195. Aṅkolaka (THA-AP197)

Seeing an aṅkola in bloom
with excellent flowers and buds,
having plucked a flower from it,
I went to the Buddha’s presence.

In that period Siddhattha
was the Hidden One, the Great Sage.
Honoring him for a moment,
I tossed that bloom into the cave.

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

In the thirty-sixth aeon hence
I was one Devagajjita,
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 Aṅkolaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Aṅkolaka 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.