Translated by the Tripiṭaka Master An Shigao from Arsacid of the Later Han Dynasty
The Buddha was staying in the Jeta Grove of Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in the country of Śrāvastī. At that time, the Buddha felt deep compassion for all beings revolving in birth and death. The signs and manifestations of afflictions, and the distinctions between good and evil, give rise to the five destinies. When human beings perform good and evil, there are differences in amount; when anger arises, there are differences in depth and severity. The path of the nature does not discriminate between near and distant relations, but constantly grants favor to good people. What are these five destinies? One is the destiny of devas. Second is the destiny of humans. Third is the destiny of hungry ghosts. Fourth is the destiny of animals. Fifth is the destiny of hells.
If human beings do not seek the path of liberation from the world, the sorrows and sufferings of birth and death will never cease. They will come and go within the five destinies, unable to obtain liberation. Worthy and intelligent people grow weary of sorrow and suffering. When they see a teacher, they attend and serve him. When they do not see the teacher, they recall and reflect upon the teacher’s instructions. The teacher teaches people to abandon evil and practice good, and teaches people the path for transcending the world. Parents nurture their children, but old age, sickness, and death end within a single lifetime. The Buddha liberates beings for ten thousand lifetimes without end. Wise and discerning people should reflect deeply and often.
The Buddha told the disciples, “Listen carefully as I explain to you the calamities and blessings of good and evil.” The disciples all knelt upright with palms joined and said, “Aye. We receive the instruction.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world, if one maintains a mind of compassion and does not kill living beings, from refraining from killing one obtains five kinds of blessings. What are these five blessings? First, one’s lifespan increases. Second, the body is peaceful and secure. Third, one is not harmed by weapons, tigers, wolves, or poisonous creatures. Fourth, one is able to be reborn among the devas, where the lifespan is extremely long. Fifth, when descending from the heavens to be born again in the human world, one attains long life. Those whom we now see living to a hundred years are all due to not killing in former lives. To die joyfully is not as good as living while enduring hardship. Having understood this, one must never commit killing.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world, if one does not take the property of others, does not pick up what is left behind on the road, and does not harbor a greedy mind for profit, from this one obtains five kinds of wholesome retribution. What are these five? First, wealth increases day by day. Second, property is not lost. Third, one lives without fear. Fourth, one is able to be reborn among the devas, where heavenly treasures abound. Fifth, when descending from the heavens to be born again in the human world, one is able to preserve one’s possessions, and officials and thieves do not dare to encroach upon or seize one’s property. Those whom we now see able to preserve their wealth until old age are all due to not taking the property of others in former lives. Loss, no matter how small or great, brings sorrow and distress. Losing is not as good as preserving. Having understood this, one must never take the property of others.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world and does not violate the women of others, and does not give rise to deviant or improper thoughts, from this one obtains five kinds of wholesome retribution. What are these five? First, one does not suffer loss or depletion. Second, one does not fear officials. Third, one does not fear other people. Fourth, one is able to ascend to the heavens, where heavenly maidens become one’s wives. Fifth, when descending from the heavens to be born in the human world, one consistently obtains a wife of upright and proper appearance. Those whom we now see as honored and noble persons, whose several wives are all dignified and beautiful in appearance, are all due to not violating the women of others in former lives. Having understood this, one must never violate the women of others.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world and does not engage in double-tongued speech to slander others, does not use harsh speech to curse others, and does not utter false or flowery speech, from this one obtains five kinds of wholesome retribution. What are these five? First, one’s words are always believed. Second, one is respected and loved by others. Third, one’s breath is fragrant and pleasant. Fourth, one is able to ascend to the heavens and is respected by the devas. Fifth, when descending from the heavens to be born in the human world, one is eloquent and well spoken, and others do not dare insult one with harsh words. Those whom we now see who, from birth to old age, are never slandered are all due to protecting the mouth and cultivating wholesome speech in former lives. Having understood this, one must never utter false speech or slander others.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world and does not drink wine to the point of intoxication, from never becoming intoxicated one obtains five kinds of goodness. What are these five? First, when conveying matters and appearing before superiors, one’s speech contains no errors, and one’s official career proceeds smoothly. Second, household affairs are managed in an orderly way, and there is always surplus wealth. Third, when borrowing money or seeking profit, one obtains it quickly and is also respected by others. Fourth, one is able to ascend to the heavens and is likewise respected by the devas. Fifth, when descending from the heavens to be born in the human world, one is pure and pleasing in appearance, intelligent, and thoroughly understands matters. All of these are due to not drinking wine in former lives. One must never drink wine.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world and does not use knives or clubs to intimidate others, does not strike others with hands or feet, and does not fight or sow discord among people, and when one does not impose upon others what one would not wish for oneself, from this one obtains five kinds of wholesome retribution. What are these five? First, the body is strong and healthy. Second, whether asleep or awake, one is consistently peaceful and at ease. Third, one is protected and guarded by devas, nāgas, spirits, and divine beings. Fourth, one is able to ascend to the heavens, where heavenly happiness is enjoyed without exhaustion. Fifth, when descending from the heavens to be born in the human world, one’s body is complete and free from illness. Those whom we now see who, from birth to old age, have no illnesses are all due to not inflicting suffering upon others in former lives. Having understood this, one must never impose harm upon others.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world and is harmonious and free from anger, shows respect upon seeing the worthy, and exercises patience toward the foolish, from this one obtains five kinds of wholesome retribution. What are these five? First, one is praised by others. Second, when people see one, they rejoice. Third, the body is peaceful, supple, and beautiful. Fourth, one is able to ascend to the heavens, where one is upright, pure, and clean. Fifth, when descending from the heavens to be born in the human world, one becomes a good and virtuous person, upright and pleasing in appearance. Those whom we now see as good people, rare even among ten thousand, are all due to former lives of harmony, goodness, and patience. Having understood this about the absence of anger, one must never give rise to anger toward others.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world and is filial toward parents, respectfully serves elders, is reverent and humble, kneels first and rises afterward, speaks later and restrains first, and constantly guides evil people toward goodness, from this one obtains five kinds of wholesome retribution. What are these five? First, one is respected and loved by others. Second, people all speak of one as good and kind. Third, one feels joy within oneself. Fourth, one is able to ascend to the heavens and is loved and respected by the devas. Fifth, when descending from the heavens to be born in the human world, one is loved and respected by all people. Those whom we now see as kind-hearted and filial, loved and respected by everyone, are all due to former lives of filial piety and respectful service to elders. Having understood this, one should be filial and respectfully serve elders.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world and accepts advice, understands human feelings and principles, maintains a kind and wholesome mind, respectfully serves venerable elders, and is complete in ritual propriety, from this one obtains five kinds of wholesome retribution. What are these five? First, in official service one attains good positions. Second, as an official one is promoted quickly, and in trade one gains profit. Third, when the people see one, they all rejoice. Fourth, one is able to ascend to the heavens, where the devas who see one all rejoice. Fifth, when descending from the heavens to be born in the human world, one becomes the child of kings, nobles, or high ministers. All of this is due to former lives of practicing propriety and cultivating merit. Having understood this, one must never be arrogant toward others.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world and is not stingy or greedy, delights in generosity, and cares for poor relatives of various households or for beggars, ensuring that they are often fed until full and that their clothing is adequate, from this one obtains five kinds of wholesome retribution. What are these five? First, wealth increases day by day. Second, one is praised by people throughout the land. Third, one is respected by provinces, districts, and the state. Fourth, one is able to ascend to the heavens and is served by devas. Fifth, when descending from the heavens to be born in the human world, one becomes greatly wealthy, enjoys pleasures, and is respected by all people. All of this is due to former lives of generosity and good deeds. Having understood this, one should also practice goodness and generosity.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world encounters worthy persons who thoroughly understand the scriptures, or śramaṇas and mendicants, and delights in going to consult them about the path of liberation from the world, with a mind free from jealousy and with admiration and respect for lofty and worthy persons, from this one obtains five kinds of wholesome retribution. What are these five? First, one attains wisdom. Second, one becomes learned, with much knowledge and broad understanding. Third, one is respected by many people. Fourth, one is able to ascend to the heavens, where one recognizes and understands what one has learned. Fifth, when descending from the heavens to be born in the human world, one thoroughly understands the scriptures, comprehends knowledge, is respected by the state, and is relied upon and admired by all people. Those whom we now see as thoroughly versed in the scriptures and knowledgeable are all due to former lives of practicing moral conduct. Having understood this, one should also practice moral conduct.”
After the Buddha finished speaking this sūtra, the disciples all rejoiced, stepped forward, and paid homage to the Buddha.
The Buddha said, “Listen as I explain the evil retributions that arise from committing evil deeds.” The disciples all joined their palms and said, “Aye. We receive the Buddha’s instruction.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world and delights in killing living beings, lacking a mind of compassion, one thereby obtains five kinds of evil retribution. What are these five? First, one’s lifespan is short. Second, one experiences much fear and terror. Third, one accumulates many enemies and resentments. Fourth, after death one’s consciousness enters the hells. In the hells, painful punishments are inflicted: roasting and steaming, hacking and stabbing, flaying and dismembering, pulling out the intestines and breaking the bones, seeking life yet unable to live. The offense of killing is extremely grave, and it takes a very long time before one can emerge. Fifth, after emerging from the hells and being reborn as a human, one is often short-lived. Or one dies through miscarriage, or dies at birth, or dies after several tens of days or a hundred days, or dies after several tens of years. Those now seen who are short-lived, or whose bodies are covered with sores and scars, whose limbs are incomplete, who are crippled, bald, hunched-backed, or blind, deaf, mute, or whose noses are blocked and cannot breathe, or who lack hands or feet, or whose bodily openings are obstructed, are all due to slaughtering and hunting in former lives, trapping and netting fish, and cruelly killing mosquitoes, flies, turtles, soft-shelled turtles, fleas, and lice. Having understood this, one must never commit killing.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world and engages in theft and robbery, forcibly taking the property of others, seeking profit without regard for principle, deceiving others to obtain wealth, using light scales, small measures, or short rulers to cheat people, or using heavy scales, large measures, or long rulers to encroach upon others, picking up lost items on the road and taking what does not belong to oneself, failing to repay debts or loans, and acting in opposition to what is right, one thereby obtains five kinds of evil retribution. What are these five? First, wealth steadily diminishes. Second, one violates the laws of the ruler, knowing oneself to be guilty, and rarely escapes punishment. Third, if one is not securely at home, one is constantly fearful and even deceives oneself. Fourth, after death one’s consciousness enters the hells, where tens of millions of kinds of severe punishments are inflicted, and one undergoes suffering according to the evil karma one has created. Fifth, after emerging from the hells, one repays debts according to their weight and severity. Some repay by becoming servants or slaves. Some repay by becoming oxen, horses, mules, donkeys, or camels. Some repay by becoming pigs, sheep, geese, ducks, chickens, or dogs. All kinds of birds, beasts, fish, turtles, and the like are debtors. This is what the sūtras mean when they say that debts do not decay. Those now seen as lowly animals are all due to greed for profit and forcibly taking the property of others in former lives. Animals labor in such exhaustion and suffering. Having understood this, one must never take the property of others.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world and indulges in lust, violating the women of others, one thereby obtains five kinds of evil retribution. What are these five? First, the household is not harmonious. Husband and wife constantly quarrel, and wealth is frequently lost. Second, one fears officials and is often subjected to beatings and punishments, violating the laws of the ruler, creating many kinds of offenses, with many deaths and few survivals. Third, one deceives oneself and is constantly fearful of other people. Fourth, one enters the hells. In the hells, the body constantly embraces red-hot iron pillars. Because of violating the women of others, one encounters such calamities. After tens of millions of years, the painful retribution finally comes to an end. Fifth, after emerging from the hells, one is reborn among chickens, wild ducks, birds, or ducks. The consciousness of a human has no fixed form, and wherever it is reborn, that becomes its designation. Those now seen as chickens and ducks indulge in sexual activity without avoiding mothers or offspring, and without any restraint. Dogs and horses still possess fidelity, and other animals have limits to their desires. Only chickens and ducks have lust without rest or satisfaction. All of this is due to violating the women of others in former lives, receiving such bodies as chickens or ducks, and then being eaten by people. Such suffering cannot be fully described. Having understood this, one must never violate the women of others.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world delights in double-tongued speech to slander others, delights in harsh speech, false speech, and frivolous speech, is arrogant and self-important, slanders the noble path, envies the worthy and is jealous of the capable, and defames those of lofty talent, one thereby obtains five kinds of evil retribution. What are these five? First, one has many enemies and adversaries. Second, one deceives oneself, and therefore people do not believe one. Third, one frequently encounters unexpected calamities. Fourth, one enters the hells. In the hells, spirits pull the tongues out from the necks of offenders, or use red-hot iron hooks to tear off the tongues, or use red-hot iron spears to pierce the throat. One seeks death but cannot die, seeks life but cannot live, and is unable to speak, enduring this for tens of millions of years. Fifth, after emerging from the hells, one is born as a human with foul speech, or as a stammerer, or as a mute, unable to speak. Those now seen with such conditions are all due to double-tongued slander of others and defamation of the noble path in former lives. Having understood this, one should also be cautious and must not engage in harsh speech.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world and delights in drinking wine and becomes drunk, one acquires thirty-six kinds of faults. What are these thirty-six kinds?
