經律異相 50.13

50.13

Regarding the Boiling Excrement Hell: it is eighty yojanas [across], with eighteen iron cities. Each iron city has eighteen compartments. Within each compartment, on all four walls, there are tens of billions of sword trees. The ground is like knife blades, three feet thick. Upon the blades are hundreds of thousands of caltrops, beyond reckoning. Between each caltrop and sword tree, iron worms are born, immeasurable in number. Each iron worm has hundreds of thousands of heads; each head has hundreds of thousands of beaks; and the tip of each beak has hundreds of thousands of viper-worms. These viper-worms vomit hot excrement from their mouths, boiling like molten copper, filling the iron enclosure. Above are iron nets and iron crows. Because of breaking the eight precepts of the fast day; defiling śrāmaṇerīs or śikṣamāṇās; defiling the bhikṣu precepts or bhikṣuṇī precepts; defiling the upāsaka precepts or upāsikā precepts; and among these seven assemblies as well as all others, defiling the pure food of the Saṅgha or defiling the food of parents; stealing and eating beforehand, or handling it with impure hands; or monastery administrators, relying on their own authority, defiling the pure food of the Saṅgha; or disciples of the four assemblies sitting upon the beds of the Saṅgha with impure bodies; or committing sthūlātyaya offenses and failing to repent for a long time; or vainly consuming Saṅgha food, sitting among the Saṅgha assembly, and participating in poṣadha with the Saṅgha—when such numerous, immeasurably impure, and evilly karma-laden sinners are about to die, their whole body becomes fragrant, like musk, unbearable to be near. They then think: 'Where may I go so as not to smell this fragrance?' The hell-warden transforms his body like a painted vase filled with feces and filth, approaches the sinner's place, and touches them with his hand, causing that sinner's heart to give rise to attachment. Their breath ceases, their life ends, and they fall into the boiling excrement. Their body rots, and the multitude of worms bite and eat them, scraping their bones to the marrow. Urged by thirst, they drink the hot, boiling excrement. Viper-worms and maggots gnaw at the root of their tongue. In one day and one night, they are born ninety billion times and die ninety billion times. When their punishment is completed, they emerge and are born into a poor and base family, lacking autonomy. Even when born into the world, they constantly encounter evil kings and belong to masters of wrong views, with various evil matters pressing upon their bodies, and goiters, swellings, and malignant sores serving as their clothing. Due to the wholesome causes and conditions of hearing the Dharma in past lives, they meet a good friend, go forth to study the path, and become an arhat.