佛頂尊勝陀羅尼經教跡義記 1.121

1.121

述曰：第十三、讀誦壞苦。文中有其三意：一、破地獄；二、破餓鬼；三、破畜生。一、破地獄者，依《大智度論》云，於《俱舍》稍不同，有其八大地獄：一者等活，二者黑繩，三者眾合，四者叫喚，五者大叫喚，六者炎熱，七者大炎熱，八者阿鼻，名八大地獄。云何名等活地獄？答：地獄中罪人各各鬪諍，相害相剝，鐵叉相貫，鐵棒相打，遞相殺害，晝夜不息。罪人死已，獄卒言活，應聲而活，還相殺害，經無量劫，故名等活地獄。云何名黑繩地獄？答：為獄卒羅剎常以熱鐵黑繩拼度罪人，鋸解斧斫，方者令圓，圓者令方，齊秤之經無量劫，為繩拼度，故名為黑繩地獄。云何名眾合地獄？答：為獄卒形如羅剎，或作牛、馬、虎、狼、師子之頭，或作麞鹿、猪、羊、獸象之身，來食罪人，罪人忙怕走入山間，於其山間有大鐵輪來轉罪人，諸山競合，所有脂血，劇如押油笮蒲桃，積頭如山成。為山合故，故名眾合地獄。云何叫喚地獄？答：為獄卒羅剎，頭黃如金，眼赤如火，手中放箭，口出惡聲，於虛空中箭下如雨，罪人忙怕東西逃避，走熱鐵上，脂血凝流，欲出門門即却閉，號聲大叫，故名叫喚地獄。云何大叫喚地獄？答曰：為獄中有二大鑊，一名難陀、二名跋難陀，滿中醎苦以煮罪人，罪人入中由如煮豆，支節零落，經無量劫，後入灰河，滿中沸炭，復入炎床上，強扶令坐，一切毛孔皆出猛火，發聲大叫，故名大叫喚地獄。云何名炎熱地獄？為滿中猛火，上火徹下，下火徹上。云何名阿鼻地獄？答：為東壁火到西壁，南北上下竝然，一切苦具皆悉滿中，罪人毛孔皆猛火。如是八大地獄，一一各有十六地獄以為眷屬。言十六者，所謂八寒、八熱。言八寒者，一者阿浮陀，二者尼羅浮陀，三者阿羅羅，四者阿波波，五者阿睺睺，六者漚波羅，七者波頭摩，八者摩訶波頭摩，是名八寒地獄。言八熱者，炭坑，二者沸屎，三者燒林，四者劍林，五者刀路，六者刺林，七者醎河，八者銅鐝，是名八熱地獄。云何阿浮陀地獄？唐云多少有孔，謂滿中積氷，復有冷毒，風吹諸罪人皮肉筋骨，一切破碎，若人劫剝眾生衣服，令他寒凍，受如是報在此獄中。云何尼羅浮陀地獄？唐云無孔，純氷所成，造前惡業即入其中。云何阿波波、阿羅羅、阿睺睺？此三地獄，皆悉口噤寒倍於前。云何漚波羅地獄？唐云青蓮華獄，純氷所成，色如青蓮華。云何波頭摩地獄？唐云紅蓮華獄，謂此地獄極寒凍，諸罪人身分裂破其肉，乃宜所以名紅蓮華也。云何摩訶波頭摩地獄？唐云大紅蓮華也，其苦倍前，是名八寒地獄。云何炭坑地獄？謂中炭火火皆沒膝，若人破戒墮此地獄中。云何沸屎地獄？謂此地獄內滿中沸屎，深廣如河，若人破齊夜食入此地獄中。云何名燒林地獄？為此獄內一切草木土地皆出猛火，若有眾生焚燒山者墮此獄中。云何名劍林地獄？謂此地獄中多有諸樹，皆劍為葉，風吹葉落皆成劍輪，墮罪人身上，支節零落，若人好鬪諍殺生墮此獄中。云何刀路地獄？滿中以大刀為路，罪人入中支節墮落，以刀殺生者墮此獄中。云何名刺林地獄？謂此獄中有鐵樹，樹高一由旬，以鐵為刺，上有毒蛇化為美女喚罪人，罪人上已鐵刺刺身，毒蛇貫腹，受大苦惱，若人貪慾者墮此獄中。云何名為醎河地獄？謂此河中滿皆總是醎水由如灰汁，罪人入中支節爛壞，於其四岸有諸獄卒，有身熱鐵劍，禦捍罪人不令得出，若人好潛剝眾生者，死墮此地獄。云何名銅鐝地獄？為此獄中多有銅鐝，縛諸罪人，獄卒羅剎以鉗開口，灌以洋銅，與鐵丸食之，食足已訖，五臟焦爛，支節火流，若人偷盜飲食，虛受信施，一旦命終墮此地獄，是名八熱地獄。言畜生者，依《三法度論》云：「有其三處，合有九種。水中有三，一、無足，二、多足，三、二足。陸地準之，空中亦然，合有九種。」言閻摩路迦者，《瑜伽論》云：「此南贍部下五百踰𮜖那，有閻羅王所住之國，唐云靜息，一切罪人及以餓鬼竝屬此王。」問曰：「餓鬼道幾生？」答曰：「胎化二生。」「化生可知，云何胎生？」答曰：「經有成文，如餓鬼女白言：『我夜生五子，隨所生處，悉皆食盡而無暫飽。』」此即第十三、讀誦壞苦。

Commentary: Thirteenth, recitation destroys suffering. In the text there are three points: first, destroying [rebirth in] hell; second, destroying [rebirth as] hungry ghosts; third, destroying [rebirth as] animals. First, regarding destroying hell: according to the Dàzhìdù lùn, which differs slightly from the Kośa, there are eight great hells: first, Saṃjīva; second, Kālasūtra; third, Saṃghāta; fourth, Raurava; fifth, Mahāraurava; sixth, Tapana; seventh, Pratāpana; eighth, Avīci. These are called the eight great hells. What is called the Saṃjīva hell? Answer: The sinners in this hell fight with one another, harming and stripping each other, piercing each other with iron pitchforks, beating each other with iron clubs, killing each other day and night without rest. Once the sinners have died, the hell wardens say 'Revive!', and at the sound of the voice they revive and kill each other again, passing through immeasurable eons; therefore it is called the Saṃjīva [Reviving] hell. What is called the Kālasūtra hell? Answer: The hell warden rākṣasas constantly mark out the sinners with black ropes of hot iron, and cut them with saws and hack them with axes, making square things round and round things square, measuring them evenly throughout immeasurable eons; because they mark them out with ropes, it is called the Kālasūtra [Black Rope] hell. What is called the Saṃghāta hell? Answer: Hell wardens with forms like rākṣasas, or with the heads of oxen, horses, tigers, wolves, or lions, or with the bodies of roe deer, deer, pigs, sheep, wild beasts, or elephants, come to eat the sinners. The sinners flee in panic into mountain ravines. Within those ravines, great iron wheels roll over the sinners, and