法苑珠林 57.28

57.28

Another ghost asked: 'I have received this body where a copper pot constantly sits upon my shoulder, filled with molten copper. Holding a ladle in my hand, I scoop it and pour it over my own head, searing my entire body. Suffering countless and boundless agony like this, what crime have I committed?' He replied: 'In your past life, you renounced household life for the Way and took charge of the saṃgha's provisions. You privately hid a jar of ghee in another place; when a visiting monk arrived, you did not give it to him, but after he left, you brought out the ghee and served it to the resident monks. This ghee belonged to the saṃgha of the four directions, and everyone had a share in it. You concealed it, and though you distributed it, you did so unequally. Due to these causes, you suffer this retribution.'