The Jatakas

by Sarah Shaw

  C

  Campa, the city and river share the same name, after white campaka flowers on the riverside.

  Campeyya, the Bodhisatta’s name in a naga rebirth (506).

  Canda, daughter of Madda king and consort to ruler of Varanasi (538).

  Cetiya, one of sixteen regions (Mahajanapadas) in what is now India.

  Cittakuta, a mountain, and the gateway to the heaven of the Thirty-Three Gods.

  D

  Deva/devata, a shining god, or goddess, who is not immortal, but born for a long period in a sense-sphere heaven through the practice of generosity, keeping sila and suchlike. Devas have happy existences and live in splendid palaces (vimanas) in heavenly realms, or sometimes they preside as benign, protective presences in trees and lakes. Such a goddess also lives in the royal white parasol in Jataka 538. They can and do visit humans to converse with them and advise. Their homes are described in ‘The story of Nimi’ (541).

  Devadatta, the chief villain of the Jatakas, dedicated to undermining the Bodhisatta in his aim. In his last life, as the Buddha’s cousin, he becomes a dark parody of the Buddha. After trying to kill the Buddha when they both were young, he forms his own assembly and teachings, causing a schism in the Sangha, that ensures a hellish rebirth (1, 20, 313 and 407).

  Dhamma, first, the Buddha’s teaching, a refuge and meditation object as the second aspect of the Triple Gem in Buddha, dhamma and sangha; second, more general spiritual teaching when there is no Buddha’s teaching available, as is the case in the stories from the past; third, justice, what is right, lawfulness; and fourth, how things are. The word has been retained in some contexts: dhamma hall, the meeting place of the monks and dhamma talk, in the dhammadesana. Sometimes words such as ‘teaching’, ‘justice’ and ‘what is lawful or fitting’ have been used.

  Dighavu, ‘Longlife’, Mahajanaka’s son (539), an earlier rebirth of Rahula, the Bodhisatta’s son in his final rebirth.

  Dipankara, the Buddha preceding the present one, Gotama. He predicts the eventual destiny of the Bodhisatta-to-be, the hero of the tales, who prostrates himself before Dipankara and makes the resolve to be a Buddha. Dipankara instructs him in the ten perfections (paramis).

  Dukulaka, Sama’s father (540) and an earlier rebirth of Kassapa, one of the Buddha’s chief disciples.

  G

  Gandhamadana, one of the five mountain ranges that encircle Lake Anotatta (540).

  J

  Janaka, a king of Varanasi, whose minister is Senaka (402).

  Jambudipa, one of four great continents which surround Mount Sumeru. It is the known world and is hence associated with India: it is the onl y place in which Buddhas are born.

  Jetavana, a grove in Savatthi, bought by the lay disciple, Anathapindika, for the Buddha’s use, by covering its surface with coins. It is the scene of many talks and discussions between the Buddha and his followers.

  Jhana, one of eight meditative states or samapattis which bring rebirth in a Brahma heaven. The first four are called the form jhanas: the first is accompanied by initial thought, sustained thought, joy, happiness and one-pointedness; the second by joy, happiness and one-pointedness; the third by happiness and one-pointedness; and the fourth by one - pointedness. The fourth meditation is the traditional starting point for the higher knowledges (abhinnas), or the formless jhanas. The fifth is the sphere of boundless space, the sixth the sphere of boundless consciousness, the seventh the sphere of nothingness and the eighth the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception. The four path moments, of stream-entry, one return, never return, and enlightenment, described in the conclusions of some stories, are known as lokuttara jhana, meditations that transcend or are of a higher order than the world.

  K

  Kaalbu, king of Kasi (313).

  Kalakanjaka Asura, a class of jealous god, a lower rebirth (94).

  Kalpa, an aeon.

  Kamma, literally, action; the activity and its effects which govern future circumstances and rebirths.

  Kara, a kind of tree.

  Kasina, device made of one of four elements, or four colours, or space or light, used to induce calm meditation (jhana).

  Kasi, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas, or countries, whose capital was Varanasi.

  Kasmari, kasumari tree = Gmelina arborea.

  (Maha) Kassapa, one of the Buddha’s chief disciples in the Bodhisatta’s last lifetime. In an earlier rebirth is husband of Parika and father of Sama, the Bodhisatta (540).

  Kimsuka, the Butea frondosa tree (lit. ‘what’s this?’).

  Kinnara, a mythical being, half-bird and half-man (lit. ‘what man?’).

  Kora the Ksatriya, a naked ascetic (94).

  Kosala, country to the north-west of Magadha and adjacent to Kasi, with which it seems to have been in prolonged struggle. One of the sixteen Mahajanapadas, or ancient territories of India.

  Kundaka, red powder of rice husks; name for Bodhisatta as ascetic in Jataka 313.

  Kusa, a kind of coarse grass with long pointed stalks used in brahminical ritual.

  Kusavati, a city in the kingdom of the Mallas, later called Kusinara, the scene of the Buddha’s death.

  Kusinara, later name for Kusavati, the scene of the Buddha’s death.

  Ketakavana, a forest in Kosala where the Buddha relates Jataka 20.

  Khadira, the hardwood tree Acacia catechu.

  L

  Licchavi, warrior tribe of India, whose capital was Vesali.

  M

  Madda, the name of a country and a people; birth place of Queen Canda (538).

  Makhadeva, the Bodhisatta, king of Mithila in Videha, who for successive periods of eighty-four thousand years each is prince, viceroy, king and then ascetic. Becomes an ascetic when his barber finds a grey hair (9).

  Mahajanaka, king of Mithila, who had two sons, Aritthajanaka and Polajanaka. Polajanaka becomes king when he kills Aritthajanaka, whose wife goes into exile and gives birth to a son, the Bodhisatta, also called Mahajanaka. After perils of sea journey and Polajanaka’s death Mahajanaka reclaims Mithila and marries Polajanaka’s daughter Sivali (539).

  (Maha) Moggallana, second of the Buddha’s disciples, pre-eminent in the iddhis, or psychic powers, which in his last lifetime are constantly employed to locate, visit and encourage suffering meditators and practitioners, whatever their rebirth. Frequently reborn with Sariputta, the Buddha’s chief disciple, in the company of the Buddha (37, 316, 476 and 539).

  Manimekhala, Jewelled Girdle, a goddess placed by the Four Great Kings in Jataka 539 to preside over the ocean and protect those who keep sila from harm. Rescues Mahajanaka (539).

  Manosilatala, a locality in the Himalayas.

  Mara, sense-sphere god whose name, associated with death, aptly describes his embodiment of all the forces that militate against wholesomeness, happiness or the practice of meditation. In the Jatakanidana he appears before the Buddha, assuming tempting and frightening forms in an attempt to challenge and dissuade him from his path. It is because of his challenge that Gotama brings the earth to witness for his great act of generosity in giving food to seven hundred ascetics as King Vessantara. Oddly enough, Mara features rarely in Jataka stories, where malevolence is more commonly represented b y Devadatta, the Buddha’s cousin in his last life.

  Migajina, ascetic, an earlier incarnation of Moggallana, who emerges from meditation to encourage the Bodhisatta, Mahajanaka, in his going forth (539).

  Migasammata, a river which rose in the Himalayas and flowed down to the Ganga (540).

  Mithila, capital of the Videha country, a city that features in man y Jataka stories, and is the subject of extensive eulogy in ‘The story of Mahajanaka’ (539). Also home of King Makhadeva (9).

  Munja, a sort of reed, Saccharum munja.

  N

  Naga, legendary being, part-snake and part-human, that lives in underground palaces in caves or in the depths of rivers, lakes and seas. Endowed with supernatural powers and the ability to protect humans, nagas can change form
at will and are the possessors of various kinds of magical gems and treasures which they guard under water. The Bodhisatta is reborn as a naga on several occasions, though through shame at finding himself in what is a lower realm, keeps the uposatha day in the hope of a human birth (506).

  Nandiya, the Bodhisatta as a deer (385).

  Narada, ascetic, earlier incarnation of Sariputta, who gives advice to Mahajanaka when he renounces the kingship (539).

  Nibbana, literally means the ‘quelled’ or ‘put out’, as in a candle wick. The state of freedom and ease in which all suffering of any kind ceases, the goal of the Buddhist path.

  Niraya, one of lowest hells, where rebirth may be for aeons, but is not permanent.

