44. Sannidhāpaka (THA-AP46)

Building a hut in the forest,
I dwelt upon a mountain then,
I was happy to get, or not,
in glory as in dishonor.

Padumuttara, World-Knower,
Sacrificial Recipient,
with a hundred thousand masters
came into my presence back then.

Laying out a mat made of grass
for the one named for the lotus,
the Great Hero, who had arrived,
and I gave it to him, the Teacher.

Happy, and with a happy heart,
with a mind that was very clear,
I provided both food and drink
to him, the Upright Sambuddha.

In the hundred thousand aeons
since I gave him that gift back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of castor oil fruit.

In the forty-first aeon hence
I was known as Arindama,
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 Sannidhāpaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Sannidhāpaka 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.