batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l3800-l3919
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l3800-l3919
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
passage_locator:
label: TABLE VII. / THE BODISATS. / TABLE VIII. / THE DISTANT EPOCH.; lines 3800-3919
start: '3800'
end: '3919'
translation: Buddhist birth stories; or, Jataka tales, Volume 1
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: 'Sumedha resolves to become a Buddha and investigates the Buddha-making
conditions. He identifies and undertakes the first four perfections: almsgiving,
morality, self-abnegation, and wisdom. Each is explained through a simile: an
overturned water-jar for total giving, a yak guarding its tail for moral care,
a prisoner longing for release for renunciation of births, and a begging monk
visiting all families for seeking wisdom from all wise people.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Sumedha resolves, “I shall surely become Buddha,” and searches for the conditions
that constitute a Buddha in all directions.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: He beholds the first perfection, Almsgiving, described as practiced and followed
by former Bodhisattas or sages.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Almsgiving is compared to an overturned brimming water-jar that discharges
all its water and retains none.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The passage states that by giving away everything to those who ask, Sumedha
will sit at the foot of the tree of Bodhi and become a Buddha.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: He beholds the second perfection, Moral Practice or Morality, and resolves
to guard the moral precepts regardless of life.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Morality is compared to a yak cow that will not injure her entangled tail
even at risk of death.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: He beholds the third perfection, Self-abnegation or Abnegation, and is instructed
to regard all births as prison-houses and seek release from existence.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Abnegation is compared to a long-term prisoner who takes no pleasure in the
house of bonds and longs for release.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: He beholds the fourth perfection, Wisdom, and is instructed to approach all
wise men and ask them questions.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: Wisdom is compared to a monk on begging rounds who avoids no families and
thereby obtains subsistence.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Wise Sumedha
description: The speaker and aspirant who resolves to become Buddha and undertakes
the perfections.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Former Bodhisattas or former sages
description: Preceding figures said to have practiced and followed the perfections.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Those who ask
description: People of great, small, or middling status who ask and are to receive
alms.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Yak cow
description: Animal in the morality simile, guarding her tail even when it is entangled.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Man in the house of bonds
description: A person long imprisoned, oppressed with suffering and longing for
release.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Wise men
description: Persons whom Sumedha is instructed to approach and question in pursuit
of wisdom.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Monk on begging rounds
description: A monk who avoids no families while seeking alms and obtains subsistence.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Buddha-aspirant
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Sumedha resolves to become Buddha and searches for Buddha-making conditions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: Undertaker of perfections
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Sumedha resolves to attain the perfections of almsgiving, morality, abnegation,
and wisdom.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: role:3
label: Precedent exemplars
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The perfections are described as practiced and followed by former Bodhisattas
or sages.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: role:4
label: Recipients of almsgiving
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Sumedha is instructed to give away all in alms to those who ask.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: Moral-guarding exemplar
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The yak cow’s care for her tail is used as the comparison for guarding moral
precepts.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: Exemplar of longing for release
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The prisoner’s longing for release is used as the comparison for abnegation
from births.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: Sources of wisdom
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Sumedha is instructed to approach all wise men and ask questions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:8
label: Begging-round exemplar
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The monk who avoids no families on begging rounds is used as the comparison
for seeking wisdom widely.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Overturned water-jar
literal_form: A brimming water-jar overturned, discharging all water and retaining
none.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: Tree of Bodhi
literal_form: The tree at whose foot Sumedha is told he will sit and become Buddha.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: Yak’s tail
literal_form: The yak cow’s tail, guarded even when entangled and at risk of death.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: Prison-house of births
literal_form: All births are likened to prison-houses or a house of bonds.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:5
label: Begging rounds
literal_form: A monk’s alms-round among small, great, and middling families.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:6
label: Ten directions
literal_form: Above, below, principal and minor directions, and all ten directions
searched for Buddha-making conditions.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Search for Buddha-making conditions
summary: After resolving to become Buddha, Sumedha searches above, below, and through
the ten directions for the conditions that make a Buddha.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: 'First perfection: almsgiving'
summary: Sumedha identifies almsgiving as the first perfection and is instructed
to give everything to those who ask, like an overturned water-jar emptying itself.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: 'Second perfection: morality'
summary: Sumedha identifies morality as the second perfection and is instructed
to guard moral precepts as a yak guards her tail.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: 'Third perfection: abnegation'
summary: Sumedha identifies abnegation as the third perfection and is instructed
to regard all births as prison-houses and seek release from existence.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:5
label: 'Fourth perfection: wisdom'
summary: Sumedha identifies wisdom as the fourth perfection and is instructed to
question wise men widely, like a monk who avoids no household on alms-round.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Quest for Buddha-making conditions
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
- wisdom
basis: Sumedha deliberately searches through all directions for the conditions that
mature Buddhaship and identifies perfections to undertake.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is doctrinal and enumerative rather than a journey narrative
in the physical sense.
- id: motif:2
label: Total giving as self-emptying
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: The first perfection requires giving all to those who ask, with the simile
of a water-jar emptied until nothing remains.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage emphasizes almsgiving and renunciation of possessions; it
does not present a negotiated exchange with a deity.
- id: motif:3
label: Sacred tree as site of awakening
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_tree_axis
basis: The text states that after fulfilling total almsgiving Sumedha will sit at
the foot of the tree of Bodhi and become a Buddha.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: Only the Bodhi tree location is mentioned in this excerpt; broader axis
or world-center features are not elaborated here.
- id: motif:4
label: Release from birth as escape from prison
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: All births are likened to prison-houses, and abnegation is directed toward
release from existence.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage frames departure as renunciation from rebirth/existence, not
as a conventional departure episode.
- id: motif:5
label: Wisdom gained by questioning all wise persons
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The fourth perfection instructs Sumedha to avoid no subject of knowledge
and to approach all wise men with questions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: This is an explicit wisdom-discipline motif rather than a riddle or contest
motif.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 3800-3817; verse 125
quote_or_summary: Sumedha resolves, “I shall surely become Buddha,” and searches
“above and below, in all the ten directions” for Buddha-making conditions.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 3805-3823; verses 126-127
quote_or_summary: He beholds the first Gift-perfection or Almsgiving, described
as the high road followed by former sages, and undertakes it for Buddhaship.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 3808-3830; verses 128-129
quote_or_summary: Almsgiving is compared to a water-jar that “Discharges entirely
all the water, and retains none within.”
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 3810-3814
quote_or_summary: If Sumedha gives away wealth, fame, family, and goods to all who
ask until nothing remains, he will sit at the foot of the tree of Bodhi and become
a Buddha.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 3832-3847; verses 130-132
quote_or_summary: Sumedha identifies the second perfection, Morality or Moral Practice,
practiced by former sages, and resolves to undertake it for Buddhahood.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: lines 3835-3855; verses 133-134
quote_or_summary: The moral precepts are to be guarded “as the Yak guards her tail,”
even when the tail is entangled and death is risked.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 3857-3877; verses 135-137, 139
quote_or_summary: Sumedha identifies the third perfection, Abnegation, and is told
to look upon all births as prison-houses and set his face toward self-abnegation
for release from existence.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:8
type: quote
locator: lines 3862-3875; verse 138
quote_or_summary: Abnegation is compared to one “long a denizen of the house of
bonds” who feels no pleasure there and longs for release.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 3879-3899; verses 140-142, 144
quote_or_summary: Sumedha identifies the fourth perfection, Wisdom, and is instructed
to avoid no subject of knowledge and to question wise men constantly.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 3884-3919; verses 143-144
quote_or_summary: Wisdom is compared to a monk who avoids no small, great, or middling
families on begging rounds and obtains subsistence.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: The passage is explicit about figures, perfections, and similes. Motif-family
assignments are cautious because the available taxonomy is broad and the excerpt
is primarily doctrinal instruction.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
No external comparisons were added because the passage itself does not support claims of historical contact, common inheritance, or comparison to another named tradition.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l3800-l3919
passage_sha256=2ef84060998184f9cc070476e7151da641f952eaa14556fa7dbe93c7658ac300