JatakaTalesoftheBuddha:PartIII

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Ken&VisakaKawasaki

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O

KumbhaJataka

TheFifthPrecept

Jat512

nce, while the Buddha was staying atJetavanaMonastery inSavatthi,Visakha,the wealthy and devout lay Buddhist,was invitedby fivehundredwomenshe

knewtojoinincelebratingafestivalinthecity.

"This is a drinking festival,"Visakha replied. "I donotdrink."

"Allright,"thewomensaid,"goaheadandmakeanofferingtotheBuddha.Wewillenjoythefestival."

Thenextmorning,VisakhaservedtheBuddhaandthe Order of bhikkhus at her house andmade greatofferingsofthefourrequisites.[1]

That afternoon she proceeded to Jetavana to offerincense and beautiful flowers to the Buddha and tohear the teaching. Although the other women were

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already quite drunk, they accompanied her. Even atthe gate of the monastery itself, they continueddrinking.WhenVisakha entered the hall, she bowedreverently to theBuddhaand sat respectfullyononeside. Her five hundred companions, however, wereoblivious to propriety. They seemed, in fact, not tonoticewhere theywere.Even in frontof theBuddhasome of them danced, some sang, some stumbledarounddrunkenly,andsomebickered.

Inorder to inspire a senseofurgency in them, theBuddha emitted a dark blue radiance from hiseyebrows,andeverythingsuddenlybecamedark.Thewomen were terrified with the fear of death andinstantlybecamesober.TheBuddhathendisappearedfromhisseatandstoodontopofMountMeru.Fromthe curl of white hair between his eyebrows heemitted a ray of light as bright as if one thousandmoonsand sunswere rising. "Whyareyou laughingandenjoyingyourselves,"hedemanded,"youwhoarealways burning and surrounded by darkness? Whydon’tyouseeklight?"

The Buddha’s words touched their now-receptiveminds, and all five hundredwomen became stream-enterers.

The Buddha then returned and sat down in hischamber.Visakhabowedtohimoncemoreandasked,

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"Venerable sir, what is the origin of this custom ofdrinking alcohol,which destroys a person’smodestyandsenseofshame?"

In answer to Visakha’s question, the Buddharevealedthisstoryofthedistantpast.

Long,longago,whenBrahmadattawasreigninginBaranasi,ahunternamedSurawenttotheHimalayasfromhishometown inKasi to look forgame. In thatremote jungle there was a unique tree whose trunkgrew to the height of a man with his arms held upoverhishead.Atthatpointthreebranchesspreadout,formingahollowaboutthesizeofabigwaterbarrel.Whenever it rained, the hollow filledupwithwater.Aroundthetreegrewabitterplumtree,asourplumtree,andapeppervine.Theripefruit fromtheplumtreesandthepeppervinefelldirectlyintothathollow.Nearbytherewasapatchofwildrice.Parrotspluckedtheheadsofthericeandsatonthetreetoeat.Someoftheseedsfellintothewater.Undertheheatofthesun,theliquidinthehollowfermentedandbecamebloodred.

Inthehotseason, flocksof thirstybirdswentthereto drink. Swiftly becoming intoxicated, they wildlyspiraledupwards,onlytofalldrunkenlyatthefootofthetree.Aftersleepingforashorttime,theywokeupand flew away, chirping merrily. A similar thing

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happened to monkeys and other tree-climbinganimals.

Thehunterobservedall thisandwondered, "Whatisinthehollowofthattree?Itcan’tbepoison,forifitwere, the birds and animals would die." He dranksomeoftheliquidandbecameintoxicatedthesameasthey.Ashedrank,hefeltastrongdesiretoeatmeat.He kindled a small fire,wrung the necks of some ofthe partridges, fowls, and other creatures lyingunconsciousat the footof the tree, and roasted themover the coals. He gesticulated drunkenly with onehandashestuffedhismouthwiththeother.

Whilehewasdrinkingandeating,herememberedahermitnamedVarunawho livednear there.Wishingto share his discovery with the hermit, Sura filled abambootubewiththeliquor,wrappedupsomeoftheroast meat, and set out for the hermit’s leaf hut. Assoonashearrived,heofferedthehermitsomeof thebeverage,andbothofthemateanddrankwithgusto.

Thehunterandthehermitrealizedthisdrinkcouldbethewaytomaketheirfortune.Theypoureditintolarge bamboo tubes which they balanced on polesslungacrosstheirshouldersandcarriedtoKasi.Fromthefirstborderoutposttheysentamessagetothekingthat drink-makers had arrived. When they weresummoned,theytookthealcoholandofferedittothe

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king. The king took two or three drinks and becameintoxicated. After a few days, he had consumed allthat the twomenhadcarriedandasked if therewasanymore.

"Yes,sire,"theyanswered.

"Where?"askedtheking.

"IntheHimalayas."

"Goandfetchit,"orderedtheking.

Sura andVarunawent back to the forest, but theysoonrealizedhowmuchtroubleitwastoreturntothemountainseverytimetheyranout.Theytooknoteofalltheingredientsandgatheredeverythingneeded,sothattheywereabletobrewthealcoholinthecity.Thecitizens begandrinking the liquor, forgot about theirwork, and became poor. The city soon looked like aghosttown.

At that point the two drink-makers left and tooktheirbusinesstoBaranasi,wheretheysentamessagetotheking.There,too,thekingsummonedthemandofferedthemsupport.Asthehabitofdrinkingspread,ordinarybusinessdeteriorated,andBaranasideclinedin the sameway asKasi had. Sura andVaruna nextwent to Saketa, and, after abandoning Saketa,proceededtoSavatthi.

At that time the king of Savatthi was named

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Sabbamitta. He welcomed the two merchants andasked themwhat theywanted. They asked for largequantities of the main ingredients and five hundredhuge jars.After everythinghadbeen combined, theyputthemixtureinthejarsandtiedacattoeachjartoguardagainstrats.

As the brew fermented, it began to overflow. Thecatshappilylappedupthepotentdrinkthatrandownthe sides, became thoroughly intoxicated, and laydown to sleep. Rats came and nibbled on their ears,noses,andtails.

The king’smenwere shocked and reported to theking that the cats tied to the jars had died fromdrinkingtheescapingliquor.

"Surelythesemenmustbemakingpoison!"thekingconcluded, and he immediately ordered them bothbeheaded.AsSuraandVarunawerebeingexecuted,their last words were, "Sire, this is liquor! It isdelicious!"

Afterputtingthedrinkmerchantstodeath,thekingorderedthatthejarsbebroken.Bythen,however,theeffectsof thealcoholhadwornoff,andthecatswereplayingmerrily.Theguardsreportedthistotheking.

"If it had been poison," the king said, "the catswouldhavedied. Itmaybedeliciousafterall.Letusdrinkit."

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He ordered that the city be decorated and that apavilionbesetupinthecourtyard.Hetookhisseatona royal throne under a white umbrella and,surroundedbyhisministers,preparedtodrink.

At thatmoment, Sakka, the king of the gods, wassurveyingtheworldandwondering,"Whoisdutifullytakingcareofhisparents?Whoisconductinghimselfwellinthought,word,anddeed?"

Whenhesawthekingseated inhisroyalpavilion,ready to drink the brew, he thought, "If KingSabbamittadrinksthat,thewholeworldwillperish.Iwillmakesurethathedoesnotdrinkit."

Sakkainstantlydisguisedhimselfasabrahmanand,carrying a jar full of liquor in the palm of his hand,appearedstandingintheairinfrontoftheking."Buythisjar!Buythisjar!"hecried.

King Sabbamitta saw him and asked, "Where doyou come from,brahman?Whoareyou?What jar isthatyouhave?"

"Listen!" Sakka replied. "This jar does not containbutter, oil, molasses, or honey. Listen to theinnumerablevicesthatthisjarholds.

"Whoever drinks this, poor silly fool, will losecontrolofhimselfuntilhestumblesonsmoothgroundandfallsintoaditchorcesspool.Underitsinfluence,

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hewilleat thingshe’dnevertouchinhisrightmind.Pleasebuyit.Itisforsale,thisworstofjars!

"The contents of this jarwill distract aman’switsuntilhebehaveslikeabrute,givinghisenemythefunof laughing at him. It will enable him to sing anddancestupidlyinfrontofanassembly.Pleasebuythiswonderfulliquorfortheobscenegaietyitbrings.

"Even the most bashful will lose all modesty bydrinking fromthis jar.Theshyestmancan forget thetrouble of being dressed and can shamelessly runnudearoundthetown.Whenhe’stired,he’llhappilyrestanywhere,oblivioustodangerordecency.Suchisthenatureofthisdrink.Pleasebuyit.Itisforsale,thisworstofjars!

"When one drinks from this, one loses control ofone’sbody,totteringasifonecannotstand,trembling,jerking,andshakinglikeawoodenpuppetworkedbyanother’shand.Buymyjar.It’sfullofwine.

"The man who drinks from this is prey to everydangerbecauseheloseshissenses.Onemightburntodeath in one’s bed, stumble into a pack of jackals,drown in a puddle, become reduced to bondage orpenury — there is no misfortune that drinking thismaynotleadto.

"Havingimbibedthis,menmayliesenselessontheroad,soiledwiththeirownvomitandlickedbydogs.

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Awomanmaybecomeso intoxicatedshewill tieherbelovedparents to a tree, revile her husband, and inher blindness even abuse or abandonher only child.Suchisthemerchandisecontainedinthisjar.

"When a man drinks from this jar, he can believethatalltheworldishisandthatheowesrespecttonoone. Buy this jar. It is filled to the brim with thestrongestdrink.

"Addicted to this drink, whole families of thehighestclasswillsquandertheirwealthandruintheirname.Buythisjar,sire.Itisforsale.

"Inthis jarisaliquidwhichmakestongueandfeetlosecontrol.Itcreatesirrationallaughterandweeping.Itdullstheeyeandimpairsthemind.Itmakesamancontemptible.

"Drinkingthiswillcreatestrife.Friendswillquarreland come to blows. Even the old gods weresusceptibleandlosttheirheavenbecauseofdrink.[2]Buythisjarandtastethewine.

"Because of this beverage, falsehoods are spokenwith pleasure, and forbidden actions are performedwith joy. False courage will lead to danger, andfriendswillbebetrayed.Themanwhodrinksthiswilldareanydeed,unawarethatheisdoominghimselftohell.Trythisdrink,sire.Buymyjar.

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"Theonewhodrinks thisbrewwill sin in thought,word,anddeed.Hewill seegoodasevilandevilasgood.Eventhemostmodestpersonwillactindecentlywhen drunk. The wisest man will babble foolishly.Buythis lovelyliquidandbecomeaddicted.Youwillgrowaccustomedtoevilbehavior,tolies,toabuse,tofilth,andtodisgrace.

"Whenthoroughlydrunk,menare likeoxenstruckto the ground, collapsing and lying in a heap. Nohumanpowercancompetewiththepoisonouspowerofliquor.Buymyjar.

"Inshort,drinkingthiswilldestroyeveryvirtue. Itwillbanishshame,erodegoodconduct,andkillgoodreputation. It will defile and cloud themind. If youcan allow yourself to drink this intoxicating liquor,sire,buymyjar."

When the king heard this, he realized the miserythatwouldbecausedbydrinkingalcohol.Overjoyedatbeing spared thedanger,hewished to expresshisgratitude. "Brahman," he cried, "you have outdoneeven my mother and father in caring for me! Ingratitude for your excellent words, let me give youfivechoicevillages,ahundredservingwomen,sevenhundred cows, and ten chariots with pure-bredhorses.Youhavebeenagreatteacher."

"As chief of the thirty-three gods," Sakka replied,

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revealing his identity, "I have no need of anything.You may keep your villages, servants, and cattle.Enjoyyourdelicious foodandbe contentwith sweetcakes.TakedelightinthetruthsI’vepreachedtoyou.In thisway youwill be blameless in thisworld andwillattainagloriousheavenlyrebirthinthenext."

Withthesewords,Sakkareturnedtohisownabode.

KingSabbamittavowedtoabstainfromalcoholandorderedthatthejarsbesmashed.Fromthatdayon,hekeptthepreceptsandgenerouslydispensedalms.Helivedagoodlifeandwasindeedreborninheaven.

Later,however,thehabitofdrinkingalcoholspreadacrossIndia,andmanypeoplewereaffected.

The Buddha here ended his lesson and identifiedthe Birth: "At that timeAnandawas the king, and ImyselfwasSakka."

