Ruiter, Dick De [red.]

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Buddhist folk tales

For centuries the stories in this book have beem told by Buddhist monks to the common people of the island of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). The tales were told in Singalese language while the verses often were sung in Pali the holy language of the Buddhists and then again translated into Singalese. This custom goes back at least three hundred years. Originally these tales are hundreds of years old probably even older than the days when the Sakya the Buddhist doctrine was founded. Some of them very likely have been introduced into India from other countries. Others are obviously entirely of Buddhist origin. But all Jatakas have been adopted into the most ancient traditions of the Buddhist doctrine. Even now the storytellers still find a ready ear amongst the original population of Sri Lanka. All stories are about the lives of the Bodhisatta meaning the Buddha before his enlightenment. Some stories read like fairytales others are just about the rural population of the island centuries ago. All Jatakas contain an obvious moral message.