Tha Ap 71Sumana

– Therāpadāna

– The Legends of the Theras

69. Sumana

Walt 1410 I was a garland-maker then,

known by the name of Sumana.

I saw the Buddha, Stainless One,

Sacrificial Recipient. Verse 1

Walt 1411 Having taken, with both my hands,

an exquisite jasmine flower,

I paid homage to the Buddha,

Sikhi, the Kinsman of the World. Verse 2

Walt 1412 By means of that flower- pūjā ,

with intention and firm resolve,

I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:

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

Walt 1413 In the thirty-one aeons since

I presented him that flower,

I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:

that’s the fruit of Buddha- pūjā . Verse 4

Walt 1414 In the twenty-fifth aeon hence

there were four men of great glory;

all of them were wheel-turning kings,

possessors of the seven gems. Verse 5

Walt 1415 The four analytical modes,

and these eight deliverances,

six special knowledges mastered,

I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 6

Thus indeed Venerable Sumana Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Sumana 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