Tha Ap 402Ajita

– Therāpadāna

– The Legends of the Theras

397. {400.} Ajita

Walt 3856 The Victor, Padumuttara,

was the Master of Everything.

Plunged into the Himalayas,

the Leader of the World sat down. Verse 1

Walt 3857 I did not see the Sambuddha,

I also did not hear his sound.

Searching for food for me to eat,

I was wandering in the woods. Verse 2

Walt 3858 There I did see the Sambuddha,

Bearing the Thirty-two Great Marks.

Seeing the Buddha made me think,

“what sort of being might this be?” Verse 3

Walt 3859 Examining his body’s marks,

I recalled my studies of lore,

the good words which I once had heard,

from elderly men of wisdom: Verse 4

Walt 3860 “According to that word of theirs,

this person will be a Buddha;

well then I ought to honor him ;

it will purify my station.” Verse 5

Walt 3861 Quickly coming to my ashram,

I grabbed some buffalo ghee, and

taking a pot to carry it,

I approached him , the Bull of Men. Verse 6

Walt 3862 Taking a three-legged stool , I

stood it up in an open space.

Lighting a lamp placed on that stool,

I worshipped the Buddha eight times. Verse 7

Walt 3863 Seven nights and days the Buddha,

sat there , the Ultimate Person.

Then at the end of the last night,

Buddha stood up, the World-Leader.

Walt 3864 Happy, with pleasure in my heart,

for seven nights and days I lit

that lamp for the seated Buddha,

feeling well- pleased by my own hands.

Walt 3865 All the good scents of the forests

on Gandhamādana Mountain,

by means of Buddha’s majesty

then went up to him , the Victor.

Walt 3866 All of the trees were then in bloom.

By means of Buddha’s majesty

all of the floral scents produced,

assembled into one right then.

Walt 3867 Throughout the Himalayas, both

the snake-gods and the garuḷas ,

desiring to hear the Teaching,

came into the Buddha’s presence.

Walt 3868 The monk whose name was Devala

was the Buddha’s chief attendant.

With one hundred thousand masters,

he also approached the Buddha.

Walt 3869 Padumuttara, World-Knower,

Sacrificial Recipient,

seated in the monks’ Assembly,

then spoke these verses about me :

Walt 3870 “He who has lit a lamp for me,

feeling well- pleased by his own hands,

I shall relate details of him;

all of you listen to my words:

Walt 3871 For sixty thousand 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 .

Walt 3872 Thirty-six times lord of the gods,

he will exercise divine rule.

Seven hundred times on the earth,

he’ll rule an extensive kingdom,

and he will have much local rule,

innumerable by counting.

Walt 3873 Because of this lamp-offering,

he will develop “divine eye.”

This one is always going to see

eight kosas in all directions.

Walt 3874 Fallen from the world of the gods,

when this person has been reborn,

whether by day or else by night,

a lamp will be carried for him .

Walt 3875 When this person’s being reborn,

a possessor of good karma,

he will illuminate the world

throughout the city where he is.

Walt 3876 In whichever womb he’s reborn,

whether it’s human or divine,

because of his lamp-offering,

due to the fruit of those eight lamps,

people will not surpass this one:

that is the fruit of giving lamps.

Walt 3877 In one hundred thousand aeons,

arising in Okkāka’s clan,

the one whose name is Gotama

will be the Teacher in the world.

Walt 3878 Worthy heir to that one’s Dhamma ,

Dhamma ’s legitimate offspring,

knowing well all the defilements,

he’ll reach nirvana, undefiled.

Walt 3879 Having pleased him , the Sambuddha,

Gotama, Bull of the Śākyas,

he’ll be the Teacher’s follower,

and his name will be Ajita.”

Walt 3880 For sixty thousand aeons I

delighted in the world of gods.

In that place too my hundred lamps

are burning brightly all the time.

Walt 3881 In the gods’ world or that of men,

my own effulgence is diffused.

Remembering the Best Buddha,

I generate enormous mirth.

Walt 3882 Falling from Tusitā heaven,

I came out of a mother’s womb.

While that person was being born,

there was always a lot of light.

Walt 3883 Having departed from the house,

I went forth into homelessness.

Having gone up to Bāvarī,

I agreed to be his student.

Walt 3884 Living in the Himalayas,

I heard about the World-Leader.

Searching for ultimate meaning,

I approached the Buddha , the Guide.

Walt 3885 The Tame One, Buddha, He who Tames,

the Flood-Crosser, Beyond Rebirth,

the Buddha spoke of nirvana,

liberation from all dis-ease.

Walt 3886 His coming to me succeeded;

I entertained him , the Great Sage.

Attaining the three knowledges,

I have done what the Buddha taught!

Walt 3887 In the hundred thousand aeons

since I gave him that lamp back then,

I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:

that’s the fruit of giving lamps.

Walt 3888 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 3889 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 3890 The four analytical modes,

and these eight deliverances,

six special knowledges mastered,

I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 28

Thus indeed Venerable Ajita Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Ajita Thera is finished.

The Summary:

Pilindavaccha and Sela,

Sabbakitti, Madundada,

Kūṭāgārī and Bakkula,

Giri, Salaḷasavhaya,

Sabbada and Ajita too:

the verses here are counted at

one hundred and five verses and

twenty more beyond that number .

The Pilindavaccha Chapter, the Fortieth.

Then there is the Summary of Chapters:

Paduma and Ārakkhada,

Ummā and Gandhodakena,

Ekapadama, Saddasaññi,

Mandāraṁ, Bodhiavandaka,

Avaṇṭa and Pilindi too .

And these verses are counted too,

seventy-four verses beyond

eleven hundred verses here .

The Ten Chapters called Paduma.

The Fourth Hundred is finished.

Translated by Jonathan S. Walters .

Whitman College, 2017

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