佛說佛名經 26

English (machine translation) 26

Language: English

26.1

Namo Boundless Flower Buddha. Namo Boundless Purity Buddha. Namo Boundless Light Buddha. Namo Boundless Brightness Buddha. Namo Boundless Illumination Buddha. Namo Wonderful Brightness Buddha. Namo Boundless Realm Buddha. Namo Boundless Step Buddha. Namo Equal Parasol Practice Buddha. Namo Jewel Parasol Buddha. Namo Constellation King Buddha. Namo Good Constellation Buddha. Namo Light Wheel Buddha. Namo Light King Buddha. Namo Victorious Light Merit Buddha. Namo Immeasurable Light Buddha. Namo Victorious Buddha. Namo Immeasurable Realm Step Buddha. Namo Unhindered Roaring Voice Buddha. Namo Great Cloud Light Buddha. Namo Jālinī Mountain Buddha. Namo Buddha-Flower Light Buddha. Namo Padmavikrami-parvata-rāja Buddha. Namo Constellation Foremost Buddha. Namo Emitting Light Buddha. Namo Candana Firmness Buddha. Namo Not in Vain Seeing Buddha. Namo Crest Supreme Merit Buddha. Namo Padma Crest Supreme Merit Buddha. Namo Non-Delusion Buddha. Namo Capable of Crossing Buddha. Namo Non-Straying Step Buddha. Namo Free from Folly Realm Buddha. Namo Darkness-Free Light Buddha. Namo Boundless Vigour Buddha. Namo Sāla Sovereign King Buddha. Namo Jewel Sāla Buddha. Namo Single Parasol Buddha. Namo Parasol Adornment Buddha. Namo Jewel Accumulation Buddha. Namo Candana Fragrance Buddha. Namo Candana Mass Fragrance Buddha. Namo Candana Abode Buddha. Namo Boundless Light Buddha. Namo Light Wheel Buddha. Namo Mountain Adornment Buddha. Namo Unhindered Brightness Buddha. Namo Good Eye Buddha. Namo Jewel Accomplishment Buddha. Namo All-Merit Victorious Buddha. Namo Accomplished Buddha-Flower Merit Buddha. Namo Well-Abiding Mind Buddha. Namo Boundless Upāya Buddha. Namo Not in Vain Merit Buddha. Namo Jewel Power Buddha. Namo Boundless Cultivation Buddha. Namo Adorning Boundless Merit Buddha. Namo Sky-Wheel Light Buddha. Namo Signless Voice Buddha. Namo King of Medicine Buddha. Namo Non-Faint-Hearted Buddha. Namo Free from All Fear and Horripilation Buddha. Namo Merit King Light Buddha. Namo Contemplating Wisdom Arising Flower Buddha. Namo Sky Serenity Buddha. Namo Sky Voice Buddha. Namo Sky Adornment Buddha. Namo Great Brightness Buddha. Namo Victorious Merit Buddha. Namo Accomplishment Buddha. Namo Buddha-Padma-Merit Buddha. Namo Accomplishing Merit Buddha. Namo Lion Victorious Buddha. Namo Accomplished Benefit Buddha. Namo Lion Protected Buddha. Namo Well-Abiding King Buddha. Namo Brahma Mountain Buddha. Namo Pure Eye Buddha. Namo Not in Vain Footstep Buddha. Namo Fragrant Elephant Buddha. Namo Fragrance Virtue Buddha. Namo Gandhameru Buddha. Namo Boundless Eye Buddha. Namo Wealth Abode Buddha. Namo Gandhamādana Buddha. Namo Jewel Lion Buddha. Namo Firm Sentient Being Buddha. Namo Wondrous Victorious Abiding King Buddha. Namo Boundless Realm Victorious King Buddha. Namo Victorious Vigour King Buddha. Namo Doubtless Buddha. Namo Good Constellation King Buddha. Namo Dīpaṃkara Buddha. Namo Able to Make Light Buddha. Namo Light Mountain Buddha. Namo Light Wheel Buddha. Namo Wondrous Parasol Buddha. Namo Fragrant Parasol Buddha. Namo Jewel Parasol Buddha. Namo Fragrant Cloud Parasol Buddha. Namo Candana Victorious Buddha. Namo Mount Sumeru Accumulation Buddha. Namo Manifold Jewel Light Buddha. Namo Firm Sovereign King Buddha. Namo Contemplating the Buddha-Dharma Buddha. Namo Pure Victorious Buddha. Namo Pure Eye Buddha. Namo Non-Weak Buddha. Namo Jewel Victorious Buddha. Namo Śilā King Buddha. Namo Generating Cultivation to Transform the Female Faculty Buddha. Namo Generating Boundless Cultivation Buddha. Namo Most Wondrous Light Buddha. Namo Jālinī Light Mountain Buddha. Namo Severing All Evils Buddha. Namo Cause King Buddha. Namo Brahma Victorious Buddha. Namo Praised Body Buddha. Namo Flower Mountain Buddha. Namo Womb-Transforming Buddha. Namo Adversity-Transforming Buddha. Namo Severing All Thoughts Buddha. Namo Arousing All Thoughts Buddha. Namo Constant Cultivation Buddha. Namo Well-Abiding Buddha. Namo Single Treasury Buddha. Namo Single Mountain Buddha. Namo Boundless Body Buddha. Namo Boundless Vigour Buddha. Namo Light Wheel Buddha. Namo Boundless Merit King Light Buddha. Namo Subduing All Foes Buddha. Namo Transcending All Māra Realms Buddha. Namo Immeasurable Flower Buddha. Namo Immeasurable Fragrance Buddha. Namo Immeasurable Voice Buddha. Namo Light Crest Buddha. Namo Light Victorious Buddha. Namo Not Departing from the Two Buddha. Namo Dharma-Wheel Purity Buddha. Namo Immeasurable Buddha-Flower Light Buddha. Namo Immeasurable Voice Buddha. Namo Light Mountain Buddha. Namo Sāla Sovereign King Buddha. Namo Sun Face Buddha. Namo Good Eye Buddha. Namo Sky Buddha. Namo Jewel Flower Buddha. Namo Jewel Accomplishment Buddha. Namo Moon Flower Buddha. Namo Generating All Practices Buddha. Namo Severing All Worlds Buddha. Namo Boundless Eloquence Buddha. Namo Free from All Rivalry and Fear Buddha. Namo Eloquence in All Realms Buddha. Namo Universal Fragrance Light Buddha. Namo Fragrance Light Buddha. Namo Gandhameru Buddha. Namo Fragrance Victorious Buddha. Namo Fragrant Elephant Buddha. Namo Fragrance Forest Buddha. Namo Fragrance King Buddha. Namo Padmavikrami-rāja Buddha. Namo Buddha Realm Buddha. Namo Most Wondrous Buddha. Namo Wondrous Victorious Buddha. Namo Scattered Flower Buddha. Namo Flower Parasol Garland Buddha. Namo Flower Abode Buddha. Namo Golden Flower Buddha. Namo Fragrant Flower Buddha. Namo Meru King Buddha. Namo Guide Buddha. Namo Victorious over All Sentient Beings Buddha. Namo Severing Akṣaṇa Buddha. Namo Generating Good Practices Buddha. Namo Good Flower Buddha. Namo Boundless Fragrance Buddha. Namo Universally Scattered Fragrance Light Buddha. Namo Universally Scattered Fragrance Buddha. Namo Universally Scattered Light Buddha. Namo Universally Scattered Fragrant Flower Buddha. Namo Universally Scattered Padmavikrami Buddha. Namo Ratnajālinī-hasta Buddha. Namo Arising King Buddha. Namo Universal Buddha-Realm King Parasol Buddha. Namo Well-Abiding King Buddha. Namo Wondrous Fragrance Buddha. Namo Boundless Wisdom Realm Buddha. Namo Not in Vain Arising Buddha. Namo Not in Vain Seeing Buddha. Namo Hindrance-Free Eye Buddha. Namo Immovable Buddha. Namo Arousing the Bodhicitta Buddha. Namo Immeasurable Eye Buddha. Namo Possessing a Lamp Buddha. Namo Universal Illumination Buddha. Namo Light Buddha. Namo All-Buddha-Land Buddha. Namo Continuous Compassion for All Sentient Beings' Eloquence Buddha. Namo Stainless Step Buddha. Namo Footprintless Step Buddha. Namo Free from All Sorrow Buddha. Namo Able to Free All Sentient