Bodhisatta Hare: A Tale of Selflessness and Generosity

In a past life, the Bodhisatta was a hare living in a forest with three friends: a monkey, a jackal, and an otter. One evening, just before a holy day, the Bodhisatta reminded his friends of the importance of giving alms, encouraging them to feed any beggars who might come their way. He explained that acts of generosity bring great rewards, and they all agreed to gather food to give to anyone in need.

The next morning, the otter found a string of seven fish that a fisherman had buried in the sand for safekeeping, the jackal raided the hut of a field watcher and took a lizard and a jar of curds, and the monkey gathered some ripe mangoes from the forest. The Bodhisatta, however, lived on grass and did not gather any food. As the time for giving approached, he realized he had nothing to offer. But he made a vow: if a beggar came his way, he would give his own flesh.

As the Bodhisatta made this selfless vow, the throne of Indra, the king of the gods, grew warm, and Indra, sensing the Bodhisatta’s noble intent, decided to test him. Disguising himself as a brahmin priest, Indra went to the otter, the jackal, and the monkey to ask for food. Each of them offered their food, but Indra declined, saying he would return later for it. When Indra finally reached the Bodhisatta, the hare was filled with joy at the opportunity to serve.

The Bodhisatta prepared a fire and, after shaking himself three times to avoid harming any insects in his fur, jumped into the flames. To his surprise, he felt no heat and was untouched by the fire. Indra then revealed himself and praised the Bodhisatta for his selflessness. He told the hare that such virtue should be known to all beings, and to honor the Bodhisatta’s sacrifice, he used the essence of a mountain to paint a picture of the hare on the moon, so that all could see the hare’s selfless act of kindness.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

In a later life, the Buddha told a story of generosity and selflessness to a landowner who had been especially generous over the course of a week. The man had donated fine food to the Buddha and his disciples and, on the seventh day, provided robes and other necessities. The Buddha praised him for his charitable acts and explained that taking delight in such acts of giving was a wonderful thing.

To help the landowner understand the importance of charity even more deeply, the Buddha told him the story of the Bodhisatta as the selfless hare. The otter, jackal, and monkey in this story were reborn as Ananda, Moggallana, and Sariputta, three of the Buddha’s closest disciples.

Moral: The Bodhisatta’s story as the selfless hare highlights the highest form of compassion and generosity, where one is willing to give everything—even their life—for the welfare of others. Indra’s test and the hare’s self-sacrifice serve as a reminder that true virtue and goodness are marked by a willingness to help others without expectation of reward. The Buddha used this story to teach the value of generosity and how such acts bring both worldly and spiritual rewards.