First, when a person becomes drunk, sons become unfilial toward their parents, ministers do not respect their rulers, and between ruler and minister, father and son, there is no longer any distinction of higher and lower.
Second, speech is constantly confused and erroneous.
Third, after becoming drunk, one engages in double-tongued and excessive speech.
Fourth, matters that should remain private are revealed after intoxication.
Fifth, after becoming drunk, one curses heaven, urinates in temples, and shows no sense of restraint or taboo.
Sixth, after becoming drunk, one lies down in the road, is unable to return home, or loses the property one is carrying.
Seventh, after becoming drunk, one is unable to maintain proper self-conduct.
Eighth, after becoming drunk, one staggers forward and backward recklessly, or falls into ditches and pits.
Ninth, after becoming drunk, one falls to the ground, and upon rising again, the face is injured.
Tenth, one makes errors in buying and selling.
Eleventh, after becoming drunk, one neglects work and gives no thought to livelihood.
Twelfth, all property is gradually exhausted.
Thirteenth, after becoming drunk, one gives no thought to the hunger and cold of one’s wife and children.
Fourteenth, after becoming drunk, one shouts and curses, showing no regard for royal law.
Fifteenth, after becoming drunk, one removes one’s clothing and walks about naked.
Sixteenth, after becoming drunk, one enters other people’s homes at will, grabs at others’ women, and speaks incoherently, harassing them. Such faults are beyond description.
Seventeenth, when others pass nearby, one feels the urge to fight and brawl.
Eighteenth, one stomps on the ground and shouts loudly, alarming the four neighboring households.
Nineteenth, after becoming drunk, one casually kills insects.
Twentieth, after becoming drunk, one smashes household objects.
Twenty-first, after becoming drunk, one’s family members look upon one as a captive, while coarse words burst forth uncontrollably.
Twenty-second, one forms associations with evil companions.
Twenty-third, one becomes distant from the worthy and the good.
Twenty-four, when lying down drunk or awakening from drunkenness, the body feels as though afflicted by illness.
Twenty-fifth, after becoming drunk, one vomits foul matter, like corrupt discharge, causing wife and children to loathe the sight.
Twenty-sixth, after becoming drunk, one becomes fond of violence and aggression, and does not even avoid elephants or wolves.
Twenty-seventh, after becoming drunk, one does not respect worthy persons who understand the scriptures, does not respect mendicants, and does not respect śramaṇas.
Twenty-eighth, after becoming drunk, one indulges in lust without knowing restraint.
Twenty-ninth, after becoming drunk, one behaves like a madman, so that others flee upon seeing him.
Thirtieth, after becoming drunk, one is like a corpse, knowing nothing at all.
Thirty-first, after prolonged intoxication, the face develops boils, or one acquires illnesses from alcohol, with a sallow and withered complexion.
Thirty-second, devas, nāgas, spirits, and divine beings all regard wine as evil.
Thirty-third, relatives, friends, and acquaintances gradually distance themselves.
Thirty-four, after becoming drunk, one squats or sits before officials, or closes one’s eyes while receiving flogging.
Thirty-fifth, after death one enters the hells, where molten copper is poured into the mouth, scorching and rotting the belly, flowing out from below. For countless thousands of years, one cannot easily obtain life, nor can one easily obtain death.
Thirty-sixth, after emerging from the hells and being reborn as a human, one is constantly foolish and ignorant, understanding nothing at all. Those now seen who are foolish and lack understanding are all due to craving alcohol in former lives.
Having understood this, one must also be cautious and must not drink wine. Wine has thirty-six kinds of faults. When people drink wine, they commit all thirty-six kinds of faults.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world delights in wielding staffs to intimidate others, striking people with hands and feet, delighting in fighting and sowing discord among people, and forcing upon others what one oneself does not wish to receive, one thereby obtains five kinds of evil retribution. What are these five? First, one deceives oneself and is also hated by others. Second, one constantly feels fear and terror. Third, one is frequently afflicted by illness. Fourth, after death one enters the hells and undergoes punishment according to the evil actions one has committed, for long ages without end. Fifth, after emerging from the hells and being reborn as a human, one is beset by many illnesses, and the body never departs from reliance on a walking staff. Those now seen who suffer from many illnesses are all due to delighting in inflicting suffering upon others in former lives. To be frequently ill is not as good as being strong and healthy. Having understood this, one must never impose harm upon others.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world constantly delights in anger, lacks harmony, becomes angry upon seeing the worthy and angry upon seeing the foolish, does not discern good from evil but only wishes to indulge in anger, one thereby obtains five kinds of evil retribution. What are these five? First, one harms and afflicts oneself. Second, one also disturbs and disorders one’s own mind. Third, whether rising or lying down, one is not at ease, or becomes depressed and angry to the point of taking one’s own life. Fourth, after death one enters the hells and undergoes painful punishment for countless ages. Fifth, after emerging from the hells and being reborn as a human, one’s face is constantly ugly, with dark and sallow complexion. Those now seen who are ugly in appearance are all due to delighting in anger in former lives. To have an ugly countenance is not as good as being upright and beautiful. Having understood this, one must never give rise to anger.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world is not filial toward parents and does not respect elders, and upon seeing others who are filial to parents and respectful toward elders gives rise to anger and does not delight in performing wholesome deeds, one thereby obtains five kinds of evil retribution. What are these five? First, one constantly has terrifying dreams. Second, one is detested by others. Third, one’s evil reputation spreads far and wide. Fourth, after death one enters the hells and is punished for tens of millions of years. Fifth, after emerging from the hells and being reborn as a human, one has vile and unlovable character and is detested by all people. Those now seen who are unlovable, irritable, and detested by others are all due to not being filial toward parents and not respecting elders in former lives. Having understood this, one must never be arrogant. One should be filial and respectfully serve elders.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world and is not filial toward elders, lacks propriety, treats others with contempt and arrogance, and is self-exalting and conceited, one thereby obtains five kinds of evil retribution. What are these five? First, one loses one’s position or office. Second, one deceives oneself. Third, one is not respected by others. Fourth, after death one enters the hells and is punished for tens of millions of years. Fifth, after emerging from the hells and being reborn as a human, one is lowly and ugly, and is despised by others. Those now seen who are of low status are all due to arrogance and lack of respect for elders in former lives. Having understood this, one must never be arrogant.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world and, after obtaining wealth, is stingy and greedy and unwilling to give, does not care for the poor of various households, does not provide for them, does not support śramaṇas or mendicants who understand the scriptures, does not give to beggars or the sick enough food and clothing, one thereby obtains five kinds of evil retribution. What are these five? First, one deceives oneself and is also not respected by others. Second, one is called a miser. Third, one constantly feels shame and embarrassment. Fourth, one falls into the destiny of hungry ghosts, where the suffering cannot be described. For hundreds or thousands of years, one cannot obtain water to drink. From afar one sees rivers, lakes, or streams and runs toward them wishing to drink, but the water turns into molten copper or pus and blood, which cannot be consumed. Such suffering is impossible to fully explain. Fifth, after emerging from the destiny of hungry ghosts and being reborn as a human, one is poor, cold, and hungry, begging from others, reduced to skin and bones. Even when begging, one does not obtain anything and is reviled by others. Those now seen as poor beggars are all due to stinginess and unwillingness to give in former lives. Having understood this, one must never be stingy.”
The Buddha said, “When a person is in the world encounters worthy persons who understand the scriptures, or śramaṇas and mendicants, yet does not delight in going to consult them about the path of liberation from the world, but instead is jealous of lofty talent and slanders the worthy, one thereby obtains five kinds of evil retribution. What are these five? First, one lacks intelligence. Second, one has little knowledge. Third, one is not respected by others. Fourth, after death one enters the hells and is punished for tens of millions of years. Fifth, after emerging from the hells and being reborn as a human, one is foolish and ignorant, knowing nothing at all, akin to animals. Those now seen who are foolish and unable to distinguish right from wrong are all due to not delighting in moral conduct and being jealous of those who are lofty and accomplished in former lives. Having understood this, one must certainly practice the path.”
The Buddha said, “When people seek long life, they obtain long life. When they do not seek long life, they do not obtain long life. When they seek illness, they obtain illness. When they do not seek illness, they do not obtain illness. When they seek upright and beautiful appearance, they obtain upright and beautiful appearance. When they seek ugliness, they obtain ugliness. When they seek what is fine and good, they obtain what is fine and good. When they do not seek what is fine and good, they do not obtain what is fine and good. When they seek lowliness, they obtain lowliness. When they seek wealth, they obtain wealth. When they seek poverty, they obtain poverty. When they seek clarity in the scriptures and understanding of the path, they obtain clarity in the scriptures and understanding of the path. When they seek foolishness, they obtain foolishness.
When people perform wholesome deeds, they obtain wholesome retribution. With the accumulation of blessings, they are able to ascend to the heavens. If they are born as humans, they attain nobility and also attain upright appearance. When people perform unwholesome deeds, they obtain unwholesome retribution. With the accumulation of offenses, they may enter the hells, or fall into the destiny of hungry ghosts, or fall into the destiny of animals. Even if they are able to be born as humans, they are lowly and poor, knowing nothing at all, and their appearance is also ugly.
If people plant bitterness, they reap bitter fruit. If they plant sweetness, they reap sweet fruit. The growth and fruition are just like planting the five grains: planting rice yields rice, planting beans yields beans. In the same way, people who perform wholesome deeds obtain wholesome retribution, and those who perform unwholesome deeds obtain unwholesome retribution.”
One who has wide associations and clear understanding of principles should be vigilant against excessive harsh scrutiny.
One who has firm faith, single-minded focus, and steadfast adherence should be vigilant against narrowness.
One who is brave and resolute should be vigilant against violence and disorder.
One who is benevolent and gentle should be vigilant against indecision and weakness.
One whose mind is broad and expansive should be vigilant against suspicion and irresolution. One who is calm and at ease should be vigilant against laxity and delay.
One who is diligent and urgent should be vigilant against frivolity and reckless haste. One who speaks much and is skilled in eloquence should be vigilant against emptiness and lack of substance.
The wise uphold the precepts and cultivate practice, and there are three wholesome fruitions.
They receive respect from others; they do not seek much as foolish; and at the end of life they may receive a heavenly body.
When the upholding of precepts and cultivation of practice are brought to completion, wisdom governs the movements of the mind.
Whatever is undertaken necessarily reaches its aim, and the suffering that ought to be cut off is cut off.
By relying on the precepts, suffering can be extinguished. Throughout the three times, the precepts are supreme.
Even evil and poisonous nāgas do not dare to violate one who upholds the precepts.
Excellent indeed. One who has precepts is noble, taking right faith as a companion.
This Path is not the speech of ordinary people, and therefore it is called ‘the precepts are supreme.’
The supremacy of the precepts can serve as a refuge. At the end of life one does not fall into fiery destinies.
At night one lies down in peace, and even in dreams there is joy.
Such a person is respected by all. Wholesome power brings one’s own body to fulfillment.
By awakening to nobility through the right Dharma, after leaving the world one may become a heavenly king.
I am the uniquely honored one in the world. I have already been liberated from worldly sorrows.
I subdue all humans and devas, just as I subdued the armies of Māra. ‘
The Buddha has passed through diligent hardship over kalpas beyond calculation,
coming and going through the five destinies, yet never failing to perfect even the subtle details.
Devious people boast of what they have gained and loudly proclaim shallow views born of short understanding.
Those who today pay homage to the Buddha, with single-minded reverence and palms joined,
through this act of homage are reborn in the heavens, and among humans attain long life.
The Buddha is supreme in awakening. Wisdom has already reached complete perfection.
Those who now pay homage to the Dharma and the assembly receive kindness as deep and vast as rivers and seas.
Therefore I expound the sacred canon of the Buddha,
beginning from fundamental causes and conditions. In what is done there is good and there is evil.
I gather widely and set it down in written form, following the essential meaning of the sūtras,
compiling and narrating in accordance with what the Buddha revealed, the matters of fortune and calamity that arise from one’s actions.
The Buddha has already awakened to and realized the Dharma. Brahmā and Śakra descended to implore him,
and the World-Honored One therefore removed what was excessive and spoke the sūtras, for the most essential principles are difficult to see and difficult to hear.
Suffering arises from the causes and conditions of suffering. Only when suffering is exhausted is there true nobility.
Cultivating the Eightfold Right Path as it should be brings accomplishment. When suffering is extinguished, there is purity.
Actions bring forth painful fruits. This is what the hero among humans has proclaimed.
The root lies in the mind, and afflictions arise from it.
That which can extinguish afflictions is the subtle essential of cultivation.
Therefore the Great Sage, the World-Honored One, truthfully and in sequence proclaimed it.
For this reason, the sūtras were compiled, so that people of the world may contemplate them and take them as models.
They accord with right principle and are without doubt. The wise should accept and apply them.
Calamity and blessing are not produced by divine power, nor do they arise without causes and conditions.
They are not inherent in one’s nature, nor do they come into being naturally with the passage of time.
How could the destiny of the heavens lack causes and conditions? Time and nature are the same in this respect.
Whether something is excellent or not excellent is in fact determined entirely by conduct.
From ignorance arise afflictions, and these afflictions are brought about by actions.
Wishing to be liberated yet repeatedly creating transgressions, such people are not few in number.
By selecting the subtle essentials from the sūtras and the miscellaneous key points of the precepts,
one is able to understand the causes and conditions of the world, with each category clearly distinguished.
With marvelous wisdom one resolves doubts and knots. Through the scriptures the world is made manifest.
Wholesome actions naturally bring blessings. How could one fail to recognize this principle?
If one has already committed unrighteous actions, after death one falls into an evil destiny and immediately encounters King Yama.
King Yama then has the person bound and says,
“Birth, aging, sickness, death, and punishments. These messengers have come to advise you.
You knew there were five messengers. Why did you not cultivate virtue?
Of the actions of body, speech, and mind, only the upholding of precepts and the practice of generosity are supreme.
What did you think of alone, and why did you not perform wholesome deeds?”
At that time, the guilty person, hearing King Yama’s admonition,
reflects and realizes that there were no wholesome deeds, and steps forward in fear, saying,
It was only because I associated with evil companions, listened to ordinary talk, and did not hear the Dharma.
Because greed defiled my conditions, I was unable to cultivate wholesome deeds.”
King Yama says, “A human body is difficult to obtain. Having fortunately obtained it, why did you not cultivate goodness?
How difficult you were to awaken! You vainly created actions leading to niraya.
The evil actions were originally created by yourself. They were not created by your parents,
not by śramaṇas or mendicants, not by kings, and not taught by me.
With an ignorant mind delighting in it, you committed these unwholesome karmas.
What you yourself created, today you must receive the retribution.
I sent five messengers to instruct with loyal and upright words. ‘
Then King Yama, falls silent and speaks no more.
After recording the offenses, the person is cast into the realm of Yama.
The guilty person is taken into hell and, upon seeing the evil places, becomes greatly terrified.
First, the person enters the Black Rope Hell, then the Lesser and Greater Wailing Hells,
and then enters the Avīci Hell. Fierce fire burns the body.
Iron thorns are trampled. Hot ground is stepped upon. Straightaway the person enters boiling quicklime water.
There are altogether sixteen iron prisons, and one proceeds directly to the Hell of Blade-Leaf Trees.
Because of the evil karma created while human, these nirayas exist.
The past actions are listed and the corresponding retributions are manifested.
For trillions of years, life after life, the person is killed again and again.
Because of forming many enmities, robbing and harming worthy and good people,
using false speech to wrong the innocent, alienating the friends of others,
and constantly delighting in flattering evil people, after death one falls into the Black Rope Hell.
Because of frequently deceiving others and cruelly abusing people,
after death one is crushed between great mountains and pounded with iron pestles.
Because while human one delighted in killing horses, deer, cattle, sheep,
pigs, chickens, dogs, and insects, after death one is likewise crushed between great mountains.
If one poisons those who are ignorant, greedy, or timid,
and acquires wealth through improper means, iron wheels will grind and crush one’s body.
Relying on strength and power to subdue the powerless,
and delighting in harassing others, one is trampled by elephants in hell.
If in the present life one harasses parents, śramaṇas, and brahmins,
causing them bodily and mental distress, after death one’s body is roasted by fire.
If one beats parents, compassionate and worthy mendicants,
and all those who ought to be respected, in a later existence one is punished by being boiled and burned.
If one forces others to give, wrongs innocent people,
then one’s body is burned for long ages, crying out and moaning alone in pain.
If one seizes what belongs to others for one’s own benefit, or embezzles what was entrusted,
after death one is burned in chambers of fire, crying loudly with no one to rescue.
If one calls what is not Dharma the true Dharma, and calls the true Dharma not Dharma,
slandering sages, after death one is born into the Avīci Hell.
If in schools, temples, or other pure places one commits transgressive acts,
thereby causing others to slander sages, one falls into deep hells.
If one abandons wholesome and proper actions, and performs deviant actions to obtain pleasure,
after death one’s body sinks into latrines, feeding on the worms within.
If one sets fires to burn mountains and fields in order to kill insects,
after death one falls into the Firewood Hell, burned like a raging wildfire
If one secretly harms those close to oneself, one’s body is pierced by sharp blades,
and birds and iron-eared dogs contend to devour it.
If one destroys the bridge of true Dharma and slanders those of supreme virtue,
one falls into hell and walks upon roads filled with blades.
If one violates the women of others, one’s body becomes huge and hundreds of insects bite.
If upon seeing a beautiful woman one joins with friends to violate her,
delighting in licentious acts and indulging in lust with the women of others,
one will constantly encounter suffering, embracing thorn trees and climbing them.
If by various methods one kills insects born in water,
after death one falls into boiling hot water and is born in the River of Quicklime.
If one borrows and does not repay, one’s body is constantly hooked with iron hooks.
Just burned and charred by iron fire, one is then filled with molten copper.
If one harbors resentment and anger, dares to commit unlawful acts,
and feels joy upon seeing the poverty and suffering of others, after death one becomes a ghost in the hells of Yama.
If while alive one commits unwholesome deeds, after death one enters hell,
where the suffering cannot be fully described. There is nothing but suffering in all respects.
Thus the evil actions belonging to the various hells have been explained in detail.
Next, one should listen to the explanation of the matters of animals, hungry ghosts, and ghosts and spirits.
There are three kinds each of bodily action and mental action, and four kinds of verbal action.
When all are carried out in unwholesome ways, and the mind is restless and rapidly changing, after death one falls into the destiny of animals.
If one often harbors lustful desire, after death one is born as ignorant creatures
such as worms, geese, turtledoves, pigeons, mandarin ducks, peacocks, or moths.
Those who delight in binding and beating living beings, in later lives often suffer harassment themselves, becoming elephants, oxen, or horses.
Those who are prone to anger, after death become snakes.
Those who are arrogant and constantly belittle others, after death are born as fierce beasts.
The frivolous and careless, in later lives become pigs, dogs, foxes, or donkeys.
Those who constantly harbor jealousy, whose minds are unstable, in later lives become macaques.
Those with fierce and overbearing facial expressions become birds.
Those who are stingy and deceptive, who constantly steal and rob,
after death become carnivorous animals such as cats, jackals, tigers, and wolves.
Those who practice generosity but whose minds are often angry and not upright in intention,
then fall among nāgas, possessing great supernormal power.
Those who practice generosity extensively but harbor anger, belittle others, and are self-conceited,
after death become garuḍas, possessing great might and ferocity.
Those who themselves eat fine food but give coarse and inferior offerings to others,
after death become hungry ghosts dwelling in latrines, constantly eating worms from foul substances.
Those who delight in mocking elders, children, beggars, and the sick,
after death become stench hungry ghosts, feeding on the foul discharges of women after childbirth.
Those who give alms yet are stingy and regretful in their hearts, constantly worrying that they themselves will lack necessities,
after death become black hungry ghosts, obtaining food only from below.
Those who believe that generosity has no merit and are unwilling to give even a little, after death become despicable hungry ghosts, whose main sustenance is human vomit.
Those who neither give nor refrain from slandering generosity, who eat coarse food yet boast outwardly,
after death become hungry ghosts that constantly feed on human phlegm and saliva.
Those who possess wealth but neither give to others nor refrain from hoping to obtain from others,
after death become poor hungry ghosts, desiring but never obtaining what they seek.
Those who like to secretly observe the misfortunes of others and threaten them in hopes of obtaining their wealth,
after death become depraved hungry ghosts whose main food is the livers of the dead.
Those who use coarse and harsh speech to afflict others, who slander people and speak of their faults,
after death become scorched hungry ghosts, constantly swallowing fire and smoke.
Those who urge people into litigation, gatherings, and disputes, and who cruelly abuse and intimidate others,
after death become flame ghosts, being eaten by flying insects and moths.
Those who prohibit others from giving and who themselves do not give,
after death become great-bodied ghosts whose mouths are as small as the eye of a needle.
Those who possess wealth and store it for their descendants, yet neither eat it themselves nor give it away,
after death come to the world of Yama and only obtain food when their descendants perform sacrifices.
Those who in life act as local leaders and seize from others, causing distress,
become ugly and tall ghosts whose desires are never fulfilled.
Those whose speech is habitually deceptive and playful, who do not practice generosity and do not uphold precepts,
delighting in indulgence and careless conduct, after death are born among ghosts and spirits.
Those who kill insects to use as bait, employing hooks to lure beings and then killing and eating them,
in later lives become māra-like spirits.
Those who practice generosity in hopes of future reward, lacking sincerity and filled with much anger,
after death become mortar-shaped ghosts with extremely ugly appearances.
Those who, because of anger combined with greed, delight in generosity yet crave wine
and love music, song, and dance, after death become earth-guardian spirits.
Those who treat family members and relatives without malice and without jealousy,
after death become powerful spirits, riding clouds and flying through the air.
Those who give houses and vehicles, and also give various fine foods,
when they become deities, wherever they dwell, their houses move along with them.
Those who are desirous yet lax, who delight in offering incense and flowers,
after death become heavenly performers, freely enjoying play and amusement.
The circumstances of becoming animals, hungry ghosts, and spirits have now all been comprehensively explained.
Next, one should listen to the wholesome causes.
As for the actions that are performed, there are many kinds.
Their retributions are not of a single type.
Now they have been explained according to the facts.
Those who aspire to long life, rebirth among devas, or rebirth among asuras
should first examine their own minds and refrain from harming all living beings.
If one does not cause beings to labor in exhaustion, does not bind, beat, or afflict them,
and constantly gives rise to a mind that brings peace and happiness to beings, then as a human one will be free from illness.
If one does not kill living beings, delights in giving with kindness, and keeps the mind firm and unwavering,
never afflicting any being, then as a human one is always benevolent, humane, and worthy.
If one has never given, and will not release even the smallest thing,
then life becomes extremely difficult, and even what little one seeks may not be obtained.
If one delights in taking the property of others in order to give it away,
then although one later obtains wealth, it will still be quickly lost.
If one does not casually take the property of others, and also does not give, but relies on one’s own diligent labor,
then the wealth one later gains can be passed on to future generations.
If one neither takes the property of others nor refrains from giving, but instead delights in generosity,
then over successive lives one will possess wealth and gain abundant benefit.
If one delights in observing fasting and precepts, then in later lives one will certainly be intelligent and wise,
will love the Dharma, have few desires and know contentment, be virtuous, and have an upright and fulfilled mind.
If sons are virtuous and support their parents, and after their parents’ passing continue to make offerings,
and also respectfully make offerings to the devas, then wherever they go in later lives, they will obtain food.
Those who delight in giving food obtain bodies in later lives that are strong,
eloquent, smooth in affairs, wealthy, free from illness, and constantly at ease.
Those who delight in giving clothing and bedding will have fine appearance,
a kind heart, will be pleasing to behold, and will joyfully obtain what they desire.
Those who give houses will dwell in later lives in stable residences,
with the houses they inhabit fully adorned and complete in all respects.
Those who give wells, rice gruel, or lotus ponds for bathing
will be wealthy in later lives, able to obtain whatever they wish.
Those who in this life delight in giving shoes, socks, boats, carts, bridges, elephants, horses,
and other riding conveyances will obtain heavenly vehicles in later lives.
Those who do not give rise to anger will be pleasing to behold by others.
All people will submit and admire them, and in later lives their bodies will be tall.
Those who give gardens, trees, or servants, and do so with a respectful mind,
will later receive praise from all people and will not lack attendants.
If ancestors practiced great generosity and descendants continue it without interruption,
then in later lives there will be vast wealth, amounting to immense riches, and one will obtain ancestral inheritances.
Those who delight in praising the merit of generosity but have the intention without giving will,
in later lives, though born as humans, be born into poor families.
Those who slander generosity, claiming it has no benefit, yet because of pity still give,
although lacking the intention to give, will nonetheless be born into wealthy families.
Those whose minds constantly delight in wisdom but who do not practice generosity
will often be intelligent in later lives, yet be born into poor families.
Those who constantly delight in generosity but do not study wisdom will not be keen-minded in later lives,
yet will be born into greatly wealthy families.
If one practices both generosity and wisdom together, one receives the blessings of both.
If one practices neither, then neither blessing is obtained.
Those who give hoping to gain praise, who do not give yet act as if they had already given,
will, if they later wish to give, suffer distress and hardship over food.
If one gives without fully meeting what was promised, one still obtains wealth.
If one delights in giving, then in later lives the mind will be very joyful.
If one gives with trustworthiness, then in later lives one will often have abundant wealth.
Possessions will be many, one will obtain respect, and the mind will be joyful.
If one serves and honors those of virtue and gives with wholesome intent,
then in later lives wealth will come as wished, and what is obtained will be most excellent.
Those who practice generosity and cultivate virtue with a contemptuous mind will,
in later lives, though obtaining wealth, be unable to enjoy it when conditions are secure.
Those who give wishing for the peace of others, without plotting to harm anyone,
will in later lives obtain what is respected and loved, and none among their relatives will fail to respect them.
Those who give all they possess, cultivate virtue, and do not contend with others will in later lives obtain only what they delight in.
Dharma, virtue, and benefit will all be complete.
Those who give with the eye of wisdom, without flattering or seeking wealth through improper means,
will have their blessings passed on to descendants, preserving wealth through successive lives.
Wise people who practice generosity, who do not burden others when using resources,
though possessing little wealth yet never missing the right occasion, will in later lives enjoy their blessings freely and at ease.
Cultivating one’s conduct is for self-guarding. If one does not delight in violating the women of others,
then in later lives one attains a wife whom one cherishes, chaste, good, and virtuous.
When women entice with improper conduct, if a wise person is able to refuse and restrain oneself,
then in later lives, as a human, one has no enemies or resentments, and one’s life is greatly pure and clean.
If one cultivates pure conduct and does not discuss or judge the speech and actions of others,
then in later lives one possesses authority, virtue, and good reputation, and receives offerings from devas and humans.
If one keeps far away from intoxication and maintains pure practice,
then in later lives one’s faculties are not confused, and one obtains the benefit of intelligence and wisdom.
If, while human, one consistently does not engage in false speech,
then in later lives body and mind are at ease, and no one can speak of one’s faults or shortcomings.
When friends are in conflict, if one brings about reconciliation, and does not delight in spreading false reports,
then in later lives one’s family and companions are not separated, and one is always regarded as a hero among people.
If one constantly uses gentle speech, sincere, upright, and penetrating the hearts of others,
then in later lives one’s speech is upright and correct, and all who hear it delight in it.
When speaking in assemblies, if one discusses matters seeking truth and speaks appropriately and to the point,
then in later lives one attains eloquence, and others delight in listening.
What others possess, if one does not crave or seek to take it,
then in later lives one’s mind is stable and settled, without anxiety over loss or forgetfulness.
Having already understood that all matters should be considered in terms of causes and effects, and that all wholesome deeds have retribution,
if as a human one performs wholesome actions in all respects, one obtains abundant blessings.
If one constantly aspires to accomplish benefit and hopes to attain heavenly happiness,
knowing that life is not long-lasting, then one’s mind must reflect on cultivating virtue.
The accumulation of wholesome and unwholesome karma must all be carried out by oneself.
