鐵城泥犁經

At one time the Buddha was dwelling in the country of Śrāvastī, in Jeta's Grove, the Garden of Anāthapiṇḍika. At that time the Buddha addressed the śramaṇas, saying:

–With my divine eye I behold the people of the world, in their being born and in their dying, some beautiful, some ugly, some noble and honored, some lowly and base. There are those who, when they die, are reborn in the good destinies, and there are those who are reborn in the evil destinies. People in the world who with their body do evil, with their mouth speak evil, with their mind think evil, who constantly delight in cooking and slaughtering living beings to sacrifice to ghosts and spirits—when their body dies, such people must enter into the hells. But those whose body constantly does good, whose mouth constantly speaks words of good, whose mind constantly thinks of good—after they die, they are at once reborn in the heavens.

The Buddha said:

–People are like the bubbles of rain in the sky. When the rain falls down from the sky, one bubble bursts and another forms in its place. People in the world, in their being born and in their dying, are as fragile as bubbles of water.

With his divine eye the Buddha beholds the people of the world: when they die, some ascend to the heavens and some descend into the hells; there are the poor and there are the rich, there are the noble and there are the lowly—all of this comes precisely from whether people do good or do evil.

The Buddha said: "All of these things I know completely." It is like the dark of night, when on both sides of the city gate there are lamps and torches, and those who come and go number several thousand myriads of people; looking from within the darkness, one sees clearly those who come out and those who go in within the firelight.

The Buddha said:

–With my divine eye I behold the people of the world: when they die, some ascend to the heavens and some descend into the hells. It is like a person who from within the darkness sees the firelight as others go out and come in. It is like a person who climbs up a high tower and looks down below, where there are several thousand dwellings—that person sees them all.

The Buddha said:

–I behold the people of the world: when they die, some are reborn in the heavens and some descend into the hells, just as a person from atop a high tower looks down upon the dwellings below.

The Buddha said:

–It is like a person rowing a boat upon clear water, who sees all the fish and stones within the water. With his divine eye the Buddha beholds the people of the world: when they die, some ascend to the heavens and some descend into the hells, just as one who looks into clear water sees the fish and stones within it.

There is a bright-moon jewel, strung through with thread of five colors. One who looks at the jewel sees the thread of five colors strung through the jewel.

The Buddha said:

–I know the people of the world, from where they have come: they all arise through the transformations of good and evil, just as one looks at the jewel.

The Buddha said:

–I behold the people of the world who are unfilial to their parents, who do not serve śramaṇas and men of the Way, who do not revere their elders, who do not fear the prohibitions and decrees of the district officials, who fear neither this life nor the life to come, who are without awe and without fear—such people, when they die, at once fall into the hells. They come into the presence of King Yama, having forsaken the good and followed evil.

There is a hell-warden named Bàng. Bàng then leads that person before King Yama. The hell-warden Bàng reports: "When this person was in the world, he was unfilial to his parents, did not serve śramaṇas and men of the Way, did not revere his elders, was unwilling to give alms, feared neither this life nor the life to come, and feared not the district officials.

We beg King Yama to punish the evil of this person."

Yama then summons that person before him and says:

–When you were a person in the world, you did not remember the kindness of your parents who nurtured you, who kept you from the heat and set you in the cool, who suckled and nursed you so that you grew up. Why were you unfilial to your parents?

That person says to Yama:

–I truly am a foolish and arrogant person.

Yama says:

–Your evil deeds were not caused by your parents, not caused by heaven, not caused by kings and rulers, not caused by śramaṇas or men of the Way; what your own person has created, your own person must bear. This is the first interrogation.

The second interrogation:

–Did you see, when a person was stricken with illness, suffering bitterly and intensely, sickly, wasted and emaciated, his hands and feet unable to move?

That person says:

–I truly did see such things.

Yama says:

–Why did you not reform and repent of yourself, so as to do good deeds?

That person says:

–I truly am a foolish and arrogant person.

King Yama says:

–This offense was not caused by heaven, not caused by your parents, not caused by kings and rulers, not caused by śramaṇas or men of the Way; it is your own person that has created it—you must bear it.

Yama interrogates a third time:

–Did you see the men and women of the world in their old age, their eyes unable to see, their ears unable to hear, having to walk leaning upon a staff, their hair and beard once jet-black now turned all white, no longer as in their youth?