  P

  Paccekabuddha, one who has found enlightenment on his own (samam), without hearing the teaching of a Buddha. During the time in which the stories from the past are told there are neither Buddhas nor arahats. Paccekabuddhas, or silent Buddhas as they are sometimes known, therefore feature as representatives of the spiritual path in Jataka stories when the teaching is lost. They embody, but do not teach fully, the complete path to enlightenment.

  Pajjunna, the god of rain, (75) at that time an earlier incarnation of Ananda.

  Parami, perfection. One of the ten qualities needing cultivation by a Bodhisatta so that he can become a Buddha in his final life.

  Piliyakkha, a king of Kasi who shoots the Bodhisatta with an arrow (540).

  Piyal, a kind of tree, Buchanania latifolia.

  Polajanaka, son of king Mahajanaka and brother of Aritthajanaka, from whom he seizes the kingship. Father of Sivali, who becomes consort to Mahajanaka, Polajanaka’s nephew and the Bodhisatta (539).

  R

  Rahula, name means literally a ‘fetter’. The Buddha’s son, who became an arahat in his lifetime (95).

  Rahulamata, name given in texts for Rahula’s mother and consort of Gotama; she is called Yasodhara in northern texts. She usually features as Bodhisatta’s consort. Becomes enlightened in Gotama’s last life (95, 506 and 539).

  Rajagaha, capital city of Magadha.

  S

  Saketa, a town in Kosala, which was possibly its older capital. One of six great cities of the Buddha’s time, along with Campa, Rajagaha, Savatthi, Kosambi and Varanasi.

  Sakka, king of the heaven of the Thirty-Three Gods, the realm above the heaven of the Four Kings, which is just above the human realm. As the lord of a heaven where beings are reborn through such activities as generosity or keeping the precepts, he notices and sometimes helps humans who are trying to cultivate these virtues or follow a spiritual path. In such instances his attention is alerted by a sudden increase in heat in his heavenly throne. Sakka denotes the office rather than the individual: the king of this realm is always called Sakka, though different beings can occupy his position. His name is said to derive from the fact that he gives generously and thoroughly (sakkaccam).

  Sal, national tree of the Sakyans, Shorea robusta.

  Samsara, literally, ‘wandering’, the condition of all living beings.

  Sasa, a hare, the Bodhisatta (313).

  Savatthi, capital of Kosala.

  Sila, moral virtue associated with keeping of five precepts (panca silani) of not killing, not stealing, not indulging in sexual misconduct, not lying and not becoming intoxicated.

  Sivali, daughter of Polajanaka, and the Bodhisatta’s consort in ‘The story of Mahajanaka’, associated with Rahulamata (539).

  Subhadda, wife of King Mahasudassana, Rahulamata in an earlier

  life (95).

  Sumana, Jasmine, the Bodhisatta’s naga consort in ‘The story of Campeyya’, associated with Rahulamata (506).

  Sunakkhatta, Licchavi prince of Vesali. Erstwhile member of the Buddha’s order of monks whose departure was prompted by the Buddha’s failure to use and display the psychic powers (iddhis) or to explain the beginnings of things (94).

  Sunanda, charioteer to King of Kasi, associated with Sariputta (538).

  Suttas, Buddhist texts, one of three ‘baskets’, or collections of the teaching, mostly composed of talks and discussions given on specific occasions.

  Senaka, Bodhisatta as minister of Madda (402).

  T

  Taxila/Takkasila, capital of Gandhara, a centre of education (in the Punjab).

  Temiya, Wet One, prince, name of Bodhisatta in Mugapakkha Jataka (538).

  Thuna, city mentioned in ‘The story of Mahajanaka’ (539).

  tinduk, a kind of tree, Diospyros embryopteris.

  U

  King Uggasena, king of Varanasi, an earlier incarnation of Sariputta, who witnesses Campeyya’s dance (506).

  Uposatha, The days of the full moon, new moon and days midwa y between: the fourteenth–fifteenth and/or the eighth day of the moon’s cycle. A day of purification in which lay disciples take extra precepts and wear white. Often spent at monasteries for offering food to monks, chanting, listening to dhamma, etc. Called poya day in modern Sri Lanka. Along with more general injunctions to be generous and to guard virtue, sila, its observance is frequently recommended in Jataka stories.

