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Because Jātaka was established long ago and revised versions of the original Indian folklore have been included since then, the number of tales belonging to Jātaka has increased gradually. Stupa described as material in Jātaka of Da Tang Xi-Yu-Ji essentially belongs to Buddhist lay people. Stupa belief does not end up only with religion. Buddhist literature through stupa beliefs was supposed to affect the rise of Mahayana Buddhism. Though Buddhism begun in India, Buddhism was influenced by Hinduism based on Brahmanism. Ideas of samsara and karma are the same. It is necessary to find what the writer of Jakata intended where he or she used motifs of one’s audacious sacrifice of his or her body facing death. Even though Tathagata is described as an animal, the emphasis on the sacrifice of one’s body risking one’s own life comes from Buddhism’s existentialism which focuses on practice. This has a purpose to teach the readers to do altruistic acts, though not leading to audacity of risking one’s life, by helping Buddhists be infinitely moved by the stories about Tathagata who, following a way of Bodhisattva in samsara, sacrificed his or her own life for others. This educational purpose also can be noticed in Jātaka whose motive is edification of manners. Also, it seems that using motif of abandonment of kingship is related to the fact of Sakyamuni’s joining the sangha, which turns Sakyamuni’s real story into a literary story. Using such miracles as making a spring run or spurting a thousand streams of mother’s milk as motifs seems to adopt folklore circulating in the contemporary India.


Because Jātaka was established long ago and revised versions of the original Indian folklore have been included since then, the number of tales belonging to Jātaka has increased gradually. Stupa described as material in Jātaka of Da Tang Xi-Yu-Ji essentially belongs to Buddhist lay people. Stupa belief does not end up only with religion. Buddhist literature through stupa beliefs was supposed to affect the rise of Mahayana Buddhism. Though Buddhism begun in India, Buddhism was influenced by Hinduism based on Brahmanism. Ideas of samsara and karma are the same. It is necessary to find what the writer of Jakata intended where he or she used motifs of one’s audacious sacrifice of his or her body facing death. Even though Tathagata is described as an animal, the emphasis on the sacrifice of one’s body risking one’s own life comes from Buddhism’s existentialism which focuses on practice. This has a purpose to teach the readers to do altruistic acts, though not leading to audacity of risking one’s life, by helping Buddhists be infinitely moved by the stories about Tathagata who, following a way of Bodhisattva in samsara, sacrificed his or her own life for others. This educational purpose also can be noticed in Jātaka whose motive is edification of manners. Also, it seems that using motif of abandonment of kingship is related to the fact of Sakyamuni’s joining the sangha, which turns Sakyamuni’s real story into a literary story. Using such miracles as making a spring run or spurting a thousand streams of mother’s milk as motifs seems to adopt folklore circulating in the contemporary India.