慈悲道場懺法 3.3

3.3

Today, assembly sharing this karmic endeavor in the bodhimaṇḍa! Previously, we have set forth in full the faults and perils of sin and evil. Because of these faults and perils, one runs contrary to excellent karmic deeds. Because of unwholesome karma, one falls into the three wretched paths and experiences all the evil destinies, and when born in the human realm, suffers various bitter retributions. All this is due to causes and conditions from past karmic retributions; shedding one body and receiving another, there is not a moment's rest. For this reason, the buddhas and great bodhisattvas, seeing with their divine eye of spiritual power all beings within the three realms, behold them falling into places of suffering according to their karma when their merit is exhausted. They see those in the formless realm clinging with joy to the mind of absorption, unaware that when their life ends they fall into the desire realm, taking on the forms of birds and beasts because their merit is exhausted. The devas of the form realm are also like this: from a pure place they fall into the desire realm, and once in impurity they again experience desires and pleasures; when the merit of the six desire heavens is exhausted, they fall back into hell, suffering immeasurable torments in hell. They also see the human path: within the human path, by the power of the ten wholesome deeds they obtain a human body, yet with evil conditions mixed and tainted, they have many more sufferings, and when their life ends, most fall into the various evil destinies. They also see all beings in the animal destiny suffering all manner of bitterness and distress—driven by whips and staves, carrying heavy loads across great distances, exhausted and severely afflicted, their necks pierced and worn away, burned and branded with red-hot irons. They also see the hungry ghosts constantly suffering hunger and thirst, perpetually burned by fire as if at the end of a kalpa; without some slight good, they are never liberated. Those with a sliver of merit barely obtain a human body, adorned with many illnesses and short lives. The great assembly should know that the two wheels of good and evil have never ceased for a moment, and the chain of retribution never rests. Poverty, wealth, nobility, and baseness arise according to one's conduct; it is not without causes that one errantly incurs retribution. Therefore the sutra states: 'For a person to be noble, an emperor, a king, or an elder, comes from revering and serving the Three Jewels. For a person to be wealthy comes from giving. For a person to have a long life comes from keeping the precepts. For a person to be handsome and dignified comes from forbearance. For a person to practice diligently without laxity comes from energetic vigor. For a person to have talent, insight, and farsighted intelligence comes from wisdom. For a person to have a clear and resonant voice comes from singing praises of the Three Jewels. For a person to be clean and free of illness comes from a mind of loving-kindness. For a person to be tall in stature is because of respecting others. For a person to be short and small is because of slighting others. For a person to be ugly is because of delighting in anger. To be born without knowledge is because of not studying and inquiring. For a person to be dull-witted and foolish is because of not teaching others. For a person to be mute is because of slandering and vilifying others. For a person to be a servant is because of owing debts to others. For a person to be ugly and dark-complexioned is because of obstructing the Buddha's light. To be born in a land of naked people is because of wearing flimsy clothes and showing disrespect before one's superiors. To be born in a land of horse-hoofed people is because of wearing wooden clogs and walking ahead of one's superiors. To be born in a land of hole-chested people is because of giving and making merit with a begrudging, regretful mind. To be born among roe deer is because of frightening others. To be born as a dragon is because of delighting in frivolous teasing. To have malignant sores erupt on one's body is because of flogging beings. To be seen by people with delight is because of viewing others with delight. To frequently suffer trouble with magistrate officials is because of caging and confining beings. Hearing the words of the Dharma and speaking divisively therein to disrupt others' listening, one later falls among floppy-eared dogs. Hearing the words of the Dharma without taking it to heart, one later is born among long-eared donkeys. Being stingy and eating alone, one falls among hungry ghosts, and when born as a human, one is poor, destitute, and starving. Feeding others with foul food, one later falls among pigs, piglets, and dung beetles. Robbing people of their goods, one later falls among sheep, flayed alive by humans who eat their flesh. Delighting in stealing, one is later born among oxen and horses to serve as people's beasts of burden. Delighting in lying and spreading others' faults, at death one enters hell, where molten copper is poured down one's mouth and one's tongue is pulled out and plowed with oxen; when the punishment is finished, one is born among night-herons, where no one hears their cry without alarm, all calling it an omen of calamity and cursing them to die. Delighting in intoxication with alcohol, one later falls into the boiling-excrement Niraya; when the punishment is finished, one is born among apes, and when the ape karma is finished, one later gets to be a human, ignorant and unknowing, disregarded by others. Those who covet others' labor are later born among elephants. Those who dwell in wealth and nobility, ruling over others, who beat and thrash people with no place for them to appeal—such people, at death, enter hell, suffering bitter retribution for tens of millions of years; coming out of hell, they fall among water buffaloes, their noses and mouths pierced, pulling boats and carts, again receiving beatings from heavy staves to repay their past calamities. A person being impure comes from being a pig. Being stingy and ungracious comes from being a dog. Being obstinate and self-willed comes from being a sheep. A person being frivolous, hasty, and unable to endure matters comes from being a monkey. Having a fishy and foul body comes from being a fish or turtle. A person harboring poison comes from being a snake. A person lacking a mind of compassion comes from being a tiger or wolf.'