The Ox and the Fat Pig – A Story of Envy and Wisdom from the KAṆHA-JĀTAKA & MUṆIKA-JĀTAKA

A visual and philosophical journey in seven scenes: from the short sight of envy to the right vision of immanent justice

Welcome to a visual and philosophical journey through one of the most profound tales of the Buddhist tradition: the Kaṇha-Jātaka, here reinterpreted in a contemporary key and transformed into a complete artistic experience.

We have imagined, described, and generated seven scenes and an epilogue that tell the story of two oxen, Muṇika and Kaṇha, and a fat pig that becomes a mirror of human envy. The result is a path that traverses the most universal emotions: desire, frustration, revelation, sacrifice, love, and finally, the transmission of wisdom.

A visual trailer that crosses all the scenes, offering a preview into the world of the tale. Perfect for a first emotional impact.

Visual Trailer of the Story

THE SEVEN SCENES + EPILOGUE

Each scene has been generated through specific prompts, designed to capture the narrative and symbolic essence of the moment:

1. The Village by the River – Dawn, the stable, the two oxen, and Nonna. The beginning of everything.

Scene 1 – The village on the river: The dawn of life, innocence still intact, but already the seed of restlessness is present in Muṇika's gaze. The stable, Grandmother, the two oxen: everything is ready for the story to begin.

2. The Short Sight – Muṇika envies the fat pig. Envy is born.

Scene 2 – The short look: Envy explodes. The fat pig becomes the obsession, the unfair term of comparison, the source of the poison. Muṇika is sick with a short gaze, and he doesn't know it.

3. Kaṇha's Vision – The black ox reveals the pig's fate. The revelation.

Scene 3 – Kaṇha's vision: The revelation. Kaṇha reveals the fate of the pig, and for the first time Muṇika glimpses the possibility of another look. Wisdom becomes word, and word wounds in order to heal.)

4. The Trial at the Ford – The desperate merchant and the pact with Kaṇha.

Scene 4 – The River Test: The collective crisis becomes the occasion for the manifestation of Kaṇha's strength. The desperate merchant, the stopped carts, the pact made. Immanent justice begins to show its face.

5. The Strength of the Righteous – Kaṇha pulls five hundred carts, bleeding in the water.

Scene 5 – The Strength of the Righteous: The Sacrifice. Kaṇha pulls five hundred carts, bleeds in the water, consumes himself for love. It is the culmination of action, the moment when wisdom becomes flesh.

6. The Return and Right Vision – Nonna washes his wounds. Muṇika finally understands.

Scene 6 – The Return and Right View: The Reward. Not gold, but Grandma's love that washes wounds. And Muṇika who finally sees, cries, understands. His tear is the most precious fruit

7. Epilogue – Years Later – An elderly Muṇika passes on wisdom to a young ox.

Epilogue – Years later: The broadcast. An elderly Munika now a master, speaks to a young ox who envies a fat dog. The circle closes and reopens. Wisdom continues to travel.

THE MEANING

This story is much more than an ancient fable. It speaks about us, today, immersed in a culture that exalts appearance and pushes us toward social envy. The fat pig is today's influencer, the well-fed dog is the colleague who seems to have everything without effort. But the tale invites us to lengthen our gaze: every fruit has its roots, every comfort sometimes hides a price.

The immanent justice of which the Jātaka speaks is not a divine punishment, but the deep order of things: we reap what we sow, and what seems unjust today may prove salvific tomorrow.

A SECULAR PRAYER

Words that do not belong to any religion, but perhaps to all:

May you meet, in your life, a Kaṇha who opens your eyes.

May you become, for someone, that Kaṇha.

May you learn to look far ahead, even when the fat pig seems enviable to you.

May you bleed for love, and find someone to wash your wounds.

May you look at the moon, and feel that something great is watching over you.

And that, when it's your turn, you can tell this story to those who come after.

So that the wheel turns, and wisdom continues to travel.

SHARE THE JOURNEY

If this story touched you, share it with someone who needs to lengthen their gaze. Because wisdom, like the moon that watches over all scenes, is there for everyone: we just need to learn to look in the right direction.

Credits:

Free adaptation from the Kaṇha-Jātaka (No. 29) and Muṇika-Jātaka (No. 30). Visual and philosophical storytelling project by Giuseppe Gugliotta

Path of Redeemed Time.

Drinking without meeting the ogre

Jātaka 13–24 as an apophatic path of awakening, criticism of power, and desertion from heroism

https://giusegugliottaapocalisse.blogspot.com/

Drive pdf https://drive.google.com/file/d/1veX1kXUfA8maA2ww09a7w8WGFm0IoWew/view?usp=sharing

Drive epub https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TpzbVH-7UuJM_PIW3FcZOYR-m-H6cDWU/view?usp=sharing

Libgen pdf https://libgen.li/file.php?md5=cb5ec4d1944a3a7acce1efda281cefd1

Libgen epub https://libgen.li/file.php?md5=a7af0333e140d82af85ca6006f962065

Archive pdf https://archive.org/details/jataka-13-24-path-of-redeemed-time

Archive epub https://archive.org/details/jataka-13-24-path-of-redeemed-time-giuseppe-gugliotta