經律異相 43.43

43.43

Formerly, there were five hundred merchants who boarded a ship and entered the sea. They encountered a makara fish that poked its head out and opened its mouth, wishing to devour living beings. At that time, there was little wind that day, yet the ship moved like an arrow. The leader, the sārthavāha, said to the people, “The ship is moving too fast; lower the sails!” They lowered them as instructed, but the ship moved even faster and could not be stopped. The sārthavāha asked the man up on the lookout tower, “What do you see?” “I see two suns rising above, white mountains below, and a black mountain in the middle.” The sārthavāha said in alarm, “This is a great fish! What can we do? You and I now face distress; if we enter this fish’s belly, there is no way we can survive. Each of you, single-mindedly pray to whatever deity you serve!” Thereupon, the people each took refuge in what they revered with a single mind, seeking deliverance from this distress. But the more earnest their prayers became, the faster the ship moved. If it did not stop in a moment, it would enter the fish’s mouth. Thereupon, the sārthavāha told the people, “I have a great deity whose title is the Buddha. Each of you should abandon the deity you originally revered and recite his name with a single mind!” Then the five hundred people together raised their voices and cried out, “Namo Buddhāya!” Hearing the Buddha’s name, the fish thought to itself: “In the world today, there is again a Buddha! How could I bear to harm living beings?” It immediately closed its mouth. The waters all flowed backward, and the ship moved far away from the fish. Wholesome thoughts arose in the five hundred merchants, and all obtained deliverance. (From the Za piyu jing, scroll 6.)