also: ほんしょうたん
noun
Jataka tales; stories of Buddha's previous lives
Buddhist term referring to the ancient Indian collection of stories about the former lives of the Buddha. Often encountered in religious or academic contexts.
See also: ジャータカ
本生譚は仏教文学の重要な一部です。
The Jataka tales are an important part of Buddhist literature.
この寺院の壁画には本生譚の一場面が描かれている。
A scene from the Jataka tales is depicted on the wall paintings of this temple.
ジャータカ is the direct loanword from Sanskrit/Pali and is more common in modern Japanese Buddhist studies. 本生譚 is the Sino-Japanese term, often used in traditional or classical contexts.
From Chinese 本生 (běnshēng, 'original birth') and 譚 (tán, 'tale'), a translation of the Sanskrit Jātaka. The reading ほんじょうたん reflects the go-on reading of 生, while ほんしょうたん uses the kan-on reading.