Reading Notes: Jataka Tales

Bibliography: Noor Inayat, The End of the World, The End of the World

*There was once a little hare who sat under a tree. He was thinking about a lot of stuff.

*Just as he pondered "what would happen if the world ended", a fruit fell from the tree and hit him. He assumed the world was breaking and began running.

*As he passed various animals they continued to follow him. First was one hare, then a few hares, then thousands, then elks, elephants, rhinos, tigers, lions and so on.

*There was a mighty lion that knew everything that happened in the world, and he wondered why hundreds of thousands of animals were running. He knew that if something wasn't done to stop them, they would eventually run into the sea and die.

*He came to a mountain range in front of their path, and eventually the animals came. He let a mighty roar loose and they all stopped.

*He asked every animal who told them the world was breaking, starting with the last animal to join, which led to a line of blame all the way to the little hare.

*The lion had a hunch about the fruit, and carried the hare on his back all the way to the fruit tree. There he saw the fruit on the ground.

*He informed the hare of his mistake, and carried him back to the other animals.

*After informing the other animals as well, every species went back to their respective habitats. And they all lived happily ever after.

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Image of a Barn Stampede
Stampede

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