Review of “Endless Path” by Rafe Martin

Imagine this book morphing into a real-life friend: it will make for an earnest and sincere Buddhist companion, never preachy, though with a tendency to ramble on at times – understandably, like many well-intentioned people. For it is a book that comes to life, made accessible to modern (in particular, Western) readers by its affable readability, honest humour and grounded sentiments. It is not authoritative in character, but reflects author, story-teller and Zen practitioner Rafe Martin’s personal spiritual perspective on the Jataka tales (stories of the Buddha’s past lives). A collection of ten tales are retold here, with accompanying commentaries. Each tale illustrates a Buddhist paramita, or “perfection” of character: generosity, morality, patient forbearance, vigor, meditation, wisdom, skilful means, resolve, strength and knowledge.

Reading the Jataka tales was an uplifting as many evoke inspirational awe; the Bodhisattva’s aspiration to help all sentient beings is unfathomably unconditional, compassionate and unwavering. In one tale, the Bodhisattva was a monkey king who resolved to give his life to save his charges, resolutely expressing the ideal of the king as a wise, humble protector. The story may doubtless be familiar to modern readers, with similar portrayals common in movies along this theme., yet I feel it remains timeless and affecting because of the selflessness of the deed. Indeed, modern readers new to the Jataka tales will find universal qualities such as bravery, persistence and resilience embodied in these tales, set in a time when the Buddha was still traversing the path to enlightenment, not yet totally free from defilements, but never disheartened by challenges.

The stories did not all garner roses-in-the-heart experiences though. Some jolted me out of my comfort zone. One in particular stands out: the famous tale of the tigress where the bodhisattva, in an act of perfect generosity, fed himself to a hungry tigress on the cusp of devouring her own cubs. Without fear, without hesitation. Martin did a heartfelt and humorous commentary on this, which I enjoyed and connected with. His reaction was spot-on, giving expression to my muffled feelings: “The only response I know is silence. Stunned silence. Awed silence.” Yet Martin also encourages us to practise generosity in our own little ways in daily life, with the deed of the bodhisattva serving as food for thought to fuel our own spiritual progress.

In all, Martin’s retelling of the Jataka tales is engaging and accessible, while importantly preserving the stories’ elemental guiding inspirations. They can be funny without losing their essence, which is to illuminate the vista of the paramitas. The commentaries fluidly connect the dots between the paramitas, and are markedly grounded in the reality of daily living. In this, the Buddhist concepts related here are expressed in an uncomplicated manner. While many references were made to Zen sources, the spiritual guiding light offered here is practical and likely easily understood by many Buddhists. Western readers may find connections with Martin’s references to well-known personalities such as Shakespeare, Bob Dylan and cleverly, Gollum from the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

My only grouse is that the commentaries at certain junctures, could be more concise, less meandering. Particularly in “Gentle Heart”, a tale where the Bodhisattva was swayed by lust, Martin’s comments, while relevant, appeared almost endless in elaboration. To be fair, I can be an impatient reader who likes to pummel through a book, and the real issue may be my preference for the sharp and sweet. A more patient reader will be rewarded with insightful observations and interpretations that earnestly provide a bridge between the Jataka tales and practical spirituality in daily life. Ideally, this is a book to be read contemplatively, at a leisurely pace, for there is an array of spiritual nuggets to be found in Martin’s commentaries.

– By Guest Reviewer Faith Tan

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