法苑珠林 76.10

76.10

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.