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Endless Path: Awakening Within the Buddhist Imagination: Jataka Tales, Zen Practice, and Daily Life
***WINNER, 2011 Storytelling World Resource Award – Best Storytelling Collection
The jataka tales—stories of the Buddha’s past lives (in both human and animal form)—were first said to have been told by the Buddha himself 2,500 years ago. Five hundred and fifty jataka tales comprise part of the oldest Buddhist text, the Pali Canon. From this wealth of folklore, award-winning author and storyteller Rafe Martin has chosen ten tales that illustrate the ideals of the Buddhist paramitas , or “perfections” of giving, morality, forbearance, vitality, focused meditation, wisdom, compassionate skillful means, resolve, strength, and knowledge. Artist and designer Richard Wehrman helps bring the spirit of these stories alive with rich illustrations that open each chapter.
Endless Path presents these ancient stories, usually reduced to children’s tales in the West, for adults, reconnecting modern seekers with the more imaginative roots of Buddhism. The jatakas help readers see their own lives, their failures and renewed efforts, in the same light as the challenges the Buddha faced—not as obstacles but as opportunities for developing character and self-understanding. Endless Path demonstrates the relevance of these tales to Buddhist lay practitioners today, as well as to those more broadly interested in Buddhist teaching and the ancient art of storytelling.
The jataka tales—stories of the Buddha’s past lives (in both human and animal form)—were first said to have been told by the Buddha himself 2,500 years ago. Five hundred and fifty jataka tales comprise part of the oldest Buddhist text, the Pali Canon. From this wealth of folklore, award-winning author and storyteller Rafe Martin has chosen ten tales that illustrate the ideals of the Buddhist paramitas , or “perfections” of giving, morality, forbearance, vitality, focused meditation, wisdom, compassionate skillful means, resolve, strength, and knowledge. Artist and designer Richard Wehrman helps bring the spirit of these stories alive with rich illustrations that open each chapter.
Endless Path presents these ancient stories, usually reduced to children’s tales in the West, for adults, reconnecting modern seekers with the more imaginative roots of Buddhism. The jatakas help readers see their own lives, their failures and renewed efforts, in the same light as the challenges the Buddha faced—not as obstacles but as opportunities for developing character and self-understanding. Endless Path demonstrates the relevance of these tales to Buddhist lay practitioners today, as well as to those more broadly interested in Buddhist teaching and the ancient art of storytelling.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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About the author
Rafe Martin
40 books45 followersRafe Martin is an award-winning author and storyteller, as well as a lay Zen teacher in the Harada-Yasutani koan line. He is founding teacher of Endless Path Zendo, Rochester, NY.
He is the recipient of the prestigious Empire State Award for the body of his work, as well as multiple American Library Association Notable Book Awards and Parent's Choice Gold Awards. He has been featured at such storytelling events as the Joseph Campbell Festival of Myth and Story, The Sierra Storytelling Festival, and the National Storytelling Festival. He is the father of two grown children and lives with his wife, Rose, in Rochester, NY.
He is the recipient of the prestigious Empire State Award for the body of his work, as well as multiple American Library Association Notable Book Awards and Parent's Choice Gold Awards. He has been featured at such storytelling events as the Joseph Campbell Festival of Myth and Story, The Sierra Storytelling Festival, and the National Storytelling Festival. He is the father of two grown children and lives with his wife, Rose, in Rochester, NY.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 16, 2010
Jataka tales are the stories that reveal the Buddha’s previous births as a bodhisattva (one who has attained enlightenment, but who chooses not to pass into Nirvana [the state of supreme bliss, tranquility, and purity, when the fires of desire are extinguished], opting to remain in the world to help lesser beings attain enlightenment) working towards the goals of Buddhahood. Martin naturally relates to stories, having children of his own. Interest in stories is with us from an early age, with tales being used in most religions to exemplify the principles propagated by the different belief systems concerned (just think of the Parables in the Bible, for example, in terms of Christianity).
