Jataka Tales - True Friends

JATAKA TALES - TRUE FRIENDS

Jataka tales of good conduct


All living creatures die to be born again, so the Hindus believe. The Buddha was no exception. Legend has it that several lifetimes as a Bodhisattva went into the making of the Buddha, the Enlightened One. The Bodhisattva came in many forms - man, monkey, deer, elephant. Whatever his mortal body, he spread the message of justice and wisdom, tempered with compassion. This wisdom - the wisdom of right thinking and right living - is preserved in the Jataka tales.


The Jataka Tales, on which the present title is based, is a collection of 550 stories included in the Pali canon. These are based on folklore, legends and ballads of ancient India. We cannot assign a definite date to the Jataka stories. Taking into account archaeological and literary evidence, it seems likely that they were compiled in the period between 3rd century and 5th century AD.


This volume presents a set of tales of true friendship among human beings. This title is from the ACK Jataka tales collection.