That person says:

–I truly did see the aged walking leaning upon a staff.

Yama asks:

–At that very moment, why did you not reform and repent of yourself, so as to do good deeds?

That person says:

–I truly am a foolish and arrogant person.

Yama says:

–This offense was not caused by your parents, not caused by heaven, not caused by kings and rulers, not caused by śramaṇas or men of the Way; it is your own person that has created it—you must receive it.

Yama interrogates a fourth time:

–When you were in the world, did you see men and women, when they died, after one day, two days, up to seven days, their bodies decaying and rotting, their forms and features ruined and corrupted, devoured by worms and ants, dreaded by everyone? You saw that—why did you not reform and repent of yourself, so as to do good deeds?

That person says:

–I did see that; I truly am a foolish and arrogant person.

Yama says:

–When you acted, why did you not make upright your mind, make upright your mouth, make upright your conduct? This offense was not caused by your parents, by heaven, by kings and rulers, by śramaṇas or men of the Way; it is your own person that has done it—you must receive it.

King Yama interrogates a fifth time:

–When you were a person in the world, did you see officials, when they captured thieves, murderers, and robbers, bind them and cast them into prison, beat them with rods to chastise them, and torture them under interrogation? Or take them out of the city and slay them in the middle of the road? Or cut open and disembowel them while they were still alive? Did you see these things?

That person says:

–I truly did see those things.

King Yama says:

–Why then did you not give alms and do good deeds? When you were a person, why did you not practice upright conduct, speak upright words, keep an upright mind?

That person says:

–I truly am a foolish and arrogant person.

King Yama says:

–This offense too was not caused by your parents, by heaven, by kings and rulers, by śramaṇas or men of the Way; it is your own person that has created it—so you must receive its retribution.

When the interrogation was finished, the Nê Lê Bàng (hell-warden) then led the offender to a city of iron. This is the first hell, named Avīci. The city of this hell has four gates, four thousand li in circumference; within it is one great copper cauldron, forty li long.

The Nê Lê Bàng pierces the offender with a pitchfork and casts him into the copper cauldron. Of such copper cauldrons there are countless numbers, blazing fiercely within. The offenders, seeing them from afar, are all terrified and aghast.

Of those who enter there in this way, there are up to several thousand myriads, all confined within by the hell-wardens; day and night the gates of the hell are shut tight and never opened, so they cannot get outside. The offenders remain within for up to several thousand myriads of years, yet the fire never goes out, and the people too do not die. After a very long time, they see from afar that the Eastern gate opens of itself, and the offenders all run toward it to escape outside; but just as they reach the gate, the gate at once shuts.

Those who wish to get out then struggle with one another within the gate, wishing to get outside. After another very long time, they see from afar that the Western gate opens, and the offenders all run toward it, but the gate again shuts, and the offenders struggle with one another within the gate. After yet another very long time, the four gates of the city open again, and the people are able to get outside; they suppose themselves to have escaped.

Then they enter into the second hell, Cưu Diên. As soon as the offenders set their feet down upon the ground, they are at once burned away; when they lift their feet up, the flesh is at once restored as before. Some run toward the old East, some run toward the old West, some run back toward the old South, some run back toward the North; all around the hell is ablaze with fire, and only after up to several thousand myriads of years does it end.

Those within suppose themselves to have escaped suffering, but they then enter into the third hell, Di Ly Ma Ðắc. In this hell there is a kind of worm named Khuất Trác, with a beak like iron, its head and feet all black. Seeing people from afar, they all rush over and swarm around them, picking clean the bones and flesh of people. In this way several thousand myriads of years pass before it ceases.

They suppose themselves to have escaped, and then at once enter into the fourth hell, Sô La Ða, wherein there is a mountain of stone sharp as knives. Everyone runs up to the mountain peak, and some run down beneath the mountain, all wishing to escape, but they do not know which way to run. The flesh is all flayed from their feet, for the earth and stones are like sharp knives. In this way several thousand myriads of years pass before it ends, and the people suppose themselves to have escaped.

Then they enter into the fifth hell, A Di Ba Ða Hàng. Within there is a hot wind, and once one has entered there, though one tries to avoid it, one cannot. The offenders within seek death but cannot obtain it, seek life but cannot accomplish it. Thus, after a truly long time, several thousand myriads of years pass before they are able to escape; the offenders within suppose themselves to have escaped.

Then they enter into the sixth hell, A Dụ Táo Ba Hằng. In this hell there are very many trees, and they have very many thorns. In the midst of those trees there are ghosts. When the offenders enter therein, from the heads of the ghosts fire spews forth, from their mouths fire is spat out, and upon their bodies there are sixteen thorns. Seeing a person from afar, they are filled with utmost wrath, and fire spews forth from these sixteen thorns, which pierce through the bodies of people, tearing them open to devour their flesh. The offenders all run, hoping to escape outside, but while running they constantly meet these ghosts. In this way several thousand myriads of years pass before it ends and they are able to get outside. They suppose themselves to have escaped.

Then they enter into the seventh hell, Bàn Tỷ Vụ. Within there is a kind of worm named Thuần. When the offenders enter therein, these worms fly at them, fly into people's mouths, and devour people's bodies. The offenders run in great haste, yet the worms devouring people's flesh still will not leave them in peace. The offenders all run in the four directions, wishing to escape, but they cannot escape. In this way several thousand myriads of years pass before they are able to escape. They suppose themselves to have escaped.

Then they enter into the eighth hell, Ðọa Ðàn La Nê Du. Within there is a flowing stream of water, into which everyone falls; on both banks there are sharp thorns, and the water is hotter than boiling water in the human world. The water boils and seethes, so that the offenders are all boiled to a pulp. They wish to run up onto the bank, but up there are ghosts holding spears who stab into the bellies of the offenders, making them fall back into the water, unable to escape; they are all swept down to the end of the stream, where again there are ghosts who block them and hook them with hooks. The ghosts ask:

–Where have you come from?

When asked thus, those others reply:

–We do not know whence we have come, and we do not know where we shall go; we are only starving and thirsting, and wish to have food and drink.

The ghosts reply:

–We will give you food. They then take hooks and hook the upper jaw and the lower jaw apart, forcing the mouths of the offenders open wide, and then take molten copper liquid and pour it into the mouths of the offenders, so that their livers and bowels are burned away utterly. Such offenders seek death but cannot die, seek life but cannot live. These people, during their lifetime in the world, when they were human, because they did many cruel and evil things, therefore seek to escape and yet cannot escape. The people in the hells all get outside, and they suppose themselves to have escaped; but they enter again into the seventh hell. The ghosts ask in turn:

–Since you have gone, why have you returned? They enter the fifth hell, then return into the fourth hell; from the fourth hell they again enter the third hell, then enter the second hell, then return again into the first hell, Avīci. Arriving there, when everyone sees the iron city from afar, they all rejoice and cry out loudly, "Ten thousand years!" King Yama, hearing this cry, then asks the hell-wardens:

–What are those sounds?

The hell-wardens reply:

–Those are the cries of the offenders who fell into the hells before.

Yama says:

–They are all people who were unfilial to their parents, who feared not heaven, feared not the king, did not serve śramaṇas and men of the Way, and did not fear the prohibitions and precepts.

Yama then bids everyone come before him and says:

–If you do not resent the words of Yama, now that you have escaped from the hells, you shall again become the children of others; you must be filial and obedient, must honor and serve your elders, must fear the prohibitions and precepts of the sovereign, must serve śramaṇas and men of the Way, keep your mind upright, your mouth upright, your body upright. While people live in the world, the offenses they commit are small and light, but when they die and descend into the hells, the offenses become both great and heavy. When you meet śramaṇas and men of the Way, you should follow them and reverently serve the Way of those venerable ones; you shall attain to the state of Arhat, causing all the paths to the hells to be blocked up and sealed.

When Yama had finished speaking, the people in the hells all got outside, but they all died again in the land beyond the city. As for those who died, in the bodily life of their former existence, when they were human, although they were evil, they had a little goodness; therefore they were able to come out from within the hells, and were all reborn in the good destinies. The people who escape from within the hells all keep their minds upright, their mouths upright, their conduct upright, and therefore they no longer return into the hells. Having felt the torment, the venom, and the wickedness within the hells, the people all reflect within themselves so as to do good deeds.

The Buddha said:

–When people die and enter the hells, even princes and lords, śramaṇas and men of the Way must likewise come into the presence of Yama. As for all the other people, they merely follow the crowd and enter the hells. Yama is the name of the king who dwells in the hells.

THE BUDDHA SPEAKS THE SUTRA OF THE IRON CITY AND THE HELLS