經律異相 11.16

11.16

Formerly, the Bodhisattva, together with Ānanda, had finished undergoing their retribution for offenses and each had become a dragon body. One dragon said, 'Only you and I dwell together in the ocean, where there is nothing we have not seen. Could we not go up to the dry land together to roam and play?' [The other] replied, 'Humans on dry land are wicked, and if we encounter something unforeseen, we cannot get away; we must not go out.' The first dragon said again, 'We can transform into small snakes. If there is no one on the road, we can roam the thoroughfare; if we meet humans, we will conceal ourselves. What is there to worry about?' Thereupon they agreed with each other and together went up to roam and look around. Not long after coming out of the water, they encountered on the road a viper harboring poison. When the viper saw the two snakes, it had a malicious thought and wished to harm them, so it spat venomous foam. One snake wanted to kill the venomous viper, but the other snake, with compassionate forbearance, remonstrated with him to stop, saying, 'One who is an eminent person ought to pardon the folly of the masses. To endure what cannot be endured—this is the admonition of the sages.' He then spoke a verse: