Once a Peacock, Once an Actress: Twenty-Four Lives of the Bodhisattva from Haribhatta's Jatakamala

ISBN-13: 9780226485966 / Angielski / Miękka / 2017 / 288 str.

Haribhatta; Peter Khoroche

Opis

Written in Kashmir around 400 CE, Haribhatta's Jatakamala is a remarkable example of classical Sanskrit literature in a mixture of prose and verse that for centuries was known only in its Tibetan translation. But between 1973 and 2004 a large portion of the Sanskrit original was rediscovered in a number of anonymous manuscripts. With this volume Peter Khoroche offers the most complete translation to date, making almost eighty per cent of the work available in English.

Haribhatta's Jatakamala is a sophisticated and personal adaptation of popular stories, mostly non-Buddhist in origin, all illustrating the future Buddha's single-minded devotion to the good of all creatures, and his desire, no matter what his incarnation--man, woman, peacock, elephant, merchant or king--to assist others on the path to nirvana. Haribhatta's insight into human and animal behaviour, his astonishing eye for the details of landscape and his fine descriptive powers together make this a unique record of everyday life in ancient India as well as a powerful statement of Buddhist ethics. This translation will be a landmark in the study of Buddhism and of the culture of ancient India.