Exploring Jātaka tales, stories of the past lives of the Buddha, allows us to better understand the world of folktales, history of the early Buddhist community, and the journey of the soul in reincarnation across the cosmos toward enlightenment. We will explore nine of the 547 Jātakas: Sammodamana, Suvannahamsa, Nigrodhamiga, Mandhatu, Vedabbha, Mahajanaka, Sama, Muga-Pakkha, and Vessantara.

Mythos & Logos are two ancient words that can be roughly translated as “Story & Meaning.”

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The purpose of this channel is to share the important stories at the foundation of human cultures throughout history. These include mythology, legends, folktales, religious stories, and parables from the dawn of history to the modern day. This channel provides interpretations and insight into these stories, to find and apply their meaning to contemporary life. All stories covered are treated academically. This channel makes no claims regarding the historical, scientific, or religious truth of these tales. Rather, its goal is to find the meanings understood by their authors and apply them to the modern world.

00:00 Introduction
00:38 Bhutanese painted thanka of the Jataka Tales, 18th-19th century, Phajoding Gonpa, Thimphu, Bhutan
01:08 The Ellesmere manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer’s ‘The Canterbury Tales’, showing a page from The Pardoner’s Tale
01:35 The Buddha Explaining Sutras, Tang Dynasty Mural, Cave 57, Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang, Gansu Province, China
02:06 Animal Births
02:10 Bhavacakra (Wheel of Becoming) - a complex symbolic representation of saṃsāra used in Tibetan Buddhism, photographed by Mistvan, licensed under Creative Commons
02:58 Gamble Quail by Charles Christian Nahl
03:29 Folio from a Persian Manafi‘ al-Hayawan (The Benefits of Animals) of Abu Said Ubaid-Allah ibn Jibrail ibn Bakhtishu
03:54 A Pheasant and a Quail by Jang Seung-eop
04:23 Hamsa Damayanti Samvad by Raja Ravi Varma
05:20 A Swan, Franco-Flemish Manuscript
06:08 Hamsa Damayanti by Raja Ravi Varma
06:47 Cremation Ghat at Benares (Varanasi) by George Landseer
07:08 Fragment of the Shinkokinshū Poetry Anthology: Deer by Tawaraya Sōtatsu
08:22 Kasuga Deer Mandala, Mid-1300s-1400s Japan
08:38 Human Births
09:12 Limestone Roundel Depicting the Mandhata Jakata, First Century Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, India
09:31 Mahabharata Illustrated Manuscript Scroll, circa 1795
09:44 Mahabharata, Book VII (Drona Parva,) Section LXII
10:23 Indra from Bhaja Caves, Lonavala, Maharashtra, India, photographed by Photo Dharma under original title “Riding A Horse,” licensed under Creative Commons
11:54 Astrological Chart by the Virgil Master
12:04 Gold Treasure, circa 630, Wieuwerd, Netherlands
12:44 The Pardoner’s Tale, Ellesmere Manuscript
12:59 Perfection of Virtue
13:03 The Buddha Preaching in Indra’s Heaven, 19th century Northern Thailand; Scenes from Ten of the Buddha’s Previous Lives, Central Thailand circa 1800-1850; Scenes from the Life of the Buddha, Thailand circa 1800-1850; Scenes from the Life of the Buddha (continuation,) Thailand circa 1800-1850
14:02 Buddha Shakyamuni with Monks and the Sama Jataka, late 19th century Thailand
14:40 Sama Jataka, Bangkok, Thailand circa 1800-1850
15:08 Court of King Emma in Hell from The Six Realms of Birth, Hirotaka School, Edo Period Japan
15:29 Vessantara Jataka, Chapter 8 (The Royal Children,) Bangkok, Thailand, circa 1920-1940, licensed under Creative Commons
15:50 Bhutanese painted thanka of the Jataka Tales, 18th-19th century, Phajoding Gonpa, Thimphu, Bhutan
16:20 Prince Temiya Resists Temptation by Beautiful Women, a Scene of the Temiya Jataka, Thailand circa 1750-1800
16:46 Outro

All works of art are in the public domain unless otherwise noted.
Stock video clips licensed through Storyblocks.
Ambiment - The Ambient by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license.