經律異相 50.19

50.19

As for the Hell of the Copper Pillar: There is a forest of copper pillars like a mountain of fire, six hundred yojanas high. Below are fierce fires; atop the fires are iron beds, and upon them are blade-wheels. Interspersed are iron-beaked insects and iron-billed crows. Because of greed and delusion growing profuse, and tainted craving for impurity, practicing impure karma at improper places and improper times—or even if there are bhikṣuṇīs, brāhmaṇas, and other practitioners of the brahma-conduct who violate the impure dharma at improper times and in improper places, extending to all who commit sexual misconduct—when such sinners are about to die, their entire bodies bend backward and stiffen, trembling and shuddering unstably. They then form this thought: 'If I could obtain a solid, large pillar of copper or iron, I could bind this body so that it does not shake.' In response to the moment, the hell wardens transform into servants holding iron staves and go to the sinner's place, saying: 'Elder, now your body is rigid and all other things are weak; you may grasp this staff.' His mind immediately rejoices; his breath ceases and his life ends. In the time it takes to raise a staff, he is born atop a copper pillar. Fierce flames blaze, burning his body. Frightened, he looks down and sees atop an iron bed a shapely woman—or if it is a woman, she sees a handsome man. Giving rise to affectionate craving, they throw themselves down from the copper pillar to the ground. The copper pillar pierces the body, an iron net wraps the neck, and iron-beaked insects devour the torso. Falling onto the iron bed, fire arises simultaneously from the six sense faculties of both man and woman. There are iron-beaked insects that enter through the eyes and exit through the male and female organs. If one has defiled the precepts, there are separately nine hundred million small insects, like maggots, with twelve beaks; fire shoots from the tips of their beaks as they gnaw and eat the body. In a single day and night, there are nine hundred billion births and nine hundred billion deaths. Emerging, he takes the bodies of doves and pigeons for five hundred lifetimes; he is then born among nāgas for five hundred lives; afterward, he is born among humans without sex organs, with both sex organs, or with indeterminate organs, as a eunuch for five hundred lifetimes. Even if he manages to become a human, his wife is not chaste and good, his children are not filial and affectionate, and his male and female slaves do not obey him. After this has passed, he meets a good spiritual friend and gives rise to the bodhicitta.