While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha talked about Sumana, the florist. Sumana had to supply King Bimbisara with jasmine flowers every morning. One day, as he was going to the king’s palace, he saw the Buddha, with a halo of light-rays radiating from him, coming into town for alms-food. Seeing the Buddha in his resplendent glory, Sumana felt the strong desire to offer his flowers to the Buddha. When the king learnt what Sumana had done, instead of punishing him, the king rewarded him with eight elephants, eight horses, eight male slaves, eight female slaves, eight maidens and eight thousand Kahapana (coins, Indian money used in the Buddha’s lifetime).
Colophon:
Folio 26 on the recto side: In BE 2518, a hap mao year, on the fifth day of the waxing moon of the eleventh [lunar] month, Friday, at noon (10:30–12:00), [the writing was finished]. Pha Phui Thiracitto, the abbot of Vat Pha Maha That Rajabovoravihan, and the Chao Khana Tasaeng of Vat That (the ecclesiastical head of the sub-district), district and province of Luang Prabang, were the sponsor and the scribe of the making of this manuscript. Nibbāna paccaya hotu no anāgate kāle (May this be a condition for us to reach Nirvana).
Item 1 - Title in Native script:
ສະຫຼອງຄາຍດອກໄມ້
Item 1 - Title in Roman script:
Salòng Khāi Dòkmai
Item 1 - Title in English script:
The merit derived from offering flowers to the Buddha