閻羅王五天使者經

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was dwelling in the Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park, in the country of Śrāvastī. The Buddha addressed the bhikṣus:

"Listen well and bear this in mind! With the divine eye I see clearly all people as they live and as they die, going toward the good paths and the evil paths—some being wicked and evil, some being valiant, some being timid, some being born into the good paths, some being born into the evil paths. Whatever deeds people have done, I distinguish and know them all.

If a person does evil with the body, speaks evil words with the mouth, thinks evil thoughts in the mind, slanders the noble and holy ones, holds wrong views and practices wrong conduct, that person at the end of life falls into the evil paths and tumbles into the hells. But the person who does good with the body, speaks good words with the mouth, thinks good thoughts in the mind, praises the noble and holy ones, holds right views and practices right conduct, that person at the end of life is born up among the heavens and among humankind.

"Thus, bhikṣus, with the divine eye I observe at the time when the sky rains, and while the rainwater falls down, I see that as one bubble of water rises up, one bubble of water vanishes away. I see people at the time of death, their consciousness departing and being reborn—some having a beautiful form, some having an ugly form, some being valiant, some being timid; some being born into a place of happiness, some being born into a place of suffering—living of themselves, dying of themselves, no different from bubbles of water.

"Furthermore, it is like a person who takes five-colored thread and strings beads of lapis lazuli. Because the gems are transparent and clear, the blue, yellow, red, white, and black of the thread all appear distinctly. So too I see people at death, their spirit departing and being reborn, in just this way.

Again, it is like in the dark of night, taking a bright maṇi-jewel and hanging it before the gate of a palace: a person standing in one place, watching those who go out and those who come in at the gate, sees them all distinctly. Again, there is a person upon a high tower who, looking down below, sees those coming and those going, those running and those walking on foot, those sitting and those standing, all distinctly.

So too I see people at the time of death, their spirit going forth to take rebirth—whether upright, or ugly and evil, valiant, or timid—according to the deeds they have done; I distinguish and know them clearly."

The Buddha addressed the bhikṣus:

"When a person lives in the world, because of being unfilial to father and mother, not reverencing śramaṇas and seekers of the Way, not practicing benevolence and righteousness, not restraining the mind, not studying the sūtras and precepts, not fearing the life to come—that person, when he dies, his spirit must fall into the hells of King Yama. The messengers then seize him and bring him to report to the king:

"'This is a wicked and evil one. This one has done what is contrary to the Dharma, has been unfilial to father and mother, has not honored śramaṇas and seekers of the Way, has not followed benevolence and righteousness, has been unable to restrain his mind, has had no merit and virtue, and has had no fear of death. It is necessary to make him see his own evil deeds. We humbly beg the Great King to mete out punishment upon them.' Thus King Yama, according to his customary practice, first uses words of admonition, causing five heavenly messengers to appear, in order to use straightforward words to question and examine him:

"'Have you not indeed seen people of the world, when they are little children, falling down upon their own excrement and urine, unable to shelter themselves, their mouths not knowing how to speak, and also not knowing what is good and what is bad?'

The person replied:

"'I have seen this.'

The king said:

"'Do you suppose for yourself that you alone are without this condition? A person's consciousness follows his deeds, and at the end of life there is at once rebirth. Although you have not yet been able to see it, you should constantly do good, making your own body upright, making your own mind upright, making your own intention upright. Why then have you let your mind and intention run loose?'

The person replied:

"'I am indeed a foolish and deluded person, who knew nothing at all, am I not?'

The king said:

"'It is because of your own folly that you did evil. How could this fault have been made by your father and mother, your teacher and elder, the heavenly king, the śramaṇas, or the seekers of the Way? This offense is yours; could it cease merely because you dislike it? Now you must receive its recompense.' This is King Yama causing the first heavenly messenger to appear.

King Yama questioned him again:

"'When you were a person, the messengers of heaven came to you one after another. So could you have known this?'

The person replied:

"'Truly I did not know.'

The king said:

"'Have you seen men and women, when they reach old age, their hair white, their teeth fallen out, gaunt and frail, sickly and weak, their backs bent as they walk, having to lean upon a staff whether standing or sitting?'

