Buddhist Legends: The Weaver's Daughter

This is an ongoing series with Jataka stories and Buddhist legends told by Margo McLoughlin. The Jataka tales relate the previous births of the Buddha in both human and animal form. The Buddhist Legends recount miraculous events from the life of the Buddha following his enlightenment. Each story includes a verse from the Dhammapada, a popular collection of sayings of the Buddha. The legends are considered part of the commentarial literature. At the beginning of "The Legend of the Weaver's Daughter," the Buddha gives a teaching on the importance of practicing mindfulness of death. A young woman hears the Buddha's instructions and takes them to heart, practicing diligently for three years. Margo has translated and expanded this story. Margo McLoughlin is a storyteller, writer and teacher, based in Victoria, on the west coast of Canada. While on staff at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, Margo began studying Pali, the language of the earliest Buddhist teachings. For the past twenty years she has been translating, adapting and performing the Jataka tales and other stories from the Buddhist tradition. For more about Margo, please visit: margostoryteller.net.