195. Aṅkolaka

Tha-ap 197

Gentle ripples across a mountain lake reflecting green hills and clouds.

Walt 2236 Seeing an aṅkola in bloom
with excellent flowers and buds,
having plucked a flower from it,
I went to the Buddha’s presence. Verse 1

Walt 2237 In that period Siddhattha
was the Hidden One, the Great Sage.
Honoring him for a moment,
I tossed that bloom into the cave. Verse 2

Walt 2238 In the ninety-four aeons since
I offered that flower to him,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of Buddha-pūjā. Verse 3

Walt 2239 In the thirty-sixth aeon hence
I was one Devagajjita,
a wheel-turning king with great strength,
possessor of the seven gems. Verse 4

Walt 2240 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 5

Thus indeed Venerable Aṅkolaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Aṅkolaka 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.