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69. Sumana

Tha-ap 71

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

Walt 1410 I was a garland-maker then,
known by the name of Sumana.
I saw the Buddha, Stainless One,
Sacrificial Recipient. Verse 1

Walt 1411 Having taken, with both my hands,
an exquisite jasmine flower,
I paid homage to the Buddha,
Sikhi, the Kinsman of the World. Verse 2

Walt 1412 By means of that flower-pūjā,
with intention and firm resolve,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of Buddha-pūjā. Verse 3

Walt 1413 In the thirty-one aeons since
I presented him that flower,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of Buddha-pūjā. Verse 4

Walt 1414 In the twenty-fifth aeon hence
there were four men of great glory;
all of them were wheel-turning kings,
possessors of the seven gems. Verse 5

Walt 1415 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 6

Thus indeed Venerable Sumana Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Sumana 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.