The Story of the Garuḍa Birds and the Dragons—The Dragon Clans Receive the Buddha’s Robe
Once four dragon kings—Breath Inhaler, Great Breath Inhaler, Bear Strength,
and Immeasurable Color—approached the Buddha together and respectfully told Him,
“Honorable Buddha! In the great ocean where we dwell live countless types of
dragons—some with enormous bodies, some tiny, some weak—yet all, without
exception, suffer oppression. What we fear most are the four kinds of giant
Garuḍa birds who prey on dragons and their
families! All the dragon clans in the ocean live in terror day and night. We
humbly beseech the Buddha’s compassionate protection so that we may live in
peace, without constant fear!” After hearing this, the Buddha said nothing but
removed the monk’s robe He was wearing and handed it to the Ocean Dragon King,
saying gently, “Take this Tathāgata’s robe and distribute portions of it among
all the dragon clans. Make certain that everyone receives a portion. Those four
kinds of Garuḍa birds will not be able
to harm any dragon who wears even just a single thread from this Buddha’s robe.
It possesses such great merit and power that the vows made by those who uphold
the precepts will certainly be fulfilled.”
The great dragon kings couldn’t help but
worry privately: “This Buddha’s robe is so small. How could we possibly distribute
portions of it among all the dragons in the ocean?” The Buddha immediately perceived
their doubts and said, “Don’t worry! Even if you take this robe and distribute it
to all the people in the entire trichiliocosm, with every person receiving a
portion, it will never diminish or be exhausted! When you take the robe to
distribute portions of it among all the dragon clans, it will be like infinite
space—naturally continuing to manifest endlessly. This is the Tathāgata’s inconceivable,
supreme merit and power!” Hearing this, the Ocean Dragon Kings’ confidence
surged. They immediately took the robe, divided it into hundreds of thousands
of portions, and distributed the portions to all dragon palaces everywhere. Yet,
regardless of the sizes and distances of the dragon palaces or the number of
dragons, the Buddha’s robe was never exhausted or diminished. At the end, it
remained exactly as it was at the beginning—completely undamaged! The dragon
kings were all filled with wonder.
The Ocean Dragon King then said to the
other dragon kings, “Everyone! Please honor this robe of the Buddha as you
would honor the Buddha Himself and as you would venerate Buddha stupas and
monasteries—with utmost respect and offerings! Why? This robe was worn personally
by the Tathāgata! Seeing this robe is like seeing the Buddha Himself! You must
venerate it, as you would venerate Buddha stupas and monasteries! In the
future, anyone who sincerely makes offerings to this robe will gain as much
merit as when they personally make offerings to the Buddha Himself! There will
be no difference!” After hearing this, the Buddha praised the Ocean Dragon
King: “Well said! Well said! Indeed , making offerings to this robe is equivalent to making offerings to
the Tathāgata. Now, have all the dragons and their wives and descendants
received portions of the robe?” The dragon kings answered in unison, “Yes! We
have all witnessed it with our own eyes!”
The Buddha continued, “I now give you this prophecy: In the future, you will escape your dragon bodies.” In this Fortunate Eon (Bhadrakalpa), except for those dragons who aspire to achieve Buddhahood and practice the Mahayana Bodhisattva path, all other dragons will be able to attain non-attachment of arhatship and finally enter nirvāṇa. Because the Tathāgata remains in the world, if anyone generates even a single thought of goodness, this good karmic connection will definitely guide them on the Path to Buddhahood. It never fails!” All the dragon clans were extremely joyful upon hearing this. They immediately kneeled uniformly before the Buddha and vowed together, “The Buddha’s words are true! Today, you have conferred upon us this prediction and led us toward liberation. From this day onward, all of us in the dragon clan will devoutly take refuge in the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, firmly uphold the precepts, and contemplate and constantly practice the Buddha’s teachings! While the Buddha is still in the world, we will certainly visit and pay homage to Him often, listening to the supreme Dharma. After the Buddha enters nirvāṇa, we will honor His relics with the most solemn offerings! We will never regress!” (Part 1/3)
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