Long ago, four friends lived beside a river: an otter, a jackal, a monkey, and a gentle hare. The hare was the wisest of the four, and he loved to remind his friends, "When the holy day comes, let us share our food with any guest who is hungry. A gift given from the heart brings the greatest blessing."
On the day of the full moon, the friends went out to find food. The otter found fish left on the riverbank. The jackal found a pot of curds. The monkey gathered ripe mangoes from the trees. But the hare had only the sweet grass he nibbled every day — and who serves grass to a guest? Then a thought filled his heart with light: "If a hungry guest comes to me, I will give him the only thing that is truly mine. I will give him myself."
Far above, the throne of Sakka, king of the gods, grew warm — as it always did when something wonderful was about to happen on earth. Sakka looked down, saw the hare's promise shining like a lamp, and decided to test him. Dressed as a poor old beggar, he came to each friend in turn. The otter offered his fish, the jackal his curds, the monkey his mangoes. At last he came to the hare. "Kind sir," said the hare joyfully, "today I shall give you a gift no one has ever given. Build a fire, and when it is glowing, I will jump in and roast myself, so that you may eat and be strong."
The beggar built the fire. The hare shook himself three times, so that any tiny insects in his fur could escape unharmed, and leapt bravely into the flames. But the fire felt cool as morning dew! Sakka stood revealed in his shining form. "Dear hare," he said, "your gift is greater than mountains of gold. The whole world must remember it." And taking the essence of a mountain, Sakka painted the figure of the hare upon the face of the moon, where every child can see it to this day.
When the Buddha finished this tale, he said, "In that life, Sakka was Anuruddha, and the brave little hare was I myself."