菩薩從兜術天降神母胎說廣普經 7.22

7.22

佛告智積菩薩：「善哉，善哉！能問如來甚深之義，今當與汝分別善惡禁戒所趣。諦聽，諦聽！善思念之！吾昔一時無央數劫為金翅鳥王，七寶宮殿後園浴池皆七寶成，遊戲園觀心得自在，所行法則如轉輪聖王。內宮婦女狀如天人，於百千萬劫，時乃入海求龍為食。時彼海中有化生龍子，八日、十四日、十五日，受如來齋八禁戒法，不殺、不盜、不婬、不妄言、綺語、不勸飲酒、不聽作倡伎樂、香花、脂粉、高廣床、非時不食，奉持賢聖八法。時金翅鳥王身長八千由旬，左、右翅各各長四千由旬，大海縱廣三百三十六萬里。金翅鳥以翅斫水取龍，水未合頃銜龍飛出，金翅鳥法，欲食龍時先從尾而吞，到須彌山北有大緣鐵樹，高十六萬里，銜龍至彼欲得食噉，求龍尾不知處，以經日夜。明日龍出尾，語金翅鳥：『化生龍者我身是也，我不持八關齋法者，汝即灰滅我。』金翅鳥聞之悔過自責：『佛之威神甚深難量。我有宮殿去此不遠，共我至彼以相娛樂。』龍即隨金翅鳥至宮殿觀看。『今此眷屬不聞如來八關齋法，唯願指授禁戒威儀，若壽終後得生人中。』爾時龍子具以禁戒法使讀誦，即於鳥王宮而說頌曰：

The Buddha told Jñānākara Bodhisattva: "Excellent, excellent! You are able to ask the Tathāgata about such profound meaning. I will now distinguish for you the good and evil precepts and the destinations to which they lead. Listen closely, listen closely, and reflect upon it well! Once in the past, uncounted kalpas ago, I was a garuḍa king. My seven-jeweled palace, pleasure gardens, and bathing pools were all made of the seven treasures. Roaming through the gardens and parks, my mind was free and at ease, and the rules I followed were like those of a wheel-turning sage king. The women of the inner palace resembled devas. Over hundreds of thousands of myriads of kalpas, I would occasionally enter the sea to seek nāgas for food. At that time, in that ocean, there was a miraculously born young nāga who, on the eighth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days, observed the Tathāgata's uposatha of the eight precepts: not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not lying, not speaking frivolous words, not encouraging the drinking of alcohol, not listening to or performing music and songs, not using fragrant flowers, cosmetics, or high and broad beds, and not eating at improper times—upholding the eight rules of the worthies and sages. At that time, the garuḍa king was eight thousand yojanas in length, with each of his left and right wings being four thousand yojanas long, and the ocean was three million three hundred and sixty thousand li across. The garuḍa cleaved the water with his wings to catch the nāga, and before the water could close again, he flew out with the nāga in his beak. By the custom of garuḍas, when wishing to eat a nāga, they always swallow it tail first. To the north of Mount Sumeru was a great tied-iron tree, sixteen myriad li high. Carrying the nāga in his beak to that place, he wished to eat it, but looking for the nāga's tail, he could not find it, and a whole day and night passed. The next day, the nāga showed his tail and said to the garuḍa: 'The miraculously born nāga is I. Had I not observed the eightfold uposatha precepts, you would have reduced me to ashes.' When the garuḍa heard this, he repented and blamed himself: 'The Buddha's divine power is truly profound and immeasurable! I have a palace not far from here; come with me there so we may delight together.' The nāga then followed the garuḍa to view the palace. [The garuḍa said:] 'My retinue here has not heard the Tathāgata's eightfold uposatha precepts. I pray that you will instruct them in the precepts and proper deportment, so that after their lives end, they may be reborn among humans.' At that time, the young nāga had them recite the precepts in full, and directly in the king of birds' palace, he spoke verses, saying: