法苑珠林 92.19

92.19

又僧護經云。爾時舍衛國中有五百商人。共立誓言。欲入大海。商人共議求覓法師將入大海。時聞法利可得往還。眾中有一長者。告諸商人。我有門師名曰僧護。可請為師。辯才多智。甚能說法。時諸商人往到僧護所。頭面作禮。白言。我等欲入大海。今請大德作說法師。我等聞法可得往還。僧護答曰。可白和尚舍利弗。商人受教往白。舍利弗言。可共問佛。時舍利弗及僧護。將諸商人詣佛禮已。具白所由。爾時世尊知僧護比丘廣度眾生。即便聽許。時諸商人踊躍歡喜。即與僧護法師俱入大海。未至寶所。龍王捉住。時諸商人甚大驚悑。胡跪合掌而仰問言。是何神祇而捉船住。若欲所須應現身形。爾時龍王忽然現身。時諸商人即便問曰。欲何所索。龍王答曰。以此僧護比丘與我。商人答曰。從佛世尊及舍利弗所。而請將來。云何得與龍王答曰。若不與我盡沒殺汝。時諸商人即大驚悑。尋自思惟。曾於佛所聞如是偈言。

Furthermore, the Saṃgharakṣita-sūtra states: At that time in the country of Śrāvastī there were five hundred merchants who together made an oath, wishing to enter the great ocean. The merchants conferred together to seek out a Dharma master to take into the ocean: 'At that time we can hear the benefits of the Dharma and safely make the journey.' Among the assembly there was an elder who told the merchants, 'I have a family preceptor named Saṃgharakṣita; we may invite him as our master. He is eloquent and vastly wise, and very capable of preaching the Dharma.' The merchants then went to Saṃgharakṣita's place, bowed their heads in homage, and said, 'We wish to enter the great ocean; now we invite the Venerable One to be our preaching Dharma master. By hearing the Dharma we may safely make the journey.' Saṃgharakṣita replied, 'You may inform the preceptor Śāriputra.' Receiving this instruction, the merchants went to inform him. Śāriputra said, 'We should ask the Buddha together.' Then Śāriputra and Saṃgharakṣita took the merchants to the Buddha, paid homage, and explained the reasons in detail. At that time the World-Honored One, knowing that the bhikṣu Saṃgharakṣita would broadly deliver sentient beings, immediately granted permission. The merchants were overjoyed and danced with delight, and then entered the great ocean together with the Dharma master Saṃgharakṣita. Before reaching the place of jewels, a dragon king seized and stopped [the ship]. The merchants were greatly frightened and terrified; kneeling on their right knees with palms joined, they looked up and asked, 'What deity is seizing and stopping the ship? If you have need of something, please reveal your bodily form.' Then the dragon king suddenly revealed his body. The merchants then asked, 'What do you seek?' The dragon king replied, 'Give me this bhikṣu Saṃgharakṣita.' The merchants replied, 'We requested him from the Buddha, the World-Honored One, and from Śāriputra, and brought him along; how could we give him to you?' The dragon king replied, 'If you do not give him to me, I will drown and kill you all.' The merchants were greatly terrified and immediately reflected, having once heard from the Buddha a verse such as this: