Week 11 Reading Notes Part D: Shedlock. Eastern Stories and Legends

The eight spoke Dharma wheel symbolizes the Noble Eightfold Path, Wikicommons

THE CROW THAT THOUGHT IT KNEW: Bodhisatta in this version is a crow and he meets a man Viraka and Savitthaka. Savitthaka does not heed the warnings and dives deep into a pool of water and dies due to his hubris.

THE JUDAS TREE: The king of Benares, Brahmadatta, had four sons. They were taken to see a Judas tree. They all had different descriptions of the tree. They failed to ask the charioteer who took them to see the tree, as he had see the tree year round. The moral of the story is that everyone has knowledge to share.

THE RIVER FISH AND THE MONEY: Brahmadatta again is in this story as the king of Benares. There was a young brother who was thievish. They paid the river spirit and he grew. Eventually the river spirit was tricked by the thievish brother and had a fish swallow a thousand rupees. The fish was then sold to the owner of the thousand rupees but was charged the price minus the thousand he had lost. The thievish brother ends up getting caught and reprimanded.

THE DREAMER IN THE WOOD: Buddha lived in the forest and meditated, eating fruit, leafs, and bark. King Sakka sees Buddha in the woods and confronts him. Sakka does not like Buddha, but then learns his story and decides to grant three boons. Buddha does not ask for food, but instead: No malice, hatred, nor greed. Sakka is impressed and grants him his boon, and grants the tree to have fruit and that no disease may disturb him.

THE RICE MEASURE: There came a trade for a horse that was valued at a measure of rice. The horse was obviously worth more than a grain of rice. This valuation was placed to please the king. Using the same logic the price of the city they resided in, Benares, was then valued at a price of a grain of rice. This was obviously not the case and the valuer was fired.

THE POISONOUS TREES: Bodhisatta is born a merchant.They were crossing a land of poisonous plants. There was plant that mimic a mango, but they were warned. Some ate it but were cured by Bodhisatta. The villagers were used to pillaging people that passed through but were surprised to see Bodhisatta's pack alive. They learned from him that he was wise.

THE WELL-TRAINED ELEPHANT: Bodhisatta is born an elephant and the king takes a liking to him. He is taken around the city and asks if the elephant is good. The elephant is good. The kingdom eventually gets split up into three parts and the are all ruled fairly.

THE WISE PHYSICIAN: Kisagotami is a young girl who marries a rich man and then has a child. The child dies but she is determined to heal him and seeks out Buddha. She is told to get mustard seed from a home where no death has occurred. She is unable to find any and returns to Buddha. It comes clear to her that death is only natural and begins her way on the first Path.