འཕགས་པ་དཔལ་སྦས་ཞས་བྱ་བའ་མད 11

11

as soon as the partridge chick uttered this verse, the fire died down, retreating to where it had been lit. That is why, from that day to this, fire has never broken out on the island of Begburchepa. Lay brother, if you suspect or have doubts that at that time on the island of Begburchepa the partridge chick with undeveloped wings was someone else, or are of two minds, reconsider. Lay brother, I was that partridge chick. Lay brother, fire could not physically affect me even then, when I was born as an animal; how much less so now that I am a completely awakened buddha? There is no basis for fire to physically affect me.”

The Blessed One then delivered a Dharma discourse to the lay devotee and the crowd of beings that was instructive, encouraging, uplifting, and joyous. After the Blessed One had delivered the Dharma discourse that was instructive, encouraging, uplifting, and joyous, he continued on his way.

Another lay devotee saw him arriving from afar and thought, “If Śrīgupta intends to carry out such an act against the Blessed One, will the Blessed One not be killed? Will the Sugata not be killed? Will the Eye of the World not be swiftly destroyed? Will a great darkness not swiftly descend upon the world? Will the Buddha, who trained for three immeasurable eons, not swiftly fade from the world? Will our current enjoyment of the Dharma not swiftly wane?”

The lay devotee then approached the Blessed One and bowed at his feet. He circumambulated him three times, knelt on both knees, bowed to the Blessed One with his palms joined, and said to the Blessed One,