Mahākapi-jātakam: Its Contents and Literary Values

Abstract

The contents of Mahākapi-jātakam (no. 24 in Jātakamalā) clearly reflect the teachings of Mahāyāna traditions which are principally based on the long path of Bodhisattvas. Also, though its contents closely resembling those of the counterpart in Theravāda traditions, its narration, teachings, and word choices are highly distinctive. Mahākapi-jātakam is one of the Jātaka tales which properly explicate Buddhist philosophies with poetic flavor helpfully offering contents and literary values contained in Jātakamalā.