釋門自鏡錄 1.57

1.57

昔西域健馱羅國有阿羅漢。常受大雪山頂池中龍王請入宮供養。每至中食以神通力。并坐繩床。凌虛而往。有侍者沙彌。密於繩床之下。攀援潛至龍宮。龍王因請留食。以天甘露飯。供養羅漢。以人間味。而饌沙彌。羅漢飯已沙彌滌器。器有餘粒。駭其香味。即恨師忿龍。便起惡願。願所有福力。於今悉現斷此龍命。我自為王。沙彌發是願時龍王已覺頭痛矣。龍雖悔謝沙彌不受。既還至伽藍。更至誠發願。惡業所致。是夜命終為大龍王。威猛奮發遂來入池。殺龍王居龍宮。有其部屬。以宿願故興暴風雨。摧拔樹木。欲壞伽藍。時迦膩色迦王怪而發問。其阿羅漢具以白王。王即為龍。於雪山下立伽藍。并起塔高百餘尺。龍每壞之。王恒修復。凡成壞七返。王恥之將填龍池。龍懼而謝曰。我以惡業受身為龍。龍性猛暴不能自持。今若更立伽藍。不敢摧毀。可每遣一人候望山頂。黑雲若起急即鳴鐘。我聞其聲。惡心當息。至今不絕焉。

Anciently, in the country of Gandhāra in the Western Regions, there was an arhat who was constantly invited by the dragon king of the lake atop the great snowy mountain to enter the palace and receive offerings. Each day at midday, using his supernatural powers, he sat upon a rope-bed and flew through the air to go there. He had an attendant novice who secretly clung beneath the rope-bed and surreptitiously arrived at the dragon palace. The dragon king consequently invited him to stay and eat, offering heavenly ambrosial food to the arhat, but serving human flavors to the novice. When the arhat finished eating, the novice washed the utensils. There were leftover grains in the vessel, and he was astonished by their fragrance and flavor. He immediately resented his teacher and grew furious with the dragon, giving rise to an evil vow: "May whatever power of merit I possess now fully manifest to end the life of this dragon, and may I myself become the king!" When the novice made this vow, the dragon king already felt a headache. Although the dragon apologized, the novice would not accept it. After returning to the saṅghārāma, he renewed his vow with complete sincerity. Caused by this evil karma, he died that night and became a great dragon king. Bursting with fierce power, he then entered the lake, killed the dragon king, occupied the dragon palace, and possessed his followers. Because of his former vow, he raised violent wind and rain, uprooting trees, wishing to destroy the saṅghārāma. At that time, King Kaniṣka marveled at this and inquired, and the arhat reported everything to the king. The king then founded a saṅghārāma for the dragon beneath the snowy mountain and erected a stūpa over one hundred feet high. Each time the dragon destroyed it, the king consistently repaired it; it was completed and destroyed seven times in all. Shamed by this, the king was about to fill in the dragon's lake. The dragon became frightened, apologized, and said, "Because of evil karma, I have received a dragon's body; a dragon's nature is fierce and violent, and cannot restrain itself. If you build the saṅghārāma again now, I will not dare destroy it. You may continually send one person to keep watch atop the mountain; if black clouds arise, ring the bell immediately. When I hear its sound, my evil thoughts will subside." Even to this day, it has not ceased.