Cariyapitaka — The Conduct Leading to Buddhahood — Bhikkhu Sujato

translated by Bhikkhu Sujato

The Cariyāpiṭaka, "The Conduct Leading to Buddhahood," is the final book of the Khuddaka Nikāya: thirty-five verse narratives in which the Buddha recounts his own former lives as the bodhisatta, each story illustrating one of the ten perfections (pāramī) a bodhisatta must fulfill on the path to Buddhahood — giving, ethics, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, resolve, love, and equanimity — arranged across three chapters. Several of its stories retell narratives found at greater length elsewhere in the Jātaka tradition (Vessantara's great gift, King Sivi's eye, the wise hare's self-sacrifice), here compressed into verse and framed explicitly as instruction in the perfections rather than as folktale.

This is Bhikkhu Sujato's translation, part of the same project that produced the four great Nikāyas already on this shelf: to render the Pali Canon into plain, accurate, modern English, dedicated to the public domain through a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) declaration. This is the first translation of the Cariyāpiṭaka to join the library. All thirty-five stories across the three traditional chapters are presented complete, in their traditional order.

The Chapter With Akitti
The Chapter on an Elephant
The Chapter With Yudhañjaya

The Chapter With Akitti

CP1 — The Perfection of Giving (1st) — Akitti’s Conduct

Homage to him, the blessed one, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha!

“For a hundred thousand eons
and four incalculable ages,
all my conduct in that period
ripens in awakening.

Setting aside my conduct
in past eons through different lives,
I shall speak of my conduct
in this eon, hear me.

When I lived having plunged
into the formidable jungle
of empty thickets and glades,
my name was Akitti the mortifier.

Then, burned by the fires of my mortification,
the sovereign of the Third Heaven,
came to me for alms
in the form of a brahmin.

I had gathered leaves from the forest
without oil or salt,
and seeing him standing at my door,
I placed them in his pot.

After giving him the leaves
I turned over my plate,
and having given up on seeking more food,
I entered my hut of leaves.

A second and a third time
he came to me.
Undisturbed, ungrasping,
I gave in just the same way.

That is the reason why
my body is not discolored.
In rapture and bliss free of relishing
I spend the day.

If even for a month or two
I were to find a worthy recipient,
undisturbed, unattached,
I would give the supreme gift.

While giving him that gift
I did not wish for fame or profit.
Wishing for omniscience
I performed those deeds.”

CP2 — The Perfection of Giving (2nd) — Saṅkha’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
a brahmin named Saṅkha,
wanting to cross the great ocean,
I was on my way to the port.

There I saw across the way
one self-awakened, undefeated,
walking a desert road
whose ground was hot and rough.

Seeing him across the way,
I thought this:
‘A field has appeared
for a personage desiring merit.

Now suppose a farmer
seeing a fertile field
does not sow seed there,
then they are not in need of grain.

So too, if I, desiring merit,
seeing a supreme excellent field,
do not render service there,
then I am not in need of merit.

Or suppose a minister seeking the royal seal
of authority over the people of the court,
does not give them money and grain,
their authority dwindles.

So too, if I, desiring merit,
seeing an abundantly worthy recipient,
do not give gifts to them,
I will dwindle in merit.’

Reflecting in this way,
I took off my sandals
and bowed to his feet,
giving him an umbrella and sandals.

Though I was a hundred times
more delicate and pampered than him,
fulfilling my giving,
I gave like this to him.”

CP3 — The Perfection of Giving (3rd) — Kururāja’s Conduct

“Then again when I reigned
in Indapatta, the capital city,
as the king named Dhanañjaya
I was blessed with the ten skillful deeds.

From the realm of Kaliṅga
brahmins came to me
requesting the royal elephant
that was lucky and deemed auspicious.

‘Our nation is suffering from drought,
food is scarce and famine abounds,
please give the noble elephant
of midnight hue named Añjana.’

‘When supplicants come to me
it is unbefitting to refuse.
Let not my vow be broken,
I shall give the mighty elephant.’

Taking the elephant by the trunk,
and a bejeweled ceremonial vessel,
I sprinkled water on the hand,
and gave the elephant to the brahmins.

When I had given the elephant,
my ministers said,
‘Why did you give the noble elephant
to the supplicants?

He was lucky and endowed with the auspicious,
supreme victor in battle.
Now you have given the elephant,
how shall you govern the realm?’

‘I would give the entire realm
and my physical body as well.
Omniscience is precious to me,
which is why I gave away the elephant.’”

CP4 — The Perfection of Giving (4th) — Mahāsudassana’s Conduct

“In the city of Kusāvatī,
when I was Lord of the Earth,
my name was Sudassana the Great,
a wheel-turning monarch of great power.

There, thrice a day,
I declared in one place or another:
‘Who needs what? Who wants what?
To whom ought riches be given?

Who needs an umbrella? Who is thirsty?
Who a garland? Who some makeup?
What person, being naked,
and will put on colorful clothes?

Who will take an umbrella on a highway,
who needs sandals, soft and pretty?’
Thus I had it proclaimed everywhere
morning and night.

It was not just in ten places,
or even a hundred,
but in many hundreds of places
riches were prepared for supplicants.

By day or by night
if a supplicant comes,
then having gotten all he wants,
he leaves with full hands.

I gave great gifts like this
for my whole life.
I did not give because I disliked riches,
or because I had a store set aside.

Suppose a person is sick.
In order to be free of sickness
having compensated the doctor with money,
they become freed from sickness.

Thus I, knowingly,
in order to fulfill without remainder,
to fulfill what is lacking,
gave gifts to supplicants
without clinging or reward,
for the attainment of awakening.”

CP5 — The Perfection of Giving (5th) — Mahāgovinda’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
high priest for seven kings,
I was venerated by the gods among men
as the brahmin Mahāgovinda.

Then in all seven kingdoms
what I received as tribute
I used to give a great gift
unwavering as the ocean.

It was not because I disliked riches or grain,
or because I had a store set aside,
but because omniscience is precious to me,
that is why I gave such fine riches.”

CP6 — The Perfection of Giving (6th) — King Nimi’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
in the capital city of Mithilā
I was the great king named Nimi,
astute and seeking the good.

Then having had constructed
four halls with four openings,
I provided gifts there
for beasts, birds, men, and so forth.

Clothing and beds,
food and drink to enjoy:
I provided them without let,
performing a great offering.

Suppose a servant is looking
to get a raise from their boss,
they’d seek to fulfill their needs
by body, speech, and mind.

In that way in every life
I shall seek the wisdom born of awakening.
Having pleased beings with gifts,
I wish for the supreme awakening.”

CP7 — The Perfection of Giving (7th) — Prince Candana’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
the true-born son of the One King
in the city of flowers, Pupphavatī,
I was called Prince Canda, the Moon.

Then, released from being sacrificed,
I fled the sacrificial enclosure.
Giving rise to a sense of urgency,
I performed a great offering.

I did not drink, I did not eat,
I did not enjoy any food
for five or six days
without offering to a worthy recipient.

Suppose there was a merchant
who had made a store of goods.
They would take those goods
to where they could make a large profit.

So too, even giving what one has used oneself
to others is very fruitful.
That is why what is to be given to others
multiplies a hundredfold.

Knowing the reason for this,
I gave gifts in life after life.
Aiming for awakening,
I never backtracked from giving.”

CP8 — The Perfection of Giving (8th) — King Sivi’s Conduct

“In the city called Ariṭṭha
I was the aristocrat named Sivi.
Seated in my finest longhouse,
I then had the following thought:

‘Whatever human gifts there are,
none may be found that I have not given.
Even if someone were to ask for my eye,
I would give it without wavering.’

Knowing my thoughts,
Sakka the lord of gods,
sitting in the assembly of gods
said the following.

‘Seated in his finest longhouse,
the mighty King Sivi
is thinking of manifold gifts
and cannot see any he would not give.

Is this true or not?
Come, let us test him.
Wait a while
until I know his mind.’

Appearing as a frail old man,
with grey hair and wrinkled skin,
feeble and blind,
he approached the king.

Then, stretching out
his left and right arms,
he raised his cupped palms to his head
and said the following.

‘Great king, I have a request for you.
Under your just rule the kingdom has flourished,
and the renown of your love of giving
has risen among gods and humans.

Both my eyes, by which I find my way,
are ruined and become blind.
Give me just one eye,
while you too get by with one.’

After hearing his words
I was thrilled, my mind elated,
so with cupped palms, inspired,
I said the following.

‘Just now I was reflecting on this
when I came here from the longhouse.
Understanding my mind,
you have come to ask for an eye.

Oh! My wish has come true!
My intention is fulfilled!
Today I shall give to a supplicant
a fine gift never before given.’

‘Come Sivaka, stand up,
do not hesitate or waver.
Pluck out even both eyes
and give them to the supplicant.’

And then, urged on by me,
Sivaka did as I said.
Extracting both eyes,
he presented them to the trembling supplicant.

‘While planning to give, while giving,
and after I had given,
my mind did not falter,
because it was solely for awakening.

It was not because I disliked my eyes,
or that I disliked myself,
but because omniscience is precious to me,
that is why I gave away my eyes.’”

CP9 — The Perfection of Giving (9th) — Vessantara’s Conduct

“She who was my mother,
the aristocrat lady named Phussatī,
was Sakka’s beloved queen
in past lives.

Knowing that she was at the end of life,
the lord of gods said this:
‘I grant you ten favors,
my dear, whatever favor you wish.’

When he said this the queen
replied to Sakka:
‘In what way am I deficient?
How am I displeasing to you?
You send me from this lovely place,
like the wind a feeble tree.’

When she said this Sakka
replied to her:
‘You have done nothing wrong,
nor are you not beloved to me.

But your life lasts only so long,
your time of death will come.
Accept the ten supreme favors
I offer to you.’

She accepted the offerings of Sakka,
full of joy and happiness.
Having conceived me,
Phussatī was blessed with the ten favors.

Then Phussatī, having passed from there,
was reborn as an aristocrat
in the city of Jetuttara,
where she married Sañjaya.

Once I was conceived in the womb
of my dear mother Phussatī,
because of my power,
my mother always delighted in giving.

She gave to the destitute, the ailing and aging,
to beggars, travelers, and folk,
to ascetics and brahmins, and the dispossessed,
and to those who had nothing.

Having carried me for ten months,
she was proceeding around the city
when Phussatī gave birth to me
in the middle of the peasant’s street.

My name was not from my mother’s side,
nor from my father’s.
I was born there in the peasant’s street,
and that’s why I’m called Vessantara.

When I was a boy
of only eight years old,
sitting in the stilt longhouse,
I thought of giving gifts.

‘I would give my heart and my eyes,
my flesh and blood too.’
I announced that I would give my body,
if anyone asked me.

Reflecting on my state of mind,
so undisturbed and steadfast,
the earth quaked there,
and Mount Sineru, wreathed in forests.

Every fortnight, the fifteenth,
and the sabbath when the moon was full,
I mounted the tusker Paccaya
and went to give gifts.

From the country of Kaliṅga,
the brahmins came to me,
requesting the royal elephant,
that was lucky and deemed as auspicious.

‘Our nation is suffering from drought,
food is scarce and famine abounds,
please give the noble elephant
the all-white supreme elephant.’

‘I give without hesitation
what you ask of me, brahmins.
I do not hide what I have,
for my heart is happy to give.

