Once a Peacock, Once an Actress: Twenty-Four Lives of the Bodhisattva from Haribhatta's Jatakamala (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780226485829)

Written in Kashmir around 400 CE, Haribhatta's Jåtakamåla is a remarkable example of classical Sanskrit literature in a mixture of prose and verse that for centuries was known only in its Tibetan translation. But between 1973 and 2004 a large portion of the Sanskrit original was rediscovered in a number of anonymous manuscripts. With this volume Peter Khoroche offers the most complete translation to date, making almost 80 percent of the work available in English.

Haribhatta's Jåtakamålå is a sophisticated and personal adaptation of popular stories, mostly non-Buddhist in origin, all illustrating the future Buddha's single-minded devotion to the good of all creatures, and his desire, no matter what his incarnation--man, woman, peacock, elephant, merchant, or king--to assist others on the path to nirvana. Haribhatta's insight into human and animal behavior, his astonishing eye for the details of landscape, and his fine descriptive powers together make this a unique record of everyday life in ancient India as well as a powerful statement of Buddhist ethics. This translation will be a landmark in the study of Buddhism and of the culture of ancient India.


Author: Haribhatta
ISBN-10: 022648582X
ISBN-13: 9780226485829
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Language: English
Published: 08/30/2017
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.60h x 5.70w x 0.80d