Jataka Stories in Theravada Buddhism

Jataka stories (stories about the previous births of the Buddha) are very popular in Theravada Buddhist countries, where they are commonly used in sermons, children's books, plays, poetry, temple illustrations, rituals and festivals. Buddhist tradition tells us that the stories illustrate the gradual path to perfection exemplified by the Buddha in his previous births, when he was a bodhisatta (buddha-to-be). This book explores the shifting role of the stories in Buddhist doctrine, practice, and creative expression, finally placing this integral Buddhist genre back in the centre of scholarly understandings of the religion.

Chapter 1 What is a J?taka?; Chapter 2 The Bodhisatta in J?taka Stories; Chapter 3 The Creation of a J?taka Genre; Chapter 4 Generic Conventions Embraced and Ignored; Chapter 5 J?takas and Buddhology; Chapter 6 J?takas and Biography; Chapter 7 J?taka Ideology in Practice; Chapter 8 The Perfection of Storytelling;