The Jataka Tales for Sleep — Gentle Stories of the Buddha's Earlier Lives (3 Hours)

The Jataka tales are some of the oldest bedtime stories in the world: the stories the Buddha told of his earlier lives, as a hare, an elephant, a parrot, a tree. Tonight you are lying in a wayside rest house in a bamboo wood, on the night of the full moon. A thatched roof, a warm blanket, one lamp turned low, a well by the road, and moonlight on the moss. Nothing here needs you tonight. Through the night the old tales are retold slowly, in plain words: the hare in the moon, the elephant and the dog who would not eat apart, the horse at the ford, why the reeds are hollow, the elephant who listened at night, the trees that stood together in the wind, the parrot who would not leave his fig tree, the lion in the mud, the stag and the king, the blind steersman on the strange seas, the man who could not give up his spade, the needle that floated in a bowl of water, the man who wanted a new name, the old man who said "my son", the carpenters and the elephant, four portions of gruel, the tree in four seasons, and two kings on a narrow road. After two hours the stories come back softer, the moon goes down, and the wood goes quiet. The voice stays with you the whole night — over three hours of continuous, softly spoken narration. No sudden silence, nothing to wake you. In the final minutes the bamboo flute keeps watch. How to listen: volume low, lights off. You do not have to follow any of it. If you drift off in the middle of one, nothing is missed. It was long ago, and all is well. Tonight's chapters: 0:00 Opening — Long ago, and all is well 2:38 The Rest House in the Bamboo 5:23 The Hare in the Moon — The fast day 8:02 The Hare in the Moon — The fire that was cool 10:41 The Elephant and the Dog 13:20 When Does the Cold Come 16:02 From the Pillow — It was long ago 18:43 The Horse at the Ford 21:21 Why the Reeds Are Hollow 23:57 First Settling — Moonlight on the moss 26:37 The Elephant Who Listened at Night 29:16 The Trees That Stood Together 32:03 From the Pillow — Nothing here needs you 34:41 The Grass and the Great Tree 37:21 The Parrot and the Fig Tree 39:58 Second Settling — The well by the road 42:41 The Lion in the Mud 45:21 The Stag and the King 48:00 From the Pillow — The moon will keep the story 50:36 The Moon Over the Wood — The hare again 53:09 The Blind Steersman — The strange seas 56:07 Third Settling — The thatched roof 59:13 The Blind Steersman — The turning 1:02:20 The Spade 1:05:19 From the Pillow — It was long ago 1:08:22 The Needle 1:11:19 The Man Who Wanted a New Name 1:14:13 Fourth Settling — The middle of the night 1:17:19 The Old Man Who Said My Son 1:20:20 The Horse That Limped 1:23:21 From the Pillow — Nothing here needs you 1:26:23 The Carpenters and the Elephant 1:29:19 The Refrain — First breathing 1:32:22 Fifth Settling 1:35:24 Four Portions of Gruel 1:38:22 The Tree in Four Seasons 1:41:20 From the Pillow — Held by the wood 1:44:26 Two Kings on a Narrow Road 1:47:32 The Last Story of the Night — The ship comes home 1:50:33 Sixth Settling — The descent begins 1:53:35 The Hare — Softer 1:57:01 The Elephant and the Dog — Softer 2:00:23 The Reeds — Softer 2:03:46 The Trees — Softer 2:07:17 The Parrot — Softer 2:10:39 Seventh Settling — The lamp low 2:14:00 The Steersman — Softer 2:17:27 The Spade — Softer 2:20:52 The Needle — Softer 2:24:14 The Old Man — Softer 2:27:35 The Refrain — Breathing 2:31:07 Eighth Settling — The moon going down 2:34:33 The Gruel — Softer, for the morning 2:37:54 Nothing Here Needs You 2:41:16 It Was Long Ago 2:44:42 Into the Bamboo — Nine breaths 2:48:12 The Last Moonlight on the Moss 2:51:36 The Canes in the Dark 2:55:03 The Breath — The moon will keep the story 2:58:23 The Wood — Softest 3:01:41 The Hollow Bamboo — Goodnight 🎋 Hollow Bamboo is a quiet place to end the day: Zen stories and Buddhist wisdom for deep sleep, in a soft voice over bansuri flute. A new episode every night. Subscribe, and set down one more thing. #buddhism #sleepstories #jatakatales