151. Bandhujīvaka (THA-AP153)

I saw him, Stainless like the moon,
Pure and Bright, Unagitated,
his Delightful States Exhausted,
Crossed far beyond ties to the world,
making people reach nirvana,
Crossed, and helping others to cross,
meditating in the forest,
Tranquil and Fully Self-Controlled.

Then, threading bandhujīvaka
flowers along a piece of string,
I offered them to the Buddha,
Sikhi, the Kinsman of the World.

In the thirty-one aeons since
I did that good karma back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of Buddha-pūjā.

In the seventh aeon ago
the lord of humans, greatly famed,
there was a strong wheel-turning king
who was named Samantacakkhu.

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

Thus indeed Venerable Bandhujīvaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Bandhujīvaka 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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