87. Phaladāyaka

Tha-ap 89

Dew beads on a delicate web between meadow stems.

Walt 1535 On a Himalayan mountain,
wearing a rough deer-leather robe,
with fruit in hand, I saw Phussa,
Best Victor, and gave him the fruit. Verse 1

Walt 1536 That fruit which I gave to him then
with a mind that was very clear,
came into being as fruit for me
transmigrating in existence. Verse 2

Walt 1537 In the ninety-two aeons since
I gave that fruit to him back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that is the fruit of giving fruit. Verse 3

Walt 1538 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 4

Thus indeed Venerable Phaladāyaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Phaladāyaka 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.