法苑珠林 27.23

27.23

如智度論云。有大力毒龍。以眼視人弱者即死。以氣噓人強者亦死。時龍受一日戒。出家入林樹間。思惟坐久疲懈而睡。龍法眠時形狀如蛇。七寶雜色。獵者見之驚喜言曰。以此希有難得之皮。獻上國王以為船舫。不亦宜乎。便以杖案其頭刀剝其皮。龍自念言。我力能傾國土。此一小物。豈能困我。我今以持戒故不計此身。當從佛語。自忍閉目不視。閉氣不喘。憐愍此人。為持戒故一心受剝不生悔意。既以失皮赤肉在地。時日大熱宛轉土中。欲趣大水見諸小蟲來食其身。為持戒故不復敢動。自思惟言。今我此身以施諸蟲。為佛道故。今以肉施以充其身。後以法施以益其心。身乾命終即生忉利天上。畜生尚能堅持禁戒。至死不犯。況復於人。寧容故犯。

As the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra says: There was a venomous dragon of great strength. If it looked at a person with its eyes, the weak would immediately die; if it blew its breath at a person, even the strong would die. At that time, the dragon undertook the one-day precepts, left home, and entered among the forest trees. Having sat in contemplation for a long time, it grew weary and fell asleep. By the nature of dragons, when sleeping, its form was like a snake, variegated with the seven precious gems. A hunter saw it and said in joyful surprise, 'If I present this rare and hard-to-find skin to the king to use for boats, would that not be fitting?' He then pressed down its head with a staff and stripped off its skin with a knife. The dragon thought to itself, 'My strength is capable of overturning the country. How could this one little creature bring me distress? Because I now uphold the precepts, I do not consider this body, but should follow the Buddha's words.' Enduring it, it closed its eyes and did not look, held its breath and did not pant. Pitying this man, for the sake of upholding the precepts it single-mindedly suffered the flaying without giving rise to regret. After having lost its skin, its raw red flesh lay on the ground. At that time the sun was intensely hot, and it wriggled in the dirt. Intending to head toward a large body of water, it saw small insects coming to eat its body. For the sake of upholding the precepts, it dared not move again, and thought to itself, 'Now I give this body in charity to these insects for the sake of the Buddha-path. Now I give my flesh in charity to fill their bodies; later I will give the Dharma in charity to benefit their minds.' When its body dried up and its life ended, it was immediately reborn in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. If an animal can still resolutely uphold the prohibitory precepts and not violate them even unto death, how much more so for humans? How could intentional transgression be tolerated?