The great turtle bodhisattva of the jatakas
As you may already know, in ancient times there were merchants who ventured out across the ocean to get precious jewels before returning back to the mainland to sell them.
On one particular trip, a ship with five hundred merchants was returning to port when they were caught in a terrible hurricane.
The boat overturned, throwing all the merchants in the water. Soon the boat sank, leaving very little for the men to hold onto. All five hundred were facing death.
A great sea turtle, having seen this disaster, swam into their midst so that they could hold onto his back and help each other stay afloat.
The turtle bodhisattva used his strength to head for the shore, saving the lives of all these men.
Once on land, he sacrificed his body to 80,000 flies.
Later after becoming a Buddha, he taught the Dharma to the flies, who had been reborn as 80,000 gods, and established them in the vision of the truth.
.....In acknowledgement of the ones who came before, this ancient Buddhist Jataka tale is followed by a Native American myth about the origin of the land we occupy....
Source:
1. Door to Inconceivable Wisdom and Compassion, Sky Dancer Press, 1996
2. Path of Heroes Birth of Enlightenment by Zhechen Gyaltsab Padma Gyurmed Namgyal
Dharma Publishing, 1998