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tha-ap.314 Thera Apadana

Bhojanadāyaka

Of good birth like a sal tree’s bough,
rising up like a drumstick tree,
streaking the sky like Indra’s bolt,
the Victor was always shining.

With a mind that was very clear,
I donated edibles to
him, the God Over Other Gods,
Vessabhu Buddha, the Great Sage.

The Self-Become, Unconquered One,
the Buddha, gave me thanks for that:
“let it be born as fruit for you,
as you’re reborn in existence.”

In the thirty-one aeons since
I gave that gift to him back then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that is the fruit of giving food.

In the twenty-five aeon hence
there was one man, Amittabhā,
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 Bhojanadāyaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Bhojanadāyaka Thera is finished.

- Translator: Jonathan S. Walters

- Editor: Ayya Vimala