Garland of the Buddha's Past Lives (Volume 2). Aryashura

12 See also 22.39 (and 22.40 [19]–42 [21]), in which the virtuous goose Sumukha states: “The hearts of men are usually false whenever they display tender compassion. Fabricated courtesies and honeyed words conceal a vicious depravity.”

13 See vol. 1, 6.3, 9.76–83, 9.106–107, 15.3 and this volume 21.16–19 [7], 24.3, 25.3, 26.3–5, 27.3–5, 28.9, 2.8.13 [5]–19 [11], 30.3·The forest is also, however, a place of danger for those unaccustomed to it. It is described, for example, as “terrifying with its wild perils” (24.55 [35])·This dangerous aspect is also expressed in ‘The Birth-Story of Suta·soma’ (31), where the forest is the home of the cannibal Kalmasha·pada.

14 The introduction to story 25 states: “Quiet from lack of contact with men, the region was home for various hordes of wild animals and abounded with trees and shrubs.” See also the introduction to story 30: “A home for forest animals, the woods were blessed by a deep and broad lake, while a vast desert, devoid of trees, shrubs and water, concealed it from human habitation on all sides.”

15 See vol. 1, 6.2 and this volume 25.3–5 [1], 33.31 [20], 34.45 [23]. The superiority of the ascetic forest life over the desire-based life of the householder is sometimes expressed through images of beauty. ‘The Smaller Birth-Story of Bodhi’ states (21.7, 21.16): “Moved by her affection for her husband, his wife also shaved off her hair. Freeing her body from the concerns of wearing superficial ornaments, she became adorned only by the glory of her virtue and natural appearance. [...] [She then] adorned the root ________

      of a tree, illuminating it like a deity with the power of her beauty, focusing on a meditation practice taught by her husband.”

16 See 22.19–33.

17 Royal hunts in forests also provide a means for animals or ascetics to encounter human beings. See, for example, story 25.

18 This similarity is conveyed by ‘The Birth-Story of Suta·soma’ (31), in which the idyllic description of a royal park closely resembles that of forests in other stories (31.10–12 [5]). In this story, there is a reversal of the normal contrast between the serene harmony of the forest and the desire-based violence of human society. Here a king’s pleasure trip in his gardens is invaded by the attack of a forest cannibal, thereby conveying a contrast between the civilized pleasures of royal gardens and the unruly wilderness of the forest. The garden-forest motif can therefore vary its significance and function depending on the context. Parks or forests can also take on a divine significance through their association with Nandana, the garden of the gods (28.13 [5]).

19 The invasive nature of the king’s actions is highlighted by the fact that his drums terrify the animals living in the forest as he approaches the tree (27.19).

20 These are: stories 21–27, 32. Story 28 is an exception in that the king who assaults the Bodhi·sattva is swallowed up into hell after refusing to lessen his hostility despite hearing the Bodhi·sattva’s instruction. Here it is karma that provides a resolution to the conflict. However, a different resolution between the Bodhi·sattva and human beings is achieved at the end of the story when the Bodhi·sattva preaches to the king’s ministers, who become his “disciples of virtue” (28.110 [69]). In story 30, the animal realm is again depicted as an idyllic sphere separate from human society, but here the Bodhi·sattva willingly sacrifices himself for a group of starving people and there is no conflict between him and human beings. The stories in which ascetics or animals directly come into contact with kings are: 21–23, 25–28, 32 (while in stories 24 and 30, the Bodhi·sattva as an animal encounters human characters ________

      who are not kings). In story 32, the Bodhi·sattva is a prince who persuades his father to allow him to enter the forest as an ascetic.

21 See especially 22.115 [66]–119 [70], 22.151 [94]–156 [99], 23. 118 [63]–128 [73], 24.62 [38]–66 [42], 25.44 [23]–50 [29], 26.76 [38]–83 [44], 27.42 [17]–63 [35] 28.69 [38]–79 [47] 29–71 [49]–80 [58], 30.25 [11]–27 [13], 31.106 [52]–111 [55], 32.33 [21]–64 [48]. Only stories 33 & 34 do not mention kings. While kingship is not a major issue in story 30, the Bodhi·sattva does criticize a king for immoral behavior in 30.25 [11]–27 [13]. In story 24 (24.62 [38]–66 [42]), it is not the Bodhi·sattva who instructs a king, but a man suffering from the bad karma of betraying the Bodhi·sattva’s friendship.

22 Some passages refer to the “three pursuits” of virtue, profit and desire (22.119 [70]). However, virtue is always treated as the primary concern. See, for example, 29.75 [53]:^: “Turn your wealth into an instrument for virtue.” The contrast between this ideal form of kingship and conventional kingship is highlighted by the amazed reactions of kings when they witness the Bodhi·sattva’s virtue. See, for example, 27.42 [17]: “Ministers and other men serve their king. But it is not for the king to act for their sake. Why then did you sacrifice yourself for the sake of your dependents?”

23 See also 31.106 [52]–111 [55] for an attack on the pragmatic approach of politics (niti).

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      ______ (trans.). 1989. Once the Buddha Was a Monkey: Arya Sura’s Jatakamala. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press.

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      All Pali text citations refer to editions of the Pali Text Society.