Bhante @sujato is doing a very interesting series of lectures on the Jātakas. I haven’t looked that much into these fascinating stories, so it was great to hear an introduction and analyses of the first Jataka story. The whole series will be four lectures and the next one will be on Tuesday (13th of May). I think you can still register here: Jātakas: Buddhist Storytelling with Ajahn Sujato – Sati Center for Buddhist Studies
Modern Buddhists often pass the Jātakas by, which is a shame, as they are a rich testament to the culture in which Buddhism grew. As a vast and eclectic collection of stories, they encompass simple folk tales, morality fables, legends and myths, and the more complex ones approach the novel.
In this short course we will read four short Jātaka stories, compare the verses with the narrative, and consider the moral and philosophical implications of each. The readings include the Jataka verses, newly translated by myself, and the background stories.
The first lecture:
