J227 Guthapana Jataka -- The Proud Dung Beetle

Jataka 227 Guthapana Jataka The Proud Dung Beetle

[MORAL The dangers of alcohol]

[READABILITY Intermediate I]

In this story, we can see from the Buddha’s story how our habits often continue from one life to another life, endlessly. Unless we meet with wise people and learn to change our bad habits, we will have to suffer the consequences life after life. When we think, speak or do something without wisdom, we often create bad results for ourselves. When we do not keep the five precepts (no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no lying and, no taking of intoxicants), we also suffer the bad results.

We can see in the story that when the beetle drank the alcohol and became drunk, he could no longer think clearly. Because of his drunkenness and stupidity, he challenged an elephant who was much stronger and bigger than him, and was eventually killed. The elephant who killed the dung beetle also did not keep to his precepts, and so the elephant would eventually have to suffer too.