61. Sakacittaniya

Tha-ap 63

A young fern frond unfurls above a mossy woodland stone.

Walt 1349 Seeing a grove in the forest,
very quiet and undisturbed,
a place for sages’ practices
and receipt of sacrifices, Verse 1

Walt 1350 making a stupa of bamboo
which was strewn with varied flowers,
I then worshipped my creation
as though facing the Sambuddha. Verse 2

Walt 1351 I was king, lord of a country,
possessor of the seven gems.
I delighted in my karma:
that’s the fruit of stupa-pūjā. Verse 3

Walt 1352 In the ninety-one aeons since
I honored him with flowers then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of stupa-pūjā. Verse 4

Walt 1353 Eighty aeons ago I was
possessor of the seven gems,
wheel-turner Anantayasa,
the lord of the four continents. Verse 5

Walt 1354 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 6

Thus indeed Venerable Sakacittaniya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Sakacittaniya 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.