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The Jakata Tales

Consisting of hundreds of stories about the previous lives of Siddhartha Gautama, the Jataka tales
are one of the most popular forms of Buddhist literature, especially among Theravada laity. Their
entertaining plots typically involve Gautama Buddha recounting a story from one of his past lives
as a human or an animal, demonstrating a particular virtue he gradually perfected on his spiritual
progression towards Buddhahood. In deeply Buddhist Burma (Myanmar), where for centuries
Theravada Buddhism has been the only form of Buddhism informing local cultures, the jatakas
permeate tradition and remain essential elements of contemporary society. Their edifying moral
lessons are central to Burmese thinking, and have inspired artistic projects in various mediums for
centuries. The jatakas are the most common subject depicted by the Burmese silversmiths during
the Burmese Silver Age (c.1850-1930), giving rise to intricate vignettes containing poignant didactic
instruction for everyday life.
Of the 547 jatakas in the traditional Theravada Pali collection, the final ten are the most frequently
represented in Burmese silverwork. These are known as the Mahanipata Jataka and recount
the bodhisattva’s final perfection of ten key Buddhist virtues. Through the captivating allegorical
imagery depicted on Burmese silverwork, the core teachings of the Buddha were made more
accessible to laypeople. In this manner, Burmese silverwork functioned as an engaging educational
tool, reinforcing Burmese Buddhist values.
Yet, the jatakas also extended beyond the temple or household and into the political and public
spheres. The penultimate king of Burma, Mindon (r.1853-78), urged his ministers to behave like
their counterparts in the jatakas, identifying the Mahanipata Jataka as particularly informative. The
revival of Buddhism was a matter close to Mindon’s heart, and his new capital Mandalay, founded
in 1857, became the spiritual center of Theravada Buddhism (Bechert & Gombrich (eds.), <i>The
World of Buddhism</i>, 1984, p.148). The defeat of Mindon’s successor at the end of the Third
Anglo-Burmese War of 1885 and the subsequent British occupation of Burma inspired another
religious revival. Buddhism was an essential feature of the Burmese Resistance Movement (1885-
95) and Nationalist Movement (1900-48) against British colonial rule, periods that coincided with
the Silver Age’s flourishing. Between 1917-19, the Young Men’s Buddhist Association (YMBA) led
a non-violent movement to reform colonial laws, cited as the first phase of the struggle for the
restoration of Burma’s national freedom (ibid., p.150). On one level, the three primary functions of
silver pieces portraying the jatakas created for Burmese clients were to affirm core values among
native communities, display status, and, in the case of ceremonial offering bowls, to generate
karmic merit. However, the great proliferation of Silver-Age Buddhist artworks as a whole, and of
those depicting the Jataka tales in particular, must be understood within the context of a religious
revival inextricably linked to the Burmese quest for national self-determination.

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