Stories of The Buddha - being Selections from the Jātaka

Stories of the Buddha: Being Selections from the Jātaka, edited and introduced by Mrs. Rhys Davids, presents selected stories from the Pāli Jātaka collection, traditionally numbering about 550 tales. These stories recount former lives of the Buddha as a Bodhisatta and illustrate themes such as compassion, wisdom, moral choice, self-sacrifice, and spiritual development. Rhys Davids emphasizes that the Jātakas should not be read merely as Indian folklore. She presents them as Buddhist narratives that show the gradual moral growth of the individual across many lives. Her translations are based directly on the Pāli text and preserve the characteristic Jātaka structure linking events in the Buddha’s present life with stories of the past. The volume offers an accessible introduction to Jātaka literature and is a valuable resource for readers interested in early Buddhist storytelling, ethics, and the development of the Bodhisatta ideal.