  Uppalavanna, in Buddha’s lifetime a nun renowned for her meditative skill and psychic powers. Born as the goddess of the white parasol (538) and the goddess of the mountains (540).

  Ussada, one of the lowest Niraya hells (538).

  V

  Varanasi (Benares), capital of Kasi.

  Vesali, capital of the Licchavis.

  Videha/Videhans, a country and its people, whose capital was Mithila, ruled by Makhadeva (9) and Mahajanaka (539).

  Vipassi, the nineteenth of the twenty-four Buddhas (94).

  Vinaya, the Buddhist monastic code, one of three ‘baskets’, or collections, of the teaching.

  Vissakamma, chief designer and architect of the heaven of the Thirty-Three Gods who arranges leaf huts and requisites for virtuous humans too (538, 540).

  Y

  Yakkha, non-human, rather like a goblin. Often depicted as protective deities in doors of temples, they are generally regarded as benign in a Buddhist context. Although some feature in the heaven of the Thirty - Three Gods, they are more usually considered to be inhabitants of the realm of the Four Great Kings. In Jatakas, however, they are often malevolent and feature as man-eating spirits in Jatakas 1, 20 and 55, where their rebirth is regarded as a descent. As the first story tells us, they can be spotted by their red eyes and failure to cast a shadow.

  Yojana, measurement of distance. As much as can be travelled with one yoke of oxen, so about seven miles. Often translated as ‘league’. In Jataka 539, it refers in the riddles to the length of an oxen cart.

  Yugandhara, one of seven mountain ranges that surround Mount Meru.

  Frequently used technical terms

  attainments (samapatti): the eight meditations or jhanas.

  ‘bound for a heaven realm’: term used to describe someone who has made great merit and will be reborn in a heaven on death.

  declaration or statement of truth (saccakiriya): a statement of a single true fact, usually with regard to one’s own virtue, that produces a magical effect in the world around (20, 75 and 540).

  divine abidings: the four brahmaviharas: the meditations on loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. These four qualities can occur in daily life. When they are practised as meditations they lead to rebirth in a Brahma heaven.

  higher knowledge (abhinna): The six higher knowledges are the miraculous powers described in the Samannaphala Sutta.They are first, the psychic powers, with the ability to become many, become invisible, walk through a wall as if it is air etc; second, the Divine Ear that hears sounds far and near, heavenly or human; third, the penetration of the minds of others; four, the memory of past lives; five, the Divine Eye that sees the arising and falling of beings in different conditions; and six, the destruction of the corruptions (asavas). In Buddist thought described as becoming available to one who has practised the fourth meditation. In Jatakas usually only
five are mentioned: the sixth brings enlightenment.

  ten powers: ten powers possessed only by a Buddha. These include skills such as the recollection of past lives, the ability to discern the past lives of others and the ability to understand the laws of kamma.

  four noble truths: formulated by the Buddha in his first sermon, are usually taken as the distillation of his path: the truth of dukkha, suffering or dissatisfaction; the truth of the origin (samudaya) of suffering, the thirst or craving that gives rise to suffering; the truth of the cessation (nirodha) of suffering; and the truth of the path (magga) that leads to the cessation of suffering. The truths are usually taught together: to understand one is to understand them all. One cannot truly understand the first truth—for instance of suffering or dissatisfaction—and not also come to see the path to the freedom from that. It is not commonly observed that in the suttas this teaching is usually reserved for those near one of the stages of path themselves. We are told at the end of many stories that a number of those who heard the Jatakas when they were first given attain one of the four stages of enlightenment through hearing these truths when their minds are ready to understand them.

  five percepts: associated with sila: undertakings stated or chanted by the Buddhist practitioner when he takes ‘refuge’ in the Triple Gem: the Buddha, the dhamma (the teaching) and the sangha (the community of those that follow the teaching). They are 1) I undertake the rule of training not to take life; 2) I undertake the rule of training not to take what is not given; 3) I undertake the rule of training not to indulge in sexual misconduct; 4) I undertake the rule of training not to speak falsely; and 5) I undertake the rule of training not to become intoxicated. When they are maintained they are felt to protect the practitioner from inner and outer harm.