294. Saddasaññaka

Tha-ap 296

Maple leaves and moss beside an old tree trunk.

Walt 2687
When the sun has not quite risen,
there is still abundant brightnessthe arising within the world
of the Best Buddha, the Great Sage. Verse 1

Walt 2688 I heard the sound of him there then,
but I did not see that Victor.
When the time of my death arrived,
I called to mind the Buddha’s sound. Verse 2

Walt 2689 In the ninety-four aeons since
I obtained that perception then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of Buddha-pūjā. Verse 3

Walt 2690 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 4

Thus indeed Venerable Saddasaññaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Saddasaññaka 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.