When supplicants come to me
it is unbefitting to refuse.
Let not my vow be broken,
I shall give the mighty elephant.’

Taking the elephant by the trunk,
and a bejeweled ceremonial vessel,
I sprinkled water on the hand,
and gave the elephant to the brahmins.

Then again when I was giving
the all-white supreme elephant,
the earth quaked again,
and Mount Sineru, wreathed in forests.

At the gift of the tusker,
angry Sivian folk gathered
and banished me from my kingdom, saying:
‘Go to Crooked Mountain.’

While they were ejecting me,
I was undisturbed and steadfast,
I asked one favor:
to perform a great offering.

When I asked, all the Sivian folk
granted me that one favor.
Sounding the drums,
I gave a great offering.

And as the sound went forth,
there was a great tumult and upset.
They drove me out because of giving,
but I just gave again.

Elephants, horses, chariots,
male and female slaves, cattle, and riches:
after giving this great gift
I then left the city.

After leaving the city,
I turned back to look,
at which the earth quaked,
and Mount Sineru, wreathed in forests.

Having given away my four-horse chariot,
I was standing at the crossroads
alone with no partner,
and I said to Queen Maddī:

‘Maddī, you take Kaṇhā,
for she, as the younger sister, is the lighter.
I shall take Jāli,
for he, as the brother, is heavier.’

Like a pink or white lotus,
Maddī picked up Kaṇhājinā.
Like a golden statue,
I picked up Jāli, the aristocrat.

High-born and delicate,
four aristocrat folk
traveled ground even and uneven,
going to Crooked Mountain.

Whenever men would come along,
coming the other way along the road,
we asked them in the middle of the street,
‘Where is Crooked Mountain?’

Seeing us there,
they spoke to us kindly,
‘It will be hard for you,’ they explained,
‘for Crooked Mountain is far.’

If the children saw fruit
on a tree in the forest,
then for the sake of that fruit,
the children cried.

Seeing the children cry,
the tall, massive trees
bent down of their own accord,
within reach of the children.

Seeing this marvel,
so astonishing and hair-raising,
Maddī, beautiful in every limb,
exclaimed in celebration:

‘Such a marvel in the world,
so astonishing and hair-raising,
due to the power of Vessantara,
the trees bent down of their own accord.’

Native spirits, out of compassion,
shortened the path,
so that on the very day they set out,
they arrived at the kingdom of Ceta.

Sixty thousand kings
were living at Mātula then.
All raised their cupped palms,
and approached, weeping.

There they held conversation
with the folks of Ceta and their children.
Then, leaving that place,
they arrived at Crooked Mountain.

The lord of gods addressed
Vissakamma of great psychic power:
‘Build a hermitage, well-made and delightful,
with a hall of leaves.’

After hearing Sakka’s words,
Vissakamma of great psychic power
built a hermitage, well-made and delightful,
with a hall of leaves.

Having plunged into the forest,
quiet and undisturbed,
we four persons
lived there in the mountains.

Myself and Queen Maddī,
with both Jāli and Kaṇhājinā,
dispelling each other’s sorrow
lived then in that hermitage.

While caring for the children,
I was not idle in the hermitage.
Maddī gathered fruit,
and provided for three people.

While I was living in the forest,
a traveler came to me
and asked for my children,
both Jāli and Kaṇhājinā.

When I saw the supplicant approaching,
I felt so full of joy.
Taking both my children,
I gave them to the brahmin then.

When I gave away my own children,
to the brahmin Jūjaka,
the earth quaked again,
and Mount Sineru, wreathed in forests.

And then Sakka descended
in the guise of a brahmin.
He asked me for Queen Maddī,
virtuous, and devoted.

Taking Maddī by the hand,
filling clasped hands with water,
with a confident heart,
I gave Maddī to him.

As Maddī was being given,
gods applauded in the welkin,
and the earth quaked again,
and Mount Sineru, wreathed in forests.

Jāli and Kaṇhājinā my daughter,
and Queen Maddī my devoted wife:
I gave them up without a second thought,
because it was solely for awakening.

I had no dislike of my children,
nor for Queen Maddī.
But because omniscience is precious to me,
I gave my loved ones away.

Later on in the mighty forest,
we were reunited by my mother and father.
Crying pitifully,
they spoke of my happiness and sadness.

With deep conscience and prudence,
I approached them,
at which the earth quaked,
and Mount Sineru, wreathed in forests.

Later on in the mighty forest,
having left the forest with my family,
I entered the delightful city
Jetuttara, the capital city.

The seven gems rained down,
raining forth from a mighty cloud,
and the earth quaked again,
and Mount Sineru, wreathed in forests.

Even this insentient earth,
with no knowledge of happiness or sadness,
quaked seven times
at the power of my giving.”

CP10 — The Perfection of Giving (10th) — The Wise Hare’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
a hare who roamed the forest,
eating grass, leaves, vegetables, and fruit,
refraining from harming others,

a monkey, a jackal,
a young otter and I
lived in the same neighborhood
and were seen together morning and evening.

I advised them
regarding good and bad deeds:
‘Shun bad deeds,
and cling to the good.’

Seeing the full moon
on the sabbath day,
I pointed it out to them, saying,
‘Today is the sabbath.

Prepare gifts
for one worthy of offerings.
Having given to one worthy of offerings,
observe the sabbath day.’

Saying ‘good!’ to me,
they prepared gifts
according to their capacity and means,
and sought out one worthy of offerings.

As I was sitting I thought about
what sort of gift would suit one worthy of offerings:
‘If I were to find a worthy recipient,
what gift would i give?

I have no sesame or mung beans,
no beans or rice or ghee.
I feed only on grass,
but that’s not something I can give.

If someone worthy of gifts comes,
seeking alms near me,
I shall give my own self:
they shall not leave empty-handed.’

