Читать книгу Garland of the Buddha's Past Lives (Volume 2) - Aryashura - Страница 22

cation of the animal stories is invariably set in forest scenes of exquisite charm. Sometimes compared with a delightful garden (28.9, 28.12), the forest is commonly portrayed as a mysterious realm of refined beauty in which the wild aspects of nature are often tamed.13

The Bodhi·sattva is said to have once lived as a huge monkey who roamed alone on a beautiful slope on the Himavat mountain. The body of the mountain was smeared with the ointments of various glistening, multi-colored ores. Draped by glorious dense forests, as if by a robe of green silk, its slopes and borders were adorned with an array of colors and forms so beautifully variegated in their uneven distribution that they seemed to have been purposefully composed. Water poured down in numerous torrents and there was an abundance of deep caves, chasms and precipices. Bees buzzed loudly and trees bearing various flowers and fruits were fanned by a delightful breeze. It was here, in this playground of vidya·dhara spirits, that the Bodhi·sattva lived. (24.3)

Several stories emphasize the forest’s remote location and its lack of human contact.14 The idyllic beauty of the forest is, however, not solely enjoyed by animals. It is also shared with ascetics, whose virtue is said to have a powerful effect on their natural surroundings:

The forest effortlessly produced flowers and fruits in every season and its spotless pools of water were adorned by lotuses and lilies. Through his residence there the Bodhi·sattva furnished the area with the auspiciousness of an ascetic grove. (28.9)