Jatakamala (The Marvellous Companion: Life Stories of the Buddha).

Berkeley, CA Dharma Publishing, 1983. Hardcover First Edition [1983]; First Printing indicated by a complete numerical sequence. First Edition [1983]; First Printing indicated by a complete numerical sequence. Very Near Fine in Very Good DJ: The Book shows only a hint of wear to the extremities; a former owner's blindstamp and the half title page; else flawless; the binding is square and secure; the text is clean. Free of creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of any underlining, hi-lighting or marginalia or marks in the text. A handsome nearly-new copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing just a hint of wear and a very minor, unobtrusive flaw. Bright, crisp and clean. Corner sharp. Very close to 'As New'. The DJ shows moderate wear to the upper extremities, with a couple of tiny nicks at the head of the backstrip; lighter wear to the lower edges; some rubbing near the extremities and along the front and rear edges of the backstrip; the price is unclipped. A near perfect book in a moderately worn DJ: remains clean, sturdy, and quite presentable. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 4to. (10.35 x 7.25 x 1.25 inches). xx, 359 pages. Full-color frontispiece. Illustrated with line drawings in Red. Buddha images in plastic sleeves laid in. Yellow Ribbon Marker sewn in. Outside edges bright white, but no gilt. Language: English. Weight: 35.5 ounces. Tibetan Translation Series. Hardback with DJ. The Marvelous Companion is a translation of a collection of thirty-four stories of the previous lives of the Buddha (Jatakas), spoken by the Enlightened One himself and assembled and retold by the first-century master Aryashura. Aryasura's The Marvelous Companion is a wonderful antidote for anyone who has grown weary with 'compassion fatigue'. Based on thirty-four, beautifully written tales of the Buddha's former lives (said to have been related by the Buddha himself), this book seeks to convince us that love and compassion are appropriate in even the most extreme circumstances. Whether threatened by man-eating ogres, blood-sucking demons, robbers, or just monkeys determined to irritate him, the Buddha-to-be always responds with restraint and kindness. Truly magical is the response of his mischievous assailants in the face of this kindness. To a man (and a monster!) their hearts are converted, their wicked natures vanish and they are awakened to the awesome possibility of love.What is so valuable about this book is that it deliberately focuses on our most entrenched and cynical ideas about compassion being 'impractical' and 'sentimental', and suggests that it is really our 'hard-headed' ideas that are naive: only unconditional love and compassion have the power to bring us happiness and to solve the problems of the world. What a world it would be if everyone read this book! It is perhaps the most inspiring book I have ever read.