Here is the first reading notes post! I am reviewing story The Monkey Who Gathered Lotuses. Like I said in the previous Week 2 Reading Overview post, I enjoy stories with clever main characters, and this story had two very clever characters! I think it made for a very fun story to see both the Bodhisatta and the Devadatta try to outsmart the other. Ultimately, the Bodhisatta is able to outsmart the Devadatta and even impresses an ogre so much that it becomes his ally.
The set-up of the story seems very similar to the Greek mythology story of Kronos eating all his godly children so that they could not grow up to fulfill the prophecy that he will be defeated by his children. In that story, Zeus's mother, Rhea escapes to Crete to birth Zeus, similar to how the Bodhisatta's mother escapes give birth to him. However, neither the Bodhisatta nor his mother return to the father Devadatta until the Bodhisatta is old enough to challenge him.
I also used this story as an opportunity to read a bit more about yakshas, the race of the ogre in this story. Since I am unexperienced with Indian folklore and mythology, I am still unsure if the ogres (called a water demon in the introduction) is necessarily evil, or if it is just (as the Wikipedia page suggests) mischievous, capricious, or whimsical. In this story, the ogre seems more whimsical because it helps Bodhisatta carry the lotuses and becomes his ally, yet also the ogre would normally eat all the travelers that came into the water. Further reading on the yakshas seems to suggest that they are normally benevolent or neutral creatures, not necessarily evil, but I can't wait to read more stories with them!
Mudgarpani Yaksha statue from the Mathura Museum dated around 100 B.C.E: Wikipedia Commons
As an optimist, I do also like that the story has a happy ending, and that the 'good' monkey is the victorious one. It is also interesting how Devadatta wasn't even killed in this story out of revenge by Bodhisatta. Instead, he died of fear/anguish. Bodhisatta won without even having to get blood on his hands, keeping him as an incredibly pure character.
Im excited to compose a story based off this!
Vaga-Buon Voyage!
Bibliography:
Chalmers, Robert. "The Monkey Who Gathered Lotuses" Tayodhamma Jataka, Jataka Volume 1. https://sacred-texts.com/bud/j1/j1061.htm
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