諸經要集 19.68

19.68

Furthermore, the Abhidharmakośa-śāstra states: If a person at the point of death gives rise to a mind of wrong view, this person, taking prior unwholesome deeds as the cause and wrong view as the condition, therefore falls into hell. Some treatise masters say: All unwholesome deeds are causes of hell; the remainder of these unwholesome deeds causes rebirth among animals and hungry ghosts. Furthermore, because past karma is preponderant, one falls among animals: for instance, because lustful desire is preponderant, one is born among pigeons, sparrows, and mandarin ducks; because anger is preponderant, one is born among vipers, adders, snakes, and scorpions; because delusion is preponderant, one is born among pigs, sheep, mussels, and clams; because arrogance is preponderant, one is born among lions, tigers, and wolves; because restlessness and levity are preponderant, one is born among monkeys; because stinginess and jealousy are preponderant, one is born among starving dogs. If there is a small portion of remaining merit from the good of giving, although born among animals, they experience slight pleasure therein. Although the two karmas of body and speech are governed by the mind, yet many receive retribution for their verbal karma: for instance, if one reviles someone as flighty and agitated, comparing them to a monkey, they will be born among monkeys; if one says they are greedy and perverse like a bird, speak like a barking dog, are foolish like a pig or sheep, have a voice like a donkey's bray, walk like a camel, hold themselves aloft like an elephant, are unruly like an unbridled ox, are lustful like a bird or sparrow, cowardly like a cat, or flattering like a wild fox—such evil retributions are received in accordance with their speech. Yet these take the three poisons as their root; among the three poisons, greedy craving is the weightiest, just as grabbing one corner of a cloth, all the rest follows. Therefore the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* states: "If craving is not severed, craving will give rise to shared rebirth." For this reason, the four modes of birth all arise from craving. As it is said, excessive desire leads to rebirth among birds and sparrows; excessive craving for flavors leads to rebirth in latrines. Moreover, due to craving and desire there is egg-birth and womb-birth; due to craving scents and flavors there is moisture-birth. According to whatever they crave, they give rise to earnest karma and thereby receive apparitional birth. If with an earnest mind they delight in practicing sinful karma, at the time of death they delusionally see hell and receive apparitional birth therein. If with an earnest mind they receive merit, they are apparitionally born in the higher realms. Therefore the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra states: "Just as when the roots of a tree are not uprooted, the tree still grows, so when the root of greed is not uprooted, the tree of suffering ever remains."