258. Paṇṇadāyaka (THA-AP260)

On a Himalayan mountain,
I was a bark-clothed ascetic,
subsisting on unsalted leaves,
self-controlled in terms of my needs.

When my breakfast had been obtained,
Siddhattha Buddha approached me.
I gave that food to the Buddha,
feeling well-pleased by my own hands.

In the ninety-four aeons since
I gave him those leaves at that time,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of leaf-donations.

In the twenty-seventh aeon
there was a king, Yadatthiya,
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 Paṇṇadāyaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Paṇṇadāyaka 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.

For more information, visit apadanatranslation.org

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Ayya Vimala.