Description

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This is the first complete English translation in over a century of the ten great jātaka tales covering the Bodhisatta's final adventures in the human realm before his ultimate life and enlightenment as the Buddha. Introductory comments to each story provide background and analysis. A general introduction explores themes and the stories' role in Buddhist art and practice. Color images show the stories' centrality in the Buddhist visual landscape of Southeast Asia.These definitive new translations reestablish the stories as ancient literary treasures of South Asia. Readers will be delighted by their magic and intrigue, philosophical insight, and deep roots in the religious and cultural world of the Buddha.

About the Author

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Naomi Appleton is a chancellor's fellow in religious studies at the University of Edinburgh. Sarah Shaw is a member of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford and an honourary fellow of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies.