298. Saraṇagamaniya (THA-AP300)

On a Himalayan mountain,
I was a hunter at that time.
I saw the Buddha, Vipassi,
the World’s Best, the Bull of Men.

Attending on the Sambuddha
I did what’s proper for elders,
and then I went to the Biped Lord,
the Neutral Buddha, for refuge.

In the ninety-one aeons since
I went for refuge at that time,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
the fruit of going for refuge.

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

Thus indeed Venerable Saraṇagamaniya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Saraṇagamaniya 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.