182. Bandhujīvaka (THA-AP184)

The Sambuddha named Siddhattha,
Self-Become, praised by good people,
having entered concentration,
sat down upon a mountain then.

Searching in a natural lake
for a superb lotus flower,
I saw bandhujīvaka blooms
in the nearby vicinity.

Picking them up with both my hands,
I then approached the Sage So Great.
Happy, with pleasure in my heart,
I offered them to Siddhattha.

In the ninety-four aeons since
I offered those flowers to him,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of flower-pūjā.

In the fourteenth aeon ago,
there was one ruler of people
whose name was Samuddakappa,
a wheel-turning king with great power.

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.

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