The importance of the Jātaka

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In Theravada Buddhism in Burma by Ray, Niharranjan (1946), the historical importance of the Jātaka Tales is pointed out. In chapter VII, the author writes:

“In a preceding section we have incidentally referred to the representation of the entire repository of Jataka stories numbering 547, on the glazed plaques adorning the walls of the Ananda temple. “The jataka stories embodying, as they do, their moral and ethical teachings in the form of charming tales and fables,” says M. Duroiselle, “ were one of the most potent means for pressing the claims of Buddhism among the peoples of Indo-China; they have left a deep impression wherever the religion has become established.” This is true of all the Jatakas, but especially of the last ten long ones; and the most prized and read among these ten are: Sama, Mahajanaka, Mahosadha (Maha-ummagga) and Vessantara; they have been translated in prose and verse, and turned into theatrical plays in the case of Vessantara.

This predilection explains the great prominence given to these ten stories in the plaques of the Ananda, for, while the lesser Jatakas have only one plaque to each, these ten are illustrated by 389. In Burma, they form the subject of a voluminous literature, both in Talaing and in Burmese.” 81 Out of the total number of 547 Jatakas 537 plaques contain 537 shorter Jataka stories and the number and the order of the stories are the same as we find them in the Pali recension preserved in Ceylon and other countries professing Pali Buddhism. The last ten, i.e., the Mahanipata stories as we find them on the Ananda do not follow the traditional order. The reason is difficult to guess. 62 Nevertheless, it is evident that already by about the end of the eleventh century the entire corpus of Jataka literature was made familiar to the Buddhist fraternity of Upper Burma, and it is natural to magine that through these stories Buddhism made its appeal to the rude common people of the north and rapidly won their heart…”

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He goes on to write about the importance of the Avidūrenidāna (life-stories of the Buddha) later in the chapter, where he points out:

“Like the Durenidana or Jataka stories, the Avidurenidana or the life-stories of the Buddha also became very popular in Burma during this period and continued to be so ever since. Already we have seen the ruins of Old Prome yielding relief sculptures narrating important episodes from the life of the Master. We have also seen that the complete cycle was elaborately represented on the walls of the terraces and corridors of the Ananda. Archaeological exploration and research in Pagan during the last forty years have yielded a large number of sculptures, terracotta tablets and painted panels representing important episodes of Buddha’s life beginning from that of the request of the gods in the Tusita heaven, but more often from that of the dream interpretation, to the story of the Mahaparinibbana.

Such sculptures and painted panels are but too numerous to enable us to take individual notice of them. 88 One or two representative examples brought to light by recent explorations may just be referred to ; but the most important repository of Avidurenidana stories in Burma is of course the Ananda where one finds the richest store of sculptures and glazed terracotta tablets representing the entire series of events and episodes of the Master’s life beginning with the request of the gods in the Tusita heaven and ending with the Parinibbana, including the various miracles he performed in his last existence and also other incidents connected with his life and activities. Nowhere else in Burma except in the Ananda is the Avidurenidana so elaborately represented, though from a number of temples hail reliefs that stylistically and iconographically may be considered more or less as replicas of those of the Ananda…”

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“Not only on stone reliefs and terracotta votive tablets but in wall-paintings as well we have a large number of representations of stories from Buddha’s life. The walls of a large number of temples of Pagan were originally decorated with paintings; but ravages of men, time and nature have been successful in obliterating them in most cases. Few that remain show that the people of Pagan had a very intimate knowledge of the entire cycle of stories pertaining to Buddha’s life…”

“…The story of Theravada Buddhism as related in the previous sections finds confirmation in the history and art of the hundred and one monuments that came to cover every available inch of ground of the torrid plains of Pagan. One should bear in mind all these large and small edifices dedicated to the glorification of the Master and his faith were reared up in course of about 250 years, from about the middle of the eleventh to about the closing of the thirteenth century A.D. These monuments that pierce the Pagan sky furnish an undying testimony to the efflorescence of Buddhism during those eventful two centuries and a half when the kings of the Anawrahta dynasty sat on the throne.”

Renaldo

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Maybe leave a link to pictures?