the mountains race to crush together; all their fat and blood [is squeezed out], worse than pressing oil or pressing grapes, and their heads pile up like mountains. Because the mountains crush together, it is called the Saṃghāta [Crushing] hell. What is the Raurava hell? Answer: The hell warden rākṣasas have heads yellow as gold and eyes red as fire; they shoot arrows from their hands and emit evil cries from their mouths, and arrows fall from midair like rain. The sinners flee in panic this way and that, running across hot iron, their fat and blood congealing and flowing; when they want to exit the gates, the gates immediately shut against them, and they scream with loud cries; therefore it is called the Raurava [Crying] hell. What is the Mahāraurava hell? Answer: In the hell there are two great cauldrons, one named Nanda and the second named Upananda, filled with bitter brine to boil the sinners. The sinners entering them are like beans being boiled; their limbs and joints fall apart, through immeasurable eons. Afterward they enter the River of Ash, full of boiling embers, and then enter blazing iron beds, where they are forcibly assisted to sit; fierce flames shoot forth from all their pores, and they emit loud screams; therefore it is called the Mahāraurava [Great Crying] hell. What is called the Tapana hell? It is full of fierce fire, the fire above penetrating below, and the fire below penetrating above. What is called the Avīci hell? Answer: Fire from the eastern wall reaches the western wall, and the south, north, above, and below burn together; all instruments of suffering fill it entirely, and fierce fire emerges from the pores of the sinners. These eight great hells each have sixteen subsidiary hells as their retinue. These sixteen are the eight cold and eight hot hells. The eight cold hells are: first, Arbuda; second, Nirarbuda; third, Aṭaṭa; fourth, Hahava; fifth, Huhuva; sixth, Utpala; seventh, Padma; eighth, Mahāpadma. These are called the eight cold hells. The eight hot hells are: [first,] Charcoal Pit; second, Boiling Excrement; third, Burning Forest; fourth, Sword Forest; fifth, Knife Path; sixth, Thorn Forest; seventh, Brine River; eighth, Bronze Stake. These are called the eight hot hells. What is the Arbuda hell? In Chinese it is 'having more or fewer blisters/crevices'. It is completely filled with accumulated ice and also has cold poison; wind blows upon the skin, flesh, sinews, and bones of the sinners, shattering them completely. If someone strips beings of their clothes and makes them freeze with cold, they receive such retribution in this hell. What is the Nirarbuda hell? In Chinese it is 'without blisters/crevices'. It is formed purely of ice; those who commit the previous evil karma enter it. What are Aṭaṭa, Hahava, and Huhuva? In these three hells, the mouth is locked [in shivering], and the cold is double that of the previous ones. What is the Utpala hell? In Chinese it is 'Blue Lotus Hell'. It is formed purely of ice, and its color is like a blue lotus. What is the Padma hell? In Chinese it is 'Red Lotus Hell'. This hell is extremely freezing cold, and the sinners' bodies split and burst their flesh, appearing like red lotuses, which is why it is so named. What is the Mahāpadma hell? In Chinese it is 'Great Red Lotus Hell'; its suffering