Then the dragon, having coiled himself round the rock, shouted with a great voice: "Ze-shio metsu-po!" ("All living things are antagonistic to the law of Buddha!")
After uttering these words the dragon was silent for some time. Then the Lord Buddha begged to hear yet another sentence.
"Shio-metsu metsu-i!" ("All living things must die!") shouted the dragon.
At these words the dragon looked up at the Lord Buddha, and upon his dreadful countenance there was an expression of extreme hunger.
The dragon then informed the Lord Buddha that the next truth was the last, and so precious that he could not reveal it until his hunger had been appeased.
At this the Holy One remarked that he would deny the dragon nothing so long as he heard the fourth truth revealed, and inquired of the dragon what he demanded. When the Lord Buddha heard that human flesh was what the dragon required in exchange for his last precious fragment of wisdom, the Master informed the dragon that his religion forbade the destruction of life, but that he would, for the welfare of his people, sacrifice his own body.
The dragon opened his great mouth and said: "Jaku-metsu I-raku!" ("The greatest happiness is experienced after the soul has left the body!")
The Lord Buddha bowed, and then sprang into the gaping mouth of the dragon.
No sooner had the Holy One touched the jaws of the monster than they suddenly divided into eight parts, and in a moment changed into the eight petals of the Golden Lotus.
The Bronze Buddha of Kamakura and the Whale[1]