The person replied:

"'I have seen this.'

The king said:

"'Do you suppose that you alone will not grow old? Whoever among people has birth must all have old age. You ought, in your time of strength and vigor, to have constantly done good, made upright and dignified your body, mouth, and mind, and reverently practiced the sūtras and precepts. Why then did you let yourself run loose?'

The person replied:

"'I am indeed a foolish and benighted person.'

The king said:

"'It is your own folly that did evil—how could it be the fault of your father and mother, the heavenly king, the śramaṇas, or the seekers of the Way? This offense is yours; could it cease merely because you dislike it? Now you must receive its recompense.' This is King Yama formally instructing him, causing the second heavenly messenger to appear.

King Yama questioned him again:

"'While you were a person, did you not indeed see the men and women of the world, when they were stricken with illness, their bodies suffering and in pain, unable to rest whether standing or sitting, their lives hanging by a thread, the physicians all helpless, unable to rescue and heal them?'

The person replied:

"'I have seen this.'

The king said:

"'Do you suppose that you would not be stricken with illness? When people grow old, they will all have illness. You ought, in your time of strength and vigor, to have diligently done good, reverently practiced the sūtras and precepts, made upright and dignified your body, mouth, and mind. Why then did you let yourself run loose?'

The person replied:

"'I am truly a foolish and benighted one.'

The king said:

"'It is because you are foolish and benighted that you did evil—how could it be the fault of your father and mother, the heavenly king, the śramaṇas, or the seekers of the Way? This offense was done by yourself; could it cease merely because you dislike it? Now you must receive its recompense.' This is King Yama formally instructing him, causing the third heavenly messenger to appear.

King Yama spoke to him again:

"'When you were a person, did you not see the dead of the world, the corpses either buried in the ground or left to decay—from one day up to seven days the skin and flesh becoming putrid and ruined, foxes and the hundred kinds of birds all running to that body to eat it? When a person dies, the body becomes putrid and rotten, utterly loathsome.'

The person replied:

"'Truly I have seen this.'

The king said:

"'Do you suppose that you alone will not die? Whoever among people has life must all have death. You ought, in the world, to have constantly done good, exerting your body, mouth, and mind to reverently practice the sūtras and precepts. Why then did you let yourself run loose?'

The person replied:

"'I am truly a foolish person.'

The king said:

"'You yourself created this evil—how could it be the fault of your father and mother, the heavenly king, the śramaṇas, or the seekers of the Way? This offense was created by you; how could it cease merely because you do not like it? Now you must receive and bear it yourself.' This is King Yama formally teaching and transforming him, causing the fourth heavenly messenger to appear.

King Yama questioned him again:

"'When you were a person, did you not see the wicked and evil ones of the world arrested by the officials, their crimes examined and found such that punishments by law had to be applied to deal with them—either their hands cut off, their feet cut off, or their noses sliced, their ears sliced, beaten with sharpened stakes until skin and flesh were torn, hot sand and seething boiling oil poured upon their bodies, or wrapped in coarse cloth garments and set ablaze, or hung up and roasted over oil in broad daylight, or cut open and carved until their bodies fell apart, or made to suffer the dreadful agony of various poisons?'

The person replied:

"'Truly I have seen this.'

The king said:

"'Do you suppose that you alone would not undergo such cruel tortures? Your eyes have already clearly seen the offenses and the blessings of the world; why then did you not do good, guarding your body, mouth, and mind to reverently practice the sūtra of the Way? Why did you let yourself run loose?'

The person replied:

"'I am truly a foolish person.'

The king said:

"'You yourself used your own mind to do what was not upright and correct; this is not the fault of your father and mother, the heavenly king, the śramaṇas, or the seekers of the Way. Now you must receive this retribution and calamity for your offense; how could it cease merely because you dislike it?' This is King Yama teaching what is upright and correct, appearing as the fifth heavenly messenger.

When the Buddha had finished speaking, the disciples all received His instruction and admonition, and all of them came forward to bow their heads at the feet of the Buddha.

THE BUDDHA SPEAKS THE SŪTRA OF THE FIVE HEAVENLY MESSENGERS OF KING YAMA