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518. {521.} Tiṇamuṭhidāyaka

Tha-ap 523

A slender reed bows over a calm lake in soft twilight.

Walt 5538 In the Himalayan region,
there’s a mountain named Lambaka.
The Sambuddha, Upatissa,
walked back and forth in open air. Verse 1

Walt 5539 I was a deer-hunter back then,
within a grove in the forest.
Having seen that God among Gods,
I then gave a handful of grass. Verse 2

Walt 5540 Giving it to the Buddha to
sit on, I pleased my own heart there.
Saluting the Sambuddha, I
then departed, facing the north. Verse 3

Walt 5541 Not long after, a king of beasts
injured me where I had traveled.
Being brought down by that lion,
I passed away right on the spot. Verse 4

Walt 5542 Near when I did that karma for
the Best Buddha, the Undefiled,
quick like an arrow just released,
I went to the world of the gods. Verse 5

Walt 5543 My lovely sacrificial post
created by good karma there
was mil-kaṇḍa cent-bheṇḍu large
made out of gold, covered in flags. Verse 6

Walt 5544 Radiating its brilliant light,
like the risen hundred-rayed sun,
it’s crowded with divine maidens.
I greatly enjoyed myself there. Verse 7

Walt 5545 Falling from the world of the gods,
incited by my wholesome roots,
coming back to the human state,
I attained my arahantship. Verse 8

Walt 5546 In the ninety-four aeons since
I gave him a place to sit down,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
the fruit of a handful of grass. Verse 9

Walt 5547 My defilements are now burnt up;
all new existence is destroyed.
Like elephants with broken chains,
I am living without constraint. Verse 10

Walt 5548 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 11

Walt 5549 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 12

Thus indeed Venerable Tiṇamuṭṭhidāyaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Tiṇamuṭṭhidāyaka 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.