Beings from Becoming Buddha. Namo Joyfully Cultivating Victorious Buddha. Namo Fearless King Buddha. Namo Victorious Mountain Buddha. Namo Saving from Suffering and Distress Buddha. Namo Fragrant Face Buddha. Namo Koli Buddha. Namo Great Power Victorious Buddha. Namo Jewel Utpala Victorious Buddha. Namo Kumuda Accomplishment Buddha. Namo High Voice Eye Buddha. Namo Foremost Buddha. Namo Flower Accomplishment Buddha. Namo Boundless Light Buddha. Namo Moon-Emergence Light Buddha. Namo Praised in the Ten Directions Buddha. Namo Tārakā-rāja Superior Buddha. Namo Boundless Light Buddha. Namo Most Victorious Fragrant Mountain Buddha. Namo Fearless Buddha. Namo Accomplishing Fearless Virtue Buddha. Namo Accomplishing Boundless Vow Merit Buddha. Namo All-Merit Adornment Buddha. Namo Flower King Buddha. Namo Unsubduable Banner Buddha. Namo Superior Protection Light Buddha. Namo Terrifying Padmavikrami-rāja Buddha. Namo Undivided Mind Accomplishing Victorious Buddha. Namo Above All Buddha. Namo Sky-Wheel Pure King Buddha. Namo Immeasurable Roaring Voice Buddha. Namo Signless Roaring Voice Buddha. Namo Jewel Arising Merit Buddha. Namo Brahma Victorious Buddha. Namo Unhindered Fragrant Hand Buddha. Namo Mount Meru Light Buddha. Namo Padmavikrami Light Buddha. Namo Able to Make a Praised Name Buddha. Namo Praised and Intimate Buddha. Namo Firm Sovereign King Buddha. Namo to all such past immeasurable and boundless Buddhas. Namo Present Accumulated Fearless Buddha. Namo Jewel Merit Light Buddha. Namo Universal Protection Buddha. Namo Jewel Light Illumination Buddha. Namo Moon-Adorned Jewel Light Wisdom Majestic Voice King Buddha. Namo Kusuma-jyotiḥ-asambhrama-rāja-abhijña Buddha. Namo Pure Moon Wheel Buddha. Namo Serene Moon Voice Buddha. Namo Asaṃkhyeya-Abiding Merit Vigour Victorious Buddha. Namo Good Fame Victorious Buddha. Namo Indraketu-dhvaja-nakṣatra-rāja Buddha. Namo Universal Light Adornment Victorious Buddha. Namo Subduing Opponents' Step Buddha. Namo Universal Merit Light Adornment Victorious Buddha. Namo Unhindered King of Medicine Tree Victorious Buddha. Namo Padma Step Buddha. Namo Jewel Padma Well-Abiding Sāla Lord Buddha. Namo Lion Buddha. Namo Sunlight Buddha. Namo Fire Light Buddha. Namo Boundless Light Buddha. Namo Padma King Buddha. Namo Agodāra Buddha. Namo Padmavikrami Buddha. Namo Good Flower Buddha. Namo Jewel Mind Buddha. Namo Unhindered Light Buddha. Namo Mountain Banner Buddha. Namo Jewel Banner Buddha. Namo Jewel Flame Buddha. Namo Great Mass of Flames Buddha. Namo Candana Fragrance Buddha. Namo Good Benefit Light Buddha. Namo Padma-Spreading Body Buddha. Namo Resting on Boundless Merit Buddha. Namo Jewel-Body Dharma Determination Voice King Buddha. Namo Asaṃkhyeya Vigour Accumulated Victorious Buddha. Namo Wisdom Superknowledge Buddha. Namo Mount Meru Accumulated Buddha. Namo Dīpaṃkara Buddha. Namo Great Majestic Power Buddha. Namo Sun and Moon Buddha. Namo Candana Buddha. Namo Sumeru Kalpa Buddha. Namo Moon Colour Buddha. Namo Undefiled Buddha. Namo Subduing Nāgas Buddha. Namo Nāga-Deva Buddha. Namo Golden Mirror-Image Buddha. Namo Mountain Voice Sovereign King Buddha. Namo Mountain Accumulated Buddha. Namo Sumeru Treasury Buddha. Namo Offering Light Buddha. Namo Victorious Awakening Buddha. Namo Earth Mountain Buddha. Namo Vaiḍūrya Flower Buddha. Namo Wondrous Vaiḍūrya Gold Image Buddha. Namo Subduing the Moon Buddha. Namo Sun Voice Buddha. Namo Scattered Flower Adornment Buddha. Namo Mountain and Sea Wisdom Valor Superknowledge Buddha. Namo Water Light Buddha. Namo Great Fragrance Mirror-Image Buddha. Namo Immovable Mountain Buddha. Namo Jewel Collection Buddha. Namo Victorious Mountain Buddha. Namo Heroic Mountain Buddha. Namo Many Merits Dharma Upholder Attaining Superknowledge Buddha. Namo Sun-Moon Vaiḍūrya Light Buddha. Namo Victorious Vaiḍūrya Light Buddha. Namo Heart Wisdom Many Kusuma Victorious Buddha. Namo Sunlight Buddha. Namo Moonlight Buddha. Namo Scattered Flower King Kusuma Superknowledge Buddha. Namo Candana Moonlight Buddha. Namo Shattering the Darkness of Ignorance Buddha. Namo Universal Parasol Pavāra Buddha. Namo Constellation Buddha. Namo Puṣya Buddha. Namo Dharma Wisdom Increasing Buddha. Namo Lion Goose King Mountain Roar Buddha. Namo Brahma Voice Nāga Valor Buddha. Namo Worldly Indra Buddha. Namo Worldly Sovereign King Buddha. Namo Obtainable Retribution Buddha. Namo Amṛta Voice Buddha. Namo Jyotir-avabhāsa Buddha. Namo Nārāyaṇa Crest Nāga Buddha. Namo Power Deva Buddha. Namo Lion Buddha. Namo Viraja Light Buddha. Namo Most Supreme in the World Buddha. Namo Mountain Peak Buddha. Namo Sovereign King of Humans Buddha. Namo Flower Victorious Buddha. Namo Attaining the Four Fearlessnesses Buddha. Namo Jewel Victorious Majestic King Kalpa Buddha. Namo Unreproachable Body Buddha. Namo Praised Protection Buddha. Namo Praised Majestic Virtue Buddha. Namo Praised Renowned Voice Buddha. Namo Praised Voice Offering Buddha. Namo Heroic Fame Buddha. Namo Pure Voice Component Buddha. Namo Wisdom Victorious Good and Clever Buddha. Namo Wisdom Victorious Accomplishment Buddha. Namo Wisdom Flame Buddha. Namo Wondrous Wisdom Buddha. Namo Wisdom Mass of Flames Buddha. Namo Wisdom Heroic Buddha. Namo Brahma Voice Buddha. Namo Brahma Victorious Buddha. Namo Pure Deva Buddha. Namo Good Arm Buddha. Namo Well-Purified Deva Buddha. Namo Brahma Voice Buddha. Namo Pure Sovereign Buddha. Namo Pure Good Eye Buddha. Namo Pure Voice Sovereign King Buddha. Namo Good and Pure Virtue Buddha. Namo Majestic Power Superior Buddha. Namo Good Power Sovereign Buddha. Namo Majestic Great Power Buddha. Namo Victorious Majestic Virtue Buddha. Namo Vimala Victorious Buddha. Namo Vimala Mind Buddha. Namo Good Vimala Buddha. Namo Vimala Face Buddha. Namo Vimala Accomplishment Buddha. Namo Vimala Wondrous Buddha. Namo Seeing Jewels Buddha. Namo Sunīta Buddha. Namo Good Eye Purity Buddha. Namo Boundless Eye Buddha. Namo Universal Eye Buddha. Namo Incomparable Eye Buddha. Namo Victorious Eye Buddha. Namo Unsubduable Eye Buddha. Namo Immovable Eye Buddha. Namo Serene Victorious Buddha. Namo Well-Serene Buddha. Namo Well-Serene Faculties Buddha. Namo Serene Supreme Buddha. Namo Serene Merit Buddha. Namo Serene Other Shore Buddha. Namo Serene Well-Abiding Buddha. Namo Serene Mind Buddha. Namo Serene Thought Buddha. Namo Serene Dīpaṃkara Buddha. Namo Sovereign King Buddha. Namo Multitude Victorious Buddha. Namo Pure King Buddha. Namo Great Assembly Sovereign Heroic Buddha. Namo Multitude Victorious Liberation Buddha. Namo Dharma Banner Buddha. Namo Dharma Ketu Buddha. Namo Dharma Arising Buddha.

