291. Citapūjaka

Tha-ap 293

A white camellia among rain-washed leaves.

Walt 2671 At that time I was a brahmin,
known by the name of Ajita.
Wishing to do a sacrifice,
I’d gathered various flowers. Verse 1

Walt 2672 After seeing the burning pyre,
of Sikhi, Kinsman of the World,
gathering those flowers again
I strew them on that burning pyre. Verse 2

Walt 2673 In the thirty-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 2674 In the twenty-seventh aeon
hence, there were seven lords of men.
They were named Supajjalita,
wheel-turning kings with great strength. Verse 4

Walt 2675 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 5

Thus indeed Venerable Citapūjaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Citapūjaka 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.