佛說盂蘭盆經疏 2.23

2.23

本觀世間俱尋父母，父生樂處不假施勞，既非經宗故此不述。母生鬼道已屬三塗，復在餓中，是鬼之極苦，拔濟苦者唯盂蘭盆，發起正宗意在斯也。生餓鬼中是異熟果，酬引業故。不見飲食是等流果，酬滿業故，是慳貪業之果也。皮骨連立是增上果。準《正理論》，鬼本住在此洲之下五百繇旬，縱廣亦爾。有琰魔羅界，從此展轉散趣餘方，人間一月為一日，乘此積月積年壽五百歲。然鬼有三種：一、無財鬼，以無福德不得食故。二、少財鬼，少得淨妙飲食故。三、多財鬼，多得淨妙飲食故。此三種鬼，復各有三。無財三者，一、炬口鬼，謂火炬炎熾常從口出。繇是前生燒壞村柵、焚炙賢良以此求財，墮於地獄，從地獄出墮此鬼中。故《正法念經》云「若人貪嫉枉奪人財、破人城郭殺害抄掠得財，奉王大臣，轉增凶暴，墮熾然餓鬼中。」二、鍼咽鬼，謂頭大如山、咽如鍼孔。繇於破齋夜食、盜竊眾僧之食故。故《齋法清淨經》云「目連路逢數百萬鬼，頭如大山」等。三、臭口鬼，謂口中腐臭自惡受苦。以多貪名利，自是非他，讚歎惡人、毀謗賢善故。據此三種，寧吞鐵丸不食信施。少財三者，一、鍼毛鬼，毛利如鍼，行便自刺。為貪利故，妄行鍼炙及刺畜生，但為求財不愈疾故。二、臭毛鬼，毛利而臭，自拔受苦。繇於販賣猪羊、烹宰鵝鴨，湯爛刀剝楚痛難堪，地獄罪終墮斯鬼趣。三、大癭鬼，咽垂大癭，自決噉膿。繇嫉妬於人常懷瞋恨故。多財三者，一、得棄鬼，謂常得祭祀所棄食故。繇於罪多福少，少施多慳，棄擲之物方惠施故。二、得失鬼，謂常得巷陌所遺食故。以於現財常生慳著，疑欲失者而方捨故。三、勢力鬼，謂夜叉、羅剎、毘舍闍等。所受富樂類於人天，或依樹林、或住山谷、或居靈廟、或處空宮，形竪而行，屬於鬼趣。此等變化多端者，繇於因地罪福不精，苦樂之因相雜作故。《付法藏傳》說：僧伽耶舍比丘，遊大海邊，見妙宮殿，其家鎖二鬼等。今尊者之親，是無財鬼中炬口鬼也。又有處說，餓鬼有三種：一、外障，得遇水時即見有人執刀仗等而障礙故。二、內障，口有火炬，或咽如鍼故。三、無障，見河是猛火，或食糞穢、或自割身肉食噉等。今尊者之親當內障也。上來諸鬼皆繇自心因行所招，果報必應，譬如影響繇於形聲，雖父母至親不相替代。故諸智者宜各勵心，儻遇善緣不應空過，一朝去世誰為修崇？縱託子孫，七分獲一；況無孝子，悔恨何追。且濁世凡流鮮懷仁孝，唯憂妻子，豈念幽靈？貧賤者迫以飢寒，富貴者荒於財色，設能追福，厭課者多；竭力罄心，萬中無一。世途目擊，豈不昭然。故《恩重經》云「夫妻和合同作五逆，彼時呼喚急速走使。父母之語十喚九違，不相從順罵詈瞋目。」生存尚爾，歿後可知。自既不仁，兒豈能孝？故昔有送父林野，乃持輿迴歸。以古觀今，雖途跡異而心同也。

