Tag: Poetry

The Buddha explains to the young man Sigāla how to distinguish bad friends and good friends.

The Bodhisatta explains to King Brahmadatta the sixteen qualities of a foe, and the sixteen qualities of a friend.

People objected to someone because he was called Black-Ear; however he turned out to be a true friend. Names are not important, they are but sounds.

A jackal, who saved a lion when he was in peril of losing his life, is recommended by the lion to his jealous mate.

The Bodhisatta was one time born as a lowly god in a sacred reed (Kusanāḷi). Nevertheless he was able to save the home of a god who lived in a tree, who then spoke this verse.

A King of the geese is caught by a fowler, but his Commander-in-Chief refuses to leave him. The fowler takes them to the King of Men who, impressed by their virtue, sets them free.

The Bodhisatta wishes to find out which is more important, virtue or learning, and takes a coin a day from the King until on the third day he is arrested. He then understands which is most valued in the world.

As the Buddha goes on his alms-round he sees a group of boys tormenting a snake for fun. He admonishes them with this verse.

The group of six monks chase off the group of seventeen monks and take their rooms. The Buddha lays down a rule and speaks the following verse.

The Buddha describes the loathsomeness of the body and concludes the discourse with these verses.

A negligent queen gets reborn as a worm, and is made by the Bodhisatta to speak to her grieving King, who when he hears about her love for her new husband abandons his grief.

In the story a man called Wicked hates his name so he is advised to search for a new one. He comes across Life who had just died, Wealthy who was poor, and Guide who was lost in a forest. Then he realised a name is just a name, nothing more.

Through a strategem a sneeze wins a bride and a kingdom for a prince, but a brahmin who sneezes loses his nose.

The story is of Suppavāsā who carried her child for seven years and took seven days to bear him. Still she desired more children.

A video made from a reading of the second chapter of my Buddhist Wisdom Verses, with pan and zoom effects of photographs of characters from the wall-murals at Borobudur as a backdrop and subtitles synchronised with the reading.

A vulture who had been stealing things in the city is captured and brought before the King, and the following dialogue takes place.

The Bodhisatta is nearly lost at sea, but through his courageous and determined effort makes it to land again. Later he reflects on his success.

A queen is neglected by the King who lets her starve. To chastise the King the Bodhisatta spoke these verses, which led to the King repenting.

A goat tries with kind words to persuade a panther not to attack and eat her; the panther however didn’t listen and got his prey.

A video made from a reading of the first chapter of my Buddhist Wisdom Verses, with pan and zoom effects of photographs of characters from the wall-murals at Borobudur as a backdrop and subtitles synchronised with the reading.