Tha Ap 401Sabbadāyaka

– Therāpadāna

– The Legends of the Theras

396. {399.} Sabbadāyaka

Walt 3828 Floating in the great ocean, my

palace then was very well-made.

There was a pond, also well made,

full of the cries of ruddy geese, Verse 1

Walt 3829 covered with mandālaka blooms

and with pink and blue lotuses.

And a river was flowing there,

beautiful, with excellent banks, Verse 2

Walt 3830 covered with fish and tortoises,

with various birds spread about,

noisy with peacocks and herons,

and the calls of birds like cuckoos. Verse 3

Walt 3831 Pigeons and ravi -swans as well ,

ruddy geese and nadīcaras ,

lapwings and mynah birds are here,

small monkeys, jīvajīvakas . Verse 4

Walt 3832 It resounds with swans and herons,

owls and many piṅgalas .

The sand contains the seven gems,

strewn with jewels and costly pearls. Verse 5

Walt 3833 All of the trees, made out of gold,

pervaded by various scents,

are lighting up my palace there ,

by day and night, all of the time. Verse 6

Walt 3834 Sixty thousand instruments are

being played morning and evening.

Sixteen thousand women as well

are waiting on me constantly. Verse 7

Walt 3835 Happy, with pleasure in my heart,

having departed my palace,

I worshipped that Greatly Famed One,

Sumedha, Leader of the World. Verse 8

Walt 3836 Having greeted the Sambuddha,

inviting him and Assembly,

that Wise One then agreed to come ,

Sumedha, Leader of the World. Verse 9

Walt 3837 Having preached the Dhamma to me,

the Great Sage later took his leave.

Having greeted the Sambuddha,

I returned to my palace then . Verse 10

Walt 3838 I summoned all the people there:

“All of you gather together.

In the first part of the day,

the Buddha will come to the palace.” Verse 11

Walt 3839 “We dwelling near you have received

something that’s well-gotten for us.

We too will do a pūjā for

the Teacher, the Best of Buddhas.” Verse 12

Walt 3840 After putting up food and drink,

I announced that it was the time.

The Leader of the World arrived

with one hundred thousand masters. Verse 13

Walt 3841 I went to meet him with the five

musical instruments sounding .

The Supreme Person sat down on

a chair made out of solid gold. Verse 14

Walt 3842 I placed a canopy above,

which was made out of solid gold;

Fans are then diffusing perfumes

within the Assembly of monks. Verse 15

Walt 3843 I regaled the monks’ Assembly

with large amounts of food and drink;

I gave individual pairs

of cloth to the monks’ Assembly. Verse 16

Walt 3844 The one whom they called Sumedha,

Object of the World’s Oblations,

sitting in the monks’ Assembly,

spoke these six verses at that time : Verse 17

Walt 3845 “This one who gave me food and drink

and fed the Assembly with it,

I shall relate details of him;

all of you listen to my words: Verse 18

Walt 3846 For eighteen hundred aeons he

will delight in the world of gods.

A thousand times he’ll be a king,

a king who turns the wheel of law . Verse 19

Walt 3847 In whichever womb he’s reborn,

whether it’s human or divine,

a canopy of solid gold

will always be carried for him . Verse 20

Walt 3848 In thirty thousand aeons hence ,

arising in Okkāka’s clan,

the one whose name is Gotama

will be the Teacher in the world. Verse 21

Walt 3849 Worthy heir to that one’s Dhamma ,

Dhamma ’s legitimate offspring,

knowing well all the defilements,

he’ll reach nirvana, undefiled. Verse 22

Walt 3850 Sitting in the monks’ Assembly,

he will then roar the lion’s roar.

On his pyre an umbrella’s borne;

beneath it he is cremated.” Verse 23

Walt 3851 Monkhood has been attained by me;

my defilements are now burnt up.

In a pavilion or tree-root,

burning heat is not known by me. Verse 24

Walt 3852 In the thirty thousand aeons

since I gave that gift at that time,

I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:

the fruit of giving everything. Verse 25

Walt 3853 My defilements are now burnt up;

all new existence is destroyed.

All defilements are exhausted;

now there will be no more rebirth. Verse 26

Walt 3854 Being in Best Buddha’s presence

was a very good thing for me.

The three knowledges are attained;

I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 27

Walt 3855 The four analytical modes,

and these eight deliverances,

six special knowledges mastered,

I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 28

Thus indeed Venerable Sabbadāyaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Sabbadāyaka 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.

For more information, visit apadanatranslation.org