佛說觀佛三昧海經 5.25

5.25

The Buddha said to Ānanda: "What is meant by the Sword-Forest hell? As for the Sword-Forest hell, it spans eight thousand yojanas, filled with sword-trees that bear red-hot iron pellets as fruit; these sword-trees are twenty-four yojanas high. There are sentient beings who are unfilial toward their parents, disrespectful toward their teachers and elders, who commit bad vocal karma, lack compassionate love, and inflict swords and staves upon others. When the sinful retribution of such a person is about to bring about death, his mind, like glue, attaches to everything, and he at once has this thought: 'My mind is bound and attached, relinquishing nothing. Addicted to alcohol and fond of lust, even though my body suffers afflictions, my mind still does not cease; if only I could obtain a sharp knife to sever this love!' In response to his voice, the rākṣasa hell-wardens immediately arrive, transformed into attendants, holding up a bright mirror to show him, and saying to the sinner: 'Your mind has many attachments; you may look into this mirror.' When he looks into the mirror, he sees in it the image of a sharp sword, and at once has this thought: 'My body is now frail and cannot bear lustful deeds; if only I could obtain this sharp sword to cut off my mind, would that not be pleasant?' As he has this thought, his breath is cut off and his life ends. Receiving the body of a hungry ghost, he is suddenly born by transformation amidst the sword-trees. Once born, iron pellets enter through the crown of his head and exit through his mouth; his intestines and stomach are scorched and charred, and he collapses to the ground. The hell-wardens then beat and drive him with iron forks, forcing him to climb the trees. Having climbed one tree, iron-beaked insects devour him; terrified, he leaps onto another tree. In this manner, driven from one to the next, he passes through all the sword-forests, undergoing eighty thousand births and eighty thousand deaths in a single day and night. After his sins are ended, he is born into eras of famine and kalpas of pestilence; as a human, he is lowly and base, his breath is constantly foul, and he is loathed by people. After countless kalpas, he encounters a kalyāṇamitra and generates bodhicitta."