勸發菩提心集 2.19

2.19

Citing what is spoken in the Sutra of King Sudhāna: Not sparing bodily life in order to keep the prohibitive precepts intact. For instance, the Bodhisattva himself in a past life was once a mighty venomous dragon. If a sentient being came before him, if their bodily strength was weak, merely seeing his eyes they would die; if their bodily strength was strong, when his breath reached them they would die. This dragon received the one-day precepts and went forth from the household life. Having gone forth, seeking seclusion, he entered a forest. Contemplating among the trees, sitting for a long time, he grew weary and fell asleep. At that time, his form was like a serpent, his body bearing patterned markings in the variegated colours of the seven jewels. A hunter saw him and said in surprised delight: 'Would it not indeed be fitting to present this rare and hard-to-find skin to the king of the country to serve as his garment?' He then pressed down the dragon's head with a staff and stripped off the skin with a knife. The dragon thought to himself: 'My strength is according to my will; overturning this kingdom would be as easy as turning over my palm. How could this petty person trap me? Now, because I keep the precepts, I will not regard this body, but will follow the Buddha's words.' Thereupon he endured it himself, closed his eyes and did not look, held his breath and did not breathe, feeling pity for this person, for the sake of keeping the precepts. With single-minded focus he underwent the flaying, not giving rise to any regret. Having lost his skin, his red flesh lay upon the ground. The sun was extremely hot at that time; he tossed and turned in the dirt, wishing to go toward a large body of water. Seeing many small worms come to eat his body, because he was keeping the precepts, he dared not move again. He reflected to himself: 'Now I give this body to these worms for the sake of the Buddha's path. Now I give my flesh to fill their bodies; later, when I attain Buddhahood, I will give them the gift of the Dharma to benefit their minds.' Having made this vow, his body dried up and his life ended, and he was immediately reborn in the second heaven, Trāyastriṃśa. The venomous dragon of that time was Śākyamuni Buddha. The hunter of that time was the six teachers, Devadatta and the others. The host of small worms were the eighty thousand devas who attained the path when the wheel of the Dharma was first turned. That the Bodhisattva guarded the precepts, not sparing bodily life, and was resolute without regret—such was the matter.