary sources.

Is there any convincing interpretation of [Vessantara Jātaka](http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/j6/j6013.htm) that isn't in conflict with morality? Vessantara gave away his children to serve as slaves for no particular reason; it is not clear how not giving them away would hinder his own awakening. I can see how one might argue from the Buddhist perspective that attachment to one's children and anger towards their oppressors is a bad thing. One can, however, protect one's children from oppressors in a completely detached way, without generating any attachment or hatred. Moreover, it's not that he just didn't resist; instead he actively looked for his children when they had run away, in order to give them away to Jūjaka. All in all, Vessantara's behaviour caused a lot of suffering to his children for no reason whatsoever, and he not only didn't get condemned, but was even presented as the one who did the right thing. Is there any way to reconcile this story with morality?

I was just answering a question on Hindu.SE as to whether Ithihasas were copies of Jatakas. While looking for sources I found two Ghata Jatakas found on different sites. [WisLib Ghata Jataka](https://www.wisdomlib.org/buddhism/book/jataka-tales-english/d/doc80525.html) [Sacred Text Ghata Jataka](https://sacred-texts.com/bud/j4/j4018.htm) Why two Jatakas after the same name?

I am in search for some academic work on critical methods to analyze Buddhists’ texts. There exist numerous jātakas and avadānas. Many representations in Buddhist art visualize these legends. E.g. Maya’s dream about the white elephant with his six tusks, or several reliefs at the gateways of Sanchi. I assume that most of these stories are fiction. Therefore my question: • Do these texts or figural representations raise any truth claim? • If yes: Which claim? How can one validate the truth claim? • Which groups and which interests triggered the texts and their dissemination? Is there someone to recommend some academic papers from Buddhist or secular authors about the historical-critical study of the content of Buddhist texts? Or point to some journals devoted to the subject? Note. My question relates to https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/44173/is-this-forum-a-place-for-buddhist-hermeneutics

I'm looking for a story in the Jataka wherein the Buddha talks about mindfulness and the importance of not living in the past or future. He compares the mind living in the past or future to grass that has been cut off from its root. When that happens the grass will dry out and the same thing happens to the mind that does not live in the present moment. It was asked how monks who only eat 1 meal a day or sometimes don't eat at all can still retain such radiant complexion. That's where the Buddha taught the above grass simile. *Here's a link to the video where Bhante talks about it. It's mentioned at 6:45 into the video.* Can anyone help me find the Jataka story? Thank you for your time.

Where can i find the collection of these stories about Buddha past lives? Any book or video about this stories especially stream-enterer in series or probably some before this stage. One life before i found was a king. Source

There are many adaptations of a story about a brave little parrot (or other type of bird) who tries to put out a forest fire by dipping her feathers in a lake and shaking the drops over a raging forest fire. Does anyone know which number Jataka tale this originates from? Here is an example of the adapted tale. http://healingstory.org/the-brave-little-parrot/ Thank you.

If I'm remembering right, in a previous life of the Buddha, because dharma teachings were so rare at that time, a being offered to give a teaching, but only if he sacrificed his life to this being. What is the text and reference for this?

I know that many Jataka stories are illustrated, through sculpture and painting, in ancient Indian sites like Sanchi, Bharhut, Ajanta etc. I have found some of them in various books and websites. What I need is a comprehensive list of such illustrations. Can anyone please help me?

