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84. Adhopupphiya

Tha-ap 86

Small white alpine flowers bloom in a sheltered crevice of green-gray rock.

Walt 1518 The chief follower of Sikhi
was the monk known as Abhibhū,
with vast powers, a three-fold knower,
he went to the Himalayas. Verse 1

Walt 1519 Back then I too was living in
the Himalayas, as a sage,
master of boundless magic power,
in a delightful ashram there. Verse 2

Walt 1520 Flying like a bird in the sky,
I felt drawn to a mountain-side.
Picking some flowers down below
I then came up to the mountain. Verse 3

Walt 1521 Taking seven flowers I placed them
on the top of Abhibhū’s head.
When the hero then looked forward
I departed facing the east. Verse 4

Walt 1522 Having arrived at my ashram
I went up to my dwelling there.
Taking ascetics’ provisions
I returned to that mountain-side. Verse 5

Walt 1523 A python with a frightful form,
and very strong, attacked me then.
Remembering my former deed
I passed away right on the spot. Verse 6

Walt 1524 In the thirty-one aeons since
I offered those flowers to him,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of flower-pūjā. Verse 7

Walt 1525 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 8

Thus indeed Venerable Adhopupphiya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Adhopupphiya Thera is finished.

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About this edition

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.