This Buddhist stories for kids collection include stories of Buddha and his adventures throughout the world. Read these with your kids.
King Ananda ruled over Mithila for many years. As time passed, he decided to give up power and become a monk. He instructed his commander, “Henceforth, no one will see my face. Only a servant will bring me food.” However, the king realised that there were too many distractions in Mithila. So, he decided to
King Ananda ruled over Mithila for many years. As time passed, he decided to give up power and become a monk. He instructed his commander, “Henceforth, no one will see my face. Only a servant will bring me food.” However, the king realised that there were too many distractions in Mithila. So, he decided to
Once, a student was learning meditation. He said to his teacher, “Teacher, I have uncontrollable anger. Please help me get rid of it.” The teacher smiled and said, “This is a strange problem. Please show it to me so that I may understand it.” The student looked confused. “I cannot show it to you right
One day, the Buddha met a man who was crying. The man asked him, “How many times must I be reborn to be liberated?” The Buddha pointed to a mango tree and said, “As many times as the mangoes on the tree.” There were dozens of mangoes, and the man cried, “Why should I suffer
In one of his previous lives, the Buddha was born as a parrot. There was a huge storm, and lightning struck a dead tree in the forest. Soon, the fire spread. To escape the fire, the parrot flew towards the river. Looking down, he saw that many animals were trapped and crying for help. The
The Buddha sometimes told stories to explain things to his disciples. Once, he told the story of a fish who met a turtle in the water. “Where have you been for so long?” asked the fish. “I have been on dry land,” said the turtle. “Is there such a thing as dry land?” asked the
Once, Master Narada Maha Thera told his disciples about the truth of life. He said, “An elephant was chasing a man. The man decided to hide in a well, but there was a deadly snake at the bottom of the well. So, the man hung from a thorny creeper growing along the rim of the
There was a young monk in China. He studied and meditated all day long. One day, the monk read something but he did not understand, so he went to his master and asked about it. When the master heard the question, he laughed loudly and walked away. The monk wondered why the master had laughed.
Once, a disciple asked a senior monk, “How do I calm my mind?” The monk said, “I am busy. Please ask the first dharma brother.” The disciple went to the dharma brother, but he said, “I have a headache; I can’t talk now. Ask the second dharma brother.” The second dharma brother said, “I have
Once, a government officer met a monk. The officer wanted to prove that he was superior, so he said, “Do you know what I think of you and your teachings?” The monk replied, “Everyone has the right to have his own opinion.” The officer said, “I think you are just a pile of rubbish.” The
Once upon a time, there was a great king. Once, the enemy attacked his kingdom. The king’s army had no hope of winning, as the enemy’s army was ten times larger than his own army. “Surely we will lose,” the king’s army said, sadly. On the way to the battlefield, the troops stopped at a
Once, a lady came to meet the Buddha. She was crying bitterly. She said, “I am the most unfortunate person on the earth! My baby has died. Please bring it back to life.” The Buddha said, “Please stop crying. I can help you, but only if you can find one vital ingredient.” “What is that?”
Once, a master noticed that one of his students often shouted at others in anger. He called the student and said, “Stop being so angry.” The student said, “I try to control it, but I can’t. Please help.” The master instructed the student, “Whenever you feel angry, just take a hammer and a nail and
A young man travelled for months, trying to find the Buddha. One night, he stopped at a small hut where he met a monk. The monk gave him food and water. They had talked for a while, before the man fell asleep. The next morning, the man thanked the monk, and left. A little later,
Once, an angry man came up to the Buddha and spat at him. The Buddha simply smiled. After a while, when the angry man realised that the Buddha would not react, he walked away silently. The angry man went home, but he could not sleep all night. He could not understand how someone could sit