Tha Ap 484Buddhasaññaka

– Therāpadāna

– The Legends of the Theras

479. {482.} Buddhasaññaka

Walt 5039 In reading marks and history,

with glosses and ritual law,

I was learned, mantra-knowing,

a master of the three Vedas. Verse 1

Walt 5040 Many students came to me then,

resembling a river stream.

I am teaching mantras to them,

night and day, I am not lazy. Verse 2

Walt 5041 The Sambuddha named Siddhattha

arose in the world at that time.

Having driven out the darkness,

he displayed the light of knowledge. Verse 3

Walt 5042 A certain one of my students

conversed with my other students;

having heard the fact he discussed ,

they then announced the fact to me: Verse 4

Walt 5043 “A Buddha’s risen in the world,

an Omniscient One, World-Leader.

The people are turning to him;

we’re not going to get anything .” Verse 5

Walt 5044 “Buddhas are Born Spontaneously,

those Eyeful Ones, Greatly Famed Ones.

Why then don’t I also go see

the Best Buddha, the World-Leader?” Verse 6

Walt 5045 Having taken my deer-leather,

my robes of bark, and water-pot,

departing from my hermitage,

I advised my students like this : Verse 7

Walt 5046 “Like a glomerous fig tree bloom,

and like the rabbit in the moon,

and like the mother’s milk of crows,

a World-Leader’s hard to obtain. Verse 8

Walt 5047 A Buddha’s risen in the world!

Even human birth’s hard to get,

and hearing’s very hard to get,

when both of them occur at once . Verse 9

Walt 5048 A Buddha’s risen in the world!

We’ll get to see him in our lives.

Come, we will now all go into

the Sammāsambuddha’s presence.” Verse 10

Walt 5049 They all were holding water-pots,

and dressed in rough bark and deer-hide.

They, bearing weights of matted hair,

then departed from the forest. Verse 11

Walt 5050 Looking but a plough’s length ahead,

searching for ultimate meaning,

coming like baby elephants,

they were without fear, like lions. Verse 12

Walt 5051 Free of cares and unwavering,

clever and living peacefully,

wandering about for gleaning,

they approached the Best of Buddhas. Verse 13

Walt 5052 When a league and a half was left

to go , illness arose in me.

Remembering the Best Buddha,

I passed away right on the spot. Verse 14

Walt 5053 In the ninety-four aeons since

I obtained that perception then,

I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:

the fruit of perceiving Buddhas. Verse 15

Walt 5054 My defilements are now burnt up;

all new existence is destroyed.

Like elephants with broken chains,

I am living without constraint. Verse 16

Walt 5055 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 17

Walt 5056 The four analytical modes,

and these eight deliverances,

six special knowledges mastered,

I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 18

Thus indeed Venerable Buddhasaññaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Buddhasaññaka 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