Summary Of The Jataka Tales - 2204 Words

THE JATAKA TALES On a warm July night, a prince was born in Jambudvipa (India). He grew up in a lifestyle filled with the finest of things, confined in his palace, being sheltered from the realities of danger. His father raised him to be the next wheel-turning king. Siddhartha Gautama did not know that he had the â€Å"markings† that predetermined his life. His father chose him as king, but as history proves, his dharma was to be the Buddha. Siddhartha’s encounter with the outside world during his manhood, struck him to his core. He would refuse the heir to the throne, and with his â€Å"Great Departure† he would seek out the life of the ascetics to find meaning to the world’s sufferings. During his six year journey, he was still plagued with questions of suffering and remained in meditation until he found his answers. Here under the Bodhi tree, he found the answers in which he was earnestly seeking, and in the process transformed himself into the â€Å"E nlightened One.† Awoke from his prolonged unconsciousness, he understood that every living thing was a part of Samsara (The eternal cycle of life). He spoke of reincarnation and how a person would continue to be born, live, and die over many life times until he changed his karma and gradually made his way towards Brahmin. This goal can take many life times, hundreds, even thousands. Buddha spoke of his many embodiments and how he made his way to his last rebirth as the Buddha. The Jataka Tales is a large collection of stories the Buddha