法苑珠林 76.8

76.8

如智度論云。或有餓鬼。先世惡口。好以麁語。加彼眾生。眾生憎惡。見之如讎。以此罪故墮餓鬼中。又法句經云。雖為沙門。不攝身口。麁言惡說。多所中傷。眾所不愛。智者不惜。身死神去。輪轉三塗。自生自死。苦惱無量。諸佛賢聖所不愛惜。假令眾生身雖無過。不慎口業亦墮惡道。故智度論云。時有一鬼。頭似猪頭。臭蟲從口出。身有金色光明。是鬼宿世作比丘。惡口罵詈客比丘。身持淨戒故身有光明。口有惡言故臭蟲從口出。增一阿含經云。寧以利劍截割其舌。不以惡言麁語墮三惡道。

As the Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom says: There are hungry ghosts who in past lives spoke harsh words, delighting in inflicting coarse speech upon sentient beings. Sentient beings hated and detested them, viewing them as enemies. Because of this sin, they fell among the hungry ghosts. Furthermore, the Dharmapada says: Though one is a śramaṇa, if one does not restrain body and speech, speaking coarse words and evil declarations, causing much injury, one is loved by none, and the wise do not cherish him. When the body dies and the spirit departs, he cycles through the three evil paths, dying and being born by himself, with boundless torment and affliction; none of the Buddhas, worthies, or sages love or pity him. Even if a sentient being has no bodily fault, if they do not guard the karma of speech, they will also fall into the evil destinies. Therefore the Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom says: At that time there was a ghost whose head was like a pig's head, with foul worms issuing from its mouth, while its body had a golden radiance. In a past life, this ghost was a bhikṣu who used harsh speech to scold and revile visiting bhikṣus. Because in bodily action he had kept the pure precepts, his body had radiance; because his mouth had uttered evil words, foul worms issued from his mouth. The Ekottarika-āgama says: Better to cut and sever one's tongue with a sharp sword than, through evil words and coarse speech, fall into the three evil paths.