In Endless Path, Martin shares with the reader original telling of the jataka stories, “versions created to speak in a lively colloquial, vernacular voice to contemporary readers.” He himself has “gained strength from an ongoing connection with the jatakas and the life of the Buddha, enough to begin to trust his own way and then to find it.” The commentaries for each story offer a Zen “take” on the jatakas and on their relevance to our daily lives and practice. Extolling qualities of generosity, morality, patient forbearance, limitless vigor, meditation, wisdom, skillful means, resolve, strength, and knowledge, the jatakas, together with their commentaries, are intended to “help us rediscover the endless path unfolding even now beneath our feet.” Clearly told in fluent and flowing English that is clearly that of an English First Language speaker, the tales are powerfully written and conveyed in such a way that we can gain the most from them.
As a skilled Zen practitioner and teacher, Martin is in an ideal position to help bring the truths of Buddhism alive, which he does with admirable ease. He also acknowledges the role played by many different communities of listeners in refining how he tells the tales and reveals the insights that he and others have gained from each one. Accompanying each jataka is a full-page illustration by renowned artist Richard Wehrman, who is also a firm believer in the Buddhist faith, moving, in 1973, to Rochester, New York, to study and practice Zen Buddhism at the Rochester Zen Center.
Endless Path is a truly insightful work, which has already received numerous accolades from other leading Buddhist practitioners. Accessible, inspired, and clearly marked by a generosity and foresight of spirit, it is a work well worth obtaining and keeping in one’s own private collection.
In Endless Path, Martin shares with the reader original telling of the jataka stories, “versions created to speak in a lively colloquial, vernacular voice to contemporary readers.” He himself has “gained strength from an ongoing connection with the jatakas and the life of the Buddha, enough to begin to trust his own way and then to find it.” The commentaries for each story offer a Zen “take” on the jatakas and on their relevance to our daily lives and practice. Extolling qualities of generosity, morality, patient forbearance, limitless vigor, meditation, wisdom, skillful means, resolve, strength, and knowledge, the jatakas, together with their commentaries, are intended to “help us rediscover the endless path unfolding even now beneath our feet.” Clearly told in fluent and flowing English that is clearly that of an English First Language speaker, the tales are powerfully written and conveyed in such a way that we can gain the most from them.
As a skilled Zen practitioner and teacher, Martin is in an ideal position to help bring the truths of Buddhism alive, which he does with admirable ease. He also acknowledges the role played by many different communities of listeners in refining how he tells the tales and reveals the insights that he and others have gained from each one. Accompanying each jataka is a full-page illustration by renowned artist Richard Wehrman, who is also a firm believer in the Buddhist faith, moving, in 1973, to Rochester, New York, to study and practice Zen Buddhism at the Rochester Zen Center.
Endless Path is a truly insightful work, which has already received numerous accolades from other leading Buddhist practitioners. Accessible, inspired, and clearly marked by a generosity and foresight of spirit, it is a work well worth obtaining and keeping in one’s own private collection.
May 12, 2018
Jataka tales are the stories that reveal the Buddha’s previous births as a bodhisattva (one who has attained enlightenment, but who chooses not to pass into Nirvana [the state of supreme bliss, tranquility, and purity, when the fires of desire are extinguished], opting to remain in the world to help lesser beings attain enlightenment) working towards the goals of Buddhahood. The author of Endless Path Awakening Within the Buddhist Imagination: Jataka Tales, Zen Practice, and Daily Life, Rafe Martin, naturally relates to stories, having children of his own to whom he loves to narrate them. Interest in stories is with us from an early age, with tales being used in most religions to exemplify the principles propagated by the different belief systems concerned (just think of the Parables in the Bible, for example, in terms of the Christian faith).
In Endless Path Awakening Within the Buddhist Imagination, Martin shares with the reader original telling of the jataka stories, “versions created to speak in a lively colloquial, vernacular voice to contemporary readers.” He himself has “gained strength from an ongoing connection with the jatakas and the life of the Buddha, enough to begin to trust his own way and then to find it.” The commentaries for each story offer a Zen “take” on the jatakas and on their relevance to our daily lives and practice. Extolling qualities of generosity, morality, patient forbearance, limitless vigor, meditation, wisdom, skillful means, resolve, strength, and knowledge, the jatakas, together with their commentaries, are intended to “help us rediscover the endless path unfolding even now beneath our feet.” Clearly told in fluent and flowing English that is clearly that of an English First Language speaker, the tales are powerfully written and conveyed in such a way that we can gain the most from them.