26.2

"Next, pay homage to the great repository Dharma wheel of the twelve divisions of noble scriptures.

26.3

"Reverently pay homage to all the great bodhisattva-mahāsattvas of the ten directions.

26.4

"Namas to all such measureless and boundless great bodhisattva-mahāsattvas of the worlds of the ten directions.

26.5

"Reverently pay homage to all the worthy and noble ones, śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.

26.6

"Namas to all such measureless and boundless pratyekabuddhas.

26.7

"Having paid homage to the triratna, next perform kṣamā.

26.8

"Disciples! Having repented of the hindrance of afflictions and having repented of the karmic hindrance (karmāvaraṇa), we shall now set forth and repent of the remaining retributive hindrances in due order. A sūtra states: 'When the karmic retribution arrives, it is not in the sky, nor in the ocean, nor by entering into mountain rocks; there is no other place where one may escape it and not receive the retribution. Only through the power of kṣamā can it be eradicated.' How is this known to be so? When Śakra Devānām Indra showed the five signs of decay, filled with fear, he sincerely took refuge in the triratna; the signs of death were immediately extinguished and his celestial life was prolonged. Examples such as this illuminated by the scriptural teachings are not solitary; thus we know that kṣamā can truly extinguish misfortune. Yet if ordinary beings do not meet a good friend to guide them, there is no evil they will not commit, causing the evil signs of hell to appear before them when their life is ending and they reach the brink of exhaustion. At that moment, remorse and terror arrive together; having failed to cultivate good beforehand and only repenting when on the brink of exhaustion, how can repentance afterward avail? Misfortune and disaster lie prepared in another realm, having long awaited them; alone, one must proceed far to another place, merely going forward to enter the great cauldron, where body and mind are crushed to pieces and the spirit suffers acutely. At such a time, how could one still obtain even a single homage or a single act of kṣamā?

26.9

"Assembly! Do not rely on your prime of youth, wealth, or power, indulging in laziness, indolence, and negligence. Once the suffering of death arrives, whether young or old, poor or rich, noble or base, all are wiped away; it arrives suddenly without letting anyone know. Indeed, the impermanence of life is like the morning dew: though the out-breath exists, the in-breath is hard to guarantee. How can you not perform kṣamā on this account? Moreover, when the five divine messengers have come and the rakshasa of impermanence suddenly arrives, none in the prime of youth or robust complexion can escape. At that time, what do magnificent halls and deep chambers have to do with human affairs? How could tall carriages and great horses follow you? Wives, children, and kin are no longer your relations; the seven treasures and precious adornments become toys for others. Speaking from this perspective, the fruits of retribution in the world are all like an illusion and a transformation.

26.10

"Though the heavens are joyful, they inevitably end in ruin; when life ends, the spirit falls into the three evil paths. Therefore, the Buddha said to Subhadra: 'Your master, Udraka Rāmaputra, was of sharp faculties and clever, able to subdue afflictions up to the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception; yet when his life ended, he returned to take the body of a flying cat in the animal destiny. How much more so for others?' Thus we know that before one realizes the noble fruit, all must cycle through and experience every evil destiny. If one is not careful, suddenly one morning one will personally encounter this affair, and it will be too late for regrets. Just as nowadays, being charged with a crime and brought before the magistrates is already a minor suffering, yet the mind and spirit are panicked and terrified, and kin fearfully seek rescue by a hundred means; compared with this, the various sufferings of hell are hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of times greater, beyond all metaphor.

