TAASA REVIEW VOLUME 24 NO.2 – TAASA Review June 2015
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This article was originally found in the June 2015 edition of TAASA Review (Volume 24, Issue 2, Page 5).
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Illustrated manuscript of Serat Dewa Ruci, 1886 Java, Indonesia, book: watercolour, gouache, ink and gold paint on paper, 160 pages, cardboard and leather cover, stitched binding, Presented by the Friends of the Gallery Library in memory of Tina Wentcher, 1982, Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria Rama or Laksmana, tongalu gombeatta puppet, early 20th century – mid 20th century Karnataka, Indiacoloured dyes and inks on parchment, bamboo, cotton, Purchased, 1975, Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria historical Buddha are popular and pervasive narratives.
The 547 Jataka Tales provide moral exemplars that guide Buddhist devotees in their daily lives.
In each Jataka or birthstory, the Buddha appears as a bodhisattva or Buddha-to-be, changing from animal forms to human and then semi-divine manifestations, continually striving to gain sufficient spiritual merit and wisdom in order to achieve Buddhahood in his final life. The last ten Jataka tales continue to inform works of art, especially in mainland Southeast Asia...