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414. {417.} Ucchaṅgapupphiya

Tha-ap 419

Morning reflections on a pond bordered by reeds.

Walt 4409 In the city, Bandhumatī,
I was a gardener back then.
Having filled my lap with flowers,
I went to the bazaar with them. Verse 1

Walt 4410 The Buddha in that period,
Honored by the monks’ Assembly,
the World-Leader, was going by,
through his enormous majesty. Verse 2

Walt 4411 Having seen the Lamp of the World,
Vipassi, Crosser of the World,
taking a flower from my lap,
I offered it to Best Buddha. Verse 3

Walt 4412 In the ninety-one aeons since
I offered a flower back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of Buddha-pūjā. Verse 4

Walt 4413 My defilements are now burnt up;
all new existence is destroyed.
Like elephants with broken chains,
I am living without constraint. Verse 5

Walt 4414 Being in Best Buddha’s presence
was a very good thing for me.
The three knowledges are attained;
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 6

Walt 4415 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 7

Thus indeed Venerable Ucchaṅgapupphiya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Ucchaṅgapupphiya Thera is finished.

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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.