26.11

"Assembly! Together, our sins accrued throughout the kalpas are like Mount Sumeru; how can you hear this and remain calm, neither fearing, nor startled, nor terrified? To let this spirit again encounter such suffering is truly lamentable. Therefore, disciples, summoning this sincere devotion, with utmost heart take refuge in the Buddhas:

26.12

"Namo the Buddha Flower of Merit of the eastern direction; namo the Buddha Respected Radiance of the southern direction; namo the Buddha Boundless Life of the western direction; namo the Buddha Supreme Merit of the northern direction; namo the Buddha Sumanā of the south-eastern direction; namo the Buddha Unobstructed Benefit of the south-western direction; namo the Buddha Good and Wonderful in this World of the north-western direction; namo the Buddha Fragrance-Surpassing Meru of the north-eastern direction; namo the Buddha Surpassing All Flowers with Tamed Mind of the lower direction; namo the Buddha Pure Wheel Banner of the upper direction.

26.13

"Namas to all such triratnas throughout the ten directions, exhausting the empty space.

26.14

"Disciples! From beginningless time (anādikāla) down to the present day, among all our retributive hindrances, the heaviest is exclusively the Avīci Hell. As illuminated in the sūtras, we shall now briefly describe its characteristics: this hell is surrounded by seven layers of iron walls, with seven layers of iron nets covering it from above, and below are seven layers of sword forests and measureless fierce fires, eighty-four thousand yojanas in length and breadth. The bodies of the sinners completely fill it, yet due to their karmic conditions they do not obstruct one another. The fire above penetrates below, and the fire below penetrates above, intersecting and passing through from east, west, south, and north, like fish in a frying pan whose fat and grease are completely burned away; the suffering of sinners therein is also like this.

26.15

"At the four gates of its city are four great bronze dogs, their bodies forty yojanas in length and breadth, with teeth and claws like sharp saws and eyes like lightning. There are also measureless iron-beaked birds flying and soaring, pecking at the sinners' flesh; ox-headed hell-wardens shaped like rākṣasas, having nine tails like iron pitchforks; and further having eight heads, with eighteen horns upon each head, and sixty-four eyes, from each of which burst forth iron pellets to burn the sinners' flesh. When they shout and roar in anger and wrath, their voices are like thunderpeals. There are also measureless spontaneous sword-wheels descending from the air, entering through the sinners' crowns and exiting through their feet; whereupon the sinners' pain pierces the marrow of their bones, acutely tormenting their livers and hearts. Thus passing through measureless years they undergo various sufferings and distress, seeking life without obtaining it, seeking death without obtaining it. Today, bowing our heads in shame and remorse, we reveal with sincere hearts and perform kṣamā for all such retributions.

26.16

"For the other hells: we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Sword Mountains and Blade Trees, where bodies and heads fall off; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Boiling Cauldrons and Furnace Coals, being burned and cooked; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Iron Beds and Copper Pillars, being scorched; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Sword Wheels and Fire Chariots, being cleaved and crushed; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Tongue-Pulling and Plow-Furrowing, with acute agony; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Swallowing Iron Pellets and Pouring Molten Copper into the Mouth, with the five viscera melting away; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Iron Mortars and Iron Mills, with flesh and bones ground to dust; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of the Black Rope and Iron Nets, with limbs and joints separated; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of the Ash River and Boiling Excrement, being tormented and suffocated; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Salt Water and Cold Water, naked and freezing with cracked skin; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Tigers, Wolves, Hawks, and Hounds, mutually harming one another; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Weapons and Cleaving, mutually striking, snatching, hacking, and stabbing; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Fire Pits, being roasted and charred; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Crashing Boulders, with skeletons shattered; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Gathering Black Ears, being flayed and dismembered; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of the Dark Mountain of Flesh, being chopped and minced; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Sawing and Nailing the Body, being severed and pierced; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Iron Staffs and Hanging Upside Down, being slaughtered and carved; we repent of the retributions in the Hell of Scorching Heat and Wailing, with vexation and distress; we repent of the retributions between the Greater and Lesser Cakravāḍa Mountains, in the long night of darkness without knowing the three luminaries. In the Apapa Hell, the Aṭaṭa Hell, the Ahaha Hell, the Hahava Hell, and all such eight cold and eight hot hells, each hell also has eighty-four thousand subsidiary compartment hells as its retinue; the sinful suffering, roasting, boiling, and acute agony therein—flaying the skin, carving the flesh, scraping the bones, striking the marrow, pulling out the intestines, and plucking out the lungs—are measureless sufferings that can neither be heard nor spoken of.

