His inspiring tale reminds us that no one can be truly at peace unless all beings have a chance for peace, freedom, and happiness. The Banyan Deer is a wonderful, heart-warming gift for anyone who loves a great story. This beautiful hardcover edition will delight both adults and children alike.

***WINNER, 2011 Storytelling World Resource Award – Best Storytelling Collection The jataka tales—stories of the Buddha’s past lives (in both human and animal form)—were first said to have been told by the Buddha himself 2,500 years ago. Five hundred and fifty jataka tales comprise part of the oldest Buddhist text, the Pali Canon. From this wealth of folklore, award-winning author and storyteller Rafe Martin has chosen ten tales that illustrate the ideals of the Buddhist paramitas, or “perfections” of character: giving, morality, forbearance, vitality, focused meditation, wisdom, compassionate skillful means, resolve, strength, and knowledge. Artist and designer Richard Wehrman helps bring the spirit of these stories alive with rich illustrations that open each chapter. Endless Path presents these ancient stories, usually reduced to children’s tales in the West, for adults, reconnecting modern seekers with the more imaginative roots of Buddhism. The jatakas help readers see their own lives, their failures and renewed efforts, in the same light as the challenges the Buddha faced—not as obstacles but as opportunities for developing character and self-understanding. Endless Path demonstrates the relevance of these tales to Buddhist lay practitioners today, as well as to those more broadly interested in Buddhist teaching and the ancient art of storytelling.

Buddha comes to the city of Benares in the form of a golden deer and persuades the King to stop killing all the deer in the area.

Collects eighteen fables from the Jatakas of India.

How can you save a burning forest with just sprinkles of water? This timeless Buddhist tale may just have the answer! In this ancient tale of one of the Buddha’s past lives, the Buddha is born as a little gray parrot who takes it upon herself to save her beloved forest home from a raging fire. Even though she can only sprinkle drops of water onto the blaze, her perseverance, courage, and compassion change everything, eventually saving the forest in an unexpected way. Zen teacher and acclaimed storyteller Rafe Martin and award-winning illustrator Demi render this centuries-old classic into a beautiful and timeless tale that will inspire all of us to find our own bravery and to act selflessly for the benefit of all.

Examines the Zen principle of mu and presents the writings of over forty teachers on the practice of mu.

The Jataka tales is a an essential part of Indian folk literature. The tales refer to a voluminous body of literature concerning the previous births of the Buddha. These are the stories that tell about the previous lives of the Buddha, in both human and animal form. We are presenting select 51 short stories from these tales for children and teenagers( 6 to 15 years) . All the stories have a moral. The collection of stories in this volume include:-THE GOLDEN GOOSE THE FOUR SEASONS THE MOUSE AND THE STONE-CUTTER THE ELEPHANT AND THE DOG THE DISCIPLE'S FAITH THE CLEVER TURTLE THE PIGEON AND THE CROW THE BAD COMPANY THE SILLY ARGUMENT THE STRONG OX THE LEAN CAT A SANDY ROAD THE CLEVER WOLF THE MEASURE OF RICE THE SELFISH ASCETIC THE QUARREL OF THE QUAILS THE KIND TURTLE THE EARTH IS BREAKING THE GOAT WHO LAUGHED AND THEN CRIED THE ELEPHANT, GIRLY-FACE THE PIGEONS AND THE FAKE HERMIT THE PRINCES AND THE WATER-SPRITE THE DISOBEDIENT STUDENT THE CARPENTERS AND THE ELEPHANT THE MAN WITH A GOLDEN HEART THE BANYAN DEER THE BRAHMIN AND THE WISE ASCETIC GRANNY'S BLACKIE THE KING AND THE DISCIPLE THE TWO MERCHANT'S OF RAMGARH THE PRINCE AND THE GIANT THE OX WHO ENVIED THE PIG THE DEER, THE WOODPECKER AND THE TURTLE A HUGE LUMP OF GOLD A FRIEND IN NEEDTHE GANG OF DRUNKARDS THE FOOLHARDY WOLF THE TORTOISE AND HIS HOME THE PRINCE OF MONKEYS THE SNAKE AND THE FOOLISH DISCIPLE THE WOLF AND THE WISE GOAT A BOY HELPS THE ANTS THE DANCING PEACOCK THE FOX AND THE CROW THE KIND APE THE WHAT NOT TREE THE SPELL THE BEAUTY AND THE GREY A MOTHER'S PAIN THE TREE THAT ACTED LIKE A HUNTER THE PRICE OF GREED