Buddhist myths. Cosmology, legends and parables

Buddhism has arisen in India between the between the era, and at present, the number of adherents of this ancient religion exceeds 500 million people around the world. The main understanding of the ethics and spiritual practices of Buddhism contribute to the main sacred texts built around the original teachings of Gautama Buddha.

Buddhist traditions formed a huge layer of myths, most of the plots of which are dedicated to the life of the Buddha. For example, 550 parables-jatak talk about the youth of the Buddha and his great renunciation, as well as previous incarnations in people and animals. It is also said about his family, in particular Mahamaye’s mother, who, before the birth of his son, had a white elephant, and the cousin of Buddha, Devadatta, a monk who rebelled against his teacher and tried to kill him.

Buddhist literature contains many allegorical stories, for example, “On a talkative turtle”, or retells the plots of the Indian epic “Ramayana”. History and myths are intertwined and mating in such texts as Ashokavadana, where the emperor Ashoka from the Mauryev dynasty is represented by the ideal of the ruler-Buddhist.

Buddhist myths. Cosmology, legends and parables ”, containing 160 illustrations (images of works of art and photography), is an affordable, fascinating and meaningful study of exciting mythology that underlies one of the oldest and most influential religions of the world.