法苑珠林 76.10

76.10

又出曜經云。昔佛在世時。尊者滿足詣餓鬼界。見一餓鬼。形狀醜陋。見者毛竪。莫不畏懼。身出熾焰。如大火聚。口出𦚭蟲。膿血流溢。臭氣難近。或口出火長數十丈。或眼耳鼻身體支節。放諸火焰長數十丈。脣口垂倒像如野猪。身體縱廣一由旬也。手自抓爴。舉聲嘷哭。馳走東西。滿足見問。汝作何罪今受此苦。餓鬼報曰。吾昔出家戀著房舍慳貪不捨。自恃豪族出言臭惡。若見持戒精進比丘。輒復罵辱戾口戾眼。或戾是非。故受此苦。寧以利刀自割其舌。積劫受苦。不以一日罵謗精進持戒比丘。尊者若還閻浮提地時。以我形狀誡諸比丘。善護口過勿妄出言。見持戒者念宣其德。自我受此餓鬼形來。數千萬歲。常受此苦。却後命終。當入地獄。說此語已嘷哭投地。如大山崩。天翻地覆。斯由口過。故使然矣。

Furthermore, the Scripture of Spoken Parables says: Anciently, when the Buddha was in the world, the Venerable Pūrṇa went to the realm of hungry ghosts. He saw a hungry ghost whose appearance was hideous, causing the hair of onlookers to stand on end, none failing to be terrified. From its body burst blazing flames like a great mass of fire; from its mouth crawled maggots, with pus and blood overflowing, emitting a stench unbearable to approach. Sometimes fire shot out from its mouth dozens of fathoms long; sometimes its eyes, ears, nose, body, and limbs emitted flames dozens of fathoms long. Its lips hung drooping down like those of a wild boar; its body measured a yojana in length and breadth. With its own hands it tore and clawed at itself, wailing and weeping loudly as it rushed about to the east and west. Seeing it, Pūrṇa asked: 'What sin did you commit to now suffer this torment?' The hungry ghost replied: 'In the past I left the household life, yet I clung to rooms and dwellings, stingy, greedy, and unable to let go. Relying on my noble clan, I uttered foul and evil words. Whenever I saw bhikṣus who upheld the precepts and were energetic, I would constantly revile and insult them, making wry faces and rolling my eyes at them, or perversely twisting right and wrong. Therefore I undergo this torment. Better to cut out one's own tongue with a sharp knife and suffer agony for accumulated kalpas than for a single day to revile and slander an energetic, precept-upholding bhikṣu. When the Venerable One returns to the land of Jambudvīpa, use my appearance to admonish all the bhikṣus: let them properly guard against faults of the mouth, not speaking recklessly; when they see those who uphold the precepts, let them be mindful to proclaim their virtues. Ever since I received this hungry ghost form, for tens of millions of years I have constantly suffered this torment. When this life ends hereafter, I will fall into hell.' Having spoken these words, it wailed and threw itself upon the ground, like a great mountain collapsing or heaven and earth turning upside down. This was caused by the faults of the mouth, which brought it to this pass.