226. Aṅkolapupphiya

Tha-ap 228

A weathered basalt headland above calm ocean swell and sea mist.

Walt 2401-2402My name back then was Nārada
and I was known as Kassapa.
I saw the Buddha Vipassi,
Chief of the Monks, Honored by Gods,
the Buddha, Bearing Lesser Marks,
Sacrificial Recipient.
Taking an alangium bloom,
I offered it to the Buddha. Verse 1-2

Walt 2403 In the ninety-one aeons since
I did pūjā with that flower,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of Buddha-pūjā. Verse 3

Walt 2404 In the seventy-fourth aeon
the kṣatriyan named Romasa,
strong with servants and vehicles
was dressed with garland-ornaments. Verse 4

Walt 2405 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 5

Thus indeed Venerable Aṅkolapupphiya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Aṅkolapupphiya 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.