Knowing my thoughts,
Sakka in the guise of a brahmin
approached my lair
in order to test my giving.

Seeing him I was elated,
and said the following.
‘It is so good that you have come
to me looking for food.

Today I shall give to you
a fine gift never before given.
You are furnished with virtue,
unattached to harming others.

Come, light a fire,
having gathered different sticks.
I shall cook myself,
you shall eat me roasted.’

‘Good!’ he said happily,
and gathered different sticks.
Building a great pyre,
he placed an ember in the recess.

He lit such a fire there
that would quickly grow big.
Shaking my dusty limbs,
I withdrew to one side.

When the great pile of sticks
was burning and blazing,
I leapt up and fell on it,
in the midst of the fiery flames.

Like diving
into cool water,
allaying distress and fever,
bringing satisfaction and joy.

That’s how it was
when I entered the burning flame.
It allayed distress and fever,
just like cool water.

Outer skin and inner, flesh and sinews,
bones, and heart with cords:
my whole entire body
I gave to the brahmin.”

The Chapter on an Elephant

CP11 — The Perfection of Ethics (1st) — The Conduct of One Who Provided for His Mother

“Once I lived in the forest
as an elephant who provided for his mother.
At that time no one on earth
could equal my virtues.

Seeing me in the forest, a forester
informed the king about me.
‘Great King, an elephant that befits you
is dwelling in the forest grove.

No need to dig a moat around him,
nor tether him to a post in a pit.
Taken by the trunk,
he will come here by himself.’

When he heard these words,
the king, elated,
sent an elephant-tamer,
a well-trained and expert tutor.

When the elephant-tamer reached there,
he saw me in a lotus pond,
pulling out lotus roots
to feed my mother.

Discerning my moral virtue,
he checked me for marks.
Saying, ‘Come, child’,
he took me by the trunk.

What was at that time
the natural strength of my body,
would equal a thousand
of the elephants of today.

If I had been upset
with those who came to capture me,
I would have had the power
to defeat even a kingdom of men.

Nevertheless, for the sake of guarding my ethics,
and fulfilling my perfection of ethics,
I did not let my mind change,
even as they caged me.

And even were they to beat me
with hatchets and lances,
I would never become upset,
for fear of violating my ethics.”

CP12 — The Perfection of Ethics (2nd) — The Dragon Bhūridatta’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
Bhūridatta, a dragon of great psychic power,
together with Virūpakkha the Great King
I went to a heavenly realm.

There I saw gods
wholly given over to pleasure.
For the sake of going to that heaven,
I undertook the observance of ethics.

After tending to my physical needs,
and eating enough to get by,
I resolved on the four factors,
and lay down atop a termite mound, thinking:

‘My outer skin and inner, flesh,
sinews and bones:
whoever has use for these,
they are already given, please take them.’

While lying there the ingrate
Ālampāyana grabbed me.
He threw me in a basket
and made me perform in places all over.

Though thrown in a basket
and crushed by his hands,
I did not get upset with Ālampāyana,
for fear of breaking my ethics.

To give up my own life
was as light as a blade of grass.
To transgress my ethical principles
was like overturning the earth.

In a hundred successive lives
I would give up my own life.
I would not even violate my ethics
for the sake of the four continents.

For the sake of protecting ethics,
and fulfilling my perfection of ethics,
I did not let my mind change,
even when thrown in a basket.”

CP13 — The Perfection of Ethics (3rd) — The Dragon Campeyyaka’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
Campeyyaka, a dragon of great psychic power,
I was just,
furnished with precepts and vows.

Then the snake-charmer who caught me
lived righteously,
observing the Sabbath,
and he made me perform at the royal gate.

Whatever color he thought of—
blue, yellow, or red—
I conformed to his wish,
taking the appearance of his thought.

I could turn dry land to water,
and water to dry land.
If I were upset with him
I could reduce him to ash in an instant.

If I was under the sway of my thoughts,
I would have fallen from my ethics.
But one who has fallen from their ethics
does not succeed at the highest goal.

Gladly, let this body be broken!
Let it be scattered in this very place!
Not even for that would I break my ethics,
if it were being scattered like hay.”

CP14 — The Perfection of Ethics (4th) — Cūḷabodhi’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
the very virtuous Cūḷabodhi,
seeing rebirth as fearful,
I renounced worldly life.

She who had been my partner,
a brahmin lady with golden skin,
unconcerned with the cycle of rebirths,
also renounced worldly life.

Without clinging, cutting off family,
unconcerned with family or group,
we walked from village to town
until we reached Varanasi.

There we lived alert,
mixing not with a family or group.
Quiet and undisturbed,
we both stayed in the royal park.

Visiting the park,
the king saw the brahmin lady.
He approached me and asked,
‘Is she your wife? Or whose is she?’

When he said this, to him
I said the following.
‘She is not my wife.
We share the same teaching and belief.’

Infatuated with her,
he had his men seize her.
Compelling her by force
he brought her to the royal compound.

She who became mine by touching a water-jar,
born together, one in beliefs,
when he dragged her away,
I felt so angry.

Together with the arising of anger,
I remembered my precepts and vows,
and right there controlled my anger,
I did not allow it to grow.

If anyone were to attack
that brahmin lady with a sharp knife,
not even for that would I violate my ethics,
because it was solely for awakening.

I did not dislike the brahmin lady,
nor did I lack the strength.
But because omniscience is precious to me,
that’s why I guarded my ethics.”

CP15 — The Perfection of Ethics (5th) — The Buffalo King’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
a buffalo who roamed the forest,
large in body and strong,
big and scary to see.

In a cave, a craggy hillside,
at a tree root or a waterhole,
there’d be somewhere for buffalos,
in one place or another.

Wandering the mighty forest,
I saw a fine spot.
Having gone there,
I stood and lay to rest.

Then a monkey came along,
wicked, ignoble, and nimble.
On my shoulder, forehead, and eyebrows,
he peed and pooed.

Not just that day, but a second,
a third, and a fourth;
he soiled me all the time,
he was harrying me.

Seeing me being harried,
a spirit said to me:
‘Kill that vile, wicked thing
with your horns and hooves.’

When he spoke, I said
this to that spirit:
‘Why would you smear me
with a wicked, ignoble carcass?

If I were upset with him
I would degrade myself,
violating my ethics,
and being criticized by sensible people.

Better to die from purity
than live in shame.
How could I, for the sake of life,
harm another?’

Thinking of me, this one
will do the same to others,
and for that they will kill him.
Then I shall be free.

Forgiving disrespect
from the low, middle and high,
the wise one gains
their heart’s desire.”

CP16 — The Perfection of Ethics (6th) — Ruru the Deer King’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
the king of deer named Ruru,
in appearance I was like burnished gold,
focused on the highest ethics.

There was a pleasant, delightful region,
free of humans,
so I went there and stayed
on a lovely bank of the Ganges.

Then a man upstream,
harassed by creditors,
fell into the Ganges, thinking,
‘I live or I die!’

Day and night in the Ganges
he was swept along the stream,
crying out pitifully,
along the middle of the Ganges.

When I heard the sound
of his pitiful crying,
I stood on the Ganges bank
and asked, ‘What man are you?’

When asked he explained
to me his own deed:
‘I was so scared of my creditors,
I jumped in the great river!’

Taking pity on him,
surrendering my own life,
I entered and dragged him out
in the darkness of the night.

When I knew he had recovered,
I said to him,
‘I ask of you one favor:
tell no one about me.’

But once he had returned to the city,
for the sake of money he told when asked.
Taking the king,
he drew close to me.

All that I had done
was related to the king.
When the king heard this,
he fitted his arrow, thinking,
‘Right here I shall kill
this ignoble betrayer of a friend.’

I protected him,
substituting myself:
‘Let him be, Great King.
I shall carry out your pleasure.’

I guarded my ethics,
not my life.
For then I was ethical,
because it was solely for awakening.”

CP17 — The Perfection of Ethics (7th) — Mātaṅga’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
a matted-hair ascetic of severe penance,
Mātaṅga was my name,
I was virtuous and serene.

A brahmin and I both lived
on a bank of the Ganges.
I stayed upstream,
the brahmin downstream.

Wandering along the riverbank,
he saw my hermitage upstream.
Then he abused and cursed me,
that my head would split in seven.

If I were upset with him
and if I were not taking care of my ethics,
then just with a glance
I could have reduced him to ashes.

But when he cursed me then,
so angry and bitter-hearted,
it fell right back on his own head:
I freed him from that yoke.

I guarded my ethics,
not my life.
For then I was ethical,
because it was solely for awakening.”

CP18 — The Perfection of Ethics (8th) — The Deity Dhamma’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
of great retinue and psychic power,
a great spirit named Dhamma,
I had sympathy for the whole world.

Establishing the populace
in the ten ways of skillful deeds,
I wandered from village to town,
with friends and associates.

A wicked, miserly spirit
promoting the ten wicked ways
was also wandering the earth
with friends and associates.

The righteous and unrighteous,
we were each other’s foe.
Slamming chariot poles,
we collided together.

A dreadful quarrel ensued
between the good and the ill,
a great war loomed
aiming to push the other off the road.

If I had been upset with him,
if I had broken my asceticism,
I could have reduced him to dust,
together with his companions.

Nevertheless, for the sake of guarding my ethics,
I quelled my heart.
I left the road with my folk,
giving it to the wicked one.

As soon as I stepped down off the path,
and I had quelled my mind,
the earth opened up
for that wicked spirit.”

CP19 — The Perfection of Ethics (9th) — Alīnasattu’s Conduct

“In the kingdom of Pañcāla, in the eminent city,
the capital named Kapilā,
the king named Jayaddisa
was furnished with virtuous qualities.

I was that king’s son,
well educated and virtuous;
Alīnasattu of fine qualities,
I always cared for the attendants.

My father had gone deer hunting
when he came across a cannibal,
who seized my father, saying,
‘You are my prey, don’t move!’

When he heard these words,
he was scared and trembled with fear,
his thighs became stiff
when he saw the cannibal.

‘Let me go, take the deer meat!’ he said,
‘I promise to return.’
Having paid the brahmin,
my father said to me:

‘Son, rule the realm.
Do not neglect this city.
I promised the cannibal
that I will return.’

I bowed to my mother and father,
and substituted myself.
Tossing my bow and sword,
I approached the cannibal.

Perhaps if I have weapons in hand
that might make him afraid.
And that would violate my ethics,
were I to frighten him.

For fear of violating my ethics,
I said nothing hateful to him.
Lovingly and beneficially,
I said the following.

‘Kindle a great fire.
I will drop into it from a tree.
When you know I am cooked,
eat me, Grandfather.’

And so for the sake of my ethical vows
I did not protect my life.
And I drove out forever
his attacks on living creatures.”

CP20 — The Perfection of Ethics (10th) — Saṅkhapāla’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
Saṅkhapāla, a dragon of great psychic power,
deadly-fanged, lethally venomous,
two-tongued, lord of serpents.

At a crossroad on a highway
crowded with many people,
I resolved on the four factors,
and made my home there.

‘My outer skin and inner, flesh,
sinews and bones:
whoever has use for these,
they are already given, please take them.’

Seeing me, the Bhojans,
those violent and pitiless hunters,
came to me there
with sticks and hammers in their hands.

Having pierced my nose,
tail, and spine,
and fastened me to a pole,
the Bhojans carried me away.

