Tales of Compassion and WisdomBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Lion's Roar
A wise lion prevents a forest disaster by teaching animals to investigate truth over rumors.
The Wise LionThe Nervous Rabbit
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Religious and Spiritual Stories
Buddhist Jataka Tales
Explore stories from the Religious and Spiritual Stories collection
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Tales of Compassion and WisdomBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Monkey Gardeners
Monkeys destroy a royal garden by uprooting trees to check how much water they need.
The King's GardenerThe Monkey King
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Tales of Compassion and WisdomBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Serpent Prince
A noble Naga prince proves his spiritual strength by choosing non-violence over revenge.
The Naga PrinceThe Greedy Snake Charmer
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Tales of Compassion and WisdomBuddhist Jataka Tales
The King and the Mango
A noble Monkey King teaches a human ruler the true meaning of sacrifice and leadership.
The Monkey King (Bodhisattva)The King of Varanasi
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Tales of Compassion and WisdomBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Devoted Wife
A loyal princess uses the power of truth to heal her husband's leprosy and prove her devotion.
Princess SambulaPrince Sotthisena
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Tales of Compassion and WisdomBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Sage's Test
A wise teacher's challenge reveals that the only true witness to our actions is our own conscience.
The Wise SageThe Honest Disciple
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Tales of Compassion and WisdomBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Wise Judge
A wise judge uses a test of compassion to reveal a child's true mother in this Jataka tale.
The Bodhisatta (The Judge)The True Mother
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Additional TalesBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Buddha and Angulimala
A ruthless killer finds total transformation and peace after a life-changing encounter with the Buddha.
The BuddhaAngulimala
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Additional TalesBuddhist Jataka Tales
Kisagotami and the Mustard Seed
A grieving mother discovers that death is a universal journey through a handful of mustard seeds.
KisagotamiThe Buddha
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Additional TalesBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Buddha Tames the Elephant
The Buddha subdues a raging, intoxicated elephant using only the power of unconditional love.
The BuddhaDevadatta
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Additional TalesBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Monkey Mind
A timeless Buddhist lesson on taming the restless mind to find lasting inner peace.
The BuddhaThe Restless Monk
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Additional TalesBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Buddha and Sujata
Sujata's gift of milk rice helps Siddhartha find the Middle Way and reach enlightenment.
Siddhartha GautamaSujata
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Additional TalesBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Buddha and the Angry Brahmin
The Buddha reveals that insults only have power if you choose to accept them.
The BuddhaAkkosaka Bharadvaja
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Stories of Buddha's Past LivesBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Monkey King's Sacrifice
A noble leader transforms his own body into a bridge to save his tribe from a king's arrows.
The Monkey King (Bodhisattva)The King of Benares
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Stories of Buddha's Past LivesBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Banyan Deer
A golden deer's selfless sacrifice inspires a king to embrace mercy for all living beings.
Banyan DeerBranch Deer
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Stories of Buddha's Past LivesBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Hare's Sacrifice
A selfless hare offers his life to a beggar and earns a permanent place on the moon.
The Wise HareSakra (The Brahmin)
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Stories of Buddha's Past LivesBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Wise Quail
A wise bird saves his flock through unity, but petty arguments lead to their eventual downfall.
The Wise Quail (Bodhisattva)The Fowler
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Stories of Buddha's Past LivesBuddhist Jataka Tales
Prince Vessantara's Generosity
A compassionate prince tests the limits of his soul by giving away everything he owns and loves.
Prince VessantaraPrincess Madri
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Stories of Buddha's Past LivesBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Elephant and the Blind Men
Blind men argue over the shape of an elephant, each seeing only a partial truth.
The KingThe Blind Men
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Stories of Buddha's Past LivesBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Six-Tusked Elephant
A majestic elephant sacrifices his tusks to teach a lesson of ultimate forgiveness and compassion.
ChaddantaCullasubhadda
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Stories of Buddha's Past LivesBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Parrot's Tale
A loyal parrot's devotion to a barren tree earns a divine reward and restores life to the forest.
The Parrot (Bodhisattva)Shakra (King of the Gods)
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Stories of Buddha's Past LivesBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Great Monkey Bridge
A heroic Monkey King sacrifices his body to save his troop from a human king's army.
The Monkey King (Bodhisattva)King Brahmadatta
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Stories of Buddha's Past LivesBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Merchant of Seri
A tale of two traders, a golden bowl, and why greed always pays a heavy price.
The Honest Merchant (Bodhisattva)The Greedy Merchant
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Stories of Buddha's Past LivesBuddhist Jataka Tales
The Woodpecker's Kindness
A brave woodpecker saves an ungrateful lion and learns that true kindness needs no reward.
The Kind WoodpeckerThe Ungrateful Lion
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