法苑珠林 70.8

70.8

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.