Tha Ap 161Punnāgapupphiya

– Therāpadāna

– The Legends of the Theras

159. Punnāgapupphiya

Walt 2038 Plunging into a forest grove,

I lived there as a hunter then .

Seeing a laurel tree in bloom,

I called to mind the Best Buddha. Verse 1

Walt 2039 Having plucked a flower from it,

well-perfumed and scented with scents,

having made a stupa of sand,

I offered it to the Buddha. Verse 2

Walt 2040 In the ninety-two aeons since

I did that flower- pūjā then ,

I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:

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

Walt 2041 In the ninety-first aeon thence

lived a ruler , Tamonuda,

a wheel-turning king with great strength,

possessor of the seven gems. Verse 4

Walt 2042 The four analytical modes,

and these eight deliverances,

six special knowledges mastered,

I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 5

Thus indeed Venerable Punnāgapupphiya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Punnāgapupphiya 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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