102. Ñāṇasaññaka (THA-AP104)

I saw the golden Sambuddha,
Bull of Men, like a thoroughbred,
the Great Sage, like an elephant,
a mātaṅga in triple rut,

shining forth in all directions
like the moon when it becomes full,
the World’s Best, the Ultimate Man,
who had gone out on the road then.

Pleasing my heart in his knowledge
I pressed both my hands together.
Happy, and with a happy heart,
I venerated Siddhattha.

In the ninety-four aeons since
I did that good karma back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
the fruit of perceiving knowledge.

Three and seventy aeons hence
there were sixteen ultimate men,
wheel-turning kings with great power,
possessors of the seven gems.

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

Thus indeed Venerable Ñāṇasaññaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Ñāṇasaññaka Thera is finished.

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.

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Prepared for SuttaCentral by Ayya Vimala.