If these stories could be taken to be truly narrated by the Buddha, it gives some interesting twists to the generally understood history of India and Indian philosophy. For example, there are Jataka stories such as Dasaratha Jataka and Ghaṭapaṇṭita jataka that give the Buddha's previous birth as either a character in the popular epic Ramayana, or as kin of a character in the popular epic Mahabharata. There are also other Jatakas that narrates some of the other characters of Mahabharata, but in all such cases, with much less dramatic than their depictions in the epics. As of now, the general Indian belief is that the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata (and thus the philosophies depicted in them) preceded the Buddha. However, in the Suttas there is hardly any reference to them, unlike the references to many other schools of thoughts. Thus, I would assume these epics were non-existent at the Buddha's time. In my knowledge, the first reference in the Buddhist literature to these epics in its present form is in Buddhacarita, the biography of the Buddha written by Asvagosha in the 1st century CE. In that Asvagosha presumes that these epics were fully developed before the Buddha's time, and hence bring references to those in conversations people had with the Buddha. So, I was concluding that these epics would have formed sometime after the Buddha, but before the 1st Century CE. And, Asvagosha's references to Ramayana and Mahabharata are more in line with its present day form than its depictions in the Jatakas. (And, I would assume Asvagosha's narrations may be fictitious) If Jataka commentaries can be taken as being based on the narrations passed down from the Buddha, rudimentary versions of these epics are coming from the Buddha's narrations. They come as isolated accounts, not connected together as a grand epic. They stories also lack the dramatic turns and glorification of characters that are found in those epics. In addition, the character depictions in the Jataka are inconsistent with the depictions in the epics known at Asvagosha's time. So, I was thinking about two possibilities. 1. If the commentaries are regarded as completely based on the narrations given by the Buddha, then the epics developed later by deriving inspirations from Jataka stories. In other words, the glorious characters of these epics were created by altering the original narrations by the Buddha. (I tend to believe this. However, I need to make sure that the Jataka commentaries are authentic and in existence at least at the time of the first council to assert this.) 2. Alternatively, these stories were inserted later when the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata became popular. In that case, characters from the epics were adopted to convey a message. I believe this is unlikely, because Jataka depictions of these characters are much less attractive and plain compared to their depictions in the epics. And, the rest of the Pali Suttas are matter of fact depictions and not later concoctions. So, I prefer to assume that Pali Jatakas also hold the same authenticity as the rest of Pali Suttas.

I am trying to see whether the presence of certain characters and stories in the Jataka tales can be taken as a proof for them (stories and characters) being known in that form in the time of the Buddha. So, the question is different from the other thread on this forum Does Theravada Buddhism accept Jataka Stories? though related. I would assume that even the commentary portion of the Jatakas are based on some authentic source. Yet, is there a way to know by when these stories (the prose portion of the Jatakas) were added to Kuddaka Nikaya? Was it by the first council, or later? Does the author of the prose portion affirm that his commentary is based on an oral linage of the narration coming all the way from the Buddha? Since some of the characters in the Jataka tales (such as Dasaratha Jataka and Ghatapadita Jataka) are seen in non-Buddhist literature in India, and often developed into dramatic stories later, the scholars in India are divided in three ways: a) Independent folklore of the time inspired such stories in both the Buddhist and non-Buddhist sources. b) Buddhist sources, just like the Jain sources are re-interpreting stories from the epics that were already fully developed and existent, and using it to support their respective philosophies. (I would not like to take this position because the Buddhist versions of the stories are much less dramatic and have not taken an epic-like narration. I don't see any motivation for the Buddhists to make the story less attractive if a more dramatic version was already available.) c) The Buddhist Jataka tales and other unrelated stories would have inspired some others to later connect them together, modify the characters and develop grand epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata. And, some characters were glorified later through they were ordinary characters in the Jataka tales. (Most people do not think in this line. However, I find this more justified. However, to prove this, it is important to know what is the general consensus within Buddhism and particularly Theravada regarding the date of origination the Jataka commentaries.

I posted the identikit question to Christianity stackexchange, and was met with dumb silence. Which, really, I was shocked by. E.g. the parable of the good samaratin: > Jesus answered, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to > Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat > him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest > was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other > side. In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and > saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he > travelled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with > compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and > wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and > took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two > denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, 'Take care of > him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.' > Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbour to him > who fell among the robbers?" > > He said, "He who showed mercy on him." > > Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." 'Mercy' can be defined as - compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. Which is very, very close to exactly what I mean: compassion towards someone who you have punished or harmed. Because it seems to me to be *the bedrock* of intelligent ethics, I was very interested in if the Buddha ever discussed this. 1. Did the Buddha ever teach that we have a special responsibility to those we have injured?

I have been looking for an e-book on "Jataka Tales", I got one in Marathi by Ven.Dharmanand Kosambi which I feel is good and the another one I got is in English by Todd Anderson which is totally different from the Marathi version. The stories here are different from the Marathi one. Can somebody please tell me somethig about the Jataka tales and the place / site where I can get the genuine e-book on the same in English? Thanks in advance!

I have heard that in the birth where Gautama Bodhisathva met Deepankara Buddha, he had many powers but he didn't use it to prepare the road the Buddha was supposed to walk across but used his own effort. Where can I find further details of this story?

In multiple Jataka stories, the Buddha tells of his different past lives, multiple of which occurred under King Brahmadatta. Am I missing something here? How is it that the Buddha was living multiple past lives, all during the lifetime of one king? for example : http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/j1/j1010.htm http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/j1/j1008.htm