[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [經律異相](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121) › 49.8 # 經律異相 49.8 經律異相 49.8 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [49.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.49.8) 有三使。一老。二病。三死。若有眾生三業行惡。身壞命終應墮地獄。王問言。汝是天使所召耶。王曰。汝見第一使者不。汝在人中。見頭白齒落目視矇矇。皮緩肌皺僂脊拄杖呻吟而行見此人不。罪人言見。王曰。汝何不自念。我亦當爾。罪人言。我時放逸不自覺知。王曰。今當令汝知放逸苦。非父母兄弟天帝先祖知識僮僕沙門等過。汝自作惡今當自受。又問汝見第二使不。汝本為人。頗見疾病困篤屎尿臭處身臥其上。飲食須人百節酸疼流淚呻吟不能語言不。答曰見。王問曰。何不自念（往反如第一使）又問覺第三使不。頗見人死身壞命終諸根永滅。身體挺直猶如枯木捐棄塚間鳥獸所食不。答曰見（往反如前）語已付獄卒（有眾生三世治惡經云。遣五使。五問。謂生老病死先身惡業）詣大地獄（出長阿含經第十九卷婁炭經大同小異）。 > There are three messengers: the first is old age, the second is sickness, and the third is death. If there are sentient beings who commit evil with the three karmas, upon the dissolution of the body and the end of life, they should fall into hell. The king interrogates them, saying: "Were you summoned by the divine messengers?" The king says, "Did you see the first messenger or not? When you were among humans, did you see someone with white hair, fallen teeth, dim vision, slack skin, wrinkled flesh, a bent back, leaning on a cane, groaning as they walked—did you see such a person or not?" The sinner says, "I saw them." The king says, "Why did you not reflect to yourself, 'I too must become like that'?" The sinner says, "At that time I was negligent and did not realize it myself." The king says, "Now I shall make you know the suffering of negligence! It is not the fault of your parents, brothers, heavenly monarchs, ancestors, acquaintances, servants, or śramaṇas; you committed the evil yourself, and now you must receive it yourself." He asks again, "Did you see the second messenger or not? When you were formerly human, did you ever see someone gravely ill, lying in the foulness of feces and urine, requiring others for food and drink, all their joints aching, weeping and groaning, unable to speak—or not?" The answer is, "I saw them." The king asks, saying, "Why did you not reflect to yourself...?" (The back-and-forth is as with the first messenger.) He asks again, "Did you perceive the third messenger or not? Did you ever see a person dead, their body dissolved and life ended, all faculties forever extinguished, their body stiff and straight like a dried log, discarded among graves, eaten by birds and beasts—or not?" The answer is, "I saw them." (The back-and-forth is as before.) Having finished speaking, he hands them over to the hell wardens. (The \*Sūtra on Sentient Beings Governed for Evil in the Three Times\* says: "Five messengers are dispatched, with five interrogations: namely birth, old age, sickness, death, and past-life evil karma.") They are taken to the great hells. (Extracted from the nineteenth fascicle of the \*Dīrghāgama\*; the \*Loutan jing\* is mostly the same with minor differences.) > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 49.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.49.7) - [Next: 49.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.49.9) - [Up: 49](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.49) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.49.8) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.49.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.49.8) · Pramāṇa