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91. Sudhāpiṇḍiya

Tha-ap 93

A young maple sapling reflected in a woodland pool.

Walt 1553-1554No one can count the good karma—
even, “for this, it is that much”—
of one who performs pūjā for
those who are worthy of pūjā,
like Buddhas and their followers,
who have crossed over tears for grief
and moved beyond ties to rebirth,
reaching nirvana, fearing naught. Verse 1-2

Walt 1555 He who would exercise lordship
here over the four continents
would not be worth one sixteenth-part
of one who performs such pūjā. Verse 3

Walt 1556 When Siddhattha the Top Person’s
shrine had become broken open,
I donated balls of plaster
with a mind that was very clear. Verse 4

Walt 1557 In the ninety-four aeons since
I did that good karma back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of renovation. Verse 5

Walt 1558 In the thirtieth aeon ago
there were thirteen wheel-turning kings,
all known as Paṭisamkhāra,
possessors of the seven gems. Verse 6

Walt 1559 The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught! Verse 7

Thus indeed Venerable Sudhāpiṇḍiya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Sudhāpiṇḍiya 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.