Mucalinda- Buddhist DragonDragon"Naga King"
Also known as: Mucilinda
Description
During the weeks after his enlightenment, the Buddha sat beside a lake when a storm broke that would not stop. Mucalinda, king of the nagas, rose from the water, wrapped his coils seven times around the Buddha's body, and spread his seven-headed hood against the rain.
Mythology & Lore
The Shelter at the Lake
The Buddha had been sitting near Bodh Gaya for weeks after his enlightenment, moving between the Bodhi tree and the surrounding groves in silent contemplation. During the sixth week, he came to Mucalinda's lake and sat in meditation at its edge.
A storm rolled in out of season. Cold wind and driving rain fell for seven days without stopping. Mucalinda rose from the water beneath the lake, coiled his serpent body around the Buddha seven times to form a living wall against the cold, and spread his great cobra hood, seven heads wide, over the Buddha's head like an umbrella. The Buddha did not move. He sat absorbed in the bliss of liberation while the storm raged around the naga's body.
When the rain broke and the skies opened, Mucalinda unwound his coils and transformed himself into a young man. He bowed before the Buddha. The Udana records what the Buddha said: a verse on solitude and contentment, declaring that one who has reached the end of suffering dwells in bliss whether sheltered or exposed. He did not thank the naga king. He did not need to. The shelter had been freely given, and the teaching was its own return.
Relationships
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