法苑珠林 65.53

65.53

又受生經云。昔者菩薩曾為鼈王。生長大海化諸同類。子民群眾皆修仁德。王自奉行慈悲救護。愍於眾生如母愛子。其海深長邊際難限。而悉周至靡不更歷。於時鼈王出於海外。在邊臥息。積有日月其背堅燥。猶如陸地。賈人遠來因止其上。破薪然火炊煮飯食。繫其牛馬車乘載石。皆著其上。鼈王欲趣入水。畏墮不仁。適欲強忍痛不可勝。便設權計入淺水處。除滅火毒不危眾賈。眾賈恐悑。謂潮卒漲。悲哀呼嗟。歸命諸天。唯見救濟。鼈王心益愍之。因報賈人曰。慎莫恐悑。吾被火焚故捨入水。欲令痛息。今當相安。終不相危。眾賈聞之知有活望。俱時發聲言南無佛。鼈興大慈還負眾賈。移在岸邊。眾人得脫靡不歡喜。遙稱鼈王而歎其德。尊為橋梁多所過度。行為大舟超越三界。設得佛道當復救脫生死之厄。鼈王報曰。善哉善哉。當如來言。各自別去。佛言。時鼈王者。我身是也。五百賈人者。今五百弟子舍利弗等是。

Furthermore, the Jātaka-sūtra says: In the past, the Bodhisattva was once a tortoise king, born and raised in the great ocean, transforming his fellow creatures. His subjects and masses all cultivated benevolence and virtue. The king personally practiced compassion and rescue, pitying sentient beings as a mother loves her child. That ocean was deep and vast, its boundaries hard to limit, yet he traveled all around it, experiencing everything. At that time, the tortoise king emerged outside the ocean and lay resting on the edge. Days and months accumulated, and his back became hard and dry, just like dry land. Merchants coming from afar stopped upon it accordingly. They chopped firewood, lit fires, and cooked food; their oxen, horses, carriages, and stones they carried were all placed upon it. The tortoise king wished to hasten into the water, but feared falling into unrighteousness. Just as he was about to force himself to endure it, the pain was unbearable. He then devised a skillful expedient to enter a shallow place in the water, extinguishing the venom of the fire without endangering the merchants. The merchants were terrified, thinking that the tide had suddenly risen. Weeping and crying out, they took refuge in the devas, seeking only salvation. The tortoise king pitied them even more in his heart, and consequently reported to the merchants, saying: "Take care not to be terrified! Because I was burned by fire, I entered the water, wishing to relieve the pain. Now I will make you safe and will never endanger you." When the merchants heard this, they knew there was hope of surviving. Simultaneously raising their voices, they said: "Namo Buddhāya." The tortoise aroused great compassion, carried the merchants on his back again, and moved to the shore. When the people were delivered, there was none who was not joyful. From afar, they praised the tortoise king and extolled his virtue: "Honored as a bridge, crossing over so many; acting as a great vessel, transcending the three realms! If you attain the Buddha path, you should again rescue and deliver [us] from the perils of birth and death." The tortoise king reported, saying: "Excellent, excellent! It shall be as you say." They parted ways. The Buddha said: "Could the tortoise king of that time have been someone else? It was my own person. As for the five hundred merchants, they are my present five hundred disciples, Śāriputra and the others."