佛說罪業應報教化地獄經

Thus indeed have I heard: At one time the Buddha, together with the great bodhisattvas, the śrāvakas, bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, upāsikās, devas, nāgas, demons and spirits, and so forth, were assembled upon Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa in the city of Rājagṛha.

At that time the Bodhisattva Faithful Marks (Śraddhā-lakṣaṇa) addressed the Buddha:

— World-Honored One! Today there are gathered here very many sentient beings of the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, slaves and servants, and people rich and poor, noble and lowly, all assembled in this place. We humbly beseech the World-Honored One to expound the true Dharma. Should any sentient being hear the Buddha's teaching, it would be like a child meeting its mother, like one gravely ill meeting a physician, like the hungry finding food, like the dark night finding a bright lamp. The World-Honored One expounding the Dharma to benefit and gladden the multitude of beings is likewise such.

At that time the World-Honored One, perceiving that the time was right, and seeing also the earnest entreaty of the bodhisattvas, then from the white tuft of hair between his brows emitted light that illuminated the whole world, causing all the torments in the realms of the hells to cease at once. Thereupon, all the sentient beings undergoing punishment suddenly followed that light to the place of the Buddha, circumambulated the Buddha seven times, reverently bowed their heads in homage, and with utmost sincerity entreated the Buddha to expound the Dharma so that all might attain liberation.

At that time the Bodhisattva Faithful Marks, on behalf of the sentient beings, addressed the Buddha:

— World-Honored One! There are now sentient beings who must undergo the retribution of their offenses, being stabbed and hacked by the wardens of hell, sawn and cleaved over their whole bodies, from head to foot. But as soon as the hacking and cutting is finished, at once a cold wind blows across their corpses, bringing them back to life, after which they are again hacked and cut as before. By committing what offense must they undergo such a thing?

The Buddha then taught:

— Because in a former life, that person did not know to revere and trust the Three Jewels, was unfilial to father and mother, and worked as a butcher hacking and slaying sentient beings; therefore he undergoes this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings whose bodies are paralyzed, whose beard and hair have all fallen out, whose whole body is covered with festering sores, who dwell in crows' nests and sleep in deer dens, where the footprints of people are cut off, who defile their kinsfolk and whom no one wishes to look upon — this is leprosy. By what offense is it brought about?

The Buddha taught:

— It is because in a former life, that person did not know to revere and trust the Three Jewels, was unfilial to father and mother, destroyed temples and stūpas, flayed the flesh of practitioners of the Way, shot and hacked the worthy and the holy, harmed teachers and elders, was ever fickle and treacherous of heart, forgot kindness and betrayed righteousness, was crude and surly, defiled the high and the low in licentious disorder, without the slightest restraint; therefore he undergoes this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings whose bodies are tall and large, who are foolish and deaf, who have no legs, who move about upon their bellies, who eat only earth and mud to nourish themselves, who are moreover bitten and gnawed by all kinds of insects, in extreme pain that cannot be borne. By what offense is this?

The Buddha then taught:

— In a former life that person knew only to regard himself as right, did not heed good words and fine counsel, was unfilial to father and mother, and rebelled against his sovereign. Or he was a great minister of the king, a regional inspector governing the four quarters, the chief official of a province or district, a general guarding the palace precincts, who relied upon his power and leaned upon his position, seizing the wealth and goods of the people, knowing nothing of the principles of the Way, causing all the people to suffer hardship, to lament and to flee away; therefore he incurs this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings who are blind and cannot see anything, so that they collide with trees or fall into pits, and afterward their lives come to an end; then they take up another body and are likewise afflicted. By what offense is this?

The Buddha then taught:

— This person in a former life did not believe in offense and merit, covered over the light of the Buddha, blindfolded the eyes of birds and beasts, bound and confined sentient beings, and then took leather bags and covered over their heads; therefore he incurs this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings who are crippled, mute and stammering, unable to speak, who, if they wish to say anything, must close their eyes and stretch out their hands to make signs. By what offense is this?

