釋迦譜 1.446

1.446

爾時菩薩既至中夜。即得天眼觀察世間。皆悉徹見如明鏡中自觀面像。見諸眾生種類無量。死此生彼。隨行善惡受苦樂報。見地獄中考治眾生。或洋銅灌口。或抱銅柱。或臥鐵床。或以鐵鑊而煎煮之。或以火上而加丳炙。或為虎狼鷹犬所食。或有避火依於樹下。樹葉墮落皆成刀劍。割截其身。或以斧鋸解剝肢體。或擲熱沸灰河之中。或復擲熱糞屎坑中。受如是等種種諸苦。以業報故命終不死。菩薩既見如此事已。而心思惟。此等眾生本造惡業。為世樂故而今得果極為大苦。若人有見如此惡報。無復更應作不善想。爾時菩薩復觀畜生。隨種種行受雜醜形。或復有為骨肉筋角。皮牙毛羽而受殺者。或復為人負荷重擔。饑渴乏極。人無知者。或穿其鼻。或鉤其首。常以身肉而供於人。還與其類更相食噉。受於如是種種之苦。菩薩既見生大悲心即自思惟。斯等眾生恒以身力而供於人。又加楚撻饑渴之苦。皆是本修惡行果報。爾時菩薩次觀餓鬼。見其恒居黑暗之中。未曾暫覩日月之光。還是其類亦不相見。受形長大腹如大山。咽頸若鍼。口中恒有大火熾然。常為饑渴之所煎迫。千億萬歲不聞食聲。設值天雨灑其上者。變成火珠。或時過臨江海河池。水即化為熱銅焦炭。動身舉步聲如人牽五百乘車。肢體節節皆悉火然。菩薩既見受如是等種種諸苦。起大悲心而自思惟。斯等皆為本造慳貪。積財不施。故令今者受斯罪報。若人見彼受此苦痛。宜應惠施勿生悋惜。設使無財。亦應割肉以用布施。

Then, as the Bodhisattva arrived at the middle of the night, he straightway attained the divine eye. He observed the world and saw everything completely, as if viewing the reflection of his own face in a clear mirror. He saw the immeasurable species of sentient beings dying here and being born there, receiving retributions of suffering or pleasure according to their good and evil actions. He saw the tormenting of sentient beings in the hells: some had molten copper poured into their mouths; some embraced copper pillars; some lay on iron beds; some were boiled in iron cauldrons; some were roasted on skewers over fire; some were eaten by tigers, wolves, hawks, and hounds; some fled the fire to shelter beneath trees, where the falling leaves all turned into knives and swords, slicing and cutting their bodies; some had their limbs severed and flayed with axes and saws; some were cast into the boiling river of ashes; some were thrown into pits of boiling excrement and dung. They suffered diverse torments such as these, yet because of their karmic retributions, their lives did not end in death.

Having witnessed such matters, the Bodhisattva reflected in his mind: 'These sentient beings originally committed evil karma for the sake of worldly pleasures, yet now they obtain fruits of such extreme and great suffering. If people saw such evil retributions, they would never again entertain unwholesome thoughts.'

Then the Bodhisattva further observed animals, who received various ugly forms in accordance with their diverse actions. Some were slaughtered for their bones, meat, sinews, horns, hides, teeth, fur, or feathers; some carried heavy burdens for humans, exhausted by hunger and thirst, with no one knowing of it; some had their noses pierced, or their heads hooked; they constantly provided their flesh to humans, and again their own kind devoured one another, undergoing various sufferings such as these. Having seen this, the Bodhisattva gave rise to great compassion and thought to himself: 'These sentient beings constantly serve humans with physical strength and are further subjected to the suffering of floggings, hunger, and thirst. All of this is the retribution of evil actions cultivated in the past.'

Then the Bodhisattva next observed hungry ghosts. He saw that they constantly dwell in darkness, never beholding the light of the sun and moon for even a moment, nor even seeing others of their own kind. The forms they received were tall and vast, with bellies like great mountains and throats like needles. Great fires blazed constantly within their mouths, and they were always tormented and pressed by hunger and thirst, not hearing the sound of food for thousands of millions of years. Even if heavenly rain fell upon them, it turned into beads of fire; or when they approached rivers, seas, streams, and ponds, the water immediately turned into molten copper and burning coals. When they moved their bodies and took a step, the sound was like people pulling five hundred carts, and every joint of their limbs was ablaze with fire. Having seen them undergoing diverse sufferings such as these, the Bodhisattva gave rise to great compassion and thought to himself: 'These beings all originally engaged in stinginess and greed, accumulating wealth without giving; thus they are now caused to receive this retribution for their offenses. If people saw them suffering this agony, they ought to give generously without giving rise to stinginess. Even if they have no wealth, they should cut their own flesh to practice giving.'