Buddhist Birth-Stories (Jataka Tales): The Commentarial Introduction Entitled Nidana-Katha, the Story of the Lineage. E-book. Formato PDF Thomas William Rhys Davids   -  Forgotten Books, 2017  - 

This essay and the following translation were published in 1880 as a volume in Tritbner's Oriental Series. That volume contained, further, the beginning Of a much longer work, namely the translation Of the so-called Jataka. This is a collection Of upwards of 550 folk-lore tales which forms part of the Buddhist canonical scriptures. The tales are in prose, each explaining a much more ancient poem of two or more lines. The allusions in the verses cannot be understood without the explanation given in the prose. Over and above this explanation there is added to each story an episode said to be from the life of the founder of what is now called Buddhism. Some thing has occurred which the founder likens to an episode in the long past, when, in a former life the actors in the present episode and he himself were engaged. In this way a moral, something like those in our fables, is drawn. At the same time the immensely long evolution in the full life or lives of all men and in particular of such a superman as the founder is brought out.

Buddhist Suttas. E-book. Formato PDF Thomas William Rhys Davids   -  Forgotten Books, 2017  - 

It is probable that all the great religious teachers of antiquity appealed, in support of their views, to the wise men of still older times. It 13 so recorded of most of them; and where it is not recorded, as in the cases of Lao Ts'u and Zara thustra, that is probably due to the meagreness of the extant records. In every country where the level of intelligence was sufficient to produce a great leader of men in matters of religion, it was sufficient also to bear in remembrance the names at least, and a vague notion as to some of the doctrines, of former, if perhaps less successful and famous, reformers.