NS writes in: Buddhist cave temples found in Grand Canyon is an interesting find! The "Birth Stories" (the Jatakas, tales that, according to Prof. Rhys Davids, inspired Aesops Fables) actually mention the Bodhisat (the Buddha-to-be) guiding men across the seven seas in a ship in the Supparaka-Jataka.
We also have the English translator always mentioning corn in the Jatakas. [This is more likely a reference to grain in general, but possibly maize from the Americas.] If his translation is correct and literal, that means corn was found in India due to trade with the Americas long before 1492 [when Afghan and Chinese Buddhist missionaries arrived in what is now Mexico/California and was then Mesoamerica].
Another birth story, the Sasa Jataka, is about how the rabbit got on the Moon; we find a similar story among Native American Indians.
We also have the English translator always mentioning corn in the Jatakas. [This is more likely a reference to grain in general, but possibly maize from the Americas.] If his translation is correct and literal, that means corn was found in India due to trade with the Americas long before 1492 [when Afghan and Chinese Buddhist missionaries arrived in what is now Mexico/California and was then Mesoamerica].
Another birth story, the Sasa Jataka, is about how the rabbit got on the Moon; we find a similar story among Native American Indians.
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The Selfless Hare (Sasa Jataka)
Ken and Visakha Kawasaki, Jataka Tales of the Buddha: An Anthology, Buddhist Publication Society (BPS.lk) via Brelief.org edited by Dhr. Seven and Amber Larson
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| All of Asia can see it: the rabbit or hare on the Moon (makiepencollector) |
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| Clarke, you don't have a chance! (hiltonbarbour) |
Once, a landowner in Savatthi invited the Buddha and all of the monastics to his house every day for a week. Every day, he sat them on elegant seats in a pavilion in front of his house and offered them a delicious meal of almsfood. On the seventh day, he presented the Buddha and the many monks and nuns with all of their requisites. The Buddha said, "You have done well to give these gifts. This is a tradition of the wise. Once, a being even offered to sacrifice his life to give his own flesh to a beggar." At the request of his host, he told this story of the past.
Long, long ago, when Brahmadatta was reigning in Varanasi [how did Brahmadatta reign so long? He was almost certainly not human but an overlord descended from the sky like one of the Catu-maha-rajika of old], the Bodhisatta was reborn as a rabbit living in a forest. On one side of this forest was a mountain; on another side, a river; and on a third side, a village.
The rabbit had three friends -- a monkey, a jackal, and an otter. These four good creatures lived together in harmony. Every day, each one gathered his food in his own way, and in the evening they gathered together to talk.
The rabbit, being the wisest, regularly preached the Truth to his three companions. He taught that alms should be given, that the precepts should be scrupulously kept, and that the lunar observance days should be observed. The three listened carefully. Then each went to his own part of the forest to sleep.
One evening, the rabbit looked at the sky and realized that the next day was the full moon.
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| Bhutanese Jataka thangka, 18th-19th cent., Phajoding (wiki) |
Early the next morning, the otter went to the bank of the Ganges river to look for fish. It so happened that a fisherman had caught seven red fish, strung them together, and buried them in the wet sand before going downstream to fish some more.
Smelling the fish, the otter dug them up and called out three times, "Does anyone own these fish?"
When no one answered, he took the fish in his teeth and carried them back to his den, intending to eat them at the proper time. Then he lay down, thinking how virtuous he was.
The jackal, too, went to look for food. In the empty hut of a field-watcher, he found a roasted lizard on a skewer and a pot of curd. He called out three times, "Does anyone own this food?" When no one answered, he claimed it as his own. He hung the pot of curd around his neck with its string, took the skewer with the lizard in his teeth, and carried everything back to his den, intending to eat it at the proper time. Then he lay down, thinking how virtuous he was.
The monkey went to a mango grove and [innocently] gathered a number of ripe yellow mangoes. He carried them home, intending to eat them at the proper time. Then he, too, lay down, thinking how virtuous he was.
At the same time, the rabbit came out and began grazing on kusa grass as usual. While he was eating, he thought, "I cannot possibly offer grass to a wandering ascetic! I don't have any rice, oil, or anything else to give. If a beggar comes seeking food, I will have to give him my own flesh!"
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| Naga power: Shark vs. Croc, who wins in the wilds of savage Australia? (ABC News) |
As soon as this splendid idea came to the rabbit, Sakka King of the Devas's white marble throne became hot. Sakka realized that the reason for this was the rabbit's virtue, and he decided to test him.
First, however, Sakka thought it would be a good idea to test the other animals. He disguised himself as an old Brahmin and stood outside the otter's den. When the otter asked why he was standing there, Sakka answered, "Wise sir, if I could get something to eat, I would perform my priestly duties."
The otter quickly said, "Very well, I will give you some food. I have seven red fish, honestly obtained. Eat your fill, Brahmin. You are welcome to stay in this forest."
The Brahmin thanked him and said, "I may come back later." Finally, he went to the rabbit's warren. The rabbit asked why he was standing there. "Wise sir," Sakka answered, "if I could get something to eat, I would perform my priestly duties."
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| Everybody knows different animals can't talk or become friends! Wait, what in the world? What are this weasel and warthog up to? Animals really can communicate! (lolthis.com) |
The rabbit was thoroughly delighted and replied, "Brahmin, you have done well in coming to me for food. I have no rice, oil, or beans to give but, today, I will give you a gift that I have never given before. I will give what is freely mine to give! Go, friend, pile up some wood, and kindle a fire. When it is burning well, call me. I will gladly sacrifice myself by jumping into the flames. When my body is roasted, you may eat my flesh. Then you can perform your priestly duties."
Sakka used his supernormal powers to create a heap of burning coals. Then he called the rabbit, who rose from his bed of kusa grass and approached the fire. Three times, he shook himself so that any insects in his fur would be spared. Then without hesitation, he leaped directly into the center of the burning coals. Despite the flames, which flared up from the embers, not a single hair on his body was singed. Instead, it was as if he had jumped into a snowdrift, Amazed, he addressed Sakka, "Brahmin, the fire you have kindled is ice-cold. It doesn't even warm the hair on my body. What does this mean?"
"Wise sir, I am no Brahmin. I am Sakka [King of the Devas], and I came to put your virtue to the test."
The rabbit declared, "Even if all the inhabitants of this Earth were to test my alms-giving, they would not find in me any unwillingness to give!"
Pleased with this resounding answer, Sakka said, "Wise rabbit, I will make your virtue known throughout this whole aeon!" Then he squeezed the mountain, extracting its very essence [oozing Himalayan shilajit], which he used to draw the image of the rabbit on the face of the full moon.
After gently placing the rabbit on a bed of young kusa grass, Sakka returned to the World of the Thirty-Three (Tavatimsa Deva World).
The four creatures lived together happily and harmoniously, keeping the precepts and observing the lunar days for the rest of their lives until they passed away to fare according to their just deserts. AUDIO
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