佛說觀佛三昧海經 5.24

5.24

The Buddha said to Ānanda: "What is meant by the River of Ashes hell? As for the River of Ashes hell, it is two hundred yojanas long and twelve yojanas wide. Below it are sharp blades, and on its banks are sword-trees. It is filled with fierce fire twelve zhang deep, over which molten ash covers the fire to a depth of forty zhang. In this world there are shameless sentient beings who steal from their parents, steal from their teachers and elders, and steal from good friends, brothers, and sisters. Such foolish people have no shame or remorse; they do not recognize the debt of their upbringing, have ungrateful minds, covet profit and desire gain, do not perceive calamity, and disobey the instructions of their teachers. When such a person is about to die from the retribution of these sins, breath fills his heart and belly, his panting becomes discontinuous, and he at once has this thought: 'My heart is like mud, and breath chokes my chest; if only I could obtain a slight fire to warm and dry my body, would that not be pleasant?' In response to his thought, the rākṣasa hell-wardens immediately arrive, transformed into a wife and children, carrying in their hands a brazier covered with a thin layer of ash, and approach the sinner. At that time the sinner is overjoyed; because of this joy, with breath cut off, his life ends, and he is born into the River of Ashes. Between the sword-trees stands a rākṣasa holding a sharp sword, coming to harm him. Terrified, this person runs into the River of Ashes. Lifting and lowering his feet, the blades wound his feet. The sword-trees rain knives that penetrate his pores. The rākṣasa uses a fork to skewer and rip out his heart; he collapses to the ground and dies of anguish, only to revive immediately. Due to the causal condition of the sin of stealing from teachers, elders, and parents, in a single day and night he undergoes five hundred billion births and five hundred billion deaths. Driven by hunger and thirst, he opens his mouth wishing to eat; the sword-trees rain knives that enter the tip of his tongue, splitting his belly and tearing his chest, so that he faints and dies. Because he previously heard the names of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, after his punishment ends he gains rebirth among humans, poor and base. Awakening to the impermanence of the world, he leaves home to study the Way: when there is no Buddha in the world, he becomes a pratyekabuddha; if there is a Buddha in the world, he becomes an arhat."