法苑珠林 70.12

70.12

又雜寶藏經說。昔有一鬼。白目連言。我以物自蒙籠頭。亦常畏人來殺我。心常悑懼不可堪忍。何因緣故爾。答言。汝前世時婬犯外色。常畏人見。或畏其夫主捉縛打殺。或畏官法戮之都市。常懷恐悑恐悑相續。故受如此罪。此是惡行華報。後方受地獄苦報。又緣其邪婬故發言皆妄。今身若妄苦惱眾生。死則當墮啼哭地獄。於遐劫中受諸苦惱。受苦既畢墮餓鬼中。在此苦惱無量生死。以本因緣。若遇微善劣復人身。多諸疾病尫羸虛弱。頓乏楚痛自嬰苦毒。人不愛念。當知此苦皆緣妄語。

Furthermore, the *Saṃyuktaratnapiṭaka-sūtra* says: In the past there was a ghost who said to Maudgalyāyana: "I cover my head with an object, yet I am constantly afraid that people will come and kill me. My heart is constantly terrified and cannot bear it. What was the cause of this?" [Maudgalyāyana] answered: "In your previous life, you committed lustful transgressions with outside women, constantly fearing being seen by others, or fearing being seized, bound, beaten, and killed by their husbands, or fearing being executed by the state law in the marketplace. You constantly harbored terror, terror without interruption; therefore you receive such punishment. This is the preliminary blossom of evil deeds; later you will receive the bitter retribution of hell." Furthermore, because of sexual misconduct, whatever one says is false. If in the present life one lies and afflicts sentient beings, at death one will fall into the Hell of Weeping, undergoing various pains and afflictions for distant kalpas. Once this suffering has ended, one falls among hungry ghosts, undergoing immeasurable births and deaths in this affliction. By the original cause, if one encounters slight goodness, one may barely regain a human body, but one will suffer from many diseases, emaciated and feeble, suddenly exhausted and tormented, personally bearing bitter toxins, unloved by others. One should know that this suffering is entirely due to false speech.