286. Upaṭṭhāyaka

Tha-ap 288

Soft morning light falling through a rain-washed bamboo grove.

Walt 2646-2647After I had invited him—
the World’s Best, the Bull of Men,
the Best Biped, Great Elephant,
Sacrificial Recipient,
who had entered onto the road—
service was provided by me
to Siddhattha Buddha, Great Sage,
the Well-Wisher of Every World. Verse 1-2

Walt 2648 Accepting it, the Sambuddha,
the Greatest Sage, then rose up from
that seat prepared for serving him
and set forth, his face to the west. Verse 3

Walt 2649 In the ninety-four aeons since
I gave him that service back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of giving service. Verse 4

Walt 2650 In the fifty-seventh aeon
hence, lived he named Balasena,
a wheel-turning king with great strength,
possessor of the seven gems. Verse 5

Walt 2651 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered:
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 6

Thus indeed Venerable Upaṭṭhāyaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Upaṭṭhāyaka 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.