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The Jatakas are vital for understanding the 10 paramis. They show the pinnacle of each and how to practice them to the utmost perfection. Nobody would know what perfecting them would actually look like without the examples exemplified in the jatakas.

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That is an excellent idea, Bhante (@bksubhuti) ! I have found some nice images of the temple and some of the Buddha statues within it, but it is proving a little bit difficult to find images from the Jātaka. I will continue to search, and if anyone else has any good images (whether they are from the Dūrenidāna or the Avidūrenidāna), please share them here.

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What an amazing and breathtaking temple it is.

From wikipedia:

“The Ananda Temple (Burmese: အာနန္ဒာ ဘုရား, pronounced [ànàɰ̃dà pʰəjá]), located in Bagan, Myanmar is a Buddhist temple built in 1105 AD during the reign (1084–1112/13) of King Kyansittha (Hti-Hlaing Min) of the Pagan Dynasty. The temple layout is cruciform with several terraces leading to a small pagoda at the top covered by an umbrella known as hti, which is the name of the umbrella or top ornament found in almost all pagodas in Myanmar. The Buddhist temple houses four standing Buddha statues, each one facing the cardinal direction of East, North, West and South.”

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The four Buddha statues:

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PM Modi visited the temple and made offerings to the Buddha on September 6, 2017:

He also reviewed the restoration work being carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on the 12th-century temple, which had been damaged in the 2016 earthquake.

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Indeed, they are very important for that purpose. If I remember correctly, Ajahn Sujin quotes them numerous times in her 2007 book The Perfections Leading to Enlightenment (pdf download from abhidhamma.org) translated by Nina Van Gorkom and published by Zolag, London, as she discusses the 10 perfections.

Additionally, the Jātaka Tales are also important for understanding the ten Rājadhamma, or Dasavidha-Rājadhamma (tenfold virtues of the ruler). Ms. Sarah Shaw, PhD, author of Jātakas: Birth Stories of the Bodhisatta, and The Ten Great Birth Stories of the Buddha: the Mahānipāta of the Jātakatthavaṇṇanā, among many other works, speaks about this in the following talk at the section which I link directly to below this paragraph (unfortunately the volume on the recording is rather low and you may have to turn it up a bit).

:folded_hands:

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Here are a few nice examples of some of the Jātaka reliefs found at the Ānanda Temple in Bagan, which I found in the following paper (including the captions):

“The Uses of Human Malleability: Images of Hellish and Heavenly Sojourns in Pre-Modern Burma” by Lilian Handlin

If anyone can find any others, please share.

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Pagan, Ananda Stupa, 11th Century, Jataka 422. Devadatta sinking into the earth, only the crowned head showing.

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Pagan, Ananda, 11th century. Yuvanjaya, Jataka 460. A monoscenic interpretation, on a glazed plaque, encapsulating a story linking sighting a natural phenomenon—the sun burning away the dew—and grasping thereby life’s meaning.

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Pagan, Ananda 11th century. Cūḷadhammapāla Jātaka, 358—the bodhisatta’s mother is cradling the baby prior to its dismemberment.

The paper, as the title suggests, is not about the Jātakas specifically, but discusses images of hellish and heavenly sojourns in pre-modern Burma. It simply uses examples of a few of these reliefs to make its arguments (and has some very nice images of them).

The following is the author’s conclusion:

“Dhammadinna, whom we have met with his magic fan, also appears in the Visuddhimagga to help his teacher become an arahat. He does this by frightening him with a mere apparition of a charging elephant. The teacher’s scare signals inadequacy, because a truly awakened being would have realized the elephant’s illusory nature. The evoked terror serves its purpose as the teacher asks for help that Dhammadinna provides, opening the path to making him an arahat. In a world plagued by what Buddhaghosa called “Mara’s bait(s)”, hell images were warnings to those incautious enough to swallow them. By the 18th century, such admonitions were more in demand. Hirī and ottappa were as always on hand, the difference between them was illustrated by Buddhaghosa’s metaphor of the iron rod, smeared at one end with feces, the other red hot. Hirī was like disgust at touching the excrement, ottappa like the fear of touching the latter. For the good people, they were two of the seven kinds of supports that acted like a powerfully guarded fortress, its pillar saddhā, its moat hirī and ottappa. They were thereby freed of the 100,000 kinds of Maras. What more could one ask for?”

