[INDOLOGY] The Buddha and the elephant

[Anna Aurelia Esposito]

Dear Prof. Michaels,
the elephant who remembers his former births is also a topos in  
several Jain narratives, e.g. the white elephant who is carrying  
Vimalavāhaṇa because of their friendship in a former life  
(Vasudevahiṇḍī p. 157, Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacarita 1.2.140-142 etc.),  
or the elephant who saw the ascetic Sīhacanda, remembered his former  
birth as king Sīhaseṇa (the father of Sīhacanda), was instructed by  
the ascetic and spent the rest of his life in meditation  
(Vasudevahīṇḍī p. 256) - to mention only two instances.
Kind regards,
Anna Esposito


Zitat von "Michaels, Axel via INDOLOGY" <indology at list.indology.info>:

> Dear all,
>
> a friend asked me, whether I now the origin of Malraux’s following  
> epitaph: “The elephant is the wisest of all the animals, the only  
> one who  remembers his former lives; and he remains motionless for  
> long periods of time, meditating thereon.-BUDDHIST TEXT”. It’s in  
> Malraux’s Anti Memoirs.
>
> I have no clue. Anybody of you?
>
> Axel Michaels
>
> __________________________________________________
>
> [cats]
>
> Prof. Dr. Axel Michaels
> Senior Professor | Vice President Heidelberger Academy of Science  
> and Humanities | Founding Director of CATS
>
> Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies (CATS)
> Südasien-Institut / South Asia Institute
> Universität Heidelberg
>
> Vossstr. 2, Geb. 4130
> Raum 130.03.07
> D-69115 Heidelberg
>
> T: +49-6221-5415209
> E: michaels at hcts.uni-heidelberg.de<mailto:michaels at hcts.uni-heidelberg.de>
> W: www.hadw-bw.de/nepal.html<http://www.hadw-bw.de/nepal.html>,
>       http://www.asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php?id=4396



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PD Dr. Anna Aurelia Esposito
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Universität Würzburg
Lehrstuhl für Indologie
Philosophiegebäude, Zi. 8U6
Am Hubland
97074 Würzburg
Germany
Tel: ++49-(0)931-3185512
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http://www.indologie.uni-wuerzburg.de/mitarbeiter/esposito
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