太子瑞應本起經 2.15

2.15

「佛告龍王：『汝當復自歸於佛，自歸於法，自歸於比丘僧。』即受三自歸。諸畜生中，是龍為先見佛。佛以神足，移坐石室，自念本願，欲度眾生。思惟：『生死本從十二因緣法起，法起故便有生死；若法滅者生死乃盡。作是故自得是，不作是是便息。一切眾生，意為精神，窈窈冥冥，恍忽無形，自起識想，隨行受身；身無常主，神無常形，神心變化，躁濁難清；自生自滅，未曾休息；一念去，一念來；若水中泡，一滴滅一復興；至于三界欲、色、無色，九神所止皆繫於識，不得免苦；昧昧然不自覺，故謂之癡，莫知要道。夫道至妙，虛寂無念，不可以凡世間意知。世間道術九十六種，各信所事，孰知其惑？皆樂生求安，貪欲嗜味，好於聲色，故不能樂佛道。佛道清淨，空無所有；凡計身萬物不可得常有，設當為說，天下皆苦；空無所有，誰能信者？枯苦我耳。』意欲默然，不為世間說法，便入定意。

"The Buddha told the dragon king: ‘You should take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, and take refuge in the saṅgha of monks.’ He thereupon received the three refuges. Among all animals, this dragon was the first to see the Buddha. By means of his spiritual powers, the Buddha moved to sit in a stone chamber. Reflecting on his original vow, he wished to liberate sentient beings, and contemplated: ‘Birth and death originally arise from the principle of the twelve links of dependent origination: because the conditions arise, there is birth and death; if the conditions cease, birth and death are exhausted. Doing this brings this result; not doing this, this ceases. For all sentient beings, the mind is the spirit, obscure and dark, imperceptible and formless; it conceives consciousness and ideation on its own, receiving a body in accordance with its actions. The body has no constant master; the spirit has no constant form. The spirit and mind transform, turbulent and turbid, difficult to clarify; spontaneously arising and spontaneously perishing, never resting for an instant. One thought departs, one thought arrives; like bubbles in water, as one drop perishes, another arises again. Reaching up through the three realms—desire, form, and formless—the stations where the nine spirits dwell are all bound to consciousness, unable to escape suffering. Benighted and imperceptive, they do not realize it themselves, hence it is called ignorance, and none know the essential path. Now, the Way is supremely subtle, vacant, tranquil, and free of thought; it cannot be known with the mind of the mundane world. There are ninety-six kinds of worldly arts and doctrines, each believing in what it serves—who knows their delusions? They all delight in life and seek security, crave desires and relish flavors, and are fond of sounds and forms; hence they cannot take delight in the Buddha's Way. The Buddha's Way is pure, empty, and devoid of anything. When one ordinarily reckons the body and the myriad things, they cannot be permanently held. If I were to explain it to them, showing that all under heaven is suffering, empty, and devoid of anything, who could believe it? It would only weary and exhaust me.’ Wishing to remain silent and not expound the Dharma for the world, he thereupon entered samādhi.