About the
Publisher
The Jatakas on which the present title is based is
a collection of five hundred and fifty stories,
included in the Pali canon. They are tales in
which the life of Bodhisatva in his previous
births is narrated. The Bodhisatva is one, who by
performing virtuous, kind and intelligent acts,
aspires to become a Buddha.
Jataka tales 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, third century B. C.
to fifth century A.D. They give us invaluable
information about ancient Indian civilization,
culture and philosophy.
The Jataka
stories have been very popular in the Buddhist
world. These stories have been translated almost
in all the languages of the Buddhist countries
such as Chinese, Tibetan, Sinhalese, Siamese,
Burmese, Japanese and also in many modern European
languages. These stories have encouraged painting
and sculpture in ancient India and other Buddhist
countries. Sanchi, Bharhut, Amaravati and Ajanta
in India, Borobudur in Java, Pegan in Burma and
Sukhodaya in Thailand bear testimony to the
popularity of these tales.
The present book
is a collection of a few Jataka stories in which
the Bodhisatva is born as a monkey. We hope, in
the words of Prof. Rhys Davids that "we may
still turn with appreciation to the ancient book
of the Buddhist Jataka tales as a priceless record
of the childhood of our race".
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