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The Banyan Deer: A Parable of Courage and Compassion
This inspiring tale reminds us that no one can be truly at peace unless all beings have a chance for peace, freedom, and happiness. The Banyan Deer is a wonderful, heart-warming gift for anyone who loves a great story. This beautiful hardcover edition will delight both adults and children alike.
- GenresBuddhismPicture Books
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Rafe Martin
42 books49 followersRafe Martin is an award-winning author and storyteller, as well as a lay Zen teacher in the Harada-Yasutani koan line. He is founding teacher of Endless Path Zendo, Rochester, NY.
He is the recipient of the prestigious Empire State Award for the body of his work, as well as multiple American Library Association Notable Book Awards and Parent's Choice Gold Awards. He has been featured at such storytelling events as the Joseph Campbell Festival of Myth and Story, The Sierra Storytelling Festival, and the National Storytelling Festival. He is the father of two grown children and lives with his wife, Rose, in Rochester, NY.
He is the recipient of the prestigious Empire State Award for the body of his work, as well as multiple American Library Association Notable Book Awards and Parent's Choice Gold Awards. He has been featured at such storytelling events as the Joseph Campbell Festival of Myth and Story, The Sierra Storytelling Festival, and the National Storytelling Festival. He is the father of two grown children and lives with his wife, Rose, in Rochester, NY.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 5, 2025
A Buddhist Fable
The great religions have teachings that speak both to adults and to the highly educated as well as to less learned people and to children. This aspect of religious teaching was brought home to me when I ordered a new book, a translation of "The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha" by the American scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, and received as a gift the book I am reviewing here, "The Banyan Deer: A Parable of Courage and Compassion" (2010) by Rafe Martin with illustrations by Richard Wehrman.
The "Numerical Discourses" is a core component of early Buddhist scripture. It is a book of 1900 pages, consisting of Buddhist suttas arranged under numbers from 1-11. The volume includes a lengthy learned introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi together with extensive notes. It is a difficult spiritually deep work that demands a long time to read and study. "The Banyan Deer" in contrast is a short book of less that 50 small pages that can be read comfortably in less than an hour. The story is derived from a collection called the "Jataka Tales" which also form part of early Buddhist scripture. The Jataka Tales consist of about 550 folk stories, many of which involve animals, similar in some ways to Aesop's fables. The tales describe the previous lives of the Buddha -- the Bohdisattva -- before his final birth as the Buddha. The reader is to determine which character in the story constitutes the Bodhisattva and the admirable qualities of the Bodhisattva that the particular story conveys. The Jataka Tales can be understood by children while they also have much to say to adults. A little story such as "The Banyan Deer" offers much material for reflection.
This tale is a story of a deer king -- the Banyan deer whose life has been commemorated by a human king who constructs a large monument in his memory. The human king loved to hunt. Two large herds of deer, one of which was ruled by the Banyan deer were rounded up and put in a stockade where every day the king's hunters came to shoot a deer for the king's dinner. When the hunters came the deer panicked, killing and wounding each other when they tried to flee. The two deer kings devised a lottery under which one deer would be offered to the hunters each day to be killed, leaving the rest of the herds unharmed.
One day a pregnant doe was chosen for the lottery. She asked for relief until she had delivered her child. The first king refused, but the Banyan king agreed she was entitled to a deferment of her fate. When the appointed time came, the Banyan king offered himself to the arrows in lieu of the pregnant doe.
The story raises themes of courage and self-sacrifice. As it progresses, it also has strong themes of spiritual bargaining, similar to some Bible stories involving Abraham or Jacob, as the Banyan king works to teach the human king the meaning of freedom. At one point the Banyan king says to his human counterpart: "How can there be real peace unless it extends to all? How can we be happy when any suffer?" At the end of the story the human king constructs a monument with the following inscription:
"PRAISE TO THE BANYAN DEER; TEACHER OF KINGS"
Rafe Martin tells the story with simplicity and force and Richard Wehrman's illustrations are a delight. This little book would appeal to parents who want to teach young children something of Buddhism. But the story is delightful and instructive in its own right. It is a story suitable for children that invites reflection on caring for others and on the nature of leadership and ethics.
Robin Friedman
The great religions have teachings that speak both to adults and to the highly educated as well as to less learned people and to children. This aspect of religious teaching was brought home to me when I ordered a new book, a translation of "The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha" by the American scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, and received as a gift the book I am reviewing here, "The Banyan Deer: A Parable of Courage and Compassion" (2010) by Rafe Martin with illustrations by Richard Wehrman.
The "Numerical Discourses" is a core component of early Buddhist scripture. It is a book of 1900 pages, consisting of Buddhist suttas arranged under numbers from 1-11. The volume includes a lengthy learned introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi together with extensive notes. It is a difficult spiritually deep work that demands a long time to read and study. "The Banyan Deer" in contrast is a short book of less that 50 small pages that can be read comfortably in less than an hour. The story is derived from a collection called the "Jataka Tales" which also form part of early Buddhist scripture. The Jataka Tales consist of about 550 folk stories, many of which involve animals, similar in some ways to Aesop's fables. The tales describe the previous lives of the Buddha -- the Bohdisattva -- before his final birth as the Buddha. The reader is to determine which character in the story constitutes the Bodhisattva and the admirable qualities of the Bodhisattva that the particular story conveys. The Jataka Tales can be understood by children while they also have much to say to adults. A little story such as "The Banyan Deer" offers much material for reflection.
This tale is a story of a deer king -- the Banyan deer whose life has been commemorated by a human king who constructs a large monument in his memory. The human king loved to hunt. Two large herds of deer, one of which was ruled by the Banyan deer were rounded up and put in a stockade where every day the king's hunters came to shoot a deer for the king's dinner. When the hunters came the deer panicked, killing and wounding each other when they tried to flee. The two deer kings devised a lottery under which one deer would be offered to the hunters each day to be killed, leaving the rest of the herds unharmed.
One day a pregnant doe was chosen for the lottery. She asked for relief until she had delivered her child. The first king refused, but the Banyan king agreed she was entitled to a deferment of her fate. When the appointed time came, the Banyan king offered himself to the arrows in lieu of the pregnant doe.
The story raises themes of courage and self-sacrifice. As it progresses, it also has strong themes of spiritual bargaining, similar to some Bible stories involving Abraham or Jacob, as the Banyan king works to teach the human king the meaning of freedom. At one point the Banyan king says to his human counterpart: "How can there be real peace unless it extends to all? How can we be happy when any suffer?" At the end of the story the human king constructs a monument with the following inscription:
"PRAISE TO THE BANYAN DEER; TEACHER OF KINGS"
Rafe Martin tells the story with simplicity and force and Richard Wehrman's illustrations are a delight. This little book would appeal to parents who want to teach young children something of Buddhism. But the story is delightful and instructive in its own right. It is a story suitable for children that invites reflection on caring for others and on the nature of leadership and ethics.
Robin Friedman
April 4, 2016
Read at Vajra Vidya Retreat Center. This version is not my favorite but nice little book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews