Tha Ap 343Ekapadumiya

– Therāpadāna

– The Legends of the Theras

– Ekapadumiya Chapter, the Thirty-Fifth

338. {341.} Ekapadumiya

Walt 3074 The Victor Padumuttara

was the Master of Everything.

Explaining all existences,

he ferried many folks across. Verse 1

Walt 3075 At that time I was a swan-king;

I was distinguished among birds.

Plunged into a natural lake,

I am sporting the sports of swans. Verse 2

Walt 3076 Padumuttara, World-Knower,

Sacrificial Recipient,

the Victor would fly, all the time,

over that natural lake there . Verse 3

Walt 3077-3078 I having seen the God of Gods,

the Self-Become One, World-Leader,

gathered lotuses with my beak—

lovely, with a hundred petals—

and having broken off the stems,

tossing them into the sky, I

did pūjā to the Best Buddha,

pleased by the Leader of the World. Verse 4-5

Walt 3079 Padumuttara, World-Knower,

Sacrificial Recipient,

the Teacher, standing in the sky,

gave me this expression of thanks: Verse 6

Walt 3080 “Due to this single lotus gift ,

with intention and firm resolve,

for one hundred thousand aeons

you won’t fall into suffering.” Verse 7

Walt 3081 Having said this the Sambuddha

whose name was Ultimate Lotus,

after detailing my karma,

went according to his wishes. Verse 8

Walt 3082 In the hundred thousand aeons

since I did that good karma then,

I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:

that’s the fruit of Buddha- pūjā . Verse 9

Walt 3083 The four analytical modes,

and these eight deliverances,

six special knowledges mastered,

I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 10

Thus indeed Venerable Ekapadumiya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Ekapadumiya 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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