The Wise Hare (Sasa Jataka)

In a forest lived four friends: a monkey, a jackal, an otter, and a hare (the Bodhisattva). One day, the hare told his friends that the next day was a Uposatha (holy day), and they should practice charity by offering food to any beggar who passed by.

The next morning, the otter caught fish, the jackal found some meat and a pot of milk, and the monkey gathered sweet mangoes. But the hare, sitting in the grass, realized with sorrow: 'I only eat grass. I cannot offer grass to a human. I have nothing to give.'

Sakra, the lord of the gods, decided to test their resolve. Disguised as a starving Brahmin, he approached the animals. The otter, jackal, and monkey all eagerly offered their gathered food.

Then the beggar approached the hare. 'What do you have for me, little one?'

'I have no beans, no seeds, and no rice,' the hare replied. 'But gather some wood and build a fire. I have a gift no one else can give.'

When the fire was blazing, the hare shook himself three times to ensure no small insects in his fur would be burned. Then, with a heart overflowing with pure, selfless generosity (Dana), he leapt straight into the center of the roaring flames, offering his own roasted body as a meal.

But the fire did not burn him. It felt as cool as snow. Sakra revealed his true, radiant form. 'O wise hare, your virtue is incomparable. Your sacrifice must be known to all ages.'

Sakra reached up and drew the image of the hare on the face of the moon. To this day in Buddhist lore, when you look at the full moon, you see the silhouette of the hare—a celestial monument to absolute, selfless giving.