305. Phaladāyaka

Tha-ap 307

A clear woodland spring emerging between layers of stone.

Walt 2736 On Bhāgīrathī River’s bank,
there was a hermitage back then.
I went to that hermitage once,
expectantly, fruit in my hands. Verse 1

Walt 2737 I saw Vipassi Buddha there,
bright but cool like a rayless sun.
I donated to the Teacher
all of the fruit I had in hand. Verse 2

Walt 2738 In the ninety-one aeons since
I gave that fruit to him back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that is the fruit of giving fruit. Verse 3

Walt 2739 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 4

Thus indeed Venerable Phaladāyaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Phaladāyaka 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.