諸經要集 9.40

9.40

復有一鬼言。我身上遍滿生舌。斧來斫舌。斷復續生。如此不已。何因故爾。目連答言。汝前世時作道人。眾僧差作蜜漿石蜜。塊大難消以斧斫之。盜心噉一口。以是因緣故。還斫舌也。

Another ghost said: 'My body is covered all over with tongues growing upon it; an axe comes to chop off the tongues, and as soon as they are cut off, they grow back continuously. It goes on like this without end. What is the reason for this?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your former life, you were a man of the Way. The Saṃgha appointed you to make honey syrup and rock sugar. The chunks were large and hard to dissolve, so you chopped them with an axe, and with a larcenous mind you ate a mouthful. By these causal conditions, your tongues are chopped in return.'