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19. Sopāka

Tha-ap 21

Rain nourishes small fern shoots growing from dark woodland soil.

Walt 784 The Blessed One named Siddhattha
came into my presence one time
when I was cleaning a retreat
on a most fine, superb mountain. Verse 1

Walt 785 Seeing the Buddha who’d arrived
I spread out a woven grass mat
for the World’s Best, the Neutral One,
and gave to him that floral seat. Verse 2

Walt 786 Sitting on that seat of flowers
Siddhattha the World-Leader
discerning my situation
then spoke about impermanence. Verse 3

Walt 787 “In flux indeed is all that is;
things that arise and then decline
are being born and then dying;
happy is the relief from them.” Verse 4

Walt 788 Saying this the Omniscient One,
the World’s Best One, the Bull of Men,
the Hero flew into the sky
just like a swan-king in the air. Verse 5

Walt 789 Abandoning my own dogma
I then perceived impermanence.
Meditating for just one day,
right then and there I passed away. Verse 6

Walt 790 Incited by my wholesome roots
I then enjoyed the two-fold bliss.
When my last rebirth was attained
I was born among dog-cookers.Verse 7

Walt 791 After I set out from the house
I went forth into homelessness.
Dread-locked ascetic seven years,
I attained my arahantship. Verse 8

Walt 792 Energetic, self-abandoned,
careful about the moral rules,
having pleased the Great Elephant
I got higher ordination. Verse 9

Walt 793 In the ninety-four aeons since
I did that good karma back then
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth;
that’s the fruit of a flower-gift. (10

Walt 794 In the ninety-fourth aeon since
I obtained that perception then,
meditating upon that sense
my defilements were all destroyed. Verse 11

Walt 795 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 12

Thus indeed Venerable Sopāka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Venerable Sopāka Thera is finished.

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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.