Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Frank E. Reynolds

Critical Essay by Frank E. Reynolds

SOURCE: Reynolds, Frank E. “Rāmāyana, Rāma Jātaka, and Ramakien: A Comparative Study of Hindu and Buddhist Traditions.” In Many Rāmāyanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia, edited by Paula Richman, pp. 50-93. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991.

In the following essay, Reynolds describes several Buddhist versions of the Ramayana.

In the history and literature of religions few stories have been told as many different times in as many different ways as the story of Rāma. For at least two thousand years—and probably longer—various versions of the story have been told in India and Sri Lanka; for over a thousand years—and probably much longer still—these and other versions have been told in Central and Southeast Asia, in China and Japan. Now, increasingly, the story is being told in the West as well.¹

The story of Rāma has been recited, sung, and commented on by bards, priests, and...
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