is double that of the previous one. These are called the eight cold hells. What is the Charcoal Pit hell? The charcoal fire within it submerges up to the knees; if someone breaks the precepts, they fall into this hell. What is the Boiling Excrement hell? This hell is full of boiling excrement, deep and wide as a river; if someone breaks the fast and eats at night, they enter this hell. What is called the Burning Forest hell? All the vegetation and ground within this hell emit fierce fire; if beings burn mountains, they fall into this hell. What is called the Sword Forest hell? In this hell there are many trees whose leaves are all swords; when the wind blows and the leaves fall, they all become wheels of swords falling onto the bodies of the sinners, whose limbs and joints fall apart; if people are fond of fighting and killing living beings, they fall into this hell. What is the Knife Path hell? It is completely filled with large knives as its path; when sinners enter it, their limbs drop off; those who kill living beings with knives fall into this hell. What is called the Thorn Forest hell? In this hell there are iron trees, one yojana high, with iron thorns; above them are venomous snakes transformed into beautiful women calling to the sinners; when the sinners climb up, the iron thorns pierce their bodies and the venomous snakes bore into their bellies, subjecting them to great suffering; if people are lustful, they fall into this hell. What is called the Brine River hell? This river is entirely filled with salty water like lye; when sinners enter it, their limbs rot away; on its four banks are hell wardens wielding hot iron swords, guarding against the sinners and not letting them escape; if people are fond of secretly stripping living beings, they fall into this hell upon death. What is called the Bronze Stake hell? In this hell there are many bronze stakes to which sinners are bound; the hell warden rākṣasas pry open their mouths with pincers and pour in molten copper, feeding them iron pellets; when they have eaten their fill, their five internal organs are scorched away and fire streams from their limbs; if people steal food and drink or falsely receive offerings, they will fall into this hell once their life ends. These are called the eight hot hells. Regarding animals: according to the Dharmatrāta-śāstra, 'There are three realms, comprising nine kinds in total. In the water there are three: first, footless; second, many-footed; third, two-footed. The same applies to land, and likewise to the sky, making nine kinds in total.' Regarding Yamaloka: the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra states, 'Five hundred yojanas beneath this Jambudvīpa is the kingdom where King Yama dwells, translated into Chinese as 'Quiet Cessation'; all sinners as well as hungry ghosts belong to this king.' Question: 'How many modes of birth are there in the destiny of hungry ghosts?' Answer: 'Two modes of birth: womb-born and apparitionally born.' 'Apparitional birth can be understood; what is womb birth?' Answer: 'The sūtras have an explicit text, as when a female hungry ghost said: "I give birth to five children at night, and wherever they are born, I devour them completely, yet am never sated even for a moment."' This is the thirteenth, recitation destroys suffering.