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<p>Sagara is a prominent nagaraja or dragon king in Mahayana Buddhism. His name comes from the Sanskrit word meaning “ocean.” Character: Sagara is listed among the Eight Naga Kings and is one of sixteen that are spared from the assault of the garudas. His frequent inclusion of Sagara among the several groups of protective deities in Buddhism is a direct reference to the nagas and his role as one of their primary leaders. He is listed among the 28 guardians of the thousand-armed Avalokitesvara. The Avataṃsaka Sutra reveals that he is the naga that presides over the world's supply of rain. In East Asian art, he is often depicted with a reddish white complexion and assumes a posture of great authority. In his left hand he holds a snake or dragon and in his right hand he wields a sword. He wears a crown that consists of five snakes. Undersea Palace: Sagara's palace lays at the bottom of the ocean and is the setting of several Mahayana sutras. It is 84,000 yojanas in length and width with an array of decorations that are seven-fold, including walls, banisters, jeweled nets and seven rows of trees. The palace is adorned with the seven treasures and is filled with the song of innumerable birds. Literature: King Sagara appears extensively throughout the Buddhist canon. His name often appears in enumerations of dragon kings that appear among Sakyamuni Buddha's audience. On other occasions, he is a central figure who participates in conversation with the Buddha and bodhisattvas and elucidates matters in the realm of the nagas. Lotus Sutra: Chapter 12 of the Lotus Sutra contains the well-known episode of Sagara's daughter, known simply as nagakanya ("naga maiden"), whose transformation allows her to procure the male body of a bodhisattva, followed by becoming a fully enlightened Buddha. This event was preceded by Manjusri's visit to Sagara's ocean palace, where he taught the Lotus Sutra to the nagas. Lalitavistara Sutra: Sagara makes a few appearances in the Lalitavistara Sutra. He is one among six naga kings who make the aspiration to venerate the bodhisattva Siddhartha with clouds and rain of sandalwood powder. When Siddhartha discarded the golden bowl provided by Sujata, Sagara took it from the bottom of the Nairanjana River and later gave it to Sakra to be enshrined among the gods in Trayastrimsa. Towards the end of the story, the Buddha is described as having a rumbling voice like that of one of Sagara's thunderclouds. Sutra on the Questions of the Naga King Sagara Three extant versions of this sutra exist in both the Tibetan Kangyur and the Taisho Tripiṭaka Known in Sanskrit as the Sagaranagarajapariprccha Sutra, all three texts are vastly different from each other regarding their content. The shortest text opens with the Buddha residing in Sagara's ocean palace accompanied by an audience of 1,250 monks. The Buddha addresses Sagara and teaches him that speaking the Four Dharma Seals is synonymous with speaking the 84,000 methods of teaching the Dharma.</p>
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