經律異相 48.63

48.63

There were dragon kings: the first was named Sucking-Breath, the second Great Sucking-Breath, the third Nengluo, and the fourth Immeasurable-Colour. They said to the Bhagavat: 'In this ocean there are countless kinds of dragons, and there are four kinds of garuḍas that constantly eat the dragons in the ocean. We pray that the Buddha will protect us so that we may obtain peace and security, harbouring no sorrow or fear.' The Bhagavat took off the black robe from his body and said to the sea dragon kings: 'Take this black robe of the Tathāgata and distribute it among all the dragons so that it reaches them completely. If one thread of it is obtained in the great ocean, the garuḍa king will not be able to harm them.' The majestic virtue of what the Buddha established was so inconceivable as this. Thereupon the sea dragon king took the Buddha's robe and distributed it to the dragon kings; according to what they lacked, whether broad or narrow, large or small, it was naturally provided to them, yet the robe remained as before and could never be exhausted. At that time, the sea dragon king told all the dragon kings: 'You must revere this robe just as you revere the Bhagavat, and after his nirvāṇa make offerings to his śarīra and serve the Bhagavat with all implements.' When the four garuḍa kings heard what the Buddha had established, they were terrified, and hurried to where the Buddha was, bowed their heads at his feet, [and asked]: 'Why has the Bhagavat taken away our food?' The Buddha said: 'There are, in all, four kinds of food by which one is consigned to three places. What are the four? First, netting and hunting birds and beasts, harming the flocks of animals, and taking life unlawfully to make food and drink. Second, wielding weapons, knives, and spears to strike, pierce, coerce, shoot, and plunder others' wealth for food and drink. Third, obtaining food through stinginess, greed, flattery, transgressing prohibitions, wrong views, and deceit. Fourth, not being a teacher yet calling oneself a teacher, not being a Bhagavat yet calling oneself a Bhagavat, following the perverse yet calling it correct, not being of quieted will yet calling oneself of quieted will, not being pure yet calling oneself pure, not practicing the pure life yet calling it the pure life, and falsely seeking and obtaining food through self-proclaimed pretense. These are the four kinds of food by which one is consigned to the three evil destinies: hells, hungry ghosts, and animals. The Dharma I teach eradicates these four kinds of food. One should not harm living beings to nourish one's body. If you wish to protect your own body, you should protect others; be careful not to do what ought not to be done.' At that time, each of the four garuḍa kings, together with a thousand attendants, said to the Buddha: 'From this day forward, we take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha. We confess and repent our past transgressions and faults. Beginning today, we shall uphold the prohibitions and precepts, bestow fearlessness upon all dragon kings, protect the true Dharma until the Buddha's teaching has endured to the end, and follow the way and the Dharma until the complete cessation without disobeying the Buddha's teaching.' (Extracted from the fourth fascicle of the Sea Dragon King Sūtra)