Dragons and the Dona Sutta ("I am awake")

Though there aren't many references to dragons in Zen teachings, other than a few old legends, there are images of dragons in nearly every temple I've visited in Korea and "Yong"(Chinese for "dragon") is commonly used in combination with another character in the names of temples and even monks.

In the Pali Canon, I don't think there is any mention of dragons at all, but there is "naga" which could mean either a great elephant or a great, magical serpent, which actually isn't that different from the Chinese concept of a dragon. It also was adopted as a term to describe the Buddha and his arahant disciples.

Here is the interesting Dona Sutta, from Access to insight, in which the Buddha is refered to as a "naga" but in the end rejects any attempts at being defined, other than, simply, "I am awake."

Dona Sutta

On one occasion the Blessed One was traveling along the road between Ukkattha and Setabya, and Dona the brahman was also traveling along the road between Ukkattha and Setabya. Dona the brahman saw, in the Blessed One's footprints, wheels with 1,000 spokes, together with rims and hubs, complete in all their features. On seeing them, the thought occurred to him, "How amazing! How astounding! These are not the footprints of a human being!"

Then the Blessed One, leaving the road, went to sit at the root of a certain tree — his legs crossed, his body erect, with mindfulness established to the fore. Then Dona, following the Blessed One's footprints, saw him sitting at the root of the tree: confident, inspiring confidence, his senses calmed, his mind calmed, having attained the utmost control & tranquility, tamed, guarded, his senses restrained, a naga. On seeing him, he went to him and said, "Master, are you a deva?"

"No, brahman, I am not a deva."

"Are you a gandhabba?"

"No..."

"... a yakkha?"

"No..."

"... a human being?"

"No, brahman, I am not a human being."

"When asked, 'Are you a deva?' you answer, 'No, brahman, I am not a deva.' When asked, 'Are you a gandhabba?' you answer, 'No, brahman, I am not a gandhabba.' When asked, 'Are you a yakkha?' you answer, 'No, brahman, I am not a yakkha.' When asked, 'Are you a human being?' you answer, 'No, brahman, I am not a human being.' Then what sort of being are you?"

"Brahman, the fermentations by which — if they were not abandoned — I would be a deva: Those are abandoned by me, their root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising. The fermentations by which — if they were not abandoned — I would be a gandhabba... a yakkha... a human being: Those are abandoned by me, their root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising.

"Just like a red, blue, or white lotus — born in the water, grown in the water, rising up above the water — stands unsmeared by the water, in the same way I — born in the world, grown in the world, having overcome the world — live unsmeared by the world. Remember me, brahman, as 'awakened.'

"The fermentations by which I would go

to a deva-state,

or become a gandhabba in the sky,

or go to a yakkha-state & human-state:

Those have been destroyed by me,

ruined, their stems removed.

Like a blue lotus, rising up,

unsmeared by water,

unsmeared am I by the world,

and so, brahman,

I'm awake."