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← Therāpadāna

520. {523.} Saraṇāgamaniya

Tha-ap 525

A small island of river foam drifting on quiet water.

Walt 5556 We boarded a boat at that time,
monk and I, an ajīvaka.
When the boat was broken to bits,
that Buddhist monk gave me refuge. Verse 1

Walt 5557 In the thirty-one aeons since
he gave refuge to me back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
the fruit of going for refuge. Verse 2

Walt 5558 My defilements are now burnt up;
all new existence is destroyed.
Like elephants with broken chains,
I am living without constraint. Verse 3

Walt 5559 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 4

Walt 5560 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 5

Thus indeed Venerable Saraṇāgamaniya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Saraṇāgamaniya 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.