眾經撰雜譬喻 1.45

1.45

Formerly, Maudgalyāyana and his disciples went down together from Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa to Rājagṛha to beg for food. On the road Maudgalyāyana looked up into the sky and sighed sorrowfully. His disciple asked: “For what reason do you sigh?” Maudgalyāyana replied: “If you wish to know, wait until we return to where the Buddha is, and you may ask.” Thereupon, having finished begging for food, they returned to where the Buddha was, and his disciple asked about the matter he had sighed over earlier. Maudgalyāyana replied: “I saw up in the sky a hungry ghost whose body was extremely tall and large, and whose appearance was ugly and repulsive. There were seven glowing iron pellets that entered through its mouth and passed straight down through; once they had passed through below, they re-entered through its mouth. Its entire body was blazing with fire; it writhed in agony, collapsing in a dead faint and rising again, and upon rising, collapsing again. That is why I sighed! It was not only I who saw it; the Buddha saw it too!” The disciple asked: “Due to what causal condition does it suffer such pain?” Maudgalyāyana replied: “Ask the Buddha, the World-Honoured One, about this yourself.” The disciple immediately addressed the Buddha, asking about the causal conditions. Then the Buddha answered: “In a former life this hungry ghost was once a novice. At that time the world was in severe famine and beans were used for food. The novice was serving food to the saṃgha, and when he reached his master, he gave an extra seven beans out of partiality. Because of this sin, he received this hungry ghost’s body and suffers such harsh torment.” The Buddha said: “I also constantly see this; the reason I did not speak of it was for fear that people would not believe it and would incur extremely grave sin!” This parable illustrates: in this world, even for a few beans, given out of partiality to one's master without taking them oneself, the sin is still like this! How much more so when the Buddha preaches prajñā and one fails to generate faith, but rather slanders it—that sin is heavier than the five heinous crimes, and the torment suffered in naraka is extremely severe and beyond reckoning.