Tha Ap 151Vaṭaṁsakiya

– Therāpadāna

– The Legends of the Theras

149. Vaṭaṁsakiya

Walt 1983 The Self-Become, Unconquered One,

the Buddha known as Sumedha,

strengthening his separation,

went off into a great forest. Verse 1

Walt 1984 Having seen a sal tree blooming,

I bound up a hair-wreath right then .

Face to face with the World-Leader,

I gave that wreath to the Buddha. Verse 2

Walt 1985 In the thirty-thousand aeons

since I offered him that flower,

I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:

that’s the fruit of Buddha- pūjā . Verse 3

Walt 1986 In the nineteen-hundredth aeon

there were sixteen named Nimmita,

wheel-turning kings with great power,

possessors of the seven gems. Verse 4

Walt 1987 The four analytical modes,

and these eight deliverances,

six special knowledges mastered,

I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 5

Thus indeed Venerable Vaṭaṁsakiya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Vaṭaṁsakiya Thera is finished.

Translated by Jonathan S. Walters .

Whitman College, 2017

Legends of the Buddhist Saints (Apadāna) is released under the Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share Alike license.

This is the first-ever complete translation of Apadāna into a Western language.

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