The Buddha taught, saying:

— It is because in a former life, that person slandered the Three Jewels, scorned and reviled the holy Way, discoursed upon the good and bad of others, picked apart the merits and faults of others, falsely accused good people, and was envious of the worthy; therefore he incurs this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings whose bellies are large and whose throats are narrow, who are unable to eat or drink, and who, if they eat anything, find that the food at once turns into blood and pus. By what offense is this?

The Buddha taught:

It is because in a former life, that person stole the food of the Saṃgha, or in hidden places committed theft, secretly used the food at great assemblies of almsgiving, and moreover was stingy and grudging of his own goods and property while greedily coveting the property of others, and ever harboring an evil heart, used poison to kill and harm people; therefore he incurs this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings who are constantly seized by the wardens of hell, who take iron nails heated red-hot and drive them into all the joints of their bones. As soon as the driving is finished, fire blazes up and burns, and their whole bodies are utterly consumed. By what offense is this?

The Buddha taught:

It is because in a former life, that person worked as a physician giving acupuncture and moxibustion to people, but the illness was not cured, while he yet defrauded them of money, causing them ever greater pain and grief; therefore he incurs this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings who are constantly seized by ox-headed wardens of hell, who use iron tridents to skewer them and cast them into cauldrons of water boiling and bubbling violently, to be boiled until they fall apart. Then a cold wind blows across them, bringing them back to life, and again they continue to be boiled until they fall apart. By what offense is this?

The Buddha then taught:

— In a former life this person followed wrong views, worshipped demons and spirits, killed and harmed sentient beings, poured boiling water over their bodies to pluck out their fur, then cast them into cauldrons of boiling water to cook — beyond all reckoning; therefore he incurs this punishment.

— Again there are sentient beings within a city of fire, where hot coals rise up to their chests, and though all four gates of the city stand fully open, yet when they wish to run out, the gates at once close. They run everywhere about, but cannot get out, and are burned by the fire. By what offense is this?

The Buddha taught:

— In a former life, that person set fire to the rivers, mountains, and villages of others, scorched and roasted sentient beings, blistering their bodies and peeling away their skin; therefore he incurs this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings within the Snow Mountains, where a cold wind blows upon them causing their flesh and skin to crack and split, who wish to die but cannot. By what offense is this?

The Buddha taught:

— It is because in a former life, that person was a fierce and violent, cruel and tyrannical bandit, who stripped and tore away people's clothing, causing them to freeze to death in the bitter cold of winter; and moreover he flayed the skin from living oxen, sheep, and goats, causing them endless pain; therefore he incurs this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings who must constantly dwell upon mountains of knives and forests of swords, who, as soon as they touch them, are at once cut through, their bodies shattered to pieces. By what offense is this?

The Buddha taught:

— In a former life, that person worked in the butcher's trade, boiling and cooking, cutting and chopping, flaying and tearing sentient beings, causing their bones to break and their flesh to shred, their heads parted in one place and their legs fallen in another, then hanging them up on high to weigh and sell. Or again he hung up living creatures, causing them pain beyond all telling; therefore he incurs this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings who lack the complete five faculties.[1] By what offense is this?

The Buddha taught:

— It is because in a former life, this person loosed hawks and hunting dogs to chase and catch the various birds and beasts, and then cut off their heads, cut off their legs, and plucked out their feathers; therefore he incurs this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings whose legs are drawn up, whose backs are bent, who bend and stretch with difficulty, whose feet are lame and whose hands are crooked, unable to grasp and hold, and unable also to walk. By what offense is this?

The Buddha then taught:

— It is because in a former life he was a person fierce, cruel, and vicious, who on the roads of travel either planted spikes, set arrows, dug pits, and laid traps, so that sentient beings fell into the pits and tumbled into the holes, causing them to have their heads broken and their legs snapped, injured beyond number; therefore he incurs this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings who are constantly bound and tied up in body by the wardens of hell, unable to escape. By what offense is this?

The Buddha then taught:

— It is because in a former life, that person spread out nets to catch sentient beings, imprisoned people and caged beasts, causing them hunger and thirst, suffering and pain in the extreme. Or he was a chancellor, or was a district magistrate, who greedily took money and goods, oppressed good people, while the cries of grievance reached to heaven yet still he was not satisfied; therefore he incurs this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings who are mad and deluded, foolish and dull, not knowing good from bad. By what offense is this?

The Buddha taught:

— It is because in a former life, that person was often given to drinking wine to drunkenness, committing the thirty-six faults; therefore now he takes on a body foolish and dull, like a drunken person who knows neither high nor low, who cannot distinguish right from wrong; therefore he must fall into the hell of Boiling Excrement for eighty thousand kalpas, where the wardens of hell hack and cleave him, where to seek life is impossible and to wish for death also cannot be achieved, suffering the five destitutions and the six extremities,[2] forever undergoing pain.

After undergoing this punishment, should he obtain a human body, he is again crippled, hated by many people, and on the roads of travel he constantly draws upon himself the calamities of others, never for a moment obtaining peace and joy.

Again there are sentient beings whose bodies are small and slight, yet whose genitals are exceedingly large, which they must constantly drag along, heavy and wearisome, so that walking, standing, lying, and sitting are all obstructed. By what offense is this?

The Buddha taught:

— It is because in a former life that person made his living by the trade of buying and selling, often praising his own goods while disparaging the goods of others, falsifying weights and switching measures, buying as old and selling as young, deceiving everyone; therefore he incurs this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings who lack the complete male faculty, who take on the body of a eunuch unable to take a wife. By what offense is this?

The Buddha taught:

— It is because in a former life that person castrated elephants, horses, oxen, goats, pigs, dogs, and the like, causing them pain so that they died and revived; therefore he incurs this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings who throughout one life are solitary and without children. By what offense is this?

The Buddha then taught:

— In a former life this person was exceedingly fierce and cruel, not believing in offense and merit. In the season when birds were hatching, this person carried a basket and, following along the riverbanks, sought out and gathered the eggs of swans, parrots, geese, wild geese, and other kinds of birds, bringing them home to cook and eat. Those birds, having lost their young, cried out mournfully and pitifully, their eyes streaming tears of blood; therefore he incurs this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings who from infancy onward are solitary, hungry and cold, without father and mother, without elder and younger brothers and sisters, who must work as servants to earn a living day by day, and who, upon reaching adulthood, take up the trade of hunting and cause many calamities, are seized by the district magistrate and imprisoned in jail, with no one to visit them, in hunger and suffering to the utmost, knowing not to whom to cry out. By what offense is this?

The Buddha taught:

— It is because in a former life, that person delighted in seeking out and catching the various kinds of vultures, kites, hawks, bears, tigers, leopards, and so forth, bringing them home to confine and rear, causing the fathers and mothers, the elder and younger brothers of those creatures to long for them in sorrow and grief, crying and weeping in a manner that shook the hearts of people; while those creatures, being solitary, with no one to feed them, constantly suffered hunger and thirst, their skin clinging to their bones, wishing to die but unable; therefore he incurs this punishment.

Again there are sentient beings of monstrous and grotesque form, their bodies black as lacquer, their two ears moreover blue, their foreheads jutting and their cheeks protruding, their faces full of pimples, their noses flattened, their two eyes yellow and red, their teeth and gums sparse and lacking, the breath of their mouths fishy and foul, short and squat, swollen and bloated, with large bellies and broad flanks, their hands and feet drawn up, their backs hunched and their ribs crooked, slovenly in dress and grooming, with scabs and sores oozing blood and pus, dropsical swellings, headaches, leprosy and ringworm, abscesses and boils — every kind of disease and ailment all borne upon their bodies — so that though they draw near to people, no one likes them;

they are moreover beaten and imprisoned by others, have never met the Buddha, have not heard the Dharma, and know nothing of the Saṃgha.

