Morality “Tails” East and West: European Fables and Buddhist Jataka Tales
Fables, such as those attributed to Aesop, are short narratives populated by
animals who behave like humans, and which convey lessons to the listener. Jataka
Tales are often short narratives which tell the stories of the lives of the
Buddha before he reached Enlightenment. In this lesson students will be introduced to both Aesop’s fables and to a few of the Jataka Tales, and through these stories will gain an understanding of one genre of storytelling: morality tales.
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