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Some excellent footage of a few temples, all of which are either in or near Bagan, beginning with the Ananda Temple, then the Sulamani Temple, the Dhammayangyi Temple, the Nanpaya Temple, and then the Shwezigon Pagoda or Shwezigon Paya:

Do you have a favourite moment in the video or a favourite piece of artwork shown?

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Here is the section from the VISM.

XX 110. This imperfection of insight usually arises in one who has acquired serenity and insight. Because the defilements suppressed by the attainments do not manifest themselves, he thinks, “I am an Arahant,” like the Elder Mahá-Nága who lived at Uccaválika, like the Elder Mahá-Datta who lived at Haòkana, like the Elder Cúla- Sumana who lived in the Nikapenna meditation house at Cittalapabbata.
111. Here is one story as an illustration. The Elder Dhammadinna, it seems, who lived at Talangara—one of the great ones with cankers destroyed who possessed the categories of discrimination—was the instructor of a large community of bhikkhus. One day, as he was sitting in his own daytime quarters, he wondered, “Has our teacher, the Elder Mahá-Nága who lives at Uccaválika, [635] brought his work of asceticism to its conclusion, or not?” He saw that he was still an ordinary man, and he knew that if he did not go to him, he would die an ordinary man. He rose up into the air with supernormal power and alighted near the elder, who was sitting in his daytime quarters. He paid homage to him, doing his duty, and sat down at one side. To the question, “Why have you come unexpectedly, friend Dhammadinna?” he replied, “I have come to ask a question, venerable sir.” He was told, “Ask, friend. If we know, we shall say.” He asked a thousand questions.
112. The elder replied without hesitation to each question. To the remark, “Your knowledge is very keen, venerable sir; when was this state attained by you?” he replied, “Sixty years ago, friend.” “Do you practice concentration, venerable sir?”— “That is not difficult, friend.”—“Then make an elephant, venerable sir.” The elder made an elephant all white. “Now, venerable sir, make that elephant come straight at you with his ears outstretched, his tail extended, putting his trunk in his mouth and making a horrible trumpeting.” The elder did so. Seeing the frightful aspect of the rapidly approaching elephant, he sprang up and made to run away. Then the elder with cankers destroyed put out his hand, and catching him by the hem of his robe, he said, “Venerable sir, is there any timidity in one whose cankers are destroyed?”
Then he recognized that he was still an ordinary man. He knelt at Dhammadinna’s feet and said, “Help me, friend Dhammadinna.”—“Venerable sir, I will help you; that is why I came. Do not worry.” Then he expounded a meditation subject to him. The elder took the meditation subject and went up on to the walk, and with the third footstep he reached Arahantship. The elder was a bhikkhu of hating temperament, it seems. Such bhikkhus waver on account of illumination

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Thank you.

That’s an interesting point which I was not aware of. :folded_hands:

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It’s crucial to understand the impact of sacred art on viewers:

"Asked to recall a deeply moving spiritual experience, many people will describe it sensuously. They’ll cite things such as the light, the sounds or the absolute silence, the colors, textures and images that provoked contemplation, the intense emotions and feelings that swelled in response. Within the storehouse of our brains, the stimuli of art are often entangled in the effect.

Little wonder then that nearly all worship settings — past and present — include visual art, whether paintings or prints, carvings, stained glass or sculptures such as crucifixes in Christian churches or ornate reliquary in Buddhist temples that hold the remains of revered teachers.

While visual art in places of worship sometimes appears as merely decorative, a way to add beauty – or, at the very least, visual interest — to interior spaces. It is often much more. By encouraging a profound response in the viewer, it can be a powerful tool for opening a doorway into a spiritual realm – prompting or deepening devotion. Visual art in worship settings also serves to reinforce important stories and teachings from religious texts and traditions. Thoughts and emotions fuse, and we grasp our humanness in a decidedly different way.

Of course, religious art exists in many settings other than places of worship. Museums are full of it, acquired from religions and regions throughout the world. It’s also not unusual to see religious art in galleries, parks, campuses, homes and even some businesses."

-Templeton Religion Trust

https://templetonreligiontrust.org/explore/sacred-art-in-context/

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