經律異相 46.48

46.48

復有一鬼言。我常為大狗利牙赤白來噉我肉遺有骨在。風來吹起。肉續復生。狗復來噉。此苦何因。目連答言。汝前世時作天祠主。常教眾生殺羊以血祠天。汝自食肉。是故今日以肉償之。

Another ghost said, "I am constantly pursued by a large dog with sharp white-and-red teeth that comes to eat my flesh until only bones remain. When the wind blows over me, my flesh regenerates again, and the dog comes back to eat it. What is the cause of this suffering?" Maudgalyāyana replied, "In your former life, you were the master of a heavenly shrine. You constantly taught sentient beings to slaughter sheep and sacrifice them to the devas with their blood, while you ate the meat yourself. Therefore, today you repay it with your own flesh."