Jataka Tales cover
(source: amazon)
The story involving the girl monkey and the pearls has a very interesting lesson to take from it. I feel like it initially may seem like the lesson involves the guard's clever trick. However, it turns out it is more about the girl Monkey's reveal of the pearls. It is always better to keep what you have to yourself even if there are others boasting about. A treasure hidden keeps its valuable when it is not known by the masses.
The three fishes story has a pretty simple meaning. The lesson taken from this tale seems to be that it is always a safe bet to stay in a place where there is comfort. Venturing to parts unknown without taking risks seriously may lead to destruction.
I thought the wolf would outsmart the rats in the story of the tricky wolf and the rats. It turned out that the rats were able to get the last laugh on the wolf. It seems somewhat challenging to take a lesson from this tale. I think this is simply a story of good and evil. Karma seems to be evident here as the wolf takes advantage of the rats' compassion and this causes his death.
I have no idea where to begin with the tale of the stupid monkeys. It may be the gardener's fault for thinking he could trust monkeys to properly water his trees. There was no malicious intent, but the monkeys had no clue how to take care of the trees.
I really enjoyed the story of the cunning wolf. I feel like this is a match of wits. The man was completely outsmarted by the wolf king. The man should have looked for different methods of food rather than believing he could outsmart the animals by the water. His arrogance got the best of him.
The story of the woodpecker and the lion was odd. The woodpecker had a certain sense of entitlement with the lion. The lion seemed somewhat ungrateful for having his life saved. I understand he also saved the life of the woodpecker, but this situation was only created because of the lion's dire need of a savior.
The story of the wolf and the otters was easily my favorite. The otters were extremely greedy when fighting on which side of the fish they should get. Each side was large and equal in size. The wolf was able to take advantage of the situation and show them that greed will get them nowhere.
For my story this week, I think it would be wise to look at the various lessons and situational pieces found in this Jataka tales. I can manipulate one of the stories into my own. I could also use a lesson from one of the tales and use that in my own story.
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Babbitt's More Jataka Tales
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