The earth from sea to sea,
with its forests and mountains—
had I wished, right there
I could have burnt it up with a blast from my nose.

Though pierced with stakes,
and stabbed with knives,
I did not get upset with the Bhojans:
this is my perfection of ethics.”

The Chapter With Yudhañjaya

CP21 — The Perfection of Renunciation (1st) — Yudhañjaya’s Conduct

“When I was Prince Yudhañjaya
of infinite fame,
I was stirred with urgency on seeing
a fallen dewdrop in the heat of the sun.

Taking that to be of prime importance,
I fostered that urgency.
I bowed to my mother and father,
and begged permission to go forth.

With cupped palms,
along with the citizens of town and country, they asked,
‘This very day, rule this great land,
so successful and prosperous.’

The King and the Queens,
with the citizens of town and country,
cried pitifully,
as I forsook unconcerned.

Kingship over the entire earth,
family, retinue, and fame—
I gave them up without a second thought,
because it was solely for awakening.

I had no dislike of my parents,
nor did I dislike the great fame.
But because omniscience is precious to me,
that is why I forsook kingship.”

CP22 — The Perfection of Renunciation (2nd) — Somanassa’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
in Indapatta, the capital city,
I was a loved and cherished child
renowned as Somanassa.

I was ethical, full of good qualities,
of fine and eloquent speech,
honoring elders, conscientious,
and expert in the methods of inclusiveness.

Now there was this charlatan renunciant
who was favored by the king.
He made a living by cultivating
an orchard and flowering shrubs.

Seeing he was a charlatan,
like a pile of chaff without grain,
like a hollow tree,
like a plantain tree with no core, I thought:

‘There is no good in him,
he has strayed from asceticism.
He has left the bright qualities of conscience
for the sake of making a living.’

Then the borders were in turmoil
by wild frontier savages.
Before going to put an end to it,
my father instructed me:

‘My dear, do not neglect
the matted-hair ascetic of severe penance.
He is the granter of our wishes,
give him all he desires.’

I went then to serve him,
and said the following.
‘I hope you are well, householder.
Is there anything I can bring for you?’

At that he was upset with me,
that prideful charlatan.
‘I’ll have you killed right now!
Or banished from the realm!’

After putting an end to the border conflict,
the king said to the charlatan,
‘I hope you’re keeping well, sir,
and honors were served you?’

That wicked one told him
how the prince deserved execution.
When he heard these words,
the Lord of the Earth commanded:

‘Cut off his head right there!
Saw his corpse into four pieces!
And then show them from street to street:
this is the fate of one who shames the ascetic.’

Right away left the punishers—
fierce, violent and pitiless.
They dragged me from my mother’s lap
and led me away.

I said to them
as they bound me with tight bonds:
‘Present me to the king right now,
I have an issue for the king!’

They presented me to the king,
follower of the wicked one and his wicked ways.
On seeing me, I persuaded him
and brought him under my influence.

He asked for my forgiveness then,
and offered me the kingdom.
But having burst the darkness asunder,
I went forth to homelessness.

I did not dislike great kingship,
nor did I dislike sensual enjoyment.
But because omniscience is precious to me,
that is why I forsook kingship.”

CP23 — The Perfection of Renunciation (3rd) — Ayoghara’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
the true-born son of the king of Kāsi,
I grew up in an iron house,
so I was named Ayoghara.

‘Your life has been a painful one,
as you’ve been raised in confinement.
Today, my son, rule
the entirety of this land.’

Having bowed to the citizens of country and town,
the king and his people,
I raised my cupped palms
and said the following.

‘All the creatures of this earth—
low, middle, or high—
are unprotected in their own home,
in which they grew up with their families.

It was unique in the world
to be raised in confinement.
I grew up in an iron house,
scarcely lit by sun or moon.

Filled with rotting carcass,
I escaped my mother’s womb.
Then to a viler suffering
I was tossed in an iron house.

Having fallen into such
appallingly dreadful suffering,
if I desired kingships,
I’d be the worst of the worst.

I’m fed up with the body,
I have no need for kingship.
I shall seek quenching
where Death will not crush me.’

Reflecting in this way,
as the great crowd wailed,
like a bull elephant bursting his ropes,
I entered the forest grove.

I had no dislike of my parents,
nor did I dislike the great fame.
But because omniscience is precious to me,
that is why I forsook kingship.”

CP24 — The Perfection of Renunciation (4th) — The Conduct of the Lotus-eaters

“Then again when I was
in the capital citadel of Kāsi,
a sister and seven brothers
were born in a learned family.

I was the first-born of them all,
furnishing with pure conscience.
Seeing rebirth as fearful,
I longed for renunciation.

Sent for by my mother and father,
my friends with one mind
invited me to enjoy sensual pleasures, saying:
‘Maintain the family lineage.’

The words they said
about the ways a householder can find happiness,
were hard for me to hear,
like a heated ploughshare.

When I turned down their proposal,
they asked me what I wished for:
‘My dear, what is it that you wish,
since you do not long for sensual pleasures?’

I spoke to my beneficiaries,
wanting what is best.
‘I wish not for the householder’s state,
I long for renunciation.’

Hearing my words,
they told my mother and father.
My parents said this:
‘Sirs, let all of us go forth!’

So both my mother and father,
sister and seven brothers,
discarding countless riches,
entered the great forest.”

CP25 — The Perfection of Renunciation (5th) — Soṇa the Astute’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
in the city of Brahmavaḍḍhana,
I was reborn there
in a fine, wealthy, and eminent family.

Even so, I saw that the world
had become blind, smothered in darkness.
My mind recoiled from rebirth,
as if harshly pricked by a goad.

Seeing the many forms of wickedness,
I thought to myself:
‘When shall I leave the house
and enter the forest?’

Then too my relatives invited me
to enjoy the pleasures of the senses.
I told them of my desire, saying,
‘Do not invite me to such things!’

