Download or read book Jātaka Stories in Theravāda Buddhism written by Naomi Appleton and published by Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. This book was released on 2010 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jataka stories (stories about the previous births of the Buddha) are very popular in Theravada Buddhist countries, where they are commonly used in sermons, children's books, plays, poetry, temple illustrations, rituals and festivals. Buddhist tradition tells us that the stories illustrate the gradual path to perfection exemplified by the Buddha in his previous births, when he was a bodhisatta (buddha-to-be). This book explores the shifting role of the stories in Buddhist doctrine, practice, and creative expression, finally placing this integral Buddhist genre back in the centre of scholarly understandings of the religion.