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Chapter Four

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The Six Realms of Rebirth

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6. The Hells

(Note: This part has eight sections:) (1) Introduction, (2) Explanation of the Name, (3) Karmic Retribution, (4) Duration, (5) The Hell Kings, (6) The City of the King of Hell, (7) Karmic Causes [for Rebirth], and (8) Warning Signs. 1. Introduction

Now to come to the hells. The hell realms are dark and difficult, and the pain creatures suffer there is acute and distressing. Forests of swords rise as high as the sun; the peaks of mountains of swords merge with the sky above. Boiling cauldrons raise waves; cauldrons of fire go up in flames. Iron city walls enclose the hells during the day; copper pillars glimmer dully during the night. These places are filled with frightened sinners suffering great pain, screaming and shouting. Prison guards with the heads of oxen, malicious eyes, and frightful fangs pierce the torsos of the sinners and pound their livers and hearts. Fiercely burning flames lap at the sinners' bodies and destroy their skin completely. Some sinners have their heads and legs ground up and their spirits cooked. Their gall bladders are split in pieces and their intestines are pulled out. Their slaughtered bodies are cut up into pieces [to make] a delicious meal. The pain that sinners suffer in hell is beyond words and thought. Thus, the sinners bob up and down in cauldrons of boiling water; they look up and down in fear and despair inside furnaces of burning coal. Their flesh is pierced by spears and swords; their bones are crushed and left at the side of other old corpses. How could anyone sleep peacefully on an iron bed? How could one get used to staying around copper pillars for a long time? Because the fire gets into their eyes no tears flow when they cry; because smoke gets into their mouths they utter no sound when they scream. 273

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When someone is in such a place very small things can give relief: if he encounters a warm wind in the midst of cold ice, or if he senses cool air in the midst of a coal fire, he is immediately pleased and happy. Someone in Avīci Hell suffers excessive bodily pain. The iron wall there is eighty thousand yojanas long and wide. Explosive sounds cause the sinner to shake; foulsmelling smoke rises up everywhere. The sinner is like a fish in a frying pan: his fat and blood are burned and scorched. There are no temporary pleasures here; everything someone touches gives pain. He cannot move or turn around; he is bound up tightly in chains. He is moved about in every direction: when the fire that destroys the world at the end of the world age burns in one place, he is moved to another place; when the world age ends in the second place he is returned to the first place. Cycling [through the hells] in this manner, he passes through an infinite number of world ages.

If a person makes the vow to cultivate the Buddhist Way and repents all his past evil deeds, then at the moment he makes this vow the boiling water in the cauldron becomes clear and pure and the cauldron turns into a flower pond. The thick smoke rising from the coal furnace becomes an umbrella of incense smoke. The tall sword trees become a jade forest. The mountains covered with knives become Vulture Peak. The copper pillars change their color and the banner of the Dharma is raised up forever. Steel nets change forms and a vision of the Pure Land appears. The ox-headed jail guards throw away their swords and take the Three Refuges. The soldiers in the jail put down their whips and instead take up the five precepts. Families in conflict are reconciled peacefully and no longer display angry faces. Creditors are satisfied and there is no one in distress. The sojourner in these hells who has lost his head and neck becomes whole again because of this change. One whose bones were crushed into powder and whose muscles were torn into pieces is restored to his original form due to the vow. 2. Explanation of the Name

Question: Why is this realm called hell (diyu)?

Answer: According to the Lishi apitan lun (T.1644:197c23-27), its Sanskrit name is niraya; there is no playful pleasure, no joy, no path to liberation, and no meritorious deeds, and a creature is reborn there because he has not stopped committing evil deeds. Another explanation is that this realm is the 274

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most inferior one in the realm of desire. It is called the negative realm. For this reason hell is called niraya.

According to the Posha lun (ref. T. 1546:47a17-27), the term "hell" means "not free." The sinners there are controlled by the officials of hell and are not free. Therefore that place is called hell. The term "hell" also means "not able to love and enjoy." This is why the place is called hell. Di ("ground") in the Chinese word for hell, diyu, means "bottom" (di). Hell is located at the absolute bottom of all things. This is why the place is described as the bottom. Yu ("jail") means "room." The sinners are confined in a room and have no freedom. For this reason hell is called diyu. Furthermore, the term for hell in Sanskrit is nir, which marks negation. There is no way of improving or benefiting one's present and future lives when one is in jail. Therefore, hell is described as negation.

Question: There are many kinds of hells. Some are in the ground, some are above ground, and some are located in the sky. Why are they all called diyu ("ground jail")?

Answer: According to old translations, diyu means a narrow space that does not have access to the ground and the sky. According to the new translation of scriptures and treatises, however, the Sanskrit term for hell is rendered as naraka (naluojia). This term refers to all places where human beings suffer excessive pain. This is why it is appropriate to call hell naraka. For this reason, the new Posha lun (T.1545:865b14-28, c5-16) says: Question: Why is this realm called naraka?

Answer: There sentient beings do not have happiness, love, tastes, material benefits, or joy. Therefore it is called naraka. Another view is that sinners have committed excessively violent evil deeds of body, speech, and mind before they go there, so they go there and continue to stay there. This is why it is called naraka. Another view is that sinners go to that realm by falling into it. This is the reason for calling it naraka. The following verse illustrates this point: Sinners fall into hell

With their feet up and heads down.

Because they reviled holy men

Who were happily and quietly practicing ascetic deeds. 275

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Another view explains that nara (naluo) means "man" and ka (jia) means "evil." Evil people are born there. This is why the realm is called naraka. Question: Why is the lowest and greatest among all the hells called No Interruption Hell (Avīci)?

Answer: Sinners in that hell suffer pain constantly. There are no moments of pleasure interrupting the pain. Therefore it is called No Interruption. Question: In other hells sinners cannot enjoy singing, dancing, drinking, or eating. Yet it could be thought that they might have these pleasures as the morally neutral fruit of karmic retribution. If they had such pleasures in the other hells that would have constituted interruptions, but as a matter of fact denizens of those other hells do not have any interruptions [of pain] in them either. Why are the other hells also not called No Interruption? Answer: Although in the other hells there are no yishu (vipāka) pleasures, or the karmic retribution of the morally neutral fruit of acts performed in previous lives (with no further karmic consequences), there are still the dengliu (niṣyanda) pleasures, or karmic retribution that produces the same effect continually from passing causes. As the Shishe lun says, "In Equally Reviving (denghuo) Hell cool breezes sometimes blow and restore the flesh and blood. Sometimes there is a voice saying 'denghuo' and those sentient beings are suddenly revived." When the flesh and blood are thus restored and sentient beings are revived, this hell brings pleasure and joy, so there is an interruption of pain and suffering. Thus this hell is not called No Interruption.

3. Karmic Retribution

The new Posha lun (T.1545:865c26-866b4) says:

Question: Where are the hells?

Answer: They are mostly below this world.

Question: Why are they said to be "securely standing"? Answer: According to one view, if you go forty thousand yojanas under our continent [of Jambudvīpa], you will reach the base of No Interruption Hell. This hell is twenty thousand yojanas high and twenty thousand yojanas wide and deep. Located in the nineteen thousand yojanas above this hell are the other seven hells, called "securely standing": first is the Hell of Extreme Heat, above that is the Hell of Heat, above that the Great 276

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Hell of Screaming, above that the Hell of Screaming, above that the Hell of Gathered Multitude, above that the Hell of Black Rope, and above that the Equally Reviving Hell. Each of these hells is ten thousand yojanas wide and deep. Above these hells there remains a space of one thousand yojanas. Five hundred yojanas of this space is white clay and the other five hundred yojanas is soil.

According to another view, under the soil there is No Interruption Hell at the center. The other seven hells surround it in the same way that villages surround a great city today.

Question: If so, how does this accord with what the Shishe lun says? This text says that this world is six thousand yojanas, or three and a half yojanas in periphery. Each hell is very large. How can they all be contained underneath the continent of Jambudvīpa?

Answer: This world is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, shaped like a pile of grain, so it can contain all these hells at the bottom. Thus the scripture says that just as when one enters any of the four seas from the shore the sea becomes deeper as one goes in further, so each of the hells has sixteen spheres of increasing intensity. Namely, each hell has four gates and outside each gate are four spheres of increasing intensity. First there is the sphere of buried embers, where there are knee-deep embers buried in ash. Second there is the sphere of corpses and excrement, which is filled with corpses and excrement. Third there is the sphere of sharp swords. In this sphere there are three kinds of difficulties. The first is a road of sword blades, where swords are spread with the blade tips pointing upward to form a road. The second is a forest of sword leaves. Here all the leaves are as sharp as the blades of swords. The third is the forest of steel needles, made of sixteen-inch-long sharp steel needles. Although these three kinds [of difficulties], such as the road of sword blades and so on, are distinct they form part of the same steel forest. Therefore they are contained in the same sphere. Fourth there is the sphere of dangerous water. This sphere is filled with hot saltwater. Together with the original hell, there are seventeen spheres. Thus, the eight great hells with their accompanying spheres add up to one hundred and thirty-six places. Therefore, the scripture says, "There are one hundred and thirtysix narakas." 277

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Thus, the Chang ahan jing (T.1:121b29-125a27) says:

There are altogether eight great hells. Each of these eight great hells has sixteen smaller hells surrounding it. This configuration is similar to that of the four realms under heaven, which is surrounded by eighty thousand realms under heaven. Beyond these eighty thousand realms under heaven is the great ocean. Beyond the ocean is Great Vajra Mountain. Beyond this mountain is another mountain, also called Vajra. (Note: The Loutan jing calls the latter Great Iron Ring Mountain.) Between these two mountains are the deities of the sun and moon, but their light does not shine forth. The eight great hells are (1) Illusory Thought Hell, (2) Black Rope Hell, (3) Crushing Hell, (4) Screaming and Howling Hell, (5) Loud Screaming and Howling Hell, (6) Roasting Hell, (7) Intense Roasting Hell, and (8) No Interruption Hell. (Note: The Loutan jing and other scriptures give different names for the hells, due to differences in translation. The general meanings of the differing translations of the names of the hells are the same.) The sixteen subsections of the first Illusory Thought Hell are as follows. In this hell sentient beings grow iron claws and when they become angry at each other, they scratch at each other [with these claws]. Where they touch the bodies of their opponents, the flesh is torn off and the victims then think that they have died. This is why this hell is called Illusory Thought Hell. Then the sentient beings in this hell conceive the thought of harming each other. They grab swords and knives and cut and pierce each other. Their skin splits and their flesh is cut into pieces; their bodies collapse into a pile on the ground. They then think that they have died, but cold breezes blow and they subsequently revive. Then they think to themselves, "Now that I have revived the long period of punishment is over. I am going to leave Illusory Thought Hell." They fearfully cry out for help. Suddenly, without realizing what is happening, they arrive at Black Sand Hell. Hot winds rise violently and blow hot black sand. When the sand touches their bodies it sticks to them, burning their skin and penetrating to their bones. A flame is ignited and the fire spreads all over their bodies which become singed. Yet the punishment is not over and these sinners are purposely not allowed to die.

After they have suffered for a long time [in this hell] they leave Black Sand Hell and reach Boiling Excrement Hell. Here boiling excrement and 278

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iron balls appear everywhere in front of them, advancing quickly toward them. If they touch an iron ball, it singes their hands and body. If they take it into their mouth, everything is burned as it passes from their throat to their stomach. There are insects with iron mouths in this hell, and these insects eat their flesh until they reach the bone marrow. This is infinitely painful. Yet the punishment is not over and the sinners are not allowed to die. After they have suffered for a long time [in this hell] they leave Boiling Excrement Hell and reach Iron Nail Hell. The jailors of this hell hit them and make them lie face-down on a hot iron bed. Stretching their bodies out on the bed, the jailors then nail them down through their hands and feet. The jailors put five hundred nails all over their bodies. They are in great pain and scream but they still do not die.

After they have suffered for a long time [in this hell] they leave Iron Nail Hell and reach Hunger Hell of Iron. The jailors in this hell put them on a hot iron bed and pour melted copper into their mouths, and as the copper flows from mouth to stomach it burns everything as it goes down. Yet their remaining sins are not exhausted and they do not die. After they have suffered for a long time they leave Hunger Hell and reach Thirst Hell. There they are placed on a hot iron bed and jailors put hot iron balls in their mouths, which burn their lips and tongues. As the iron balls go down to their stomachs they burn everything. The sinners cry and scream in great pain.

After they have suffered for a long time they leave Thirst Hell and reach Copper Cauldron Hell. Jailors glare at them with angry eyes, and seizing them by the legs they throw them into a cauldron. As the water in the cauldron boils, they bob up and down in the water and their bodies are cooked until they are about to fall apart. They experience all kinds of pain simultaneously but purposely they are not allowed to die. After they have suffered for a long time they leave Copper Cauldron Hell and reach Many Cauldrons Hell. Jailors seize them by the legs and throw them into a cauldron. As the water in the cauldron boils they bob up and down in the water and their bodies are cooked until they are about to fall apart. Then a jailor picks them up with an iron hook and throws them into another cauldron. They cry and scream in great pain but purposely they are not allowed to die. 279

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After they have suffered for a long time they leave Many Cauldrons Hell and reach Stone Mill Hell. Jailors seize them and hit them, and then they place them on a heated stone. They spread out their arms and legs and press on their bodies with another large heated stone. Then they turn the top stone and grind up their bodies, crushing the bones and flesh into small pieces. The pain is excruciating yet they purposely are not allowed to die. After they have suffered for a long time they leave Stone Mill Hell and reach Pus and Blood Hell. Here there is boiling pus and blood everywhere, and as the sinners run from east to west across the blood and pus it covers their bodies. Their faces are burned and become shapeless. They also eat the pus and blood, and as they swallow it they experience unbearable pain. Yet purposely they are not allowed to die. After they have suffered for a long time they leave Pus and Blood Hell and reach Measuring Fire Hell. There is a huge fire and the violent flames press toward them. They must take up a hot iron measuring vessel to measure the size of the fire. As they do this, the fire burns their bodies all over and the heat and pain cause excessive suffering. They scream and cry aloud yet they purposely are not allowed to die.

After they have suffered for a long time they leave Measuring Fire Hell and reach the Ash River. The river of hot ash is five hundred yojanas wide and deep. The water mixed with hot ash boils up and a foul smell permeates everywhere. The sound the river makes is frightening. Everywhere from the bottom to the top of this hell, there are iron spikes placed both vertically and horizontally. On the banks of Ash River is the Sword Forest. The branches, flowers, and fruits of the trees in this forest are all made of knives and swords. The sinners must enter the river and following the waves they bob up and down in the water as iron spikes pierce their bodies. As their bodies are pierced blood and pus flow out. They feel pain all over their bodies yet purposely they are not allowed to die. Then they come out of the Ash River and climbing up the bank they reach the Sword Forest. Here they are cut and pierced by the swords and their bodies suffer severe injuries. There are also wild dogs and wolves that attack the sinners and eat their flesh while they are alive. When the sinners climb up a sword tree, the sword blades on the tree are pointed downward; when they climb down, the sword blades are pointed upward. 280

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If they raise their hands they are cut off; when they take a step their feet are severed. Their skin and flesh fall off. Only white bones, sinews, and veins remain to connect the skeletons together.

The iron-beaked bird on the sword trees pecks at the sinners' heads and eats their brains. The sinners scream in pain but purposely they are not allowed to die. Then they return to the Ash River and, pushed by the current and bobbing up and down in the waves, are pierced by the iron spikes in the water. They feel pain all over their bodies. Their skin and flesh are destroyed and lose their original shape; pus and blood ooze out. Only their skeletons of white bones float in the water. When a cool breeze blows the sinners that have been reduced to skeletons immediately stand up. Pulled by the force of their past karma, they suddenly reach Iron Ball Hell without realizing it. Here there are hot iron balls and the jail guards chase them and make them grab these iron balls. Their hands and feet are burned beyond shape; their bodies rise up all aflame. All kinds of pain are simultaneously experienced, yet purposely they are not allowed to die. After they have suffered for a long time, they leave Iron Ball Hell and reach Ax Hell. Jail guards seize the sinners and hit them, they place them on a hot iron table and cut off their hands, legs, ears, noses, tongues, and the rest of their bodies. They scream in extreme pain yet they still are not allowed to die. After they have suffered for a long time they leave Ax Hell and reach Wild Dogs and Wolves Hell. Here packs of wild dogs and wolves come one after the other to attack and tear up the bodies of the sinners. Their flesh falls off and their bones are cracked; pus and blood ooze out. They feel pain all over their bodies yet they are purposely not allowed to die. After they have suffered for a long time they leave Wild Dogs and Wolves Hell and reach Sword Tree Hell. When the sinners enter the sword forest a violent windstorm arises and blows the sword leaves down, which drop onto the bodies of the sinners. [They are pierced] all over their heads, faces, and bodies; there is nowhere that is not injured. The iron-beaked bird pecks at their eyes. The sinners scream wildly in extreme pain but purposely they are not allowed to die. After they have suffered for a long time they leave Sword Tree Hell and reach Cold Ice Hell, where icy cold winds blow over their bodies, freezing them all over and their skin and flesh drop off. The sinners scream in pain and then their life ends. 281

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If one's physical bodily acts have not been good and his speech and thought are likewise not good, then a sinner will fall into Illusory Thought Hell. The prospect of this is so frightening that it makes the hair on one's body stand up.

The second great hell is Black Rope Hell , and it is surrounded by sixteen smaller hells, each of which is five hundred yojanas wide and deep. Why is this great hell called Black Rope? Here the jailors of hell seize the sinner, beat him, and place him on a hot iron bed with his body stretched out. Then they stretch him with hot iron ropes, and following the pattern of the ropes they cut the sinner with an ax into one hundred thousand pieces. Then they saw him with a stretched iron rope. Then they hang hot iron ropes in all directions, crossing each other at innumerable points. The jailors chase the sinner through these ropes. A windstorm arises and causes the ropes to tangle around the sinner's body, and they burn the sinner's skin and penetrate into his flesh, scorching the bones and boiling the bone marrow. The sinner suffers extreme pain all over his body. The remaining effects of his sins from previous lives are not exhausted, however, so purposely he is not allowed to die. This is the reason this hell is called Black Rope. After the sinner has suffered for a long time he leaves Black Rope hell and reaches Black Sand Hell. In this manner he goes through different hells until he reaches Cold Ice Hell, where his life ends. We will not describe all of the hells in detail here. The sinner suffers great pain in the remaining sixteen hells in a manner similar to the case of Illusory Thought Hell above. Only the severity of the pain increases. A person falls into Black Rope Hell from entertaining evil thoughts against his parents, the Buddha, or arhats. The pain one suffers in that hell is immeasurable.

The third great hell is Pressing and Crushing Hell. This hell also has sixteen smaller hells surrounding it, each of which is five hundred yojanas deep and wide. Why is it called Pressing and Crushing? There are two great rock mountains facing each other and when a person enters the space between them, the mountains spontaneously come together, pressing and crushing his body. When the bones and flesh have been crushed and ground into small particles, the mountains return to their original places. The sinner suffers extreme pain all over his body but he is purposely not 282

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allowed to die. There is also a huge iron elephant, and its entire body is ablaze in flames. It screams and comes running, and stepping upon the sinner it then rolls on top of him. The sinner's body is crushed and pus and blood ooze out. The sinner howls and wails in pain but he is purposely not allowed to die. Furthermore, the jail guards seize the sinner and make him lie down on a large rock. They then crush his body with another large rock. Or they put him down on the ground and pound him with an iron pestle. From head to toe, the skin and flesh are crushed and ground, and pus and ooze flow out. He experiences all sorts of pain and yet the remaining effects of his sins in previous lives are not exhausted so purposely he is not allowed to die. These are the reasons this hell is called Pressing and Crushing. After he has suffered for a long time, the sinner leaves Pressing and Crushing Hell and reaches Black Sand Hell and the other hells, finally arriving at Cold Ice Hell, where his life ends. A person falls into Pressing and Crushing Hell for committing the three kinds of evil deeds and failing to perform the three kinds of good deeds. The pain he suffers there is immeasurable. The fourth great hell is Screaming and Howling Hell. This hell also has sixteen smaller hells surrounding it, each five hundred yojanas long and wide. Why is this hell called Screaming and Howling? The jailors of this hell seize the sinner and throw him into a large cauldron of boiling water and it cooks the sinner. The pain is excruciating and the sinner cries out. Then they take the sinner out of the cauldron and throw him into a large hot pan, in which he is jostled back and forth, as if being stir-fried. After he has suffered for a long time the sinner leaves Screaming and Howling Hell and reaches the other hells starting with Black Sand and ending up at Cold Ice, and then his life ends. A person falls into Screaming and Howling hell for committing evil deeds out of anger and resentment.. The fifth great hell is Loud Screaming and Howling Hell. This hell also has sixteen smaller hells surrounding it. (Note: The size of this hell is the same as the earlier ones.) Why is this hell called Loud Screaming and Howling? The jail guards seize the sinner and put him in a large iron pot. The sinner is in the cauldron for a long time and the boiling water cooks him. The sinner is then thrown into a large iron pan and jostled back and forth, over and over. The pain is excruciating and the sinner cries and screams loudly. The remaining effects of the sins he committed in his previous lives 283

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are not exhausted, however, so he is purposely not allowed to die. For this reason this hell is called Loud Screaming and Howling. After he has suffered for a long time the sinner leaves Loud Screaming and Howling Hell and after going through many hells, he eventually reaches Cold Ice Hell, where his life ends. A person falls into Loud Screaming and Howling Hell because he held many heterodox views and was dragged around by the net of attachments, and committed base acts.

The sixth great hell is Roasting Hell. This hell also has sixteen smaller hells surrounding it. (Note: The size of this hell the same as the earlier ones.) Why is this hell called Roasting? The jailors of this hell seize the sinner and put him in an iron city. The city burns, glowing red both inside and outside, and the sinner is roasted. They then attach him to an iron building, which burns, glowing red both inside and outside. They then throw him into an iron kiln. The fire burns and the kiln glows red both inside and outside, and the sinner is roasted. His skin and flesh are scorched out of shape and he experiences all sorts of pain. The remaining effects of the sins he committed in his previous lives are not exhausted, however, and he purposely is not allowed to die. For this reason, this hell is called Roasting. After the sinner has suffered for a long time he leaves Roasting Hell and after going through many hells he eventually reaches Cold Ice Hell, where his life ends. A person falls into Roasting Hell because he has roasted other sentient beings, so he suffers the pain of being roasted for the duration of a period of a long night.

The seventh great hell is Intense Roasting Hell. This hell also has sixteen smaller hells surrounding it. (Note: The size of this hell is the same as the earlier ones.) Why is it called Intense Roasting? It is so called because the jail guards of this hell seize the sinner and put him in an iron city, which burns, glowing red both inside and outside. The sinner is roasted; his skin and flesh are scorched out of shape and he experiences pain all over his body. There is a large fire tunnel containing a brightly burning fire. At both ends of the tunnel is a large mountain of fire. The jail guards seize the sinner, pierce him with an iron fork, and put him upright into the fire, and he roasts in the flames, his skin and flesh scorched out of shape. The remaining effects of the sins he committed in his previous lives are not exhausted, however, so purposely he is not allowed to die. 284

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After he has suffered for a long time he leaves Intense Roasting Hell, and after going through many hells he reaches Cold Ice Hell, where his life ends. A person falls into Intense Roasting hell because he has abandoned doing deeds that produce good karma and has committed evil deeds. The eighth great hell is No Interruption (Avīci). This hell also has sixteen smaller hells surrounding it. (Note: The size of this hell is the same as the earlier ones.) Why is it called Avīci? This term means that the [torments of this] hell continue without interruption. Why is it said to have no interruption? The jail guards of this hell seize the sinner and flay him from head to toe. Then they bind the sinner's body with strips of his own flayed skin and attach the body to a burning vehicle. As the wheels of the vehicle turn, hitting the hot ground again and again, the body is crushed and the skin and flesh fall off. The sinner experiences all kinds of pain, yet he is purposely not allowed to die. There is also an iron city in which fire burns from four directions. The flames from the eastern end reach the western end, and the flames from the western end reach the eastern end. Similarly, the flames all reach from the southern to the northern ends and from top to bottom. The fire burns intensely and advances quickly. There is no empty space that the fire does not reach. The sinner runs around from east to west [trying to escape the flames], but his body is burned, the skin and flesh are scorched and lose their shape, and he feels sharp and excruciating pain. The sinner experiences all sorts of pain. After he has been inside the city for a long time, the jail guards open the gates of the city. The sinner runs toward the gates, flames coming out of all his joints, but just as he is about to reach the gates they automatically close. The remaining effects of the sins that the person committed in his previous lives have not been exhausted, and for this reason he is purposely not allowed to die. Furthermore, in this hell, if a sinner opens his eyes to see, he perceives only unpleasant forms. His ears perceive only unpleasant sounds, his nose only unpleasant smells, his body feels only pain, and his mind generates only unpleasant thoughts. There is not even a period of time as brief as it takes to snap one's fingers when the sinner feels no pain. Therefore, this hell is called No Interruption. After the sinner has suffered for a long time he leaves No Interruption Hell, and after going through the other hells he finally reaches Cold Ice Hell, where his life ends. A 285

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person falls into No Interruption Hell because he repeatedly committed sinful deeds that led to rebirths in inferior realms. The punishments a sinner receives in this hell are beyond measure and description. These hells are called the eight great hells. In each of them the sinner goes through sixteen smaller hells and suffers as described above. Furthermore, the Guanfo sanmei hai jing (T.643:668c4-674a23) says: Avīci Hell is eight thousand yojanas long and wide. This hell is surrounded by seven iron city walls and covered by seven layers of iron nets. Seven sections divided into eighteen units surround the hell. There are also seven lines forests of swords in this hell In the four corners of this hell are four large bronze dogs, forty yojanas long and wide. Their eyes are like flashes of lightning; their fangs are like trees of swords; their teeth are like mountains of swords; their tongues are like steel daggers; the fur all over their bodies is ablaze with a fierce fire emitting foul-smelling smoke. There are eighteen jail guards of this hell; their mouths are like the mouths of the most hideous demons. Their sixty-four eyes project iron balls. Dog fangs protrude from their mouths, pointing upward to a distance of four yojanas above their mouths. From the tip of their fangs fire shoots out and spews forth burning iron carriages. The hoops of the carriage wheels are ablaze and tongues of the fire form sharp swords and halberds which set the city of Avīci Hell on fire. As the city burns it glows red like molten copper. The jail guards of this hell have eight heads and sixty-four horns, and fire burns at the tip of their horns. The flames turn into steel, which in turn becomes a wheel of swords. These wheels emerge one after another between the flames and fill up the city of Avīci Hell. There are seven iron flags in the city. Fire springs up as if it were boiling and melted iron flows everywhere. On top of the four gates are melting pots from which molten copper overflows, spreading throughout the city. There are eighty-four thousand iron dragons and snakes between divided sections. These creatures spit poison into all the fire, and their bodies fill the entire city. They make howling sounds like thunder and lightning in the sky, and large iron balls rain down. There are five hundred demons and fifty billion insects. Fire pours from the heads of eighty-four thousand creatures like rain and fills up Avīci Hell. When the insects descend a ferocious 286

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fire blazes brilliantly, illuminating eighty-four thousand yojanas above this hell. Above Avīci Hell is a great ocean and the water pours down into the hell, in drops as large as chariot axles that fill the Avīci fortress. When someone who has killed his father, harmed his mother, or insulted the six classes of close relatives dies, the bronze dogs transform themselves into eighteen carriages with jeweled tops and the flames in this hell become jade women. When he sees these things from a distance, he is delighted and wants to go there. As the wind breaks up the corpse the sinner feels extremely cold and says, "I should go get the fire on the carriages." When the sinner goes to a carriage the burning fire explodes and his life ends inside the golden carriage. The creatures that he saw as jade women earlier all take up iron axes and cut up his body. The sinner immediately falls directly into Avīci Hell, falling like a spinning wheel of fire from the highest section of the hell down to the lowest. When his body reaches the lowest section, the bronze dogs howl loudly, bite into the bones, and eat the bone marrow. A hell demon picks up an iron fork and pierces the head of the sinner to pull him up. The flames covering the sinner's body fill up Avīci Hell. Yama, the King of Hell, declares in a loud voice, "A stupid person fated for hell! When you were in the world you were unfilial to your parents and immoral in other ways. This place where you have now been reborn is call Avīci Hell."

In this way, everything unfolds and the sinner experiences great suffering that is beyond description. One day and night of punishment in hell is equivalent to sixty shorter world ages in this world, which is equal to one great world age. Those who have committed one of the five grave sins are punished here for five world ages. There are also sentient beings who have committed one of the four grave sins. They may have eaten almsfood obtained from lay believers under false pretenses, while holding heterodox views that revile the proper authorities and, out of ignorance about causes and conditions, they abandoned the study of perfect wisdom (prajñāpāramitā). Or they have destroyed images of the Buddha in any of the ten directions. Or they may have stolen monastic property. Or they may have immorally engaged in licentious acts, coercing and violating nuns who were upholding precepts of purity, or sisters and other relatives, committing numerous evil deeds.

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These people's sins are such that they are punished just before their lives end in the following ways. For a period of eighty-four thousand great world ages, they enter the eighteen eastern sections of the hell and are punished in the manner described above; similarly, in the southern, western, and northern sections. Their bodies fill Avīci Hell and their four limbs fill the eighteen sections of hell. Avīci Hell contains eighteen smaller hells and in each of these smaller hells there are eighteen Cold Ice hells, eighteen Darkness hells, eighteen Heat hells, eighteen Wheels of Knives hells, eighteen Wheels of Swords hells, eighteen Carriages on Fire hells, eighteen Boiling Excrement hells, eighteen Cauldrons of Boiling Water hells, eighteen Ash River hells, fifty billion Forest of Swords hells, fifty billion Forest of Daggers hells, fifty billion Copper Pillar hells, fifty billion Steel Mechanism hells, fifty billion Iron Net hells, eighteen Iron Cave hells, eighteen Iron Ball hells, eighteen Pointed Stones hells, and eighteen Drinking Molten Copper hells. Thus in Avīci Hell there are these eighteen hells and within each of these hells there are eighteen sub-hells. From the Cold Ice hell to Drinking Molten Copper hell, altogether there are one hundred and forty-two sub-hells. Each is connected with different past evil deeds, but those who experience Avīci Hell visit them all.

Again the Qishi jing (T.24:327b2-329b11) says:

The Buddha told the monks, "Inside the large Avīci Hell are sixteen smaller hells that are subordinate to it and surround it. Each of these is five hundred yojanas in size. All sentient beings who are born, or emerge, or live there are born there because of the fruit of past evil karma. Jailors seize the bodies of the sinners in this hell with both hands and violently throw them on a ground of red-hot iron. Fierce flames immediately rise and spread quickly, covering the ground. Then the jailors take sharp knives and, starting from the heels and going upward, they cut apart the sinners' bodies and remove their muscles. They take the muscles in their hands and pull them. They pull and pull all the muscles together, all the way up to the sinners' heads. As they are being pulled the muscles rip through the heart, and the pain the sinners experience is beyond words. After having pulled out the muscles in this manner, the jailors put the sinners on iron carriages and run with them very fast. The carriages are very hot with blazing bright 288

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flames. Everywhere they go it is empty like a cave. A narrow road of hot iron goes on and on. The carriages follow the will of the guards in hell and do not stop even for a short while. Wherever they want the carriages to go, the carriages go accordingly, and everywhere they go, the jailors pull out the sinners' muscles. The jailors never leave the sinners even for a moment and everywhere they go they remove more from the sinners' bodies, until there is no flesh or blood left in their bodies. The sinners experience the karmic consequences of all the deeds that they committed either as a human being or a nonhuman creature.

"As retribution for evil deeds a great fire suddenly appears in the eastern direction. Glowing bright red, this large and ferocious fire blazes up. The same thing happens in each of the other directions, in the south, west, north, in the four intermediate directions, and above and below. The sinners are surrounded by all these large masses of fire, which gradually come closer, causing them to experience all sorts of pain. From the eastern wall a large flaming fire emerges, immediately shoots toward the western wall, and stays there after reaching it. From the western wall a large flame emerges and immediately shoots toward the northern wall. From the northern wall a large flame emerges and immediately shoots toward the southern wall. Flames shoot from below to above and from above to below. Horizontal lines of shooting flames touch each other and vertical lines cross over them. The space is filled with intensely bright light and red-hot heat. Flames fly and hit each other. At this point the jailors of hell throw the sinners into the middle of these masses of six kinds of flying fire, and the sinners experience extreme pain.

"Still their life does not end. The karmic effects of their evil deeds are not yet exhausted, so they suffer in the midst of this hell with all its pain. Because of the consequences of their evil deeds in past lives, sentient beings in Avīci Hell suffer pain for an infinitely long period of time. "Then the four gates of hell open again. When the gates open, the sinners hear the sound and see the gates open. Running toward the gates, they think: 'Now we will surely be able to get out!' When a sinner runs in great speed his body burns, ferociously ablaze. It is as if a person carrying a torch of dried grass ran against the wind; the flames of the torch would surely blaze up [and burn the runner]. The sinner stops running 325b

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and then resumes running. His body falls into pieces and burns even more brightly. When he raises his feet, the flesh and blood drop and scatter. When he is about to put down his feet, the flesh and blood are restored again. Just as he arrives at the gates of hell, the gates close again. Because he cannot get out he is mentally tortured and, deranged, falls on the ground. Fire burns all over his body, first burning his skin, then the flesh and bones, and finally the fire penetrates to the marrow. As if in a chimney-like empty tunnel, a great quantity of smoke arises and the fire burns brightly. The smoke and flames mix and the heat tortures the sinner with redoubled intensity. The sinner suffers extreme pain in this hell, yet the karmic effects of his past evil deeds is not yet exhausted and he experiences all the pain inflicted on him there. In this great hell of Avīci a sinner does not have even as brief a moment of happiness as the time it takes to snap one's fingers. In this manner the sinner suffers this pain." The World-honored One said to the monks, "You should know that in the midst of the world there are ten other hells. What are the ten? The first is Arbuda Hell, the second Nirarbuda Hell, the third Aho Hell, the fourth Huhuva Hell, the fifth Aṭaṭa Hell, the sixth Saugandhika Hell, the seventh Utpala Hell, the eighth Padma Hell, the ninth Puṇḍarīka Hell, and the tenth Kumuda Hell.

"Due to what causes and conditions is the first hell called Arbuda? Here the bodies of sentient beings are like bubbles (arbuda). For this reason it is called Arbuda Hell. Again, due to what causes and conditions is the second hell called Nirarbuda ? Here the bodies of sentient beings are like chunks of meat. For this reason it is called Nirarbuda Hell. Again, for what causes and conditions is the third hell called Aho Hell? Here sentient beings are pressed with grave and severe pains, they cry out 'Aho, aho.' The pain is excruciating. Thus, it is called Aho Hell. Again, for what causes and conditions is the fourth hell called Huhuva Hell? Here when sentient beings are pressed with the excessive pains of this hell, they cry out, saying 'Huhuva, huhuva.' For this reason it is called Huhuva Hell. Again, for what causes and conditions is the fifth hell called Aṭaṭa Hell? When sentient beings are pressed with extreme pains in their body, they can only chant 'Aṭaṭa, aṭaṭa.' But the sound that their tongues make does not come out of their mouths. For this reason it is called Aṭaṭa Hell. Again, 290

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for what causes and conditions is the sixth hell called Saugandhika Hell? When sentient beings are in this hell, they see flames of ferocious fire with the color of the saugandhika flower. For this reason it is called Saugandhika Hell. Again, for what causes and conditions is the seventh hell called Utpala Hell? When sentient beings are in this hell, they see flames of ferocious fire with the color of the blue lotus flower (utpala). For this reason it is called Utpala Hell. Again, for what causes and conditions is the tenth hell called Kumuda Hell? When sentient beings are in this hell, they see flames of ferocious fire with the color of the yellow lotus flower (kumuda). For this reason it is called Kumuda Hell. Again, for what causes and conditions is the ninth hell called Puṇḍarīka Hell? When sentient beings are in this hell, they see flames of ferocious fire with the color of the white lotus flower (puṇḍarīka). For this reason it is called Puṇḍarīka Hell. Again, for what causes and conditions is the eighth hell called Padma Hell? When sentient beings are in this hell, they see flames of ferocious fire with the color of the red lotus flower (padma). For this reason it is called Padma Hell." Furthermore, according to the Sanfadu lun jing (T.1506:27a16-17), "There are three hells: the first is Hot Hell, the second is Cold Hell, and the third is Borderland Hell."

As for the Hot Hell, the Sarvāstivāda school speaks of eight great hells. The first is Repeatedly Reviving Hell (denghuo). It is also called Againrevived Hell (genghuo). Sometimes the jail guards in this hell chant and revive the sinners. Sometimes a cold wind blows. Although these two conditions differ they both equally revive the sinners. Therefore, this hell is called Repeatedly Reviving. The second hell is called Black Rope Hell. Soldiers in this hell first bind the sinner with ropes and later cut him up with an ax. The third hell is called Gathered Multitude Hell. It is also called Mass Knocking Hell. This is because two mountains come together and the sinners are ground against each other at the bottom of the mountains. The fourth is called Shouting Hell. It is also called Howling Hell. Here the guards of hell come and chase the sinners and the sinners shout and run. The fifth hell is called Loud Shouting Hell. It is also called Loud Howling Hell. Four large masses of fire blaze up, and even though the sinner wants to escape there is no way out. Therefore, it is called Great Howling Hell. The sixth hell is called 291

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Hot Hell. It is also called Burning Hell. Flaming pieces of iron closely surround the sinner and he feels hot surrounded by them. The seventh hell is called Intense Heat Hell. It is also called Great Burning Hell. A mountain of fire breaks out and the sinners are roasted on skewers. The eighth hell is called No Choice Hell. It is also called No Interruption Hell. Once a sinner is thrown into the fire in which he feels pain, there is no moment of pleasure. Since there is no moment of pleasure, where would there be any room for choice? These eight hells exist in a layered manner within this world. According to the Sanfadu lun (T.1506:27b19-21), [within the eight hells of the Hot Hell] torturers play a prominent role in the first two [hells], a limited role in the next three [hells], and no role in the last three [hells]. These eight hells are the main hells. Each of these main hells has sixteen hells surrounding it, four minor hells on each side of the main hell. Altogether, including the main hell, there are seventeen hells in each case. Eight sets of seventeen hells make one hundred and thirty-six altogether. Sinners suffer the pain of heat in these places.

Second, there are also eight kinds of Cold Hell. The first is called Arbuda Hell, so called because the pain of coldness cuts through the flesh and causes chilblains. The second is called Nirarbuda Hell, so called because a cold wind blows and chilblains appear all over the body. The third is called Aṭaṭa Hell, so called because the sinners cannot move their lips; they can only move their tongues and so they produce the sound aṭaṭa. The fourth is called Apapa Hell, so called because the sinners there cannot move their tongues; they can only move their lips and therefore they make the sound apapa. The fifth is called Ouhou (Aho?) Hell, so called because the sinners can move neither lips nor tongues, and therefore they make the sound ouhou in their throats. The sixth is called Utpala Hell. This term means blue lotus flower, and the petals of this flower are narrow. This hell is so called because the flesh of a sentient being in this hell has fine edges and resembles the utpala flower opening under the bright sun. The seventh is called Padma Hell. This term means red lotus flower. It is so called because the flesh of sentient beings in this hell has rough edges and resembles a padma flower when it is open. The eighth is called Puṇḍarīka Hell. This term means white lotus flower. It is so called because the edges of the bones of beings in this hell resemble a puṇḍarīka flower when it is open. The first two hells are named in reference 292

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to the appearance of the body; the next three hells are named in reference to the sounds the sinners there make; the last three are named in reference to the appearance of the wounds they receive there.

The Jushe lun (Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya, T.1559:216a29-b1) says: In these eight hells sentient beings are oppressed by extreme cold; their bodies, their sounds, and their wounds manifest unusual changes; therefore, these hells are given these names.

According to the Sanfadu lun (T.1506.27a19-24), [discussing the eight hells in the Cold Hell,] in the first two hells the sinners can scream, in the second three hells the sinners cannot scream, and in the last three hells sinners do not scream.

These eight hells are situated between the continents at the bottom of the Iron Ring Mountain and face upward. Sinners suffer the pain of cold temperatures and freezing in these hells. Third, the Borderland Hell is also of three kinds. According to the Sanfadu lun (T.1506:28a17-18), the first [Borderland Hell] is in the mountains, the second is in the water, and the third is in a deserted field. Sentient beings receive different retributions of their previous deeds in these three places. Here sentient beings are punished by a combination of cold and heat. As for the length of life, the life span of a sentient being in these places varies. It is sometimes long and sometimes short.

Furthermore, the Lishi apitan lun (T.1644:173b25-174a9) says: The World-honored One said, "There is a great hell called 'Darkness.' Outside of each world-system there is always one example of this hell. This hell is always without a cover on top. In this hell sentient beings hold their arms up to get their bearings, because they cannot see anything with their eyes. Although the sun and moon are endowed with great mysterious powers, their light does not illuminate this place. When the Buddha appears in the world a great light illumines all directions. This light enables sentient beings in this hell to see each other. This hell is located between two mountains outside the Iron Ring Mountains surrounding the world. Thus it is said to be 'outside the world-system.' It is a cold hell. Between the mountains there are ten places with different names, beginning with the 326b

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first hell, called Arbuda Hell, and ending with the tenth hell, called Padma Hell. Sentient beings in these hells walk on their sides, and like a lizard they strain to face upward. Outside the Iron Ring Mountains everyone walks sideways. The size of their bodies is like that of a bubble (eduo; arbuda). If a cold wind touches them their bodies break apart, just like a ripe fruit when hit by a cold wind. A sinner walking among the reeds here is burned up by an intense fire. The sound of explosions is heard repeatedly all over the place, and when the sinners are touched by a cold wind their bones break and the breaking sound is heard repeatedly throughout the place. Because of this sound, sentient beings in this hell come to know of each other's presence. Many of the sentient beings who die in our world are reborn in this hell. Cold Ice Hell is located outside of the Iron Ring Mountains. When sentient beings die in a world other than our own and are to be reborn in Cold Ice Hell, they are reborn outside of the Iron Ring Mountains of that world. The closest point between the two worlds is eighty thousand yojanas. There is no bottom and no cover above this space. The widest point measures sixteen thousand yojanas." 4. Duration

According to the Qishi jing (T.24:329b11-25):

The Buddha said the following: "Suppose a person measures sesame seeds with a measuring unit of the state of Kośala and fills twenty hu measures without leveling them at the top. Now suppose that someone were to pick up one sesame seed after a hundred years. He does this again after one hundred years and each time he throws the seed away. Even by the time the person has thrown away all twenty hu units of sesame seeds in this way, when compared to the time measurement of hell, one life span in hell will not yet have been exhausted. To calculate roughly with this number, twenty life spans in Arbuda Hell are equivalent to one life span in Nirarbuda Hell; twenty life spans in Nirarbuda Hell are equivalent to one life span in Aho Hell; twenty life spans in Aho Hell are equivalent to one life span in Huhuva Hell; twenty life spans in Huhuva Hell are equivalent to one life span in Aṭaṭa Hell; twenty life spans in Aṭaṭa Hell are equivalent to one life span in Saugandhika Hell; twenty life spans in Saugandhika Hell are equivalent to one life span in Utpala Hell; twenty life spans in 294

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Utpala Hell are equivalent to one life span in Kumuda Hell; twenty life spans in Kumuda Hell are equivalent to one life span in Puṇḍarīka Hell; twenty life spans in Puṇḍarīka Hell are equivalent to one life span in Padma Hell; twenty life spans in Padma Hell are equivalent to one intermediate world age (antarakalpa). Furthermore, the Naxian biqiu wenfo jing (T.1670:699a17-700a16) says: The fire in this world is not as hot as the fire in hell. If a person were to put a small stone on a fire in this world, it would not melt away even if he waited until the end of the day. If he takes a large stone and puts it in the fire of hell the stone immediately melts away. If a person commits evil deeds he enters hell at death and will not die even after several millions of years. Various large and small dragons eat sands and stones that melt away [in their stomachs]; when human beings are pregnant there is a child in the abdomen, yet the child does not melt away there. All these things are due to the fact that the power of retribution resulting from good and evil deeds in previous lives determines what will melt away and what will not. The good and evil deeds a person has committed in previous lives follow him just as a shadow follows their body. When a person dies he only loses his body, he does not lose his past deeds. The relationship may be compared to the situation of writing by the light of a burning fire at night. Even though the fire burns out by morning, the writing remains. The effect of the fire lingers long after the fire is gone. The deeds a person commits in this world linger into a later world. Again, when the fire is fully ablaze in Padma Hell a sinner even one hundred yojanas away from it is still roasted; if he is sixty yojanas away, he becomes deaf in both his ears and he does not hear anything. If he is fifty yojanas away, both his eyes are blinded and he does not see anymore. The monk Kokālika held evil thoughts in his mind and reviled Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana. When his body disintegrated and his life ended he fell into this Padma Hell. The Qishi jing (T.24:329b26-c22) says:

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if he is twenty-five yojanas away his flesh and blood will be scorched and destroyed. Because those who have renounced the world and practice the religious path occasionally entertain defiled thoughts, tormenting thoughts, poisonous evil thoughts, unmeritorious thoughts, uncompassionate thoughts, and impure thoughts, they automatically suffer such calamities. Conversely, all those who follow the religious path and know only compassionate actions of body, speech, and mind always receive pleasure later on. At this time the World-honored One uttered the following verse: People of this world, while they live in this world without even thinking, make their tongues sharp and biting instruments. If a person says poisonous evil things, he is in turn weakened and harms his own body.

Not praising what one should praise, wrongly praising what one should not praise—such is called "causing strife with speech." Because of thus causing strife, one does not receive pleasure. If a person gambles and obtains wealth, this is a minor matter of worldly strife.

If a person follows the pure religious path nourishes defiled thoughts, this is called major strife and struggle.

For such a person, there are three hundred and sixty thousand Nirarbuda Hells and five Arbuda Hells.

Again, that person falls into Padma Hell.

If one reviles a saintly person they reap these consequences. These consequences arise because that person has committed evil deeds of speech and thought.

5. The Hell Kings

According to the Wendiyu jing and the Jingdu sanmei jing, hell has altogether one hundred and thrity-four realms. To give the name of the chief of hells and his dwelling place first, King Yama in the past was King Bimbisāra. During a battle with King Weituosheng, his military strength did not match that of his opponent, and therefore he made an oath to become king of the hells. King Bimbisāra's eighteen assisting ministers led one million soldiers with horns for ears who were easily provoked to anger. These soldiers joined 296

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in the king's oath, saying that they would later offer assistance in punishing the sinners there. King Bimbisāra became the present King Yama; the eighteen ministers became the present eighteen minor kings of hell; the one million soldiers became the hell soldiers.

Furthermore, the Chang ahan jing (T.1:126b9-19) says:

To the south of this world is Vajra Mountain. Inside the mountain is the palace of King Yama. The palace is sixty yojanas long and wide. (Note: The Wendiyu jing says that the city in hell is three hundred thousand miles long and wide and made of gold and silver.) Three times during the day and night a large cauldron spontaneously appears. If the cauldron ends up inside the palace, the king becomes frightened and throws it outside the palace. If the cauldron is outside the palace and the king enters the palace, a huge soldier from hell forces the king to lie down on a hot iron bed and, forcing open the king's mouth with a steel hook, pours molten copper into his mouth. From the throat all the way down, the king's internal organs are all scorched and burned beyond recognition. When this is over, the king goes back to enjoying the pleasures of the company of the women in his court. The ministers who enjoy pleasures with the king are also treated in the same way.

The Wendiyu jing says:

Eighteen kings rule over the eighteen hells. (1) Jiayan is in charge of Niraya Hell. (2) Quzun is in charge of Knife Mountain Hell. (3) Feijinshou is in charge of Blowing Sand Hell. (4) Feishi is in charge of Boiling Excrement Hell. (5) Jiashi is in charge of Black Ear Hell. (6) Gaicuo is in charge of Fire Chariot Hell. (7) Tangwei is in charge of Boiling Water Cauldron Hell. (8) Tiejiaran is in charge of Iron Floor Hell. (9) Esheng is in charge of Kai Mountain Hell. (10) Cold Ice Hell (Note: The scripture does not give the name of the king of this hell.) (11) Pijia is in charge of Peeling Skin Hell. (12) Yaotou is in charge of Animal Hell. (13) Tibo is in charge of Soldiers with Swords Hell. (14) Yida is in charge of Iron Mortar Hell. (15) Yuetou is in charge of Water Hell. (16) Iron Rods Hell (Note: The scripture does not give the name of the king of this hell.) (17) Mingshen is in charge of Worm Hell. (18) Guanshen is in charge of Molten Copper Hell. 297

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The Jingdu sanmei jing says that there are thirty more hells, and each of these hells has someone in charge. Their names are not listed here in detail. I will list only the names of five officials: first is the fish official who prohibits killing, second is the water official who prohibits stealing, third is the iron official who prohibits licentiousness, fourth is the earth official who prohibits divisive speech, and fifth is the heavenly official who prohibits drinking alcohol. The Wendiyu jing says:

To the east, west, south, and north of the city of King Yama are various hells. The light of the sun and moon shines [on them] but does not illuminate anything. The light does not shine only in Black Ear Hell. When a person's life ends he is first in an intermediate existence. A sentient being in this intermediate existence has already gone through the moment of death but has not yet reached the moment of rebirth. The sinner acquires a body of intermediate existence and enters the city of Niraya Hell (Note: Niraya means "densely branched city" or "closed city."), where sinners gather together before they receive their punishments. As the cleverly discriminating wind blows, the sinners receive bodies of different sizes according to the effects of the deeds they committed in their previous lives. If a foulsmelling wind blows, sinners take coarse and ugly forms. If a wind with a good fragrance blows, fortunate people receive fine and subtle bodies. 6. The City of the King of Hell

According to the Qishi jing (T.24:330b9-c22):

Outside of the two Iron Ring Mountains to the south of this world is the palace of King Yama. The length and width of the residence is exactly six thousand yojanas. Sevenfold walls, sevenfold balustrades, sevenfold nets with bells, and, outside of these, sevenfold lines of palm trees surround the city. Seven jewels produce a beautiful combination of colors. There are gates in each of the four directions. Each gate has a tower for defense. The palace buildings, gardens, and ponds are all filled with many kinds of beautiful fruit. Fragrant breezes carry distant fragrances, and many birds sing in harmony. Because the king's evil deeds in his previous lives resulted in bad consequences, both during the three time periods of the night and the three periods of the day, red molten copper appears in front of him. The palace 298

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changes into a building made of iron. All pleasurable objects of the five senses disappear. When the king sees this, he becomes frightened and anxious. His hair stands on end and he immediately leaves the palace. If he happens to be outside when this happens, he immediately runs inside. At this time the guardians of hell take hold of the king, and raise him up high then throw him down onto a red-hot iron floor. This floor is fiercely ablaze, glowing red with flames shooting from it. After throwing him onto the floor and ordering him to lie down, the guardians of hell then force open his mouth with an iron instrument and pour molten red copper down his mouth. At this time King Yama's lips and mouth are burned, then his tongue, and finally his throat are burned. His bowels and intestines are gradually scorched. Going downward, the molten copper eventually passes out of his body.

At this time the king entertains the following thought: "Any sentient being who has committed evil deeds of body, speech, and mind receives this suffering with other sentient beings who have committed similar deeds. Let me make a vow that from now on I will renounce this body; that I will be reborn only among humans; and that I will follow the teaching of the Buddha and obtain the correct faith and understanding, shave off my beard and hair, and don a monk's robe. After I have obtained correct faith and understanding I will renounce the householder's life, and after I have renounced the householder's life I vow to attain penetrating enlightenment. Then I will have exhausted life and death and will have become firm in the pure practice. All that has to be done will have been done. I shall not have any further births."

When the king nourishes such a transformative thought, the seven jewels are restored in the palace where he lives. The palace becomes like the heavens and the pleasurable objects of the five senses are fully manifested before the king. Because of the effects of the three good deeds of body, speech, and mind that he performed in his previous lives, the king immediately enjoys all of these pleasures.

Again, the new Posha lun (T.1545:866b12-c12) says:

Question: Are the guards of hell to be counted among sentient beings or are they counted among nonsentient beings?

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume I Answer: The guards of hell who bind sentient beings with iron chains when they are first born in hell and take them to King Yama are themselves counted among sentient beings. But those who harm sentient beings with various instruments of torture are counted among nonsentient beings. Under the continent of this world (Jambudvīpa) are the great hells; above the continent of this world also are the borderland hells and the isolated hells. Some hells are in valleys, some are on top of mountains, some are in deserted fields, and some are in the sky. In the other three continents there are only borderland hells and isolated hells; there are no great hells. Only the people of the continent of this world accomplish great good deeds. They also commit excessively evil deeds. Other continents are different. This is why the hells are different. Some say that the northern Uttarakuru continent lacks the borderland hells, too, and that this is because it is the place for receiving the effects of pure deeds. Question: If the other continents have no great hells, where do those sentient beings who have committed extremely grave sins and cut off the roots for good deeds go to receive the karmic consequences of their deeds? Answer: They receive them in the great hells beneath the Jambudvīpa continent.

Question: What is the form of the sentient beings in the hells like? Answer: Their form is like that of human beings.

Question: What is their language?

Answer: When sentient beings are first born there they all speak Sanskrit. Later, when they are tortured, they utter various sounds of pain but not one word is understandable. There are only the sounds of cutting, piercing, breaking, and splitting.

7. Karmic Causes [for Rebirth]

According to the Shilun jing (T.410:694b26-695a20): The five grave sins are the most serious sins. What are these five? To intentionally kill one's father, mother, or an arhat, to destroy the affairs of the harmonious monastic community (sangha) of hearers (śrāvakas), and to maliciously shed the blood of the Buddha—these are called the five grave sins. If one commits any of these grave sins, he may not renounce the householder's life and receive the complete precepts. If a person has 300

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been permitted to renounce the householder's life and then commits a grave sin, he must be expelled from the monastic community. In the case of those who have renounced the householder's life and received the precepts, we should not use whips on them nor bind them in confinement [as punishment].

There are also four kinds of great sins, which are identical with the four crimes of the fundamental sins. What are these four? Killing a pratyekabuddha—this is called the fundamental sin of killing. Committing licentious acts with a nun who has attained the status of arhat—this is called the fundamental sin of licentiousness. If people have made a gift of their goods or property to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha and a person in charge of the property uses it for his own private purpose, this is called the fundamental sin of theft. If a person who holds heterodox views does damage to the community of monks, this is called the fundamental sin of damaging the sangha. If someone commits any of these four fundamental sins, without exception he will not be allowed to renounce the householder's life according to the Buddha's teaching. If he has already renounced the householder's life, he will not be allowed to receive the complete set of precepts. If he has already received the precepts, he must be expelled [from the sangha]. Because of the monastic rules pertaining to those who have renounced the householder's life, one should not whip, bind in confinement, or take the life of any one who had received the precepts when he commits one of these sins. These are all fundamental sins. They are not identical with the grave sins.

There are cases where an act is both a fundamental sin and a grave sin. There are cases where an act is a grave sin but not a fundamental sin. There are cases where an act is neither a fundamental sin nor a grave sin. What is the case of an act that is both a grave sin and a fundamental sin? If a person has renounced the householder's life, received the complete precepts, and succeeded in attaining the way of the truth, to cut off this person's life is called both a grave sin and a fundamental sin. The person who commits such a sin should be expelled according to my rules. What is the case of an act that is a fundamental sin but not a grave sin? If a person renounces the householder's life according to my teaching but harms the life of such an ordinary sentient being, by poison for example, 301

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or through aborting his fetus when he is reborn among humans in a later life, this is called a fundamental sin but not a grave sin. A person who has committed such a sin must not be given a share of the monastic property, food and drink, and floor mats that offered to any monk as common benefits.

If a sentient being gives rise to doubt concerning the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, yet renounces the householder's life according to them, or if seeing others reciting the scriptures interferes with the recitation of even one verse, this fault is neither a fundamental sin nor a grave sin. These offenses are said to be extremely evil. They are similar to the grave sins. In the case of such sentient beings, unless they repent and remove the root of their sins, we can never allow them to renounce the householder's life according to the Buddha's teaching. If they happen to have renounced the householder's life or have received the complete precepts, those among them who do not repent their faults are to be expelled. Why? To not have faith in the right Dharma, to revile the three vehicles, to harm the Dharma eye, to wish to terminate the lamp of the teaching, and to cut off the seed of the Three Jewels—these all drastically reduce the possibility of rebirth in the realms of humans or gods and have no benefits. The result [of such actions] is to fall into inferior realms of existence. The two kinds of people mentioned above, i.e., those who doubt and those who revile the hearers, pratyekabuddhas, or the Mahayana, are designated as those who revile the right Dharma and as those who belittle sages and holy ones. Their life spans in hell increase. These evil deeds are called major fundamental sins. What are the fundamental sins contrary to the precepts? If a monk deliberately commits licentious deeds or kills, or an ordinary person does not give but only takes, or deliberately commits the sin of lying—if a monk or an ordinary person commits any one of these fundamental sins they are not allowed to participate in any of the religious ceremonies performed by the monks and they may not take a share of the use of common property, drinks, food, and bedding belonging to the monastery. However, the imperial ruler, ministers, and officials may not impose the punishment of whipping and confinement and they may not take the life [of such a person]. These offenses are called the substance, nature, and appearance of fundamental sins. Why are they called fundamental sins? If a person 302

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commits these sins, when his body dissolves at the end of life he falls into inferior realms of existence. To commit these deeds is the root of [rebirth in] inferior realms. For this reason they are called fundamental sins. Thus, there are eleven kinds of sins: the five grave sins, the four major prohibitions, and the sins committed by sentient beings who either destroyed the right Dharma or reviled the wise and holy ones. If a person commits any one of these sins, when his body dissolves at the end of life he will fall into Avīci Hell. Just as an iron ball, when thrown into space, does not stay there but quickly falls to the ground, so will such a sinner fall into this hell.

According to the Zhengfanian jing (T.721:74a17-19, b4-7; 75c20-22, 29; 76a17, 21; 77c5-7, 13-14, 27-28):

The suffering in Avīci Hell is one thousand times greater than that in the previous seven hells. The life span there is one world age. The body grows as large as five hundred yojanas tall. Those who have committed four grave sins are four hundred yojanas tall; those [who have committed] three grave sins are three hundred yojanas tall; those [who have committed] two grave sins are two hundred yojanas tall; and those [who have committed] one grave sin are one hundred yojanas tall. When a person who has committed the five grave sins is about to die, he screams, loses control of his bowels, and his breath passes out of his throat. A color not seen during his lifetime appears on his corpse. His body becomes like that of an eight-year-old child. King Yama takes a flaming iron net, ties the person's throat, and binds his hands. The head is held downward and the legs upward. For a period of two thousand years all such sinners move downward. Often their headdresses burn, full of flames. First the head burns, then the body burns. When the gods of the six heavens of the realm of desire smell the air of Avīci Hell, they all disappear. Why? Because the creatures of Avīci Hell have a strong unpleasant smell. Furthermore, the Guanfo sanmei hai jing (T.643:669a2-669c25) has the following passage:

The Buddha told Ānanda, "If a sentient being kills their father, harms their mother, or abuses and humiliates one of their relatives in the sixfold 303

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classification of relations, such sinners, when their life ends, very quickly— in the time that it takes a powerful man takes to bend and stretch out his arm—fall directly into Avīci Hell. King Yama, appearing as a phantom, decrees in a loud voice, 'Ignorant people bound for hell, while you were in the world you were not filial to your parents and committed evil and arrogant deeds of lawlessness. The place you are now born in is called Avīci Hell!' After saying this, he disappears immediately and is not seen anymore. At that time the jail guards hurry them around, taking them from lower to higher sections of hell, going through eighty-four sections [of the hells] altogether. Bending their bodies, they pass through these sections of hell until they reach the boundary protected by steel nets. It takes an entire day and night to go around Avīci Hell. An entire day and night in this hell is the equivalent of sixty small world ages, according to the measurement of time in our world. According to the way time is measured in hell, life in Avīci Hell lasts for one great world age. "If a person has committed the five grave sins, his punishment will last for five world ages. If a sentient being has violated the four major prohibitions, received a gift of almsfood while guilty of violating the precepts, reviled the truth by holding heterodox views, been ignorant of causes and conditions, terminated their study of the Perfection of Wisdom, broken images of the buddhas of the ten directions, stolen common property of the monastery, engaged in lawless licentious deeds, raped nuns who were upholding the precepts, sisters, or other relatives, and yet without repentance abused and humiliated those who are close to him—if someone has committed these evil deeds their punishment is as follows. At the time of death winds as sharp as knives blow and cut up his body; in an instant his body becomes an iron flower that fills up the eighteen sections of hell. Each flower has eighty-four thousand petals, and each petal has a head, a body, and arms. Each is located in different sections of the hell. This hell is not large and this body is not small. Consequently, the body fills this great hell for a period of eight thousand four hundred great world ages. "When this Niraya Hell disappears, the sinner enters the eighteen sections in the eastern direction and is punished in the same manner as before. In this way he goes through the eighteen sections in the southern, western, and northern parts of Avīci Hell. Reviling the Mahayana scriptures, committing 304

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the five grave sins, destroying the monastic community, defiling nuns, cutting off the roots of good deeds—sinners who have committed these sins acquire a body that fills Avīci Hell; their four limbs fill the eighteen sections of hell.

"Sentient beings sent to Avīci Hell burn without interruption. When the world age is about to end the eastern gate opens. As the sinner looks out of the eastern gate he sees that a beautiful spring, running water, and a forest of trees bearing flowers and fruit have all appeared. At this sight, the sinner runs upward from below and when he reaches the top section he raises a ring of swords with his hands. At that time hot iron balls rain down from the sky. The sinner runs toward the eastern gate but the gate closes when he arrives. A demon guard of this hell picks up steel forks with his hands and pierces the eyes of the sinner. An iron dog tears into the sinner's heart. The sinner falls unconscious in convulsions and dies. After dying, the sinner revives and this time he sees the southern gate reopen. Yet the situation is the same as before; there is no difference. The western gate and the northern gate are also the same. In this manner time passes for half a world age.

"After dying in Avīci Hell the sinner is born in Cold Ice Hell. After dying in Cold Ice Hell, the sinner is reborn in Dark Place Hell. For eighty million years his eyes see nothing. He receives the body of a large worm and he must crawl on his belly, twisting around. All his sense organs are dulled in the darkness and he knows and understands nothing. One hundred thousand foxes and wolves seize the bodies of the sinners and eat them. When this life ends, the sinner is reborn among animals. For fifty million lives he receives the bodies of birds and animals. Then he is reborn among humans but he is blind and deaf and suffers from leprosy and tumors. He is extremely poor and marked by every sign of decline. After five hundred lives in this ignoble form, such a person is reborn among the hungry ghosts. In the realm of hungry ghosts he encounters good friends who are great bodhisattvas. They reprimand him, saying, 'In your former lives over an infinite number of lifetimes you committed boundless sins. Because you reviled the teaching and lacked true faith you fell into Avīci Hell and received tortures that cannot be described in detail. Now you should give rise to compassion in your mind.' When the hungry ghost hears these words, 305

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume I he praises the name of the Buddha and the power of the Buddha's love. Thereupon his life ends [in that realm] and he is reborn in the dwelling place of the gods of the four directions. Once he has been born in this realm, he repents his previous sins and feels a desire for enlightenment arise within himself. From their compassionate hearts many buddhas emit light onto such sentient beings and do not abandon such people as this one. The buddhas assist people like this, just as the Buddha once assisted Rāhula. With their compassionate eyes and ears they teach him to avoid the hells." Therefore, in the Qishi jing (T.24:328b18-329a1), the Buddha says in verse:

If a person does wrong either in physical acts, or through speech, or even in his own mind,

Then as a result of such an action he is born into inferior realms of existence.

In this way he is reborn in the "Reviving" Hell. It is the most fearful place; it makes your hair stand on end. After experiencing this hell for millions of years, beyond the possibility of counting,

The person dies but immediately revives.

Hatred invites hatred and so sentient beings kill one another without cease.

If sentient beings cherish evil feelings toward their parents, Or toward the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and hearers, They will all fall into Black Rope Hell.

The suffering experienced there is extremely grave and terrible. Those who mislead others who are practicing correct deeds and cause them to enter wrong paths,

And those who always destroy good deeds as soon as they see them— Such people also fall into Black Rope Hell.

Double-tongued, evil-mouthed, and constant liars who enjoy committing the three kinds of grave evil deeds

And who do not cultivate the three roots of good deeds— These ignorant people will necessarily fall into the great hell of Clashing and Grinding and suffer punishment for a long time. 306

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Or if someone kills sheep, horses, cows, or other kinds of animals, chickens, or pigs,

And even if he kills insects, he will fall into Clashing and Grinding Hell. If, through the many ways that frighten people in this world, A person oppresses and tortures sentient beings, This person will fall into Mortar Mountain Hell And receive the punishment of being pressed against the ground and pounded.

If because of the bondage of greed, desire, anger, and ignorance, A person perverts the real truth and makes it into something different, Judging that which is correct to be wrong and deviating from the norms and rules,

This person is in turn destined to be harmed by knives and swords. If someone, relying on his strength, steals from others, taking from both the powerful and powerless,

If in these ways such a person commits many oppressive acts, He is destined to be kicked and stomped upon by an iron elephant. If someone enjoys killing sentient beings, his body and hands stained with blood and with a very evil mind,

If such a person constantly commits such impure deeds, He will be reborn in Screaming and Howling Hell. Because they have tormented sentient beings in various ways, These sinners are roasted and cooked in Screaming and Howling Hell. Within this hell, furthermore, is the Great Screaming and Howling Hell. Here are people who are given to flattery and who have crafty minds, Which are obscured by wrong views as if with a dense forest; They are bound tighter and tighter by the taut nets of attachment and pulled downward.

Those who commit the most base deeds fall into Great Screaming and Howling Hell.

When a person arrives at the Great Screaming and Howling Hell, an iron city ablaze, his hair stands on end.

There are iron halls and iron buildings there, and those who come and enter these places are completely consumed by fire. 307

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume I If those who while performing their worldly duties constantly torment sentient beings,

They will fall into the place of torture by heat. They endure torture by heat for an infinitely long time. Monks and brahmans in the world, parents, superiors, and elders— If people constantly torment such worthies and do not please them, they will all fall into Heat Hell.

Not having cultivated the pure deeds that lead to rebirth in heaven, always rejecting those who are closest and to be loved; If people commit these crimes with pleasure, they will enter Heat Hell. Those who commit evil deeds toward monks and brahmans, and other good people and parents,

Or who harm other honorable ones, will fall into the place of torture by heat, where a fire constantly blazes. Those who constantly commit evil deeds And have never even for an instant harbored a good thought in their minds,

These people go directly to Avīci Hell and receive an infinite number of punishments.

If a person says that the right Dharma is wrong And various wrong teachings are correct, And he does not contribute to the good cause— Such a person will enter Avīci Hell.

Reviving Hell, Black Rope Hell, and the two hells, If one adds to these such hells as [Clashing and Grinding,] Screaming and Howling, [and Great Screaming and Howling], the number becomes five.

With Heat Torture Hell and Great Heat Hell, there are seven hells. Avīci Hell makes the number eight.

These eight are called the great hells, Where sinners burn violently and their suffering is intense and unbearable.

A person will be reborn [in these hells] because of the evil deeds he committed.

Within each [of the eight great hells] there are also sixteen smaller hells. 308

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8. Warning Signs

The Qishi jing (T.24:330c25-332a2) says the following: The Buddha said to the monks, "There are three kinds of heavenly messengers in the world. What are these three? The first is old age, the second is illness, and the third is death.

"If a person is self-indulgent and commits the three kinds of evil deeds he will be reborn in hell when his body dissolves and life ends. The guardians of hell come immediately and drive such sentient beings into King Yama's presence. They say, 'Great king, these sentient beings were unrestrained and self-indulgent when they lived among people in their previous lives. They did not make their three acts [of body, speech, and mind] good. Would the great king properly instruct them?' The king asks the sinners, 'When you lived among humans in your previous lives, the first heavenly messenger instructed and reprimanded you well. How could you have failed to see him appear in life?' The sinners answer, 'Great god, indeed we did not see him!'

"The king says, 'When you had a human body you should have seen the following. The decline of old age appeared to you, sometimes in the form of a man and sometimes in the form of a woman, with their teeth fallen out, white hair, loose and wrinkled skin, and black spots all over their body so that it looked like a sesame plant. Their arms were crooked and their backs were bent and as they walked, crippled, their legs did not follow the body, which leaned to the left and then to the right. Their necks were narrow and their skin was loose, hanging down on both sides like a cow's jowls. Their lips and mouths were parched, their throats and tongues dry. Their bodies were bent and weak and their vitality was ebbing. They gasped when they tried to speak, making a rasping sound like a saw. Faltering, they walked clinging to a stick. The vigorous years of their lives had declined and their blood and flesh had been reduced to the point of drying up; skinny, exhausted and weak, they were ready for the passage to the next life. Their movements were slow and there was no longer even a trace left of their former vigor. Both body and mind were all atremble. All their limbs were scrawny and slack, held together only with difficulty. Have you never seen such an apparition?'

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"The sinners answered, 'Great god, we have indeed seen this.' Then the king says, 'You are slow and ignorant people and have no wisdom. When you saw such a sight in the past, why did you not think as follows: I too have ahead of me this inevitable fate (fa) of old age; I have not transcended it yet. I should perform good deeds so that I will be able to enjoy benefits and pleasure for a long time.' The people answer, 'Great god, indeed we did not think such thoughts because our minds were excessively self-indulgent and our behavior was undisciplined.' King Yama then says, 'You are slow and ignorant people and you have not cultivated good deeds. You should receive all the punishments for undisciplined indulgence. These painful punishments are not the result of what others did; they are the results of your actions. The sum total of what you did now returns to you and you will suffer the consequences.'

"At that time King Yama, reprimanding the sinners for the second time, says, 'Did you people not see the second heavenly messenger appear in the world?' They answer, 'Great god, indeed we did not see him.' The king then says, 'In the past, when you had a human body in the world, did you not see the following: Whether one has the body of a woman or of a man, the harmony of the four great elements is suddenly disturbed. Disease enters and clings to the body, causing great pains. Lying in a large or small bed, the sick person tosses back and forth, soiled with urine and excrement. He no longer has control of his body. Lying down asleep or sitting up awake, he looks to someone to stay close by and look after him. He requires others' assistance to wash, to wipe himself, to hold something, to eat or drink. Have you not seen such a sight?' The people say, 'Great god, indeed we did see this.'

"King Yama then tells them, "Ignorant people, when you saw such a sight, why did you not think the following: I will also meet such a fate and I have not transcended the fate of disease. I should perform good deeds that will enable me to obtain great benefits and pleasure for a long time in the future.' The people say, 'No, indeed we did not think such a thought because our minds were lazy and our behavior was undisciplined.' The king tells the ignorant men, 'You were lazy and did not perform good deeds. You will receive these bad retributions not because of what others did. What you did returns to you and you will thus receive these retributions.' 310

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"Then King Yama, reprimanding them for the third time, says, 'You slow and ignorant men, when you were human beings in the past did you not see the third heavenly messenger appear in the world?' They answer, 'Great god, indeed we did not see him'.

"The king says again, 'When you were human beings, did you also not see the following? Whether in the case of a woman or a man, when life ends they place the body on a bed and cover it with cloths of many colors. When the body is to be taken outside the village, it is awesomely decorated with flags and umbrellas. Relatives surround the corpse, their hands held aloft, their hair all in disarray. Covering their heads with ashes, they lament greatly. Wailing ceaselessly, they scream loudly. Striking their chests in sorrow, they sob in sharp grief. Have you not seen this?' They answer, 'Great god, indeed we saw this.'

"Then the king says to them, 'Ignorant men, when you saw such a sight in the past why did you not think the following thought: We too will die; we have not been liberated from death. We should now perform good deeds to obtain great benefits for a long time.' They answer, 'Great god, indeed we did not think such thoughts. Why? Because we were undisciplined and indulgent.' Then King Yama says, 'You were undisciplined and indulgent and did not perform good deeds. You created these bad retributions yourself; these retributions were not created by others. When you receive these retributions you are receiving the results of your earlier deeds.' After he instructs and reprimands the sinners with regard to the above three messengers, the king orders them to be taken away. Thereupon, the guardians of hell seize the sinners by their legs and arms and, holding them with the sinners' heads downward and their legs up, they throw them far into the midst of the many hells." Now, the best way to stop a stream is to cut off its source. The best way to stop boiling water from boiling is to put out the fire. Why? The source provides the water; if the source is not cut off the water is never exhausted. The fire boils the water; If the fire is not extinguished, how could the boiling stop? Therefore, if the source that feeds a spring is cut off, the water dries up by itself; if the fire that boils the hot water is extinguished, the boiling will stop by itself. A discussion of these analogies makes us understand the issues at hand better. If one dislikes a result it is best to cut off its cause. If 311

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one fears suffering, wouldn't it be best to give up evil deeds? The cause provides the substance for the results. If the cause is not uprooted the result will not be exhausted. Evil deeds give rise to suffering. If one does not give up doing evil deeds, how could suffering cease? Therefore, if a person cuts off the cause the result will never come about, even if the person feels no [revulsion toward the possible result of his acts]. If a wise person gives up doing evil deeds, suffering disappears even if he never feared [receiving retribution for his deeds]. Have a hundred noble ones not written books about this in order to warn us?

The [concluding] verse says:

Having been born, a person returns to death.

When the sun goes down the moon returns.

Someone who has been exiled while very young is easily moved by the evening wind.

He roams around, following changing objects.

An ignorant person loses his way and,

Floating and sinking, falls into a great abyss. Immediately he falls into the dark place (i.e., hell) and experiences sharp-pointed weapons for ten thousand ages.

Beings in the six realms of rebirth revolve in the cycle of rebirth in the world and suffer,

Yet the effects of the three types of evil deeds are not yet exhausted. As they follow this stream of rebirths no one can save them. In great sorrow, they can only rely on themselves to show pity. Only by returning to sincerity and meditating on the form of things Can they learn the empty and false nature of objects. The ocean of suffering is deep—where would it take us? We wish to board the ship of perfect wisdom.

Miracle Stories

(Note: There are seven stories:) From the Jin dynasty (265-420 C.E.), Layman Zhao Tai and the monk Zhi Faheng; from the [Later] Zhao dynasty (319-351 C.E.), Layman Shi Changhe; from the [Former] Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.-7 C.E.), the ghost at Hangu Pass, the sound of wailing in the Lu Jiang district, 312

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and the boiling caldron in Tibet; from the Tang dynasty (618-907 C.E.), Liu Zhigan serves as a judge in hell.

Jin Dynasty

Zhao Tai, styled Wenhe, was a man from Beiqiu of Qinghe. His grandfather had been the governor of the capital district. His commandery recommended Tai for government service as a morally upright person and the government invited him, but he did not serve. He studied the scriptures a great deal and was famed for his scholarship in his home district. Later he accepted official appointments and ended his career as the Grand Master of Palace Leisure. When Tai was thirty-five years old he experienced a sudden pain in his heart and moments later he died. When people lowered his corpse to the ground, his heart was still warm and his body bended and stretched when people moved it. The corpse was left there for ten days, and then a sound like falling rain came from his throat. He suddenly revived and told the following story. Right after his death, Tai dreamed that a man came and stooped over him at heart-level. There were two other people riding yellow horses, and these two servants supported Tai on either side. The path led eastward but he did not know how many miles they traveled. Then they reached a large city, high and precipitous, which was colored blue and black like zinc. They led Tai to the city gate and passed through two heavy doors. Inside there were thousands of tiled houses and also thousands of men and women of all ages standing in lines. Five or six officials wearing silk clothes read out names from a list of categories. They were to present these people to the Commandery Governor according to the categories. Tai's name was under the twentieth category. Soon they took Tai and several thousand other men and women to present them together. The Commandery Governor sat facing westward. After examining the list, he sent Tai south to go through the black gate. A man wearing red clothes was sitting under a large roof. He called out the names one by one and asked what they had done in their previous lives: "What sins did you commit? What good deeds did you perform? Clearly, you should tell the truth. Here we send messengers to the six branches of the government. These messengers remain in the human world and constantly record good and evil deeds. Their lists include all events without exception. 313

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You should not lie." [Zhao] Tai answered, "My father and elder brother served as government officials. Both received two thousand gallons (shi) of rice. Since I was young, I only studied at home and have not served in any office. I have not committed any evil deeds either."

Thereupon, the man dispatched Tai to serve as an overseer in the Office of Waterways, where he supervised more than two thousand men who worked hard day and night carrying sand to repair riverbanks. Later the man promoted Tai to Commissioner-in-Chief of the Office of Waterways and placed the affairs of the jail under his charge. They gave Tai horses and soldiers and ordered him to visit the various hells for inspection.

The torture in the different hells Tai visited took different forms. In one case, the tongue of a sinner was pierced with needles and blood completely covered his body. In another case, people with disheveled hair and without headdresses, naked and barefooted, were dragged along while guards with large sticks prodded them from behind. An iron floor and copper pillars burned with blazing flames, making hollow sounds. The people were driven there and forced to embrace the pillars and lie down on the floor. When they rose, they were all burned into shapeless forms, but they were immediately brought back to life. In still another case, sinners were roasted and cooked in a flaming stove and a huge cauldron. Heads and bodies were crushed and had fallen apart, and were roiling around in the water as it boiled. Demons holding forked spears stood nearby, and three or four hundred people stood to one side, awaiting their turn to enter the cauldron, crying aloud and embracing each other. Then there was a tree of swords, tall and wide and extending beyond any visible limit. At its outermost points the trunk, branches, and leaves of the tree were all made of swords. People abused each other and each climbed the tree, one by one, as if he was delighted to compete with the others. As they climbed their heads and bodies were cut up into pieces, from a few inches to a foot long.

[Zhao] Tai saw his grandparents and two brothers in this hell, and they cried when they saw each other. When Tai was going out of the gate of hell, he saw two people bring a document to the jail official and say, "There are three people whose family raised banners and burned incense at the temple in order to remove their sins. They may be released from hell and allowed to go to a residence of good fortune." Suddenly Tai saw three people come 314

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out of the gate of hell. Immediately their clothes appeared on their bodies in perfect order. They went to a gate called the Great Hall of Opening Light. The threefold gate was illuminated in a bright red color. When they saw this gate the three people immediately entered the hall. Tai followed them. Before him Tai saw a great hall, decorated throughout with rare treasures, shining brilliantly to the observer's eye. The floor was made of gold and jade. He saw one supernatural person whose appearance was extraordinarily awesome and propitious. This man was sitting on a seat and there were many monks standing in attendance around his seat. Tai saw the Commandery Governor come and pay respect to the man with humility and reverence. Tai asked to whom the Commandery Governor had extended reverence and an official said, "He is called the World-honored Master Who Saves Humanity." After a while all the people in hell were brought out to listen to the scriptures. At that time they were said to be one million and nine thousand in number. They all came out of hell and entered the city, which was a hundred miles [wide and long] in size. As they arrived they paid respect to the teaching and sat in large groups. Even if there are shortcomings in a person's religious practice he or she can still obtain salvation. For this purpose, the teaching of the scriptures in hell had been established. Within seven days the people achieved release from hell in the order determined by whether their deeds in previous lives had been good or evil. Before Tai came out he saw one thousand people rise up into space and disappear.

After Tai came out of this hall he saw another city, over two hundred miles [wide and long] in size, called the City of Changing Forms. The people who had completed the examination in hell enter this city and receive new forms for rebirth. Entering the city, Tai saw several thousand sections of houses with clay tiles; each house had rooms and corridors. Right in the middle of the city was a brick house with a high floor and decorated balustrades. The house had several hundred rooms. The officials, matching each case with [the proper] documents, said, "Murderers will become dayflies, born in the morning and dying in the evening. Thieves will become pigs and sheep, to be butchered by people. Sexual offenders will become cranes and deer. Liars will become owls. Debtors will become camels, oxen, and horses." After [Zhao] Tai returned from the inspection tour, the chief of the Office of Waterways said to him, "You are the son of a noble family. For what sins 315

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have you come here?" Tai answered, "My grandfather, father, and brothers all have a fief that produced two thousand shi of rice. I was selected for service in government but turned it down. Cultivating my mind and meditating on good deeds, I did not become defiled by various forms of evil deeds." The chief said, "You have not committed any sins. That is why you have been made Commissioner-in-Chief of the Office of Waterways. Otherwise, there would have been no difference between yourself and those who are in hell." Tai asked the chief, "What must a person do to assure happiness after death?" The chief said only, "If disciples who honor the Dharma practice it diligently and uphold the precepts, they obtain the karmic rewards of happiness and will not be punished." Tai again asked, "After someone has submitted himself to the service of the Dharma, can the sins he committed before submitting be removed?" The answer was, "Yes, all sins can be removed." After this conversation, the chief opened the sealed box and checked Tai's years. There were still thirty years left so he sent Tai back to the human world. As they parted, the chief said, "You have seen what the punishment for sins in hell is like. You must tell the people in the world about it and encourage them to perform good deeds. The effects of good and evil deeds follow people just like shadows and echoes. Shouldn't everyone be careful about them?" Tai then reported his experience to friends and strangers who visited him. Fifty or sixty people heard him speak about his experience at one time. Tai also wrote down his experiences and showed the document to his contemporaries. The time was the thirteenth day of the seventh month of the fifth year of Taishi (269 C.E.). Then Tai requested a monastery to arrange for a large celebration on behalf of his grandparents and two brothers. He ordered all of his descendants to change their faith and honor the Buddhist Dharma and practice Buddhism diligently. People heard that Tai had died and come back to life, after seeing many instances of the consequences of good and evil deeds, and they visited him one after another. At that time, the Superior Grand Master of the Palace Sun Feng of Wucheng, the Marquis of Guannei Ho Boping of Changshan, and others, altogether ten people, gathered together at [Zhao] Tai's house and questioned him in detail. Everyone was filled with fear and submitted themselves to the Buddhist Dharma.

The monk Zhi Faheng belonged to the beginning of the rule [of the Jin dynasty]. He was ill for ten days and then died. Three days later he came 316

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back to life and told the following story. When he died a man came to take him away. He saw several places which looked like government residences but he was not accepted in any of them. Suddenly he saw an iron wheel with steel claws come around from the western direction. No one was pulling the wheel yet it turned and traveled as fast as the wind. An official called a sinner and made him stand facing the wheel, and the wheel ran over the sinner. In this manner the wheel turned repeatedly and crushed several people. The official called to Faheng, saying, "The man of the Way (i.e., Zhi Faheng) should come and stand facing the wheel." Faheng was afraid and, blaming himself, he said, "Because I did not practice diligently I must now face this wheel." After he spoke these words, the official said to Faheng, "The man of the Way may go." Then Faheng looked up and saw that there was a hole in the sky. Without any sensation, he rose up quickly and his head went through the hole while his hands touched both sides of the hole. Faheng looked around in the four directions and saw a palace decorated with seven jewels, occupied by heavenly beings. Faheng kicked and jumped but could not get up further to reach the palace. Exhausted, he went down again and returned to where he had been. The man who had taken Faheng laughed and said, "What did you see that prevented you from going up?"

Thereupon he handed Faheng over to a boat captain. The captain piloted the boat and ordered Faheng to operate the rudder. Faheng said, "I cannot hold the rudder," but the captain forced him to do so. Several hundred boats followed [the boat] Faheng was on. Not knowing how to hold the rudder, Faheng steered the boat into a sandbar. The captain shoved Faheng, saying, "You made a mistake guiding the boat. According to the law you should be executed." Dragging Faheng onto the shore, to the sound of beating drums, the captain was about to execute Faheng.

Suddenly two five-colored dragons pushed the boat [off the sandbar] and made it float again. The captain then pardoned Faheng and they continued traveling northward for about thirty miles. Faheng saw a village and on the riverbank there were tens of thousands of houses. The captain said that the village was a refuge. Faheng slipped out and landed on the bank. A large dog in the village was about to attack him and Faheng was very frightened. When he looked in the northwest direction he saw a lecture hall, where many monks had gathered. Hearing the sound of sutras being recited, Faheng 317

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hurried toward the hall, which had a twelve-step staircase. [Zhi] Faheng climbed the first step and saw the deceased teacher Fazhu sitting on a chair. Seeing Faheng, he said, "You are my disciple. Why did you come?" Turning and rising toward the staircase, the teacher slapped Faheng in the face with a hand cloth and said, "Do not come up." Faheng was very anxious to continue up the staircase and again raised his feet to climb the steps, but Fazhu again pushed him back down. After the third time Faheng gave up. Faheng then saw a well on the flat ground, three or four zhang deep and covered completely with bricks. Faheng thought, "This is a natural well." A man at the side of the well said, "If it is not natural, how could it be a well?" Faheng saw Fazhu deliberately lean and look toward him, and Fazhu said to him, "You should return by the same route you came on. The dog will not attack you." Faheng went back to the riverbank but he did not see the boat on which he had arrived. He was very thirsty and tried to drink from the river, and thereupon he fell into the water. Then Faheng revived.

Because of this experience he renounced the householder's life, upheld the precepts, and did not eat meat. Diligently practicing day and night, he became a monk of superior conduct. Faqiao is a disciple of Faheng. [Later] Zhao Dynasty

Shi Changhe was a native of Gao in the state of Zhao. At the age of nineteen he became ill and after one month and a few days he died. His family was poor and could not perform the proper ritual of preserving the body in a coffin prior to burial. Four days later he revived and told the following story. As soon as he died Changhe walked in the southeastern direction and saw two people leading the way. They were fifty paces ahead of him. As he walked slowly or quickly, they accordingly changed their walking speed, still leading the way, slowly or quickly, always maintaining the same distance of fifty paces ahead. On both sides of the road was a thick growth of thorny shrubs. Each thorn was like the talon of an eagle. He saw a large group of people running into the thorny shrubs; their bodies were injured and torn and their blood flowed all over the ground. Seeing Changhe walking on the flat road, they all sighed and said, 'Only followers of the Buddha can walk in the middle of the Great Way.' Further along the road he saw buildings with tiled roofs. There must have been one thousand rooms.

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There was one very tall building, and in this building a very large man wearing a ceremonial black jacket was sitting, facing the window. Changhe paid respects to him. The man above in the watchtower said, "Lord Shi has arrived. It has been twenty years since we parted." Changhe then felt as if he remembered the time of their parting. Among his acquaintances was a man called Mamu Mengcheng. It had been many years since he and his wife had died. The man above in the watchtower said, "Do you know Mengcheng?" Changhe said that he did. The man in the watchtower said, "When he was alive, Mengcheng failed to practice the Buddhist teaching diligently. He is now serving as a house cleaner for me all the time. Mengcheng's wife was diligent and she now lives in a very pleasant place." Pointing with the finger of one hand to a room in the southwest corner, he said, 'Mengcheng's wife is there.' Mengcheng's wife then opened the window and, seeing Changhe, she asked very politely how he was doing. After inquiring about the welfare of the old and young in her extended family, she said, "When Lord Shi returns, you should write to me of what you see." Suddenly Changhe saw Mengcheng coming from the west of the building, holding a broom and dustpan in his hands. He also asked for news of his family.

The man above in the watchtower said, "I have heard that fish and dragons perform excessively diligently as proof of their faith. What have you practiced?" Changhe said, "I have not eaten fish and meat. I have never drunk wine. I constantly recite the honored scriptures to seek release from illness and pain." The man in the watchtower said, "You have not forgotten what has been taught to you." He spoke for a long time. and then asked the man in charge of the complete records, "Examine Lord Shi's record. Do not make any mistakes." The man consulted the record and said, "His has more than thirty more years of life left." The man in the watchtower said, "Does Lord Shi wish to return or not?" Changhe answered that he wanted to go back. Thereupon the man above in the watchtower ordered the man in charge of the records to send him back on a carriage with mounted soldiers and two accompanying officials. Changhe paid respects to the man above in the watchtower, took his leave, boarded the carriage, and returned. Along the road he had traveled on before, there were again the hostels where officials and private guests were eating and drinking what had been provided for them earlier. 319

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Suddenly he reached home. He hated the smell of his corpse and did not wish to approach it. While he was standing by the corpse he was pushed from behind by his deceased sister and fell on top of the corpse, and thus revived. The man of the Way Zhi Fashan had not yet renounced the householder's life at that time. When he heard Changhe's story he decided to enter the Way. Fashan lived during the Xianhe period (326-334). (The above three people are mentioned in the Mingxiang ji.)

[Former] Han Dynasty

Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty traveled eastward but had not yet gone over Hangu Pass. On the road there was a creature, several tens of zhang (many hundred feet) in height and shaped like an ox. It had shining blue eyes and its four feet were buried in the ground. You could not move it even if you pushed with all your might. All the officials were amazed and frightened. Thereupon Dong Fangshuo requested that they pour wine as an offering. They poured several tens of hu (hundreds of gallons) [of wine], and the monster then disappeared. The emperor asked the reason for all of this. Dong Fangshuo answered, "This is called the result of suffering from distressed qi. This must have been a place of the jail of the Qin ruling house. If not, it must have been a place where prisoners were gathered together to labor. Wine causes one to forget distress. Therefore the wine could make the monster disappear." The emperor said, "What a knowledgeable scholar!" On the border between the two districts of Wan and Chuangyang in the Lu Jiang Commandery lived dark blue creatures. These creatures, some larger and others smaller, lived in the wild mountains and fields, and sometimes the sounds of them weeping could be heard. Voices of a group of several tens of people at most, both male and female, young and old, which sounded just like the sorrowful wailing of people who have just lost someone, used to be heard. People who lived nearby would be surprised and go running to the place where the voices were heard, but they never saw any human beings there. However, at the place where the weeping voices were heard there would always be deaths later. If many voices were heard, then a large family would die there later; if fewer voices were heard, then a small family died there. (Note: The above two stories come from the Soshen zhuanji.) 320

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The travel record of Wang Xuance relates the following story. In southwestern Tibet there is a spring. On a flat area very hot water shoots forth, reaching a height of four or five feet. If you cook meat in this hot spring it becomes well done right away. The vapor reaches to heaven, looking like mist. One old Tibetan says, "Ten years ago the water shot up to the height of over ten zhang (a hundred feet) and spread out all over at the top. A man riding a horse, chasing a deer, came directly to the spring. Since that time the water has not risen up high any more." Frequently human skeletons bubble up in the spring. If you cover the spring with a piece of thick cloth, the cloth rots immediately. The spring is sometimes called Cauldron Spring [of Hell]. Sixty or seventy yojanas northwest of this spring is another one, about as hot as this one. Sometimes the spring shoots up violently, sounding like a clap of thunder. Many smaller hot springs like this are often found. In China today there are many hot springs. If we infer from the above cases, these springs in China are also "cauldron springs." The reason is as follows. In the Four-part Vinaya there is this passage:

The Buddha said, "To the north of the city of Rājagṛha there is a hot spring that comes out of hell. The water is very hot when it first comes out, but later as it reaches distant places it becomes cooler. The reason it becomes cooler is because other water mixes with it."

(Note: This story is from the Record of the Western Regions.) Tang Dynasty

Liu Zhigan of Hetong became a Probationary District Magistrate at the beginning of the Zhenguan period (627-649 C.E.). One evening he died suddenly. The following morning he revived and told the following story. At first he had been chased by an official of hell and reached a big government building. After seeing Zhigan, the official said, "At the present time there is a vacancy in one official position. Therefore we have especially arranged to appoint you to that position." Zhigan declined to take the position, giving his parents' old age as the reason. Then he described his meritorious deeds, which should have indicated that he should not yet have died. The official of the ruler of the hells checked his record and [Liu] Zhigan's words were correct. Therefore, the official said, "You are not yet to die. We could 332b

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appoint you as an Acting Administrative Assistant." Zhigan accepted the position and, taking leave of the official, he withdrew and went to his office. In the office five administrative assistants were sitting together; Zhigan was the sixth. This office was conducted under a senior official. Each of the three chambers had a platform. The volume of business was quite heavy. There was a seat on the western end where there was no administrative assistant, and an official led Zhigan there to take the vacant seat. Many officials brought official documents. Choosing his branch, they left the documents on the desk and withdrew to the bottom of the staircase. Zhigan asked them why they withdrew. They answered, "The bad air that we carry might distress you." They stayed some distance away and answered questions about matters in the documents. Zhigan read the documents very carefully, and these documents were just like those in the world of living human beings. Then Zhigan wrote down some legal judgments. After a while food was brought. All the administrative assistants gathered together to eat. Zhigan also wanted to join them, but the Other administrative assistants said, "Since you are an Acting Administrative Assistant you should not eat this food." Zhigan followed their advice and in the end did not eat. At the end of the day an official sent him back home and Zhigan revived.

Dawn was just breaking in the world of living human beings [as Zhigan revived]. When the sun went down [at the end of the day] and it became dark in the world of living human beings, the official returned to take Zhigan back to the other world, where another day was just starting. Thus, he learned that between the two worlds days and nights are reversed. Thereafter, Zhigan ruled on matters of the world of the dead as an Acting Administrative Assistant at night and occupied the position of District Magistrate during the day. Eventually this became his regular pattern. One winter Zhigan was in the office of the world of the dead and stood up to go to the lavatory. At the western end of the hall he saw a woman, over thirty years in age, handsome in appearance and wearing colorful clothes. She stood there crying. Zhigan asked her who she was. She answered, "I am the wife of the Administrator and Director of Granaries of the Xingzhou region. I was brought here and was separated from my husband. That is the reason for this grief." [Liu] Zhigan asked an official of the world of the dead about this, and the official said, "Among those whom the office has brought 322

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here is the one you enquired about." This confirmed what the woman had said about her husband. Zhigan then said to the woman, "for a long time I have been holding the position of District Magistrate. If your husband happens to be examined, fortunately my section is not crowded. I will make sure that the Director of Granaries will not be drawn into this and made to die with you for no purpose." The woman said, "I sincerely wish not to draw him into this, but I fear that the officials might persecute him." Zhigan said, "If you do not wish to draw him in, you need not worry about anyone else persecuting him." When Zhigan went back to the region, he first asked the Director of Granaries whether his wife was ill or not. The Director of Granaries said, "My wife is young and healthy." Zhigan then told him what he had seen, describing her clothes and appearance, and he advised the Director of Granaries to perform meritorious spiritual deeds. The director returned home in a hurry and saw his wife weaving fabric at her loom, and he did not take Zhigan's words seriously. More than ten days later the wife of the Director of Granaries suddenly became ill and died. Frightened, the director then performed meritorious spiritual deeds and sacrifices.

On another occasion two scholars in the Xingzhou region who had passed the local examinations were going to the capital to be assigned their positions. They said to Zhigan, "You serve as a judge in the netherworld. Please tell us the positions to which we will be assigned." Zhigan went to his office in the netherworld and asked a minor secretary about the matter, giving the family and personal names of the two candidates. The secretary said, "The files are sealed in a stone box. After looking into the matter I will be able to report back to you in two days." When the time came the secretary gave his report, describing in detail the names of the positions that the two candidates were going to obtain later that year. Zhigan told the two people about this. When they came to the capital and received the appointments, both of the positions assigned by the Ministry of Personnel were completely different from those that Zhigan had told them about. The official of the Xingzhou region heard about this and told Zhigan what had happened. Zhigan later asked the minor secretary, who checked the files again and said, "Definitely there is no mistake in the results of my earlier investigation." When the names of those who received appointments went to the higher office of the Chancellery for final approval, the Chancellery rejected the recommendations of 323

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the Office of Personnel and revised the two candidates' assignments. The new assignments matched the records in the files in the netherworld. Whenever Zhigan saw the names, circumstances, and dates of death of his relatives and acquaintances, he reported back to those concerned, who could then perform meritorious spiritual deeds and avoid painful experiences after death. After [Liu] Zhigan had served for three years as Acting Administrative Assistant, the official from his branch in the netherworld came to him and said, "We have been able to appoint Li Sihu of the Longzhou region as a regular official to replace you. Do not write any more judgments." Returning to the regional office in the world of the living, Zhigan therefore told Regional Inspector Li about what he had learned. Li Defeng sent a man to the Longzhou region to enquire about the matter. A man called Sihu had died there. The date of his death matched the time given by the official in the netherworld. Zhigan's contact with the netherworld ceased from this time on. Later the Regional Office ordered Zhigan to take prisoners to the capital city. When they came to the border of the Fengzhou region, all four of the prisoners escaped. Zhigan was distressed, fearing that they would not be able to recapture the escaped prisoners. While he stayed in the residence at night, the old official from the netherworld suddenly appeared and said, "We have all of the prisoners. One is dead; the other three are in the western valley of the Southern Mountain. They have all been captured. Please do not trouble yourself about this matter any more." After saying these words, the official took his leave and departed. Zhigan immediately asked the secular officials and soldiers to go to the western valley of the Southern Mountain, and they found the four prisoners as predicted. Knowing that they could not escape, the prisoners came out to fight the search party. Zhigan overcame them, killing one and capturing the other three, just as he had been told would be the case. At the present time Zhigan is assigned to a post in the south in the Cizhou region and is in charge of legal matters. Liu Heng, Chief Minister of Splendid Happiness, told this story to Tang Ling (compiler of the Mingbao ji). Heng had once been Regional Inspector of Qiongzhou, and on seeing Zhigan he questioned him directly himself. Royal Scribe Pei Tongjie is also said to have seen Zhigan. Several people say that they can confirm these facts. (Note: This story comes from the Mingbao ji, T.2082:801b16-802a12.) 324