Reading Notes: Jataka Stories

Bodhisatta

The Foolish, Timid Rabbit: Ellen C. Babbitt
-Rabbit has existential crisis about world ending
-monkey drops coconut causing the rabbit to freak out
-rabbit causes all the animal to run with him out of fear
-Lion, king, stopped them with a roar and asked what the matter was
-found out the rabbit was the only one who saw the world ending
-went to the tree the rabbit was at and realizes the rabbit is dumb
Moral: Don't take one person's word as fact. Be questioning.

The Turtle and the King: Ellen C. Babbitt
-King made lake for his sons in courtyard
-King put fishes in lake, with an accidental turtle
-Princes freak out, never seen a turtle and think it is a demon
-the king order the turtle dead, knowing it is harmless
-turtle tricks them into killing him by throwing him into a lake that flows into a river and rocks
-turtle is now safe
Moral: Be clever in your existence.

The Turtle and the Geese: Ellen C. Babbitt
-turtle becomes friend with geese
-geese ask the turtle to journey with them to their home
-geese tell the turtle he can not speak of this to anyone
-geese start to carry the turtle via a stick while the turtle holds on with his mouth
-people see and say it's ridiculous
-turtle says to mind their own business, but by doing so falls to his death
Moral: sometimes its best to keep your mouth shut.

The Cunning Crane and the Crab: W.H.D. Rouse
-Fish live in a little pool
-summer comes and the pool recedes and becomes hot
-a crane offers to carry them to a nice lake
-takes one fish, brings back the fish, and the fish vouches for the crane
-all the fish want to go
-the crane eats all the fish
- crane gets hungry and offers the same deal to a crab
-crab says the only way he'll go is if he can hold onto the cranes neck
-after seeing the dead fish bones, the crabs friends, and the crane admitting to eating them, the crab in placed on the lake and cuts the cranes head off
Moral: Karma will always come back to take its revenge.

The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart: Marie L. Shedlock
-Bodhisatta comes to life as a large monkey
-crocodile sees the monkey and wants to eat its heart, asks mate to get it for her
-crocodile tells monkey that there are better fruit across the Ganges
-monkey gets on the back of crocodile to cross
-crocodile tries to kill the monkey, but the monkey tricked the crocodile telling him his heart was in a tree
-the crocodile let the monkey go and get it, then the monkey laughed at the crocodile's dimwitted self
Moral: Don't trust others.

The Crocodile in the River: Robert Chalmers
-Bodhisatta comes to life as a monkey
-crocodile, with young, sees the monkey and wants to eat its heart, asks mate to get it for her
-crocodile waited under a rock the monkey used to cross the river for food
-monkey tricks the crocodile into giving away his trick by calling out to the rock
-then the monkey tricks the crocodile into opening his mouth and jumps on his head and to the other side.
Moral: Don't trust others.

The Monkey who Gathered Lotuses: Robert Chalmers
-Devadatta comes to life as a monkey
-he castrates his young so they do not overthrow him
-The Bodhisatta is born as his son hidden away in a forest with his mother
-when he returned home, stronger than his father, his father sent him off to gather lilies as to prove his worthiness to become king
-there was an ogre in the lake and his father wished to kill him
-he collected them by jumping over the lake and grabbing them in the air
-he returned with the impressed ogre and the kings heart broke into seven pieces, killing him\
-he became king
Moral: Being creative can help with your tasks.

The Self-Willed Deer: Robert Chalmers
-Bodhisatta born as a deer
-His sister brought her son as for him to teach her son the way of the deer
-The son skipped all the appointed lesson times, until one day he was caught in a snare
-The son died
Moral: Be timely to your appointments.

Noisy out of Season: Robert Chalmers
-Bodhisatta born into a Brahmin, priest, family
-Their rooster died
-they got another rooster that was raised in a cemetery
-the untimely crowing at midnight and midday cause sleep deprivation for the students
-they killed the rooster
-their teacher said it was due to the roaster's poor upbringing, not his moral
Moral: People can be brought with the wrong upbringing causing them to appear morally deficient, they should be taught to be better.

Goblin City: W.H.D. Rouse
-City filled with female goblins would capture travelers, make them their husbands and then eat them
-sailors crash in the city
-goblins trick the men into marrying them, but one goblin,wife of captain, gets caught by the captain
-the captain warns the others and tries to find a way to escape
-some believe the captain some don't
-a fairy, who hates the goblins, send a flying horse to save all the men
-the horse carries all those who believed the captain to safety
-the others were eaten that night
Moral: Trust those you've trusted before, and not those new to you.