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Week 14 Reading: Buddist Jakata Tales

The first story I enjoyed reading the most was the monkey bridge.

There was a tree by the river. It was a beautiful tree that bore fruit unknown to the men down the river. Monkeys feasted on this fruit, and they made sure that the fruit never fell into the water or it would be found by the men in the villiage downstream. The cheif warned that if that were to happen the fruit tree would be discovered and destroyed by the men who often destroyed things that were beautiful. The fruit was divine, so this risk was something the monkeys avoided at all costs. Well sometimes mistakes happen, a fruit, by accident, slipped off the tree and floated down the river to some fishmen who in turn brought it to the king. The king, being a greedy individual, demanded the friit tree be found after discovering the friit was insanely delightful. When they areived they found the fruit surrounded by monkeys, who overnight panicked as they heard the king would kill them and eat them too. So the chief, being the cheif, hatched a plan for eacape. He jumped the tiver with vine, and held it in place with his body for his monkey tribe to cross. He paid for his kindness as the stress broke his back and he was left to die. The king saw this and somehow had a change of heart... to


There were four animals who all were great friends. Amonst them was the wise hare, who only thought of others. He managed to convince his friends that they should collect food the following day and not est it but share it with those in need. His furry friends all went out to collect food. The monkey plucking mangos from the tree, the jackal stole from the villiage and the water weasel stole from a fisherman. Each set up post in the forest waiting for those in need with their goods to give out. The hare had nothing, so he insisted he would be the food for any passerby. Well a fairy had observed the animals and their supposed acts of kindess, She disguised herself as an old beggar and made her round around the animals. She passed on each offering of stolen food and when the hare offered himself, she made a fake fire to see if he would really jump in for the betterment of another. He did, but the flames were not real and the fairy praised the hare in his kindness. To honor him he drew an outline of him on the moon for all to see and praise.


The hare jumps into the fire from Twenty Jakata Tales



Title: Twenty Jataka Tales
Author: Noor Inayat (Khan)
Illustrator: H. Willebeek Le Mair
Year: 1939

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