Читать книгу Garland of the Buddha's Past Lives (Volume 2) - Aryashura - Страница 19

may I use it to become savior of the world

as it roams the wilderness of samsara. (30.44 [22])

In this intensely devotional context, the intimacy of friendship takes on a heightened role. “A special friend and kinsman” (30.17 [7]), the Bodhi·sattva is portrayed as companion to all, even to strangers or to those who have wronged him:

Be a relative to us bereft of kinsmen!

Be our resort and refuge!

Please save us, illustrious lord,

in whatever way you know best. (30.35 [18])

Though our acquaintance is new,

you have acted towards us

as one would toward a best friend,

following your magnanimous nature. (22.146 [89])

With its emphasis on self-sacrifice, compassion and forbearance, the Bodhi·sattva’s practice of virtue thus leads to his depiction as an ultimate “good friend.” Offering moral guidance to the world, he saves both friends and foes through a devotional relationship that is both intimate and at the same time based on a hierarchy of savior and saved.

Animals, Ascetics and Kings

A striking aspect of the present volume is the number of animal stories it contains. Eight of the fourteen stories describe the Bodhi·sattva’s rebirth as a bird or animal.9 Animal stories are common in jataka collections and far from ________