26.17

"Namo the Buddhas! Those who are within them today may be our parents and kin through successive lives from beginningless time (anādikāla); and after we ourselves die, we may also fall into such hells. Today, purifying our hearts with utmost sincerity, we bow our heads and prostrate to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the bodhisattvas of the great earth, begging for mercy and performing kṣamā, so that all these retributive hindrances may be completely eliminated.

26.18

"May we disciples, relying on the merits generated by this kṣamā of hell retributions, through life after life, by the compassion of all Buddhas saving the sufferings of sentient beings, instantly destroy the iron city of Avīci, granting pure lands to all without the name of evil destinies. May all the instruments of torture in the other hells be transformed into causes of joy: sword mountains and blade trees turned into jeweled groves, boiling cauldrons and furnace coals transformed into lotus births, and ox-headed hell-wardens abandoning cruelty to give rise to loving-kindness without evil thoughts. May the sentient beings of the hells be freed from the fruits of suffering and no longer create its causes, equally enjoying peace and joy like that of the third dhyāna, and all simultaneously generating the mind of supreme awakening (bodhicitta)."

26.19

Mahāyāna Lotus Sūtra on Baoda's Inquiries and Answers Concerning Retributions of Śramaṇas

26.20

Baoda shortly afterward entered an Iron Fire House Hell. Why is it named the Iron House Hell? That hell is thirty-four yojanas in length and breadth. Iron walls surround it, iron nets cover it, and at the four corners of the iron city, fierce winds blow against it; the iron city shakes, and fire naturally erupts, raging and blazing throughout the hell. There are also iron spears and sickles sharp as needlepoints suspended in the air, rumbling and grinding like thunder, the spears chaotically stabbing downward into the sinners' bodies. There is a great iron bed over forty paces in circumference, surrounded by the fire house; the sinners' bodies lie spread across the bed, undergoing retributions without any hindrance.

26.21

At that time, at the western gate, measureless and boundless sinners cried out: 'For what crime have we now entered this place?' Beating their bodies, stumbling and rolling about, weeping and wailing, they were unwilling to advance. A horse-headed rākṣasa held iron tongs in his hands, clamped them against their chests, and hurled them into the hell; wherever the tongs touched, smoke and flames erupted together. Hell-warden yakṣas hooked their heads with great iron hooks and dragged them into the iron fire house. That house was surrounded by blazing fires; driven and turned by the power of karma, the sinners' bodies climbed onto the bed to lie down. There were great venomous serpents with spiny scales that entered their mouths and exited from below; there were also iron birds that pecked at their hearts and pulled out their intestines. Such suffering was unbearable; during a single day and night they underwent measureless suffering, seeking life without obtaining it, seeking death without obtaining it. Only after passing through thousands of myriads of kalpas could they obtain release; emerging from hell, they would become animals, pulling plows and bearing heavy burdens to repay their past debts, without rest for hundreds and thousands of lives.

26.22

Baoda asked the horse-headed rākṣasa: 'Due to what sins have these sinners arrived here to suffer such torment?'

26.23

The horse-headed rākṣasa answered: 'These śramaṇas received the Buddha's pure precepts but failed to protect and maintain them. They slept in the houses of white-robed laity without having them officially bestowed upon them, or because of this sight they gave rise to lustful thoughts; they defiled pure-practicing monks (bhikṣus) and defiled nuns (bhikṣuṇīs); and they stole the property of the saṅgha (saṅghadravya). Due to these sins, they fall into this hell. Later, when they obtain human form, they will fall into the five rebellious sins (ānantarya); their families will be poor, cold, and base, with ragged clothes that cannot cover their bodies, having no home of their own, dwelling exposed to the wind.'

26.24

Hearing this, Baoda wept and said: 'Why are they called world-renouncing persons, yet bound by the mundane? Having attained the gateway of liberation, why are they instead oppressed by desire?' Having spoken these words, he departed weeping.

26.25

Sūtra on the Names of the Buddhas, Fascicle Twenty-Six

Linked texts (1)

佛說佛名經 — Classical Chinese