314. Sattapadumiya

Tha-ap 316

Dew beads on a delicate web between meadow stems.

Walt 2781 I was a brahmin, Nesāda,
dwelling on a riverbank then.
I swept out the hermitage there,
with lotus flowers as my broom. Verse 1

Walt 2782 Seeing the Golden Sambuddha,
Siddhattha, Leader of the World,
traveling through the forest once
I felt a feeling of delight. Verse 2

Walt 2783 Going to meet the Sambuddha,
Siddhattha, Leader of the World,
I brought him to the hermitage
and spread lotuses and lilies. Verse 3

Walt 2784 In the ninety-four aeons since
I did pūjā with that flower,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of Buddha-pūjā. Verse 4

Walt 2785 In the seventh aeon ago
there were four Pādapāvaras,
wheel-turning monarchs with great strength,
possessors of the seven gems. Verse 5

Walt 2786 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 6

Thus indeed Venerable Sattapadumiya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Sattapadumiya 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

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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.