Customer Reviews

The Hungry Tigress: Buddhist Myths, Legends, and Jataka Tales

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I'm not sure why I picked up this book and started reading it. For some reason I wasn't really expecting to like it - but by the time I finished it I was firmly convinced that it was one of the best books I've read all year, and one of the better books on buddhism I've ever read. The stories themselves are told in a very compelling and entertaining style - each and everyone was not only insightful and "meaningful" in a moral and ethical sense - but a lot of fun to read as well. The accompanying commentaries for each story are intellingently rendered, and really opened some doors for me in terms of the meaning of the stories.

This is a wonderful book "for all ages" as they say.

I've been reading this book to my children and they are finding them quite enjoyable. There are lots of stories here and we typically read a story before bedtime. My 6 year old finds some of the stories difficult to understand -- there are no pictures. My 10 year old always asks to be read a new story.

The foundation of all these stories is kindness and compassion. They touch something deep inside that says "Ahh, this is right, this is how we should truely live." This is by far the best book of "childrens" stories I have ever read. I enjoyed them at least as much as my children.

When I first began telling stories, it was Rafe Martin's collection of Jataka tales that I turned to as my source. I love the way he retells these ancient stories, capturing beautifully the essence of the time and place, and evoking humor and personality in the characters. I have recommended The Hungry Tigress more times than I can remember, both to adults looking for a gift for non-Buddhist friends or relatives, and to parents looking for a way to introduce the Buddhist teachings to their children. Martin's commentaries on the stories are an added bonus.

a great book for kids who want to get away from the electronic plasticity of current kids entertainment on TV and paper

Jataka tales are the Buddhist equivalent of Aesop's fables or "fairy tales".

I had actually heard one of theses stories before, The Brave Little Parrot (searching for that story is how I found this book), before, but thought that it was unique and one of only a few of its kind. Thankfully, I was very wrong! Like most cultures, the Buddhist culture has many little didactic tales for children and new initiates. Stories that do not just lecture someone on how they should live, but actually tell a story of someone living the way that we all should try and live -- showing by example.

Rafe Martin is first and foremost a storyteller. This collection of fables and stories feels like what it is: a collection of organic stories that have been told, out loud, to children and adults again and again before being written down to be passed on to more children and adults. I loved it.