018 Matakabhatta Jātaka (JTA 12) The Goat That Laughed and Wept Ashin Saraṇa: To explain that killing of animals is not good even to support one’s deceased relatives, the Buddha explained that in one of his past life, when he was a tree deity, a Brahmin got a goat bathed and adorned for a sacrifice to honor the dead. The goat laughed and then cried, which it then explained to the brahmin as happy for going to be slaughtered for the last (500th) time after it previously killed a goat; but it was sad because now the Brahmin will suffer the same fate. The Brahmin spared the goat, but it died anyway by an amazing accident of a lightning bolt striking a rock, of which a sharp piece “neatly cut off the goat’s head.” The tree deity then appeared to the people and admonished them to follow precepts and do good.
Zwezarni Htun’s drawing: One day, bhilkkus asked the Buddha if Sacrificing animals was a good idea to get dead relatives back and the buddha replyed it was not a good idea to take life from living beings. The Buddha told a story about a brahmin and his students who were going to offer a Feast for the dead, and then brought a goat to sacrifice. He then told his Students to wash the goat so he would be sacrificed,but then, the goat started to laugh then start weeping then the students brought the goat back for questions. The goat said that he was a brahmin before and did a feast for the dead but as his punishment, he has had his head cut off 499 times.Kids’ drawings