If one plants weeds, one obtains weeds. If one performs wholesome or unwholesome actions, one accumulates corresponding karma.
Whether young or old, at any time one may act, and in due time receive the results.
Suffering and happiness are distinguished according to past actions.
Whether actions are done briefly or over a long duration, whether wholesome or unwholesome,
If actions persist for a moderate length of time, their results likewise persist for a moderate length of time. If actions persist for a long duration, their results likewise persist for a long duration.
The loyal and considerate words of teachers and friends bring great benefit to this life and future lives.
If one neglects, belittles, and does not accept them, then in later lives one is often deaf.
Those who are deceitful and arrogant, in later lives are short, ugly,
mute, or possess coarse and unpleasant appearances, and others do not like to see them.
Those who do not respect elders become foolish. Those who act according to principle gain benefit.
Those who are not arrogant become noble in later lives. Those who are arrogant become lowly in later lives.
Those who practice generosity become wealthy in later lives. Those who do not practice generosity become poor.
Those who harbor anger obtain ugly appearances. Those who do not become angry obtain beautiful appearances in later lives.
Those who delight in illicit conduct with non-male persons, with women in improper places,
or who castrate animals, in later lives become eunuchs.
Those who contemplate lust as blazing fire, whose body, sense faculties, mind, and speech all transgress,
and who single-mindedly pursue women, in later lives become eunuchs.
Those who say that generosity is a wholesome deed, who delight in listening when others exhort them,
who maintain an equal mind toward those they resent or dislike, in later lives possess three eyes.
Those who delight in giving fine clothing to people of virtue,
in later lives are consistently beautiful and refined, with radiant skin and complexion like gold.
Those who regard others as infants, and care for the sick and the elderly in the same way,
in later lives constantly encounter noble beings, shining brightly like the moon among the stars.
Those who do not harm those who uphold fasting and precepts, nor women who are pregnant or nursing,
in later lives attain the happiness of celestial performers.
Those who, when falsely slandered without cause, are nonetheless able to broadly revere and care for all beings,
in later lives have limbs that are consistently soft and supple, preserve their wealth in stable measure, and are respected like a great mountain.
Those who do not reproach attendants, make few demands, and delight in generosity,
in later lives obtain abundant food, with wealth gathering like the sea.
Those who possess virtue obtain the protection of devas and humans. When they proclaim wholesome Dharma, people gather, submit, and look up in admiration.
In later lives they are wealthy, noble, and joyful, born among royal lineages.
Those whose body and speech constantly practice goodness, who give with gentle countenance and loving words,
in later lives are wealthy without provoking envy, and are born in the northern world to enjoy happiness.
Those who, even when facing enmity, repay resentment with kindness, who never casually inflict harm,
whose speech is stern yet whose heart is gentle, in later lives are born among asuras.
If someone practices the wholesome path and brings cultivation to fulfillment,
in later lives they are born in the heavens, radiant like sunlight.
Those whose minds are wholesome and who are filial toward their parents are born in later lives into noble families.
Those who do not contend and do not become angry enjoy blessings in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.
Those who do not engage in verbal disputes, nor participate in fighting or litigation,
who guard a wholesome mind and cultivate virtue, are born in the Yāma Heaven.
Those who are broadly learned and abide in contemplation, who seek benefit and aspire to liberation,
who constantly recollect wholesome virtue and act by goodness, after death are born in the Tuṣita Heaven.
Those who uphold precepts, continually cultivate meditative reflection, follow the right Dharma without reliance,
and also encourage others to cultivate in this way, are born in the Joy Emanation Heaven.
Those who strictly observe the precepts, delight in generosity, do not oppose others, do not boast of themselves,
and who equally cherish those who follow the path, are born in the Para-nirmita Heaven.
Those who do not use whips, staffs, or ropes to afflict beings, and who comfort all people,
are born in the Brahma Heaven to enjoy blessings.
Those whose minds are compassionate, whose speech is kind and gentle, who regard the well-being of others as their own,
and who give whenever there is a request, are born in the Brahmakāyika Heaven.
Those whose mental intentions and actions are constantly like fasting and discipline, who do not crave worldly pleasures,
whose minds are settled and established in stillness, are born in the Ābhāsvara Heaven.
Those who stabilize the mind and abandon craving for female form, extinguish the three poisons, cultivate a single joy,
and delight in contemplating right concentration, are born in the Allover Purity Heaven.
Those who contemplate both suffering and pleasure as impermanent, personally practice and directly realize this,
whose understanding is most pure, are born in the Vṛhatphala Heaven.
Those who clearly understand the contemplation of impurity, who cultivate much in realms associated with sovereignty,
who abandon habitual tendencies and enter the state of non-conception, are born in the No Perception Heaven.
From having no reliance to subtle reliance, those whose minds are vast, who cultivate the four immeasurables,
whose thoughts dwell in meditation, pure and self-abiding, are born in the Five Pure Abodes.
Those whose minds are gentle and excellent, whose mental nature is upright and balanced,
who broadly cultivate wholesome karma of the heavenly realms, are born in the Akaniṣṭha Heaven.
One should understand that the form body depends on impermanence, delight in seeking boundless aspiration,
recognize the consciousness has no limits, and contemplate methods of liberation.
Having already departed from all emotional cognition, with nothing toward which to incline and nothing in which to be born,
even though thoughts may occur, one has already transcended them, thinking through the state of non-conception.
Though discernment may still give rise to rebirth, all manifest results are due to the equality of karmic action.
The wise should personally observe this and know that wholesome conduct must be diligently cultivated.
This Dharma possesses distinctive and profound meaning, and therefore it is explained in detail for people.
It does not depend on devas, seasons, or lineage. What one experiences is entirely produced by one’s own actions.
Life is impermanent and should be contemplated. Wisdom does not yearn for reliance.
All rebirth in wholesome destinies is based on conduct.
If one has already understood non-self and non-body, the unconditioned, and that birth and death are originally empty,
then by quietly letting go and extinguishing suffering, this joy is the foremost.
Dharma Torch 