[262. Telamakkhiya[1]]

When Siddhattha, the Blessed One,
the Bull Among Men passed away,[2]
for all time I smeared oil upon
the railing at his Bodhi [tree]. (1) [2545]

In the ninety-four aeons since
I smeared oil [on the railing] then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that is the fruit of smearing [oil]. (2) [2546]

In the twenty-fourth aeon hence
I’m the ruler[3] named Succhchavi,[4]
a wheel-turning king with great strength,
possessor of the seven gems. (3) [2547]

The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances;
six special knowledges mastered:
[I have] done what the Buddha taught! (4) [2548]

Thus indeed Venerable Telamakkhiya Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Telamakkhiya Thera is finished.

  1. “Oil-Smearer” ↩︎

  2. lit., “reached nirvana” ↩︎

  3. lit., “kṣatriyan” ↩︎

  4. “Having Lovely Skin,” used in D (iii.159) and J (v.215; vi.269) according to RD ↩︎

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.