法苑珠林 57.23

57.23

復有一鬼。言我常有熱鐵鍼入出我身。受苦無間。何因故爾。目連答言。汝前世時作調馬師。或作調象師。象馬難制。汝以鐵鍼刺脚。又時牛遲亦以鍼刺。復有一鬼言。我身常有火出自然懊惱。何因故爾。目連答言。汝前世時作國王夫人。更一夫人王甚幸愛。常生妬心伺欲危害。值王臥起去時。所愛夫人眠猶未起著衣。即生惡心。正值作餅有熱麻油。即以灌其腹上。腹爛即死。故受此苦。

Another ghost said: 'Hot iron needles constantly enter and exit my body, causing me to suffer agony without interruption. For what reason is it so?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, you were a horse trainer or an elephant trainer. When the elephants or horses were hard to control, you pricked their feet with iron needles; and when an ox was sluggish, you also pricked it with a needle.' Another ghost said: 'Fire constantly bursts forth from my body, causing me natural distress. For what reason is it so?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, you were the consort of a king. There was another consort whom the king favoured and loved dearly; you constantly conceived jealousy and watched for a chance to harm her. Finding a moment when the king arose and went away while the favoured consort was still asleep and had not yet dressed, you gave rise to an evil thought: it happened that cakes were being made with hot sesame oil, so you poured it onto her belly. Her belly scorched and she died. Therefore you suffer this torment.'