妙法蓮華經玄贊 2.64

2.64

The commentary says: In Sanskrit it is garuḍa, which means here 'wondrous-winged bird', because the plumage has a wondrous color and is not entirely gold. The old translation 'rendering garuḍa as golden-winged bird' is entirely mistaken. The Ekottarāgama says: 'The Buddha addressed the monks: "There are wondrous-winged birds of four kinds of birth: egg-born, womb-born, moisture-born, and apparitionally born. There are also dragons of four kinds of birth: egg-born, womb-born, moisture-born, and apparitionally born. Monks, you should know: when an egg-born bird wishes to eat dragons, it climbs an iron-fork tree and casts itself into the ocean; at that time this bird parts the water in both directions with its wings, seizes an egg-born dragon, brings it out, and eats it. If it should wish to seize a womb-born dragon or the others, the bird will perish. In this way, a womb-born bird eats only womb-born and egg-born dragons; a moisture-born bird eats dragons of the previous three kinds of birth; if it should wish to eat an apparitionally born dragon, the bird will perish. An apparitionally born bird can eat dragons of all four kinds of birth. If a dragon's body is devoted to the Buddha, this wondrous-winged bird cannot eat it. Why is this? The Tathāgata constantly practices the four equal minds of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity; these four equal minds possess great sinews and strength, and great courage, and cannot be obstructed or destroyed; therefore the wondrous-winged birds cannot eat them. Therefore, monks, you should practice the four equal minds."' The present sequence corresponds to the birds of the four births. They are also called 'Great Majestic Virtue' because all dragons fear them and their majestic virtue is immense; 'Great Body' because the distance between its two wings is 3,360,000 li; 'Great Fullness' because its belly is constantly sated with food; and 'As-One-Wishes' because beneath its chin it has a wish-fulfilling jewel.