諸經要集 13.56

13.56

Therefore, the Bodhisattvabhūmi-śāstra states: "The sin of false speech also causes sentient beings to fall into the three evil destinies. If born among humans, they receive two kinds of retributions: first, being much slandered; second, being deceived by others. Why does false speech lead to falling into the hells? Because false speech is untruthful, causing people to suffer in vain; hence, when the body dies, one receives the suffering of the hells. Why does false speech lead to emerging as an animal? Because one's deception and falsehood went against human sincerity; therefore, upon emerging from hell, one receives an animal retribution. Why does false speech further lead to becoming a hungry ghost? Because false speech all stems from stinginess and deception; through the sin of stinginess and deception, one further becomes a hungry ghost. Why, as a human, is one much slandered? Because of one's false speech and insincerity. Why, through false speech, is one deceived by others? Because with false speech one deceived and enticed others. One should know that false speech is the fourth great suffering." Furthermore, because of false speech, divisive speech immediately follows. If in this life one's speech lacks love and compassion, uttering slander, defamation, insults, and coarse, chaotic words, upon death one will immediately fall into the Hell of Tongue-Plucking, Molten Copper, and Plowing. One undergoes myriad sufferings and afflictions for distant kalpas. When the suffering is finished, one falls among animals, eating feces and filth, like the pelican bird, having no root of the tongue, undergoing immeasurable births and deaths therein. By virtue of one's fundamental causes and conditions, if one encounters slight good, one may feebly regain a human body, but one's tongue root will be incomplete, one's breath foul and repulsive, mute, stuttering, and hesitant, teeth irregular and unwhitened, sparse and few. Even if one happens to speak good words, people will not believe or trust them. One should know that slander and discord all arise from divisive speech.