經律異相 11.55

11.55

In the past, the Bodhisattva was once a king of turtles. Born and raised in the great sea, he transformed his fellows, so that his subjects and folk all cultivated benevolence and virtue. The king himself practiced kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, pitying sentient beings as a mother loves her child. That sea was so deep and vast that its boundaries were hard to determine, yet he traversed all of it, leaving nowhere unvisited. At that time, the turtle king emerged beyond the sea and rested on the shore for many days and months. His back became dry and hard, just like dry land. Merchants coming from afar stopped upon it, chopped firewood, kindled a fire, and cooked their meals. They tethered their oxen and horses, and placed their carts and loaded goods all upon him. The turtle king wished to head into the water, but feared the merchants would fall in. Just as he tried to endure it with all his might, the pain became unbearable. He then devised an expedient: he entered a shallow place, quenching the heat of the fire without endangering the merchants. The merchants were terrified, thinking the tide had suddenly surged; lamenting and sighing, they took refuge in the deities: Śakra, Brahmā, the Four Kings, the sun and moon spirits, saying, 'We pray that through your majestic virtue you will save us!' The turtle king felt even greater pity for them, and so told the merchants, 'Do not be afraid. Having been burned by fire, I entered the water only to quell the pain. I shall now set you at ease, and will never bring harm upon you.' Hearing this, the merchants knew they had hope of surviving. With one voice, they called out, 'Homage to the Buddha!' The turtle gave rise to great compassion, carried the merchants back, and moved them to the shore. The people, having escaped, were all filled with joy. Bowing toward the turtle king from afar, they praised his virtue: 'Honoured as a bridge, you carry many across; acting as a great vessel, you ferry them across the three realms. When you attain the Buddha way, please rescue and deliver us again from the perils of birth and death.' The turtle king replied, 'Excellent, excellent! It shall be as you say.' Then each went their separate ways. The Buddha said, 'The turtle king of that time was myself. The five hundred merchants were the five hundred disciples such as Śāriputra and the others.' (Extracted from the fourth fascicle of the Sheng jing.)