173. Rattipupphiya

Tha-ap 175

Small rain-fed rivulets meeting on a dark slate rock face.

Walt 2116 I was a deer-hunter back then,
within a grove in the forest.
I saw Vipassi Buddha then,
the God of Gods, the Bull of Men. Verse 1

Walt 2117 Having seen red flowers blooming
on a winter cherry tree then,
having taken them with their stems,
I offered them to the Great Sage. Verse 2

Walt 2118 In the ninety-one aeons since
I offered those flowers to him,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of giving flowers. Verse 3

Walt 2119 And in the eighth aeon ago,
I was a monarch with great strength,
with the name of Suppasanna,
possessor of the seven gems. Verse 4

Walt 2120 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 5

Thus indeed Venerable Rattipupphiya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Rattipupphiya Thera is finished.

Connections

Collection & context

TherāpadānaThe collection containing this text
The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting

About this edition

Translation by Jonathan S. Walters · SuttaCentral · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US

Noncommercial reuse with attribution and the same license. Original publication and digitization credits are preserved below.

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

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Ayya Vimala.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.