Jataka Tales: 6 key ideas
The core ideas of Jataka Tales, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.
- IDEA 1 OF 6
Lives before the Buddha
The Jatakas are over 500 stories of the Buddha's earlier lives as animals and people, each showing one virtue in action.
- IDEA 2 OF 6
The monkey king's bridge
A monkey king stretches his own body across a river so his troop can escape.
A watching king learns that leading means serving.
- IDEA 3 OF 6
The hare in the moon
A hare with nothing else to give offers itself to feed a hungry traveller.
The story says its image was placed on the moon to honour that gift.
- IDEA 4 OF 6
The tortoise who talked
Geese carry a tortoise through the sky on a stick, but it opens its mouth to talk and falls.
Knowing when to stay quiet can save us.
- IDEA 5 OF 6
The deer who offered himself
A deer king offers his own life to save a pregnant doe.
Moved, the human king stops hunting deer altogether.
- IDEA 6 OF 6
Stories that travelled the world
Jataka stories spread across Asia and influenced fables far beyond India.
Good stories carry wisdom across borders.
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