My younger brother,
who was named Nanda the astute,
followed my ethical practices,
and chose to go forth.

I, Soṇa, and Nanda,
and both my mother and father,
then discarded our riches
and entered the great forest.”

CP26 — The Perfection of Resolve — Temiya’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
the true-born son of the king of Kāsi,
Mūgapakkha was my name,
they called me Temiya.

None of the sixteen thousand court women
had given birth to a male.
After many days and nights
I was born, the only one.

To my father I was a dear son born with difficulty,
a light-bringer of impeccable lineage.
Holding a white parasol over my bed,
my father provided for me.

Sleeping on the fine bed,
then having awoken,
I saw the pale umbrella,
by which I had gone to hell.

At the sight of the umbrella
a terrible dread arose in me.
I reached the decision,
‘How can I be free of this?’

A former blood-relation of mine,
a goddess wishing to help,
saw my suffering
and enjoined me to three states.

‘Don’t show intelligence,
be as a fool to all creatures,
let all folk scorn you,
thus you will achieve your goal.’

When she had spoken,
I said the following.
‘I shall do your bidding,
just as you say, goddess.
You want what’s best for me, mom,
you desire my welfare, goddess.’

After hearing her words,
I was like one lost at sea reaching the shore.
I was thrilled, my mind elated,
and I resolved on three factors.

I became deaf, and dumb,
and crippled, unable to walk.
Resolving on these factors,
I lived for sixteen years.

Then they rubbed my hands and feet,
my tongue and ears as well,
and seeing no defect in me,
denounced me as ‘black-ear’.

Due to that, the entire country,
including the generals and priests,
with one mind
cheered as I was discarded.

When I heard of their decision
I was thrilled, my mind elated,
‘The goal for which I lived fervently
I have achieved.’

Bathed and oiled,
with my turban wrapped,
anointed, they held the umbrella
as they paraded me around the city.

After the seventh day holding the umbrella,
when the sun’s orb had risen,
I was taken out by chariot,
until the charioteer came to a wood.

Leaving the chariot in the open,
the bridled horse released from his hand,
the charioteer dug a pit
to bury me in the ground.

I was afraid for the many different
resolves that I had undertaken,
so I did not break that resolve,
because it was solely for awakening.

I had no dislike of my parents,
nor did I dislike myself.
But because omniscience is precious to me,
that is why I resolved on my vow.

Having resolved the three factors,
I lived for sixteen years.
There is no one to equal my resolve:
this is my perfection of resolve.”

CP27 — The Perfection of Truth (1st) — The Monkey King’s Conduct

“When I was a monkey
in a cleft on the riverbank,
harassed by a crocodile
I could not get across.

Where I used to land
when jumping from the near shore to the far,
there crouched my deadly foe,
the baleful gharial.

Reassuring me, he said ‘Come!’
‘I am coming,’ I said to him.
Stepping on his head
I made it to the far bank.

I spoke no lie to him,
but acted according to my word.
There is no one to equal my truthfulness:
this is my perfection of truth.”

CP28 — The Perfection of Truth (2nd) — The Ascetic Truthful’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
an ascetic known as Truthful,
I protected the world with my truth,
uniting the people.”

CP29 — The Perfection of Truth (3rd) — The Baby Quail’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
a baby quail in Magadha,
I was young, with wings unsprouted,
just a scrap of meat in the nest.

With food she brought in her beak
my mother nurtured me.
I survived through her touch,
for I had no physical strength.

One year, in the hot season,
the forest caught fire.
It came toward us,
a conflagration with a blackened trail.

The fire roared and rumbled
with great crests of flame,
gradually burning
closer to me.

Alarmed and terrified at the fierce fire,
my mother and father
abandoned me in the nest,
saving themselves.

I beat my feet and wings,
but I had no physical strength.
When unable to leave,
I thought this there:

‘Those to whom I ought to run,
scared and trembling with fear,
have escaped, leaving me behind.
How should I act today?

There is the quality of virtue in the world,
truth, purity, and mercy.
By this truth I will make
a supreme declaration of truth.’

Inspired by the power of Dhamma,
recollecting the former Victors,
relying on the power of truth,
I made a declaration of truth.

‘I have wings that do not fly!
I have feet that do not walk!
Mother and father have fled!
Jātaveda the fire: go back!’

As I declared this truth
the great crested flames
withdrew sixteen leagues,
as if they had come to water.
There is no one to equal my truthfulness:
this is my perfection of truth.”

CP30 — The Perfection of Truth (4th) — The Fish King’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
a fish king in a great lake,
in the heat of the sun
the water in the lake evaporated.

Then crows and vultures,
herons, hawks, and falcons,
perched near the fish
and devoured them day and night.

There I had the following thought,
being harassed with my relatives:
‘By what means
can I free my relatives from this suffering?’

Considering the value of the Dhamma,
I saw the truth as a support.
Standing in the truth,
I freed my relatives from that holocaust.

Recollecting the true Dhamma,
considered the ultimate goal,
I made a declaration of truth
that would last eternally in the world.

‘So long as I can recall myself,
since I became aware,
I do not recall deliberately
harming even a single living creature.

By this declaration of truth,
may Pajjuna rain down!
Thunder forth, Pajjuna!
Disperse the trove of the crow!
Subject the crow to sorrow,
and free the fish from sorrow!’

As this excellent truth was declared,
Pajjuna thundered forth.
In an instant the rain poured down,
soaking the uplands and valleys.

Having made such supreme effort
for this excellent truth,
I made the great cloud pour down,
relying on the force of the power of truth.
There is no one to equal my truthfulness:
this is my perfection of truth.”

CP31 — The Perfection of Truth (5th) — Dark Light’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
the seer Dark Light,
for more than fifty years
I lived dissatisfied.

