菩薩從兜術天降神母胎說廣普經 7.22

7.22

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: