Reading Notes: Francis and Thomas Jataka Tales, Part A

For this weeks reading I decided to continue with the different versions of the Jataka tales like have I have for the past couple of weeks. This week i read a collection by Francis and Thomas which focus on the Jataka tales of the most general interest. Of these stories I particularly liked the story "The Cold Half of the Month." This story is very short, only about half of a page, and tells an odd but interesting story. A lion and a tiger live together in a cave and are arguing about when the "cold half" of the month is the "dark half" or the "light half." I assume they are talking about day and night. Their argument is settled by the Bodhissata that also lives in the cave who tells them that the wind is what causes the cold. So whenever the wind blows is the cold half of the month, whether day or night. The Bodhassita declares them both to be right and "makes peace between those friends." I'm not sure why this story stuck out to me but I enjoyed the read.

Bibliography: Francis and Thomas. Jataka Tales (Link)

Lion and Tiger (Source)