經律異相 49.8

49.8

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.)