Garuda, known as the Big Bird with Golden Wings in China, is the king of birds. In the chapter of Free and Easy Wandering in the Chinese Classic of Zhuangzi, it is written: In the Northern Darkness, there is a fish and his name is Kun. He changes and becomes a bird whose name is Peng. When he rises 90 thousand miles up and flies off,his wings are like clouds all over the sky.His wings were so big and it seemed that when they unfolded the whole sky was carried on his back. It was very imposing. In India there were some record regarding this kind of bird. It is said that garuda eat nothing but dragons. A garuda consumes over 500 dragons for every meal like we eat noodles. When the Buddha was alive,the dragon king of the East Ocean complained to the Buddha: ＂My children are indanger of extinction due to the threat of garuda. We are in imminent danger.What shall we do, World Honoured One? Please save us!＂ The Buddha gave a thread from his cassock to the king and asked him tie it to the horn of every dragon. What a miracle it was that the thread was inexhaustible even after every dragon had one knot on their horns. When garuda came for hunting them again, it did not dare to catch any of them because it saw a cassock of Buddha around the horn of each dragon.
The garuda was unhappy this time, so he appealed to the Buddha: we have taken dragons as food since birth. Now you protect them with your cassock,we dare not eat them, then have all the garuda to starve to death? Buddha comforted the garuda, ‘Don’tworry. I have numerous disciples. I will ask them to offer food and chant spells to feed you when they take meals. You don’t have to hunt for dragons in the sea any more. Instead, you can stand at the peak of Sumeru to take the offering as the illusory food given by my disciples.’ Therefore, we monks and nuns always take out a small portion of the lunch to serve garuda and other spirits and chant for them as follows: garuda, ghosts and spirits in the wild,as well as demons and the deva-mother of demons, here comes endless nectar and food, Om Moo Dee Suo Ha. Otherwise, if the garuda were to starve to death, its huge body would destroy the earth when it falls from the sky.

　　迦楼罗，中国叫大鹏金翅鸟，是鸟中之王。中国古书———庄子的《逍遥游》记载：＂北门有鱼为鲲，鲲化为鸟为鹏，鲲鹏展翅，扶摇直上九万里，背负青天。＂它展开翅膀，就像把天背在它的背上一样，那么大，非常有气势。印度也有记载，说有一种鸟叫迦楼罗，就是我们说的大鹏金翅鸟，这种鸟专门吃龙，一顿要吃五百条龙，吃龙就像吃面条一样。佛在世的时候，东海龙王等四大龙王都到佛那里去诉苦：世尊啊，您大慈大悲，我的龙子龙孙都快被大鹏金翅鸟给吃完了，我们的命朝不保夕了，怎么办啊？您是一切智者，您给我们想个办法吧。世尊就抽出袈裟的一缕丝交给龙王说：你把这个拿去，系在每条龙的龙角上。看上去是一缕丝，可怎么分也分不完，结果所有的龙角上都系了袈裟的一缕丝。大鹏金翅鸟一拍翅膀又来了，一看，每条龙的头上都有一件佛的袈裟，再也不敢下手去抓了。
　　这下大鹏金翅鸟王又不高兴了，它也来找世尊：佛陀啊，我本来是以龙为食的，现在您用袈裟护着它们，我不敢吃了，我们难道就这样饿死吗？世尊说：你不要担心，我的弟子很多，他们吃饭的时候，我让他们出食念咒供养你们，你也不必跑到大海里去找龙了，你站在须弥山顶就受到我弟子的意幻食供养了。所以我们出家人午斋时都要先出食，拿一个刀一个手出去供食，心里面还要默念偈咒：＂大鹏金翅鸟，旷野鬼神众，罗刹鬼子母，甘露悉充满，唵穆帝娑诃。＂不然大鹏金翅鸟要饿死了，它们＂砰砰砰＂掉下来能把地球都砸扁了。（传喜法师）