As a skilled Zen practitioner and teacher, Martin is in an ideal position to help bring the truths of Buddhism alive, which he does with admirable ease. He also acknowledges the role played by many different communities of listeners in refining how he tells the tales, as well as revealing the insights that he and others have gained from each one. Accompanying each jataka is a full-page illustration by renowned artist Richard Wehrman, who is also a firm believer in the Buddhist faith, moving, in 1973, to Rochester, New York, to study and practice Zen Buddhism at the Rochester Zen Center.
Endless Path Awakening Within the Buddhist Imagination: Jataka Tales, Zen Practice, and Daily Life is a truly insightful work, which has already received numerous accolades from other leading Buddhist practitioners. Accessible, inspired, and clearly marked by a generosity and foresight of spirit, it is a work well worth obtaining and keeping in one’s own private collection.
In Endless Path Awakening Within the Buddhist Imagination, Martin shares with the reader original telling of the jataka stories, “versions created to speak in a lively colloquial, vernacular voice to contemporary readers.” He himself has “gained strength from an ongoing connection with the jatakas and the life of the Buddha, enough to begin to trust his own way and then to find it.” The commentaries for each story offer a Zen “take” on the jatakas and on their relevance to our daily lives and practice. Extolling qualities of generosity, morality, patient forbearance, limitless vigor, meditation, wisdom, skillful means, resolve, strength, and knowledge, the jatakas, together with their commentaries, are intended to “help us rediscover the endless path unfolding even now beneath our feet.” Clearly told in fluent and flowing English that is clearly that of an English First Language speaker, the tales are powerfully written and conveyed in such a way that we can gain the most from them.
As a skilled Zen practitioner and teacher, Martin is in an ideal position to help bring the truths of Buddhism alive, which he does with admirable ease. He also acknowledges the role played by many different communities of listeners in refining how he tells the tales, as well as revealing the insights that he and others have gained from each one. Accompanying each jataka is a full-page illustration by renowned artist Richard Wehrman, who is also a firm believer in the Buddhist faith, moving, in 1973, to Rochester, New York, to study and practice Zen Buddhism at the Rochester Zen Center.
Endless Path Awakening Within the Buddhist Imagination: Jataka Tales, Zen Practice, and Daily Life is a truly insightful work, which has already received numerous accolades from other leading Buddhist practitioners. Accessible, inspired, and clearly marked by a generosity and foresight of spirit, it is a work well worth obtaining and keeping in one’s own private collection.
June 6, 2013
Wonderful little book. This may seem too fable-like and outlandish to those who would read these stories without seeing the density and layers of discourse and direction they hold. If one would look past the simplicity of the stories as presented there is a lot of stuff here! For that we should be grateful to Rafe Martin who provides a thoughtful discourse on the tales in the form of Buddhist and human dissection. Having said that please don't feel these are exclusively the realm of the Zen master and the acolyte. These are for everyone, the moral of the tales are universal and should be noted by us all in trying to lead a better life. The animals in these stories are magical; the Bear, the Crow, the Ox but each one by its unique nature shows us ourselves in stark unflattering reality. The animals by there nature are sentient beings just as we are, they are dealing with this life just as we are and the mythology of us being so removed from nature is truly a myth. These stories of lives lived as other than human form in the never ending circle of the wheel of life should be noted and learned from.
January 15, 2011
This is the best book on the Jataka tales I've read. Rafe Martin is an excellent storyteller, and his discussion is framed by the 10 paramitas and his Zen perspective, plus some pop culture references like to the Talking Heads. Interesting illustrations, and an interesting final chapter of personalized pithy summaries of the basic Buddhist teachings.
February 2, 2011
This book is absolutely amazing! It provides an informative and insightful wealth of knowledge for anyone with a limited background in Jataka tales or Buddhist culture. Endless Path is the perfect book for beginners and experts.
Check out a great by moonpointer, a great Buddhist blog, here!.
November 26, 2012
Fascinating telling of the a selection of the Jataka tales followed by an insightful discussion. Well worth reading for those interested in the context and philosophy.
September 22, 2015
Interesting introduction, a little too much explanation, not enough tales
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews