Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c42.s2.t4.1

v2.c42.s2.t4.1

The Jātaka-stories, according to the late Buddhist traditions, had in view Bodhisattva’s attainment of perfection¹ in six or ten virtues, viz., (i) liberality (dāna) (ii) righteousness (śīla) (iii) forbearance or endurance (kṣānti) (iv) mental strength (vīrya) (v) mental concentration (dhyāna) and (vi) realisation of the truth (prajñā). The number was latterly raised to ten by the addition of (i) skilfulness in expedients (upāyakauśalya) (ii) vow or resolution (praṇidhāna) (iii) attainment of certain powers (bala) and (iv) knowledge (jñāna).² The above list is to be found in Buddhist-Sanskrit works while the list in the Pāli texts is slightly different. It agrees with five of the above, viz., dāna, sīla, khanti, viriya and paññā. The remaining five are (i) renunciation (nekkhamma), (ii) truthfulness (sacca), (iii) resolution (adhiṭṭhāna), (iv) love (mettā) and (v) equanimity (upekkhā). Of these five, adhiṭṭhāna may be taken as a synonym of praṇidhāna of the supplementary list. The agreement of the two lists in five of the ten pāramitās indicates their comparative antiquity. It seems that the list was not a pre-meditated one. The stories were originally written just to illustrate that the episodes of Buddha's life were not untoward events but the outcome of the deeds of his previous existences. In course of time these stories were multiplied without any definite plan.