By what offense is this?

The Buddha then taught:

— It is because in a former life this person was unfilial to those who gave him birth; or as a courtier was disloyal to the king; or as a king of a realm did not esteem his subordinates; did not keep his word toward friends; in his village made no distinction between young and old; when entering the court took no account of rank and title; did as he pleased, with mind and intent perverse and upside-down, without rule or measure; did not trust the Three Jewels; killed kings, harmed teachers, seized states, harmed the people, assaulted cities, destroyed ramparts, raided camps, stole and robbed — offenses and evils beyond number.

Moreover, he was given to praising himself and disparaging others, oppressing the aged, reviling the worthy and the holy, holding teachers and elders in contempt, and deceiving the lowly. All offenses and evils he wholly committed. Because the retributions of these evils have gathered together, he undergoes this punishment.

Hearing the Buddha's teaching, those undergoing punishment lamented and wept piteously, tears streaming down, and then addressed the Buddha:

— We beseech the World-Honored One to abide long in the world to proclaim the true Dharma, so that we may all attain liberation.

The Buddha then taught:

— If I were to abide long in this world, then those of slight virtue would not consent to plant the roots of goodness. For they would think that the World-Honored One abides forever, and so would not call to mind impermanence.

Good sons! Just as a small child, ever having its loving mother beside it caring for it, does not think it difficult to meet its mother. But when the mother goes far away, only then does the child look longingly for her; and when the mother returns, the child rejoices greatly. Good sons! I am now likewise: knowing clearly the affairs of the karmic conditions, good and evil, and the good and bad retributions undergone by sentient beings, I therefore enter Nirvāṇa.

At that time the World-Honored One spoke a verse for those undergoing punishment to hear:

A flowing stream is never constantly full,

A fierce fire does not burn for long,

The sun rises and then sets,

The moon waxes full and then wanes again;

Though one be rich and noble, with power and honor,

This too passes swiftly in but a moment,

Ever should one resolve to be diligent

And pay reverent homage to the World-Honored One.

When the World-Honored One had finished speaking the verse, those undergoing punishment then said:

— World-Honored One! What good deeds must we cultivate in order to be freed from suffering?

The Buddha taught:

One must ever be filial and obedient to one's two parents, reverently serve teachers and elders, take refuge in the Three Jewels, and diligently practice giving, upholding the precepts, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, wisdom, loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity; one must regard enemy and kin with equal impartiality; one must not be disrespectful toward the aged, nor may one slight those who are humble and lowly, but should love others as one's own self. If anyone cultivates and practices such deeds, he has already repaid the deep kindness of the Buddha and is forever parted from suffering.

When the World-Honored One had finished speaking this sūtra, the great bodhisattvas then realized the fruit of supreme perfect enlightenment (Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi); the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas realized the six supernatural powers, the three insights, and the eight liberations. There were also those who realized the pure Dharma-eye. Should any sentient being hear this sūtra, he will no longer fall into the three evil paths or the places of the eight calamities, and the misery and suffering of the hells will there and then come to an end, with peace and joy forever.

At that time the Bodhisattva Faithful Marks addressed the Buddha:

— World-Honored One! What then is the name of this sūtra, and how should it be upheld and observed? The Buddha then said to the Bodhisattva Faithful Marks:

— Good son! This sūtra is named "The Retribution of Offenses and Karma That Transforms the Hells." You should uphold and observe it and transmit it widely abroad; thereby you will obtain immeasurable merit.

Thereupon the devas and the great assembly, having heard this sūtra, were exceedingly joyful, prostrated their five limbs to the ground, bowed their heads in homage, and reverently undertook to practice it.

Notes:

[1] The five faculties (the five sense-faculties 五根; S: pañcendriyāṇi): eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body.

[2] The five destitutions and the six extremities 五窮六極: The five conditions of destitution: destitution of wisdom, destitution of learning, destitution of culture, destitution of fate, and destitution of relations. The six conditions of misery: dying young, sickness, poverty, infirmity, and feebleness.