No one knew of this
dissatisfaction of mine,
for I mentioned it to no one,
it only went on in my mind.

Maṇḍabya, a spiritual companion
and friend of mine was a great seer.
Bound to a deed in a past life,
he got impaled on a stake.

I nursed him
and brought him back to health.
Asking leave, I returned
to my own hermitage.

A brahmin friend of mine,
bringing wife and child,
came to me, all three of them,
as my guests.

As I exchanged greetings with them,
seated in my own hermitage,
the boy threw a ball
and angered a viper.

Then the boy, looking which way
the ball had gone,
touched the viper’s head
with his hand.

Angered at his touch,
the cobra, relying on its potent poison,
completely enraged,
bit the boy right away.

When bitten by the viper,
the boy fainted on the ground.
It made me distraught,
the pain became as if mine.

Comforting the parents,
in their suffering and sorrow,
I made the first act,
the original, supreme declaration of truth:

‘For just seven days with a mind of faith
I led the spiritual life seeking merit.
My life since then,
for fifty years or more,

I have lived unwillingly.
By this truth, may he be well!
May the poison die! May Yaññadatta live!’

As I declared this truth,
the boy trembling with poison,
awoke and got up,
the brahmin youth was well.
There is no one to equal my truthfulness:
this is my perfection of truth.”

CP32 — The Perfection of Truth (6th) — Sutasoma’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
Sutasoma, Lord of the Earth,
captured by a cannibal
I remembered my promise to a brahmin.

A hundred aristocrat warriors
he strung up by their hands.
Having drained their blood,
he brought me for sacrifice.

The cannibal asked me,
‘What do you wish for—release?
I shall act as you think,
so long as you will return.’

I promised him that I
would return at dawn.
I went to the delightful city
and then renounced kingship.

Recollecting the true Dhamma,
fostered by former Victors,
I gave money to the brahmin,
and returned to the cannibal.

I had no doubt
that he was going to kill me.
Protecting my truthful speech,
I went to give up my life.
There is no one to equal my truthfulness:
this is my perfection of truth.”

CP33 — The Perfection of Love (1st) — Goldblack’s Conduct

“When in a wood I was Sāma the black,
created by Sakka.
I led the lions and tigers
in the forest by love.

Surrounded by lions and tigers,
leopards, bears, buffaloes,
spotted deer, and wild boar,
I stayed in the forest.

None were scared of me,
nor I of them.
Sustained by the power of love
I delighted in the forest then.”

CP34 — The Perfection of Love (2nd) — The One King’s Conduct

“Then again when I was
the renowned One King,
resolved on highest ethics,
I ruled the great earth.

Without exception I followed
the ten ways of skillful deeds.
With the four ways of being inclusive,
I brought together the population.

As I was being diligent,
for the sake of this world and the next,
Dabbasena attacked
and sacked my city.

The royal dependents in the city,
with the military and the citizens—
he captured them all,
and buried me in a pit.

The court ministers, the flourishing kingdom,
and my royal court—
were captured and held,
I even saw my beloved son.
There is no one to equal my love:
this is my perfection of love.”

CP35 — The Perfection of Equanimity — The Great Hair-raising Conduct

“I made my bed in a charnel ground,
resting on a skeleton.
Village louts came up
and mocked me in all sorts of ways.

Others brought me
incense and flowers,
and many kinds of cooked food,
all thrilled, their minds elated.

Those who brought me pain,
and those who gave me happiness,
were all the same to me.
I felt no favor or anger.

I became balanced toward pleasure and pain,
fame and disgrace.
I was equal in every case:
this is my perfection of equanimity.”

Having thus experienced many kinds of suffering
and many kinds of success,
in various past lives,
I realized supreme awakening.

I gave what could be given,
and fulfilled ethics without reserve.
Having won the perfection of renunciation,
I realized supreme awakening.

I inquired of the astute,
and put forth highest effort,
having won the perfection of acceptance,
I realized supreme awakening.

Having made a firm resolve,
and guarded truthful speech,
having won the perfection of love,
I realized supreme awakening.

In gain and loss, fame and disgrace,
respect and contempt,
having become equal in every case,
I realized supreme awakening.

Seeing laziness as fearful,
and energy as a sanctuary,
rouse up energy:
this is the Buddhas’ instruction!

Seeing dispute as fearful,
and harmony as a sanctuary,
be harmonious and courteous:
this is the Buddhas’ instruction!

Seeing negligence as fearful,
and diligence as a sanctuary,
develop the eightfold path:
this is the Buddhas’ instruction!

That is how the Buddha, illustrating his own conduct in past lives, spoke the exposition of the teaching named the “Legends of the Buddha”.

Colophon

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato from the Pali, for SuttaCentral. Dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0 1.0) — see the source repository's license statement below.

Prepared for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted transcription and editorial work: all thirty-five stories across the three traditional chapters were assembled from SuttaCentral's bilara-data segment-JSON translation files, merged with the accompanying structural-markup JSON to reconstruct headings, paragraphs, and verse, via a deterministic conversion script adapted from the one built for the Dīgha, Majjhima, Saṁyutta, and Aṅguttara Nikāya editions; no wording was altered or paraphrased from the translation.

Source: suttacentral/bilara-data, published branch, commit 204a5c67e0efe49dba762e807d391e295f19bdc6 (2026-08-05), paths translation/en/sujato/sutta/kn/cp/, html/pli/ms/sutta/kn/cp/, and root/pli/ms/sutta/kn/cp/ (the root layer consulted only for titles and, in some editions, for the Pali-only structural headings noted in the introduction above). License: Creative Commons Zero (CC0), per the repository's LICENSE.md: "All translations created in Bilara and supported by SuttaCentral are dedicated to the Public Domain."

Prepared August 2026.

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