224. Ārakkhadāyaka

Tha-ap 226

Fresh silver-green shoots growing from an ancient olive tree.

Walt 2391 I caused an altar to be made
for Siddhattha, the Blessed One,
and I also gave protection
to the Well-Gone One, the Great Sage. Verse 1

Walt 2392 As the remainder of that deed,
fear and terror I do not see.
Wherever I have been reborn,
no fright is ever known by me. Verse 2

Walt 2393 In the ninety-four aeons since
I caused that altar to be made,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of an altar-gift. Verse 3

Walt 2394 And in the sixth aeon ago
lived one known as Apassena,
a wheel-turning king with great strength,
possessor of the seven gems. Verse 4

Walt 2395 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 5

Thus indeed Venerable Ārakkhadāyaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Ārakkhadāyaka 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.