159. Punnāgapupphiya (THA-AP161)

Plunging into a forest grove,
I lived there as a hunter then.
Seeing a laurel tree in bloom,
I called to mind the Best Buddha.

Having plucked a flower from it,
well-perfumed and scented with scents,
having made a stupa of sand,
I offered it to the Buddha.

In the ninety-two aeons since
I did that flower-pūjā then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of Buddha-pūjā.

In the ninety-first aeon thence
lived a ruler, Tamonuda,
a wheel-turning king with great strength,
possessor 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 Punnāgapupphiya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Punnāgapupphiya 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.

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