85. Raṁsisaññika

Tha-ap 87

Fresh buds open on an old tree branch above pale winter grass.

Walt 1526 On a Himalayan mountain
I was residing formerly.
Wearing deer-leather outer robes
I dwelt upon that mountain then. Verse 1

Walt 1527 I saw the golden Sambuddha
who had gone into the forest.
He was like the hundred-rayed sun,
like a regal sal tree in bloom. Verse 2

Walt 1528 Having pleased my heart in the rays
of Vipassi, the Sage so Great,
pressing hands together, squatting,
I worshipped him bowing my head. Verse 3

Walt 1529 In the ninety-one aeons since
I did that good karma back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of perceiving rays. Verse 4

Walt 1530 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 5

Thus indeed Venerable Raṁsisaññaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Raṁsisaññaka 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

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.