Originally, he surveyed the world seeking both parents; his father had been born in a pleasant place, requiring no bestowal of effort, and since that is not the primary concern of the sūtra, it is not expounded here. His mother had been born in the realm of hungry ghosts, which already belongs to the three bad destinies, and moreover was amid starvation, which is the ultimate suffering among ghosts; and what delivers from suffering is only the Ullambana—the intention in initiating the main body of the text lies precisely in this. Being born among hungry ghosts is a maturation fruit (vipākaphala), recompensing projecting karma (ākṣepakarma). Not seeing food and drink is an outflow fruit (niṣyandaphala), recompensing completing karma (paripūrakakarma); it is the fruit of the karma of stinginess and greed. Skin and bones connected and standing is a sovereign fruit (adhipatiphala). According to the *Nyāyānusāra*, ghosts originally abide five hundred yojanas beneath this continent, extending the same in length and breadth. There is the realm of Yama, from which they gradually scatter and proceed to other regions. One month in the human world is one day [for them]; accumulating months and years on this basis, their lifespan is five hundred years. Now, there are three types of ghosts: first, ghosts without wealth, who obtain no food because they have no merit; second, ghosts with little wealth, who obtain a little pure and fine food and drink; third, ghosts with abundant wealth, who obtain much pure and fine food and drink. These three kinds of ghosts each have three sub-types. The three without wealth are: first, torch-mouthed ghosts, meaning blazing torches constantly issue from their mouths. Because in previous lives they burned villages and stockades or roasted worthy and good people to seek wealth thereby, they fell into hell, and upon emerging from hell fell among these ghosts. Thus the *Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna Sūtra* says: 'If a person through greed and envy wrongfully seizes others' wealth, razes others' cities, and kills, pillages, and plunders to obtain wealth, presenting it to kings and ministers and growing ever more ferocious, they fall among blazing hungry ghosts.' Second, needle-throated ghosts, whose heads are as large as mountains and whose throats are like the eye of a needle. This is due to breaking the fast and eating at night, and stealing the food of the saṅgha. Thus the *Zhai fa qingjing jing* says: 'Maudgalyāyana encountered along the road hundreds of myriads of ghosts whose heads were like great mountains,' and so forth. Third, foul-mouthed ghosts, meaning their mouths are putrid and foul, and they suffer from loathing themselves. This is due to abundant greed for fame and gain, asserting themselves as right and others as wrong, praising evil people, and slandering the worthy and good. In view of these three, one would rather swallow iron pellets than eat the offerings of the faithful. The three with little wealth are: first, needle-haired ghosts, whose hair is sharp as needles and pierces them as they walk. Because of greedy desire for profit, they falsely performed acupuncture and moxibustion or pierced domestic animals, merely seeking wealth without curing illnesses. Second, foul-haired ghosts, whose hair is sharp and foul-smelling, and they pull it out themselves and suffer. Due to trading pigs and sheep, or slaughtering and cooking geese and ducks, scalding, burning, skinning, and peeling with unbearable pain, once their hell retribution ended they fell into this ghost destiny. Third, great-goiter ghosts, who have large goiters hanging from their throats, which they tear open themselves to eat the pus. This is due to being envious of others and constantly harboring hatred. The three with abundant wealth are: first, ghosts who obtain discarded food, meaning they constantly obtain food discarded from sacrificial offerings. Due to having many sins and little merit, giving little and being very stingy, only giving away things that were thrown away. Second, ghosts who obtain lost food, meaning they constantly obtain food dropped in streets and alleys. Because they constantly felt stingy attachment to their existing wealth, and would only abandon what they suspected was about to be lost. Third, powerful ghosts, meaning yakṣas, rākṣasas, piśācas, and so forth. The wealth and pleasure they enjoy is similar to humans and devas; they rely on forests, abide in mountain valleys, dwell in spirit shrines, or reside in empty palaces, walking upright, yet belonging to the destiny of ghosts. That their transformations are manifold is due to their mixed karmic actions in the causal stage, where sins and merits were imprecise and the causes of suffering and pleasure were mixed. The *Fu fazang zhuan* states: The monk Saṅghayaśas traveled to the shore of the great ocean and saw a wonderful palace, where the household had two ghosts shackled, and so forth. Now, the Venerable One's mother is a torch-mouthed ghost among those without wealth. There are also texts that say hungry ghosts are of three kinds: first, external obstructions, where upon encountering water they see persons holding swords and staves obstructing them; second, internal obstructions, where their mouths have torches of fire or their throats are like needles; third, unobstructed, who see rivers as raging fires, or eat excrement and filth, or cut and consume their own flesh. Now, the Venerable One's mother falls under internal obstructions. All the ghosts mentioned above are summoned by the causal actions of their own minds, and the retribution inevitably corresponds, just as shadows and echoes depend on form and sound; even the closest kin, parents, cannot substitute for one another. Therefore, all wise people should exert their minds; if they encounter good conditions, they must not let them pass in vain. Once one passes away in a morning, who will perform cultivation and honoring? Even if one entrusts it to children and grandchildren, one receives only one part in seven; how much more so if there is no filial child—how can regret and remorse catch up? Furthermore, commoners in this defiled world rarely cherish benevolence and filial piety; they worry only about wives and children, how could they think of spirits in the dark realm? The poor and lowly are pressed by hunger and cold, while the rich and noble run wild with wealth and sex; even if they can perform merit for the deceased, most grow tired of the task; those who exhaust their strength and pour out their hearts are not one in ten thousand. Witnessed directly in the ways of the world, is this not obvious? Thus the *Enzhong jing* says: 'Husband and wife unite in harmony to commit the five heinous transgressions together; when she calls, he scurries to do her bidding. Yet to his parents' words, he disobeys nine times out of ten, refusing to comply and glaring with abuse.' If this is so during life, how much more so after death! If one is not benevolent oneself, how could one's child be filial? Thus in ancient times there was one who carried his father to the wilds, and [his son] brought back the carriage. Viewing the present in light of the past, though the paths and traces differ, the mind is the same.