法苑珠林 76.18

76.18

Furthermore, the Sūtra of the Hundred Avadānas says: At that time, when the World-Honoured One had first attained Buddhahood, wishing to convert and guide the dragon kings, he proceeded to the foot of Mount Sumeru. Manifesting the form of a monk, he sat upright and contemplated. At that time there was a king of the garuḍas who entered the great ocean, seized a small dragon, and returned to the summit of Sumeru, intending to devour it. At that time, that small dragon's life was not yet severed. Seeing the monk sitting upright and contemplating from afar, it earnestly sought pity with all its heart, and thereupon immediately died. It was born into a brāhmaṇa family in the kingdom of Śrāvastī, named Fuliduo (Bhuridatta). He was handsome and refined, rarely seen in the world. For this reason, they gave him the name Subhūti. As he grew older, he was wise and intelligent, with none who could equal him. However, his nature was extremely wicked: whenever his eyes beheld human beings or animals, he would become angry and scold them without ever ceasing. His parents and relatives all shared a disgust and aversion toward him, and none took pleasure in seeing him. Thereupon he abandoned his home and entered into the mountain forests. Yet even seeing birds, beasts, grass, or trees shaken and swayed by the wind, he would still give rise to wrath, never possessing a joyful heart. At that time, a mountain spirit spoke to Subhūti, saying: "Why have you now abandoned your home and come here into this mountain forest? Since you do not cultivate goodness, there is no benefit and you vainly exhaust and afflict yourself. Presently, the World-Honoured One is in the Jetavana. He possesses great merit and is able to instruct sentient beings to cultivate the good and sever the bad. If you go to him now, he will certainly be able to eliminate your venomous poison of wrath." At that time, Subhūti, hearing the words of the mountain spirit, immediately gave rise to joy. He quickly asked him, saying: "Where is the World-Honoured One now?" [The spirit] answered, saying: "You only need to close your eyes, and I will personally take you to the World-Honoured One's place." At that time, Subhūti followed the mountain spirit's words and closed his eyes. In an instant, unconsciously, he was naturally in the Jetavana. Seeing the Buddha, the World-Honoured One, with the thirty-two marks and eighty minor signs, his radiance shining everywhere like hundreds of thousands of suns, his heart was filled with joy. He stepped forward, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and withdrew to sit on one side. The Buddha then explained to him the faults and evils of wrath: foolish afflictions burn away the roots of goodness and increase manifold evils; in the future, one receives the retribution of falling into hell and undergoing torment beyond reckoning; even if one should be freed, one may become a dragon, serpent, rākṣasa, or ghost and spirit, with a heart perpetually bearing venom, mutually harming and destroying one another. At that time, when Subhūti heard the World-Honoured One speak these words, his heart was alarmed and his hair stood on end. He immediately repented and reproached himself, confessing his transgressions and faults before the Buddha. All at once he attained the fruit of a stream-enterer (srotāpanna). His heart was filled with joy; having entered the stages of the Path, the Buddha then permitted him [saying]: "Welcome, bhikṣu!" His beard and hair fell off naturally, and the kāṣāya was draped upon his body; he thereby became a śramaṇa. Diligently cultivating and practicing, he attained the fruit of an arhat, revered and looked up to by the devas and worldly people. At that time, when the monks saw this matter, they requested [the Buddha] to recount the past causes. The Buddha told the monks: "In this Bhadrakalpa, there was a Buddha who appeared in the world named Kāśyapa. In his Dharma there was a monk who constantly engaged in encouraging and converting [people]. For ten thousand years, he led the monks everywhere to receive offerings. At a later time, the Saṃgha had a minor matter and in the end did not comply with him. Thereupon he uttered wicked abuse: 'You are perverse and refractory, just like venomous dragons!' Having spoken these words, he immediately went away. Due to this karmic cause, he received the body of a venomous dragon for five hundred lifetimes, his heart constantly bearing venom and troubling sentient beings. Although he has now obtained a human body, his past habits have not been eradicated, which is why he gave rise to wrath again." The Buddha told the monks: "Do you wish to know who the monk who encouraged and converted [people] and abused them with harsh speech was at that time? He was this present Subhūti. Because he made offerings to the Saṃgha at that time, he is now able to encounter me, leave home, and attain the Path." Having heard this, the monks joyfully took it to heart.