SilanisamsaJataka

AGoodFriend14

Jat190

The Buddha told this story at Jetavana Monasteryabout a pious lay follower. One evening, when thisfaithful disciple came to the bank of the AciravatiRiveronhiswaytoJetavanatoheartheBuddha,therewas no boat at the landing stage. The ferrymen hadpulled their boats onto the far shore and had gonethemselves to hear the Buddha. The disciple’s mindwas so full of delightful thoughts of the Buddha,however, that even though hewalked into the river,hisfeetdidnotsinkbelowthesurfaceandhewalkedacross the water as if he were on dry land. When,however,henoticedthewavesonreachingthemiddleoftheriver,hisecstasysubsidedandhisfeetbegantosink.ButassoonasheagainfocusedhismindonthequalitiesoftheBuddha,hisfeetroseandhewasabletocontinuewalkingjoyouslyoverthewater.WhenhearrivedatJetavana,hepaidhisrespectstotheMasterandtookaseatononeside.

"Good layman," the Buddha said, addressing thedisciple,"Ihopeyouhadnomishaponyourway."

"Venerable sir," thedisciple replied, "while cominghere, I was so absorbed in thoughts of the Buddhathat, when I came to the river, I was able to walkacrossitasthoughitweresolid."

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"My friend," the BlessedOne said, "you’re not theonlyonewhohasbeenprotectedinthisway.Inoldendays pious laymen were shipwrecked in mid-oceanandsaved themselvesby remembering thevirtuesofthe Buddha." At theman’s request, the Buddha toldthisstoryofthepast.

Long, long ago, at the time of the BuddhaKassapa, [3] a lay disciple who had already enteredthepathbookedpassageonashipalongwithoneofhisfriends,arichbarber.Thebarber’swifeaskedthisdiscipletolookafterherhusband.

Aweekafter the ship left theport, it sank inmid-ocean. The two friends saved themselves by clingingto a plank and were at last cast up on a desertedisland.Famished,thebarberkilledsomebirds,cookedthem,andofferedashareofhismealtothefolloweroftheBuddha.

"No,thankyou,"heanswered,"Iamfine."Thenhethought tohimself, "In this isolatedplace, there isnohelp for us except the Triple Gem." As he satmeditating on theTripleGem, a naga kingwhohadbeen born on that island transformed himself into abeautifulshipfilledwiththesevenpreciousthings.[4]The three masts were made of sapphire, the planksandanchorofgold,andtheropesofsilver.

Thehelmsman,whowasaspiritofthesea,stoodon

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thedeckandcried,"AnypassengersforIndia?"

"Yes," the lay disciple answered, "that’s where wearebound."

"Thencomeonboard,"theseaspiritsaid.

The laymanclimbedaboard thebeautiful shipandturnedtocallhisfriendthebarber.

"You may come," the sea spirit said, "but he maynot."

"Whynot?"thediscipleasked.

"Heisnotafolloweroftheholylife,"answeredthesea spirit. "I brought this ship for you, but not forhim."

"Inthatcase,"thelaymanannounced,"allthegiftsIhave given, all the virtues I have practiced, all thepowers I have developed— I give the fruit of all ofthemtohim!"

"Thankyou,Master!"criedthebarber.

"Verywell,"saidtheseaspirit,"nowIcantakeyoubothaboard."

The ship carried the twomenover the sea anduptheGangesRiver.AfterdepositingthemsafelyattheirhomeinBaranasi,theseaspiritusedhismagicpowerto create enormous wealth for both of them. Then,poisinghimselfinmid-air,heinstructedthemenand

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theirfriends,"Keepcompanywiththewiseandgood,"hesaid."Ifthisbarberhadnotbeenincompanywiththis pious layman, he would have perished in themiddleoftheocean."Finally,theseaspiritreturnedtohisownabode,takingthenagakingwithhim.

Having finished this discourse, the Buddhaidentified the Birth and taught the Dhamma, afterwhich the pious layman entered on the fruit of thesecondpath."Onthatoccasion,"theBuddhasaid,"thedisciple attainedarahantship. Sariputtawas thenagaking,andImyselfwasthespiritofthesea."

DuddubhaJataka

TheSoundtheHareHeard

Jat322

Onemorningwhilesomebhikkhuswereontheiralms

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round in Savatthi, they passed some ascetics ofdifferent sects practicing austerities. Some of themwerenakedandlyingonthorns.Otherssataroundablazingfireundertheburningsun.

Later,whilethemonkswerediscussingtheascetics,they asked the Buddha, "Lord, is there any virtue inthoseharshasceticpractices?"

TheBuddhaanswered,"No,monks,thereisneithervirtue nor any specialmerit in them.When they areexamined and tested, they are like a path over adunghill,orlikethenoisethehareheard."

Puzzled, the monks said, "Lord, we do not knowaboutthatnoise.Pleasetelluswhatitwas."

AttheirrequesttheBuddhatoldthemthisstoryofthedistantpast.

Long,longago,whenBrahmadattawasreigninginBaranasi,theBodhisattawasbornasalioninaforestnear the Western Ocean. In one part of that foresttherewasagroveofpalmsmixedwithbellitrees.[5]Ahare lived in thatgrovebeneathapalmsaplingatthefootofabellitree.

One day the hare lay under the young palm tree,idly thinking, "If this earth were destroyed, whatwouldbecomeofme?"Atthatveryinstantaripebellifruit happened to fall and hit a palm leaf making a

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loud"THUD!"

Startledbythissound,thehareleapttohisfeetandcried, "The earth is collapsing!"He immediately fled,withoutevenglancingback.

Anotherhare,seeinghimracepastasifforhisverylife,asked,"What’swrong?"andstartedrunning,too.

"Don’t ask!" panted the first. This frightened thesecondhareevenmore,andhesprintedtokeepup.

"What’swrong?"heshoutedagain.

Pausingforjustamoment,thefirstharecried,"Theearthisbreakingup!"Atthis, thetwoofthemboltedofftogether.

Their fear was infectious, and other hares joinedthem until all the hares in that forest were fleeingtogether.Whenotheranimalssawthecommotionandaskedwhat was wrong, they were breathlessly told,"The earth is breaking up!" and they too beganrunning for their lives. In this way, the hares weresoon joined by herds of deer, boars, elk, buffaloes,wild oxen, and rhinoceroses, a family of tigers, andsomeelephants.

When the lion saw this headlong stampede ofanimalsandheardthecauseoftheirflight,hethought,"The earth is certainly not coming to an end. Theremust have been some sound which they

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misunderstood. If I don’t act quickly they will bekilled.Imustsavethem!"

Then,asfastasonlyhecouldrun,hegotinfrontofthem, and roared three times. At the sound of hismightyvoice, all the animals stopped in their tracks.Panting, they huddled together in fear. The lionapproachedandaskedwhytheywererunningaway.

"Theearthiscollapsing,"theyallanswered.

"Whosawitcollapsing?"heasked.

"The elephants know all about it," some animalsreplied.

Whenheaskedtheelephants, theysaid, "Wedon’tknow.Thetigersknow."

The tigers said, "The rhinoceroses know." Therhinoceroses said, "The wild oxen know." The wildoxen said, "The buffaloes know." The buffaloes said,"Theelkknow."Theelk said, "Theboarsknow."Theboarssaid,"Thedeerknow."Thedeersaid,"Wedon’tknow.Theharesknow."

When he asked the hares, they pointed to oneparticularhareandsaid,"Thisonetoldus."

The lionaskedhim, "Is it true, sir, that theearth isbreakingup?"

"Yes,sir,Isawit,"saidthehare.

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"Wherewereyouwhenyousawit?"

"Intheforestinapalmgrovemixedwithbellitrees.Iwas lying there under a palm at the foot of a bellitree, thinking, ’If this earth were destroyed, whatwould becomeofme?’At that verymoment I heardthesoundoftheearthbreakingupandIfled."

Fromthisexplanation,thelionrealizedexactlywhathad really happened, but he wanted to verify hisconclusions and demonstrate the truth to the otheranimals. He gently calmed the animals and said, "Iwill take the hare andgo to find outwhether or nottheearthiscomingtoanendwherehesaysitis.Untilwereturn,stayhere."

Placing the hare on his tawny back, he racedwithgreat speedback to thatgrove.Thenheput theharedown and said, "Come, show me the place youmeant."

"Idon’tdare,mylord,"saidthehare.

"Don’tbeafraid,"saidthelion.

The hare, shivering in fear, would not risk goingnearthebellitree.Hecouldonlypointandsay,"Overthere,sir,istheplaceofdreadfulsound."

The lion went to the place the hare indicated. Hecouldmakeoutwheretheharehadbeenlyinginthegrass,andhesawtheripebellifruitthathadfallenon

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the palm leaf. Having carefully ascertained that theearthwasnotbreakingup,heplaced thehareonhisbackagainandreturnedtothewaitinganimals.

Hetoldthemwhathehadfoundandsaid,"Don’tbeafraid." Reassured, all the animals returned to theirusualplacesandresumedtheirroutines.

Those animals had placed themselves in greatdanger because they listened to rumours andunfounded fears rather than trying to find out thetruththemselves.Truly,ifithadnotbeenforthelion,those beasts would have rushed into the sea andperished. It was only because of the Bodhisatta’swisdomandcompassionthattheyescapeddeath.

Attheconclusionofthestory,theBuddhaidentifiedtheBirth:"Atthattime,Imyselfwasthelion."

MahakapiJataka

TheGreatMonkeyKing

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Jat407

One day in Jetavana Monastery bhikkhus begantalking about the good that the Buddha did for hisrelatives. When the Buddha asked them about theirsubject,andtheytoldhim,hesaid, "Bhikkhus, this isnot thefirst timetheTathagatahasdonegoodworkstobenefithisrelatives."Thenhetoldthisstoryofthepast.

Long,longago,whenBrahmadattawasreigninginBaranasi,theBodhisattawasbornasamonkeyintheHimalayas. When he was fully grown, he wasextremelystrongandvigorousandbecametheleaderofatroopofeightythousandmonkeys.

Onthebankof theGangestherewasanenormousmangotree,withtwomassivebranchessothickwithleavesitlookedlikeamountain.Itssweetfruitwasofexquisite fragrance and flavor. One branch spreadoverthebankoftheriver,buttheotherextendedoverthewater.Oneday,whilethemonkeykingwaseatingthesucculentfruit,hethought,"Ifanyofthisfruiteverfell intotheriver,greatdangercouldcometous."Toprevent this, he ordered themonkeys to pick all themango flowers or tiny fruit from that branch. Onefruit, however, was hidden by an ant’s nest andescaped the monkeys’ attention. When it ripened, it

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fellintotheriver.

Atthattime,theKingofBaranasiwasbathingandamusing himself in the river. Whenever the kingbathed in the river, he had nets stretched bothupstream and downstream fromwhere he was. Themango floated down the river and stuck in the netupstreamfromtheking.Thatevening,asthekingwasleaving,thefishermenpulledinthenetandfoundthefruit.As they had never seen a fruit like this before,theyshowedittotheking.

"Whatisthisfruit?"thekingasked.

"Wedonotknow,sire,"theyanswered.

"Whowillknow?"

"Theforesters,sire."

The king summoned the foresters, who told himthatthefruitwasamango.Thekingcutitwithaknifeand, after having the foresters eat some, tasted ithimself.Healsogavesomeofthefruittotheministersandtohiswives.

Thekingcouldnot forget themagnificent flavorofthe ripe mango. Obsessed with desire for the newfruit,hecalledtheforestersagainandaskedwherethetreestood.Whenhelearnedthatitwasonthebankoftheriver,hehadmanyraftsjoinedtogetherandsailedupstream to find it. In due course, the king and his

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retinuearrivedatthesiteofthehugetree.

The king went ashore and set up a camp. Afterhaving eaten some of the delectable mangoes, heretired for thenightonabedpreparedat the footofthetree.Fireswerelitandguardssetoneachside.

Atmidnight,afterthemenhadfallenasleepandallwasquiet,themonkeykingcamewithhistroop.Theeighty thousand monkeys moved from branch tobrancheatingmangoes.Thenoisewoketheking,whorousedhisarchers.

"Surround those monkeys eating mangoes andshoot them,"heordered. "Tomorrowwewilldineonmangofruitandmonkey’sflesh."

Thearchersreadiedtheirbowstoobeytheking.Themonkeys saw thearchersandrealized thatallmeansofescapehadbeencutoff.Shiveringinfearofdeath,theyrantotheirleaderandcried,"Sire,therearemenwithbows all around the treepreparing to shootus.Whatcanwedo?"

"Donotfear,"hecomfortedthem."Iwillsaveyourlives." Then he climbed onto the branch stretchingovertheriver.Springingfromtheendofit,hejumpeda hundred bow-lengths and landed on the oppositebank of the Ganges. Judging the distance he hadjumped,hethought,"ThatishowfarIcame."Thenhefoundalongvineandcutit,thinking,"Thismuchwill

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befastenedtoatree,andthismuchwillgoacrosstheriver."Hesecuredoneendofthevinetoasturdytreeand the other around his ownwaist. Then he againleaptacrosstheriverwiththespeedofacloudblownby the wind. In his calculation, however, he hadforgotten to include the length to be tied around hisown waist, so he could not reach the trunk of themangotree.Hereachedoutandgrabbedtheendofabranch firmly with both hands. He signaled to thetroopofmonkeysandcried,"Quick!Steponmybackand run along this vine to safety. Good luck to youall!"

The eighty thousand monkeys, each in turn,respectfully saluted the monkey king, asked hispardon,andescaped in thisway.The lastmonkey inthetroop,however,hadlongresentedthe leaderandwished tooverthrowhim.Whenhe saw themonkeykinghangingthere,heexulted,"This ismychancetosee the last of my enemy!" Climbing onto a highbranch,he flunghimselfdownonthemonkeyking’sback with a dreadful blow that broke his heart.Havingcausedhisrivalexcruciatingpain,thewickedmonkey triumphantly escaped and left the monkeykingtosufferalone.

Havingseenallthathadhappenedashelayonhisbed, the king thought, "This noblemonkey king, notcaring for his own life, has ensured the safety of his

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troop.Itwouldbewrongtodestroysuchananimal.Iwill have him brought down and taken care of."Heorderedhismentolowerthemonkeygentlydowntoa raft on the Ganges. After the monkey had beenbrought ashore and washed, the king anointed himwiththepurestoil.Spreadinganoiledskinonhisownbed and laying the monkey king on it, the kingcovered him with a yellow robe. After the nobleanimal had been given sugared water to drink, theking himself took a low seat and addressed him,"Noblemonkey,youmadeyourselfabridgeforalltheothermonkeystopassovertosafety.Whatareyoutothem,andwhataretheytoyou?"heasked.

The monkey explained, "Great king, I guard theherd.Iamtheirlordandchief.Whentheywerefilledwith fear of your archers, I leapt a great distance tosavethem.AfterIhadtiedavinearoundmywaist,Ireturned to thismango tree.Mystrengthwasalmostgone, but I managed to hold the branch so that mymonkeys could pass overmy back and reach safety.Because I could save them, I have no fear of death.Likearighteousking,Icouldguaranteethehappinessof thoseoverwhomIused toreign.Sire,understandthis truth! If you wish to be a righteous ruler, thehappiness of your kingdom, your cities, and yourpeoplemustbedeartoyou.Itmustbedearerthanlifeitself."

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After teaching the king in this way, the monkeykingdied.Thekinggaveordersthatthemonkeykingshouldbegivenaroyalfuneral.Heorderedhiswivesto carry torches to the cemetery with their hairdisheveled.Theministerssentahundredwagonloadsof wood for the funeral pyre. When the regalceremonywasover,theministerstooktheskulltotheking. The king built a shrine at themonkey’s burialplace,andmadeofferingsof incenseandflowers.Hehadtheskull inlaidwithgold,raisedonaspear,andcarried in front of the procession returning toBaranasi. There he put it at the royal gate and paidhomagetoitwithincenseandflowers.Thewholecitywas decorated, and the skullwas honored for sevendays.Fortherestofhislifethekingreveredtheskullasarelic,offeringincenseandgarlands.Establishedinthewonderful teaching of themonkey king, he gavealms and performed other good deeds.He ruled hiskingdomrighteouslyandbecamedestinedforheaven.

After the lesson, the Buddha declared the Truthsand identified the Birth: "At that time the king wasAnanda, the monkey retinue was this assembly, thewickedmonkeywasDevadatta,andImyselfwasthemonkeyking."

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Notes

1. Robes,food,lodgings,andmedicines.[Back]

2. The asuras, the predecessors of the devas, losttheir heaven because Sakka was able to expelthem when they were too drunk to fight him.[Back]

3. The Buddha Kassapa was the Buddhaimmediately precedingGotama in the lineage oftheBuddhas.[Back]

4. Gold, silver, pearls, gems, cat's eyes, diamondsandcoral.[Back]

5. The belli (beluva or vilva) is the Bengal quince.[Back]

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TableofContents

TitlePage 2KumbhaJataka 4SilanisamsaJataka 14DuddubhaJataka 18MahakapiJataka 23Notes 30

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