The Jataka tales compose a large collection of Buddhist morality stories in which the Buddha recounts some of his past lives on his long road to enlightenment. Even though they’re a part of the Pali Canon and contain words attributed to the Buddha himself, they’re more folktale than religious text, and their popularity stems as much from their entertainment value as their moral messages. Often compared with Aesop’s Fables, the Buddha-to-be is sometimes born as an animal, and he frequently ...

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