Toh 37 — The Benefits of the Five Precepts
Pañcaśikṣānuśaṃsa
The Sūtra on
The Benefits of the Five Precepts
F.271.a Homage, with devotion, to the noble Three Jewels.[1]
Thus did I hear at one time.[2] The Bhagavān was staying in the Bhesakalā grove deer park[3] at Suṃsumāragiri[4] in the country of the Bhaggas.[5] Early one morning, the Bhagavān, having donned his outer robe and taken up his bowl,[6] went to the dwelling of the householder[7] Nakulapitā and, having approached, sat down on a prepared seat.
Then the householders Nakulapitā and Nakulamātā[8] approached the Bhagavān, greeted him reverently, and sat down to one side.
Sitting to one side, the householder Nakulapitā addressed the Bhagavān: “Ever since, Venerable Bhagavān, the householder Nakulamātā was brought to me as a young girl when I was still a child, not even the thought of being unfaithful to Nakulamātā has occurred to me, and there has been no physical wrongdoing. Bhagavān, this is our mutual experience in this life, and we wish to share this experience in other lives, too.”[9]
Then the householder Nakulamātā addressed the Bhagavān: “Ever since, Venerable Bhagavān, I was brought as a girl to householder Nakulapitā when he was still young, not even the thought of being unfaithful to Nakulapitā has occurred to me, and there has been no physical wrongdoing. Bhagavān, this is our mutual experience in this life, and we wish to share this experience in other lives, too.”[10]
Then the Bhagavān said,[11] “When a husband and wife both have that wish and have had this mutual experience in this life, they will share this experience in other lives, too. By being equal in faith, F.271.b equal in ethical discipline, equal in generosity, and equal in wisdom, both of you have had this mutual experience in this life, and you will share this experience in other lives, too.”[12]
Then he spoke the following verses:[13]
“Therefore, one should guard the five precepts.[17]
“These are (1) refraining from killing, (2) refraining from taking what has not been given, (3) refraining from sexual misconduct, (4) refraining from lying, and (5) refraining from drinking alcohol that leads to intoxication. These are the five precepts that one should guard.”
The monks then inquired about the benefits of the five disciplines: “How else, Venerable Bhagavān, should the karmic fruition of refraining from killing be understood? How should the karmic fruition of refraining from taking what has not been given be understood? How should the karmic fruition of refraining from sexual misconduct be understood? How should the karmic fruition of refraining from lying be understood? And how should the karmic fruition of refraining from drinking alcohol that leads to intoxication be understood?”
The Bhagavān responded to their questions so as to be well understood: “Monks, you should regard killing as being like a venomous snake. It is accompanied by many wrongdoings and leads to rebirth in the realm of ghosts, the animal realm, and the hell realms. After the destruction of the body, after death,[18] one will be born in the Reviving Hell. There, the guardians of the Reviving Hell F.272.a will thoroughly roast one’s body, and then cut it to pieces with a variety of blades and gouge holes in it. Forced to undergo the so-called “fivefold ordeal,”[19] the denizens of this hell repeatedly die and are repeatedly revived and reborn in the Reviving Hell.
“The karmic fruition for those who weightily take life is to be overwhelmed again and again by all these terrible, harsh, and intense sufferings of the Reviving Hell.[20] Even if they are reborn as a human, their lives will be short, their sense faculties defective. They will be ugly, lacking insight, always fearful, and always angry. They will be disease ridden, full of sorrow, and devoid of joy. They will have nothing, and they will have nothing for a very long time.”
For that reason, the Bhagavān has said:[21]
This is the karmic fruition of killing.
“After the destruction of the body, after death, F.272.b they will be reborn in a happy rebirth-destiny, in heaven, in a deva world.
“Stealing means robbing another’s possessions, which have not been given, from their house or room and so on, whether consciously or unconsciously. Those who take from others by deception in order to make a living likewise eventually take what has not been given and will, after the destruction of the body, after death, be reborn in the Wailing hells.
“There are two hells called Wailing: the Wailing Hell of Flames and the Wailing Hell of Smoke.[26] In the Wailing Hell of Flames, life lasts for one cosmic age. At intervals, the entire hell is filled with a blazing fire. In the Wailing Hell of Smoke, fumes billow. In both, the denizens of the Wailing hells are cooked by flames. Fire comes out of their nine orifices and scorches their bodies. In the Wailing Hell of Smoke, beings are cooked as denizens of hell. Fumes come billowing from their nine orifices, and their bodies are cooked like food.[27] The beings in both scream in torment. There they experience terrible, harsh, and intense sufferings.[28]
“Stealing, monks, should be regarded as being like a venomous snake. It leads to rebirth in the hells, in the realm of ghosts, and as animals. The karmic fruition for anyone who steals is very grave. Even if reborn as a human, their resources will be depleted, and those who have taken what has not been given will be unable to hold on to even the smallest things. It will be difficult for them to obtain food, drink, clothing, a mat, and so forth. They will be in constant discomfort and will be hateful and hostile toward others. Whatever they do manage to obtain they will lose again, and others will enjoy it instead. What they desire will be difficult to obtain, and things they already possess will not be productive. They will be devoid of happiness.”
For that reason, the Bhagavān has said:
This is the karmic fruition of stealing.
“After the destruction of the body, after death, they will be reborn in a happy rebirth-destiny, in heaven, in a deva world.
“Those who are lustful and commit acts of sexual misconduct in this world, after the destruction of the body, after death, will fall and be reborn in the Loud Wailing Hell.[29] Outside, on both banks of the unfordable Vaitaraṇī River, is the Forest of Silk Cotton Trees, equally high, extending upward for eighty yojanas, with thorns sixteen finger-widths in length and downward-hanging branches. Bodies the size of twelve earshots, with flames climbing up their bodies,[30] ascend sixty yojanas, and there they perpetually kill one another with various weapons, which are the leaves of the Forest of Silk Cotton Trees.[31] For many thousands of years they will climb on the thorns of those trees.
Moreover, they will be struck with weapons by the guardians of this hell. Crying out, they will fall headlong, and when they land they will be impaled on sharpened stakes set into a ground of burning iron, so that the stakes emerge from their anuses,F.273.b causing extreme pain. Constantly wailing, they will stay for an eon in an iron pot sixteen yojanas wide and completely filled with burning coals, which the guardians of hell[32] shove into their mouths.”[33]
For that reason, the Bhagavān has said:
For that reason, the Bhagavān has said, “Monks, sexual misconduct toward what you desire should be regarded as being like a venomous snake. It leads to rebirth in the hells, in the realm of ghosts, and as animals. The karmic fruition for anyone who commits sexual misconduct is very grave. Even if reborn as a human, they will experience great suffering.”
For that reason, the Bhagavān has said:
“They will experience misfortune over many lifetimes. They will have many enemies and will always be among hostile people. Whether sleeping or rising, they will be uncomfortable. They will be constantly angry. They will be disturbed by people. Their bodies will always be hunched. From rebirth to rebirth they will be born deaf and blind and so on. Change for the worse will be certain.[38] They will always be dissatisfied. They will delight in mutual conflict. They will be bereft of faith.[39]
“After the destruction of the body, after death, they will fall and be reborn in the Loud Wailing Hell. There, they will experience terrible, harsh, and intense suffering.”
This is the karmic fruition of sexual misconduct.
“After the destruction of the body, after death, they will be reborn in a happy rebirth-destiny, in heaven, in a deva world.
“Any woman who[43] does not fully serve her parents-in-law and does not fully serve her husband, who does not care for her husband, who is not respectful toward her husband’s elder brother, who causes trouble for her husband’s sisters, and who moreover does not put her arms, legs, and back into her work[44] and does not give them the food and drink they want, is not modest and humble toward them, and criticizes her husband and recites texts at him[45] will be reborn in hell. There she will sleep on a floor of burning iron. A flaming iron hook will be inserted into her mouth, as if hooking a fish, and the tip of her tongue will be drawn forth, tied with a rope, and pulled out. After it is pulled it out like that, a big worm, born in the lips at the place where the weapon struck the tip of the tongue, will eat the tongue. Even after it eats only a little, she will be unable to speak. Similarly, she will be cooked there for many thousands of years, F.274.b and after being cooked there she will fall again into a great hell.”[46]
For that reason, the Bhagavān has said:
“Lying, in turn, leads to rebirth in the Black Thread Hell. There, the guardians of that hell, shouting and bellowing and bearing a variety of blazing weapons, drag hell beings one by one onto a floor of burning iron and mark them with burning black thread. Then, holding blazing weapons, they thoroughly transform them as if separating grain from chaff with a winnowing basket, but using hatchets and axes, leaving them screaming and wailing. It is in this Black Thread Hell, drinking one’s own blood, that one is reborn because of telling lies.[47] Here, one will experience terrible, harsh, and intense suffering.
“Monks, you should keep in mind that lying is like a venomous snake. It produces great suffering and leads to rebirth in the hells, in the realm of ghosts, and as animals. The karmic fruition for anyone who lies is grave. Even if reborn as a human, they will be without compassion. They will have a voice like a crow. They will be poor at speaking. They will have tooth decay,[48] bad breath, and crooked teeth. Their words will be rough and their voice hoarse. They will have bad lips. They will be jealous and have insatiable cravings. And after the destruction of their body, after death, they will be reborn in the Black Thread Hell.”[49]
For that reason, the Bhagavān has said:
This is the karmic fruition of lying.
“After the destruction of the body, after death, they will be reborn in a happy rebirth-destiny, in a deva world, in heaven.
“That which is called lying is reprehensible. Sons of good family should refrain from pursuing the objects of their desire. Instead they should extract the essence of that which is true and good. That which is called speaking falsehoods serves no purpose. It deceives the world and leads to rebirth in the Hell of Incessant Torture for many future lives.[56] Therefore, one should not lie for the sake of one’s livelihood.[57] Even at such times as when the omniscient one, the Buddha, the Bodhisattva, is concealed, divisive speech, like the color of turmeric, does not last long; like a dagger planted in a heap of chaff, it does not last long; and like a round fruit placed[58] on the back of a horse,[59] it does not last long. So, too, when a word spoken is cut short by a sword, two words will not be uttered.[60] But, by speaking the truth over a long period of time, ascetics and brahmins reach liberation after they die.
“Drinking alcohol leads to falling into and being reborn in the Burning Hell.[61] Beings who have fallen into this hell will be cooked for many thousands of years. After that, they are discarded on the bank of Vaitaraṇī River. With no way across, they try again and again to swim, whereupon the guards of that hell will pull them out with hooks, like fish, and toss them down on the ground of burning iron and bellow, ‘Oi, what do you want?’ ‘Lord, I am parched,’ the beings will reply, and the guardians of that hell will rip open their mouths with red-hot iron hooks and pour molten iron into their gaping mouths. First, their F.275.b lips and throats will be scorched. Next their chests burn, then their bowels, and their hearts will burn, too, until the molten iron forces its way out through the anus. Such are the torments they are made to experience, weeping and rolling[62] on the floor in pain. However, even then they will not die. They will experience these sensations, the karmic ripening of their actions, for as long as the fruits of their negative actions last.”
For that reason, the Bhagavān has said:
“For someone to drink alcohol is not a small misdeed. Even if they are reborn as a human, they will always be absent-minded and as dull, stupid, and unaware as a sheep. Constantly falling asleep, they will be of low intelligence and very ignorant. They will be scared and fearful, doubtful,[65] divisive, untrustworthy, miserly, envious, and without renunciation. They will be without shame, with no sense of decency, and will have poor discernment. They will be unaware of virtuous qualities, and for five hundred lives they will be reborn as yakṣas, for another five hundred as dogs, and they will forever thereafter be reborn as lunatics. These are the harms that ensue from having consumed alcohol.
This is the karmic fruition of drinking alcohol that leads to intoxication.
“After the destruction of the body, after death, they will be reborn in the happy rebirth-destinies of the higher realms, in a deva world, in heaven.
“These disciplines should be guarded. Any person, whether a man or a woman, who does not guard[68] and cultivate these disciplines will, after the destruction of the body, after death, fall and be reborn in bad or unfortunate rebirth-destinies, in the lower realms.[69] Those who guard and cultivate these disciplines will, after the destruction of the body, after death, be reborn in the happy rebirth-destinies of the higher realms, in a deva world.”
This is what the Bhagavān said, and the monks rejoiced at what the Bhagavān had taught.
This concludes “The Sūtra That Teaches the Benefits of the Five Disciplines.”Colophon
This sūtra was translated, edited, and finalized by the learned translator, the Śākya monk Nyima Gyaltsen Palsangpo, in the presence of the great scholar Ānandaśrī at the translation center of the great monastery Pal Tharpaling. May it become like sun and moon ornaments crowning the earth![70]
Notes
This line of homage is absent in the Pali and was presumably added to the Tibetan translation in conformity with standard practice.
backThe Pali omits “Thus did I hear” and simply reads, “At one time, the Bhagavān stayed in the country of the Bhaggas.”
backPali bhesakalāvane migadāye, Tib. sman gyi nags ri dags rgyu ba’i gnas (“the deer park [called] medicinal grove”). The Pali grammar is ambiguous as to whether the deer park is inside the Bhesakalā grove or the Bhesakalā grove is the deer park. According to the commentary on the Saṃyuttanikāya, the Sāratthappakāsinī, “[t]he grove received its name from the fact that its presiding spirit was a Yakkhinī called Bhesākalā (SA.ii.181)” (DPPN, vol. 2, pp. 392–93).
backPali Suṃsumāragire, Skt. Śuśumāragiri, Tib. chu srin byis pa gsod kyi ri (“makara/crocodile mountain/hill”). In the literal Tibetan translation of Pali susumāra (Skt. śiśumāra), meaning “child killing,” the word chu srin (Skt. makara) is tautological. A makara is a mythical sea creature, but the term may also mean crocodile (cf. Mvy. Sakaki 4832: śiśumāraḥ = chu srin byis pa gsod). The Pali has the variants susumāragiri in the Chaṭṭasaṅgāyana edition (which is the more regular development from Old Indo-Aryan śiśu; cf. Oberlies 2019, p. 97) and the Pali Text Society edition suṃsumāragiri. See DPPN vol. 2, p. 1173: “It is said […] that the city was so called because when it was being built a crocodile (suṃsumāra) made a noise in a lake nearby.” The Pali and Sanskrit giri means “hill” or “mountain.”
backPali bhaggesu, Tib. garga ra. Bharga is the Sanskrit form of the name of this people, mentioned in the Indian epic Mahābhārata.
backTib. chos gos gyon lhung bzed thogs te. The Pali reads nivāsetvā pattacīvaraṃ ādāya (“having dressed and taken up his bowl and outer robe”).
backOn the usage of the term householder in canonical Pali texts, see Freiberger 2019, p. 72, and Cone 2010, p. 40, s.v. “gahapati.”
backThe suffixes -pitā and -mātā mean “father” and “mother” respectively. In Tibetan, the names are also rendered with the prefixes pha (“father”) and ma (“mother”). A possible implication of these suffixes/prefixes is that the couple were already elderly at the time of this discourse with the Buddha.
backPali yato me bhante Nakulamātā gahapatānī daharass’eva daharā ānītā nābhijānāmi Nakulamātaraṃ gahapatāniṃ manasā pi aticaritā, kuto pana kāyena iccheyyāma mayaṃ bhante diṭṭh’eva dhamme aññamaññaṃ passituṃ abhisamparāyañ ca aññamaññaṃ passitun ti (“Venerable Sir, ever since the householder Nakulamātā was brought to me when we were still young, I cannot remember having ever been unfaithful to the householder Nakulamātā in thought, let alone in body. We wish to exist together in future lives just as we do in the present life”). Both the Pali and the Tibetan employ the verb “to see” (Pali passati; Tib. mthong) here in an extended meaning, i.e., in the sense of existence or experience.
backPali yatvāhaṃ bhante Nakulapituno gahapatissa daharass’eva daharā ānītānābhijānāmi Nakulapitaraṃ gahapatiṃ manasā pi aticaritā, kuto pana kāyena iccheyyāma mayaṃ bhante diṭṭh’eva dhamme aññamaññaṃ passituṃ abhisamparāyañ ca aññamaññaṃ passitun ti (“Since I was given to the young householder Nakulapitā as a young girl, I cannot remember having ever been unfaithful to the householder Nakulapitā in thought, let alone in body. We wish to exist together in future lives just as we do in the present life”).
backThis phrase indicating the speaker is not found in the Pali.
backPali ākaṅkheyyuṃ ce gahapatayo ubho jānipatayo diṭṭh’eva dhamme aññamaññaṃ passituṃ abhisamparāyañ ca aññamaññaṃ passituṃ ubho ca assu samasaddhā samasīlā samacāgā samapaññā te diṭṭh’eva dhamme aññamaññaṃ passanti abhisamparāyañ ca aññamaññaṃ passantīti (“If both husband and wife wish to exist together in future lives just as they do in the present life, they should both have equal faith, equal ethical discipline, equal generosity, and equal wisdom. Then they will exist together in future lives just as they do in the present life”).
backThis sentence is absent in the Pali.
backHere following the Pali ubho saddhā vadaññū ca saññatā. The Tibetan here reads gnyis ka dad dang chos tshig dang//mnyam dang “Who are equal in faith and Dharma terms.” The Tibetan appears to have interpreted vadaññū (Skt. vadānya) as chos =ññū?) tshig (=vāda) or “Dharma terms,” and interpreted saññatā (Skt. saṃyata, meaning “self-controlled,” “restrained,” or “disciplined”) as samatā (mnyam pa), meaning “equal.”
backFollowing the Pali amittā dummanā honti. Tibetan dgra ni de la dga’ ba dang, “enemies will like them.”
backHere translated in light of the Pali: idha dhammaṃ caritvāna samasīlabbatā ubho nandino devalokasmiṃ modanti kāmakāmino ti. The Tibetan reads ’di ltar chos ni spyad pa dang// gnyis ka tshul khrims ldan pa dang// ’dod cing ‘dod la yi rang bas// lha yi gnas su dga’ bar ’gyur.
backTib. de’i phyir bslab pa rnam pa lnga po bsrung bar bya’o. This sentence is not in the Pali Samajīvīsutta, which ends with the end of the verse. From here the translation is made from Tibetan alone.
backThe Tibetan shi ba’i pha rol du literally means “on the other side of death.” The possible corresponding phrase in Pali is kāyassa bhedā parammaraṇā sugatiṃ saggaṃ lokaṃ upapajjati (AN III 255 passim).
backTibetan rnam pa lnga yis bcing is likely a literal translation of Pali pañcavidhabandhana; cf. Stede 1914, p. 37. For an alternative list of these ordeals, see PED, p. 38, s.v. “pañca.”
backTranslation tentative: de rnams de la yang sos kyi sdug bsngal drag po rtsub pa tsha ba ’joms shing ’joms la gang zhig la thams cad lci zhing srog bcad pa’i rnam par smin pa de’o. This English translation infers an instrumental particle after the sufferings, so that they are the instrument of ’joms shing ’joms, and it interprets lci zhing srog pa bcad pa as referring to the “weighty” taking of life, in the sense of murder, or killing a being of merit. For a fuller description of Reviving Hell, see The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma (Toh 287), #UT22084-068-021-520.
backde’i phyir bcom ldan ’das kyis bka’ stsal pa. This formulation is used repeatedly through the rest of the sūtra. Since this text appears to be a composite, we have chosen to translate it in such a way as to highlight that it is reported speech.
backD and S read wa (“fox”), and K and Y read lug (“sheep”). What the animals in this list have in common is that they are all hunted or killed by humans for different reasons.
backThis is the first occurrence of a recurring verse that acts as a refrain throughout the sūtra. Here, however, the Tibetan deviates in including the word “body” (skye pa’am ni bud med lus), which is not found in the later iterations of the refrain.
backTib. byad stems ngan. The term byad stems (or simply byad) can translate the Sanskrit kākhorda, which itself is an Iranian loanword (see BHSD, s.v. “kākhorda”). For an informative discussion of kākhorda, see Schopen 1978, pp. 256–75, with further references on p. 261.
backD and S read gzhan gyis; Y and K read gzhan gyi.
backThese two departments or divisions of Wailing Hell are also mentioned, for example, in the Mahāvastu (dvau ca rauravau) and the Mvy. For references, see BHSD, s.v. “raurava.” Their Pali names are attested in the commentary on the Pali Saṃkiccajātaka (Jātaka no. 530), where they are also described (see glossary entries). For a (different) description of the Raurava and the Mahāraurava hells in Purāṇic literature, see PE, s.v. “kāla,” and Zin 2014, p. 271.
backThe commentary on the Saṃkiccajātaka (Jātaka no. 530) describes the process in reverse, namely that fire or vapor enters their bodies and burns or cooks it from the inside (Tesu jālaroruve paccantānaṃ navahi vaṇṇamukhehi jālā pavisitvā sarīraṃ dahanti, dhūmaroruve paccantānaṃ navahi vaṇamukhehi khāradhūmo pavisitvā piṭṭhaṃ viya sarīraṃ sedeti).
backFor more on Wailing Hell (or Howling Hell), see The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma (Toh 287), #UT22084-068-021-711.
backFor more on Loud Wailing Hell (or Great Howling Hell) and the punishments there for sexual misconduct, see The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma (Toh 287), #UT22084-068-021-840.
backTranslation tentative: lus po rgyang grags bcu gnyis dang ldan zhing lus la me gyen du ’bar ba. There may be a sentence missing here. As it stands it is unclear whose bodies (lus po) are being referred to as “having twelve earshots distance” (rgyang grags). The Pali Pañcagatidīpanī (translated in Hazlewood 1987) mentions huge-bodied fearsome females in this hell, who torment beings there: “Metal-toothed, huge bodied, blazing fearsome females, embracing him, feed on the one who steals another’s wife” (ibid., p. 141, verse 31).
backTranslation tentative: de ni shal ma li’i shing gi nags la shon no. Other texts describe this hellish forest in which the leaves are sword-like and face downward as one tries to climb up, and upward when one tries to climb down. See the description in The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma (Toh 287), #UT22084-068-021-626. See also a reference to the Asipattavana, “the forest where the leaves are swords,” one of the secondary hells, in the Pañcagatidīpanī (Hazlewood 1987, p. 141, verse 32).
backTranslating N, S, and U dmyal ba’i srungs ma rnams kyis [D kyi] khar ldugs [H lugs].
backRegarding descriptions of the secondary hells in Pali traditions, compare the different but still recognizable version in the Pañcagatidīpanī (see #UT22084-034-025-66 above).
backTranslating D ri nag; S reads ri nags.
backTranslating S rnon po yi; D reads rnon po yis.
backTib. dus kyi chung ma; that is, a sexual partner.
backCp., however, Feer’s differing French translation (Feer 1883, p. 267):
back“Une montagne noire et, à la même hauteur que son sommet,un bois hérissé d’épines, des pointes de fer aiguës;voilà le supplice de l’homme du monde.(Que doit faire) celui qui réside sur la cime du bois?Que doit faire l’épouse de celui qui gémit?”Vipariṇāma, the Pali word that likely underlies the Tibetan translation rnam par ’gyur ba, usually has a negative connotation: change (for the worse), reverse, vicissitude (see PED, s.v. “vipariṇāma”).
backWe interpret the phrase dga’ ba’i sems in dga’ ba’i sems dang ’bral bar ’gyur ro as rendering the Pali pasannacitta (Skt. prasannacitta); cf. PED, s.v. “pasanna”: “°citta: devotion in their heart.” We think that dga’ ba here renders pasanna, although this is not a standard translation equivalent. The Pali pasāda (Skt. prasāda) has two basic meanings: (1) “clarity” