Isn't the act of Prince Vessantara giving his children away extreme? http://www.buddha-images.com/vessantara-jataka.asp


  It depicts the life of prince Vessantara who gives away all his possessions, including his children to become servants of an evil spirited character.


What can this say that Buddha encourages the laymen The Middle Way, while his act of donating children during the life of prince Vessantara seems quite extreme for a layperson? 


  Monks, these two extremes ought not to be practiced by one who has gone forth from the household life. (What are the two?) There is addiction to indulgence of sense-pleasures, which is low, coarse, the way of ordinary people, unworthy, and unprofitable; and there is addiction to self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy, and unprofitable.
Giving away children does not come under self-mortification. Self-mortification is torturing the physical body.


  “Venerable Nàgasena, do all the Bodhisattas give away their wives and
  children, or was it only Vessantara?” “All of them do.” “But do those
  wives and children consent to it?” “The wives do but the children do
  not due to their tender age.” “But was it then a meritorious deed if
  the children were terrified and cried at being given away?” “Yes it
  was. As a man desiring merit might take a cripple wherever he wanted
  to go in an ox-cart and thereby the oxen would be made to suffer; or
  as a king might levy a tax in order to perform a great meritorious
  deed; so too, giving, though it may cause anguish to some, is
  conducive to rebirth in heaven. Is there, king, any gift that should
  not be given?” “Yes, Nàgasena, there are ten kinds of gifts that
  should not be given, the giving of which leads to rebirth in states of
  woe: a gift of intoxicants, of a festival, of a woman, of a man,of
  suggestive designs, weapons, poisons, chains or instruments of
  torture, fowls and swine, or false weights and measures.” “I am not
  asking about gifts that are not approved of in the world. I am asking
  if there is any gift that should not be given when there is someone
  worthy of it.” “Then, Nàgasena, there is no gift that should not be
  given. When satisfaction in Dhamma has arisen, some people give a
  hundred thousand, or a kingdom or even their life.” “Then why do you
  criticize the gift of Vessantara so harshly? Is it not sometimes the
  case that a man in debt may sell his son or leave him as a pledge?
  Just so, Vessantara gave his son as a pledge against his future
  attainment of omniscience.” “Nevertheless, why did he not give himself
  instead?” “Because that was not what was asked for. To offer something
  else would have been ignoble. Furthermore, O king, Vessantara knew
  that the Brahmin would be unable to keep the children as slaves for
  long since he was advanced in years. Anyway, he knew their grandfather
  would pay a ransom for their return.” “Skilfully, Nàgasena, has this
  puzzle been unravelled. The net of heresy has been torn to pieces.
  Well has the letter of the scriptures been maintained while you have
  thus explained the spirit. This is so and I accept it as you say.”  - Milinda Panha