The Prince and the Tigress (Mahasattva Jataka)

In one of his previous lives, the Buddha was born as Prince Mahasattva. One day, while walking in the deep forest with his two older brothers, they came upon a horrific sight at the bottom of a ravine.

A mother tigress, emaciated and dying of starvation, lay weakly on the ground. Around her were her newborn cubs, crying for milk. The mother was so maddened by hunger that she was looking at her own cubs with predatory eyes, on the verge of eating them to survive.

The older brothers looked down in pity. 'This is the law of nature,' they said. 'Let us go.' They walked away to find help or food, knowing they would be too late.

But Prince Mahasattva remained. His heart was pierced by overwhelming compassion (Karuna). He realized that going to fetch food would take too long; the cubs would be eaten. 'This body is impermanent,' he thought. 'It is a vessel of blood and bone, destined for decay. If I can use it to save a mother from the horrific karma of eating her young, and save the cubs' lives, it is a worthy trade.'

He climbed down into the ravine and laid himself before the tigress. But the tigress was so weak she did not even have the strength to bite him. To help her, the prince found a sharp bamboo splinter, cut his own throat, and let his blood flow to her. Tasting the blood, the tigress regained enough strength to consume his body, saving herself and her cubs.

When his brothers returned, they found only his bones. This extreme tale of giving (Dana) illustrates the boundless, ego-less extent of the Bodhisattva's compassion for all sentient beings.