法苑珠林 70.8

70.8

今身隱蔽人光明。不以光明供養三寶。反取三寶光明以用自照。死即當墮黑耳黑繩黑暗地獄。於遐劫中受諸苦惱。受苦既畢墮蟣蝨中。不耐光明。在此之中無量生死。以本因緣。若遇微善劣復人身。形容黶黑垢膩不淨。臭處穢惡人所厭遠。雙眼盲瞎不覩天地。當知隱蔽光明亦緣偷盜故。故地持論云。劫盜之罪。亦令眾生墮三惡道。若生人中得二種果報。一者貧窮。二者共財不得自在。劫盜何故墮於地獄。以其劫盜剝奪偷竊人財苦眾生故。身死即入寒氷地獄。備受諸苦。劫盜何故出為畜生。以其不行人道故受畜生報。身常負重以肉供人償其宿債。何故復墮餓鬼。緣以慳貪便行劫盜。是以畜生罪畢復為餓鬼。何故為人貧窮。緣其劫奪使物空乏。所以貧窮。何故共財不得自在。緣其劫盜偷奪。設若有財則為五家所共。不得自在。當知劫盜二大苦也。

If in the present life one conceals the light of others, not using light to make offerings to the Three Jewels, but instead taking the light belonging to the Three Jewels for one's own illumination, upon death one will fall into the Black Ear, Black Rope, and Deep Darkness hells, undergoing various pains and afflictions for distant kalpas. Once this suffering has ended, one falls among nits and lice, unable to bear the light, undergoing immeasurable births and deaths therein. By the original cause, if one encounters slight goodness, one may barely regain a human body, but one's appearance will be pitch-black, greasy, and impure, smelling foul and repulsive so that people loathe and avoid it, both eyes blind, unable to see heaven and earth. One should know that concealing light also stems from stealing. Therefore the *Bodhisattvabhūmi-śāstra* says: "The sin of robbery also causes sentient beings to fall into the three evil destinies. If born among humans, one receives two kinds of retribution: first, poverty; second, common property over which one has no autonomy." Why does robbery lead to a fall into hell? Because through robbery, stripping, and theft of human property, one causes suffering to sentient beings; hence, when the body dies, one immediately enters the Cold Ice Hell, undergoing all kinds of suffering. Why does robbery lead to emerging as an animal? Because one did not practice the human way, one receives the retribution of an animal, one's body constantly bearing heavy burdens and serving as flesh for humans to repay past debts. Why does one further fall among hungry ghosts? Because robbery is committed out of stinginess and greed, once the animal punishment is ended, one becomes a hungry ghost. Why, as a human, is one poor? Because one's robbery and deprivation caused things to be exhausted and lacking; therefore one is poor. Why does one have common property over which one has no autonomy? Because of robbery, theft, and plunder, even if one has wealth, it is shared by the five households and one cannot have autonomy over it. One should know that robbery brings these two great sufferings.