[135. Rahosaññaka[1]]

Close to the Himalayan range,
there is a mountain called Vasabha.
My ashram is made very well
[there] at the foot of that mountain. (1) [1902]

For three thousand years that brahmin
uttered [his teachings] at that time.
Drawing the students together,[2]
he dwelt [there, sitting] to one side. (2) [1903]

The brahmin master of mantras,
while sitting [there] off to one side,
searching the Buddha’s knowledge,[3]
pleased his heart over knowledge [then]. (3) [1904]

After after pleasing [my] heart there,
I sat[4] on a mat made of leaves;
getting into lotus posture,[5]
I passed away [right] on the spot. (4) [1905]

In the thirty-one aeons since
I obtained that perception [then],
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
the fruit of perceiving knowledge. (5) [1906]

In the twenty-seventh aeon
there was a king, Siridhara,[6]
a wheel-turner with great power,
possessor of the seven gems. (6) [1907]

The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
[I have] done what the Buddha taught! (7) [1908]

Thus indeed Venerable Rahosaññaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Rahosaññaka Thera is finished.

  1. “Solitary-Place Perceiver” ↩︎

  2. reading saṃhāritvāna (BJTS) for saṃsāvetvāna (“Having kept well,” PTS) ↩︎

  3. reading buddhavedaṃ (BJTS) for buddhavesaŋ (“the appearance of the Buddha,” PTS). ↩︎

  4. reading īdiṃ (BJTS) for nisīdi (“he sat,” PTS) ↩︎

  5. pallaṅkam ābhujitvāna, lit., “crouching with legs crossed” ↩︎

  6. “Glory-Bearer” ↩︎

Feedback

We welcome your feedback on this translation, as well as on technical and other aspects of the project.

Please use one of the following methods to provide feedback:

Note: a free Github account is required for options #1 & #2.

  1. Open an Issue on Github

    If you detect a bug or would like to provide technical feedback, you can open an issue in our Github repository.

    Check that the issue has not already been opened, then click “New Issue” and provide a detailed description of the problem.

  2. Suggest an Edit on Github

    To suggest a specific change to the translation, navigate to the relevant poem in the Github repository, click “History”, then click on the most recent commit. Find the line you would like to revise, click it, and fill out the comment box that opens below. We will review your feedback and incorporate it into the text if appropriate.

    Those more familiar with Github are also invited to fork the repository and submit a specific change via pull request.

  3. Send an email

    Contact Jonathan S. Walters for translation-related or general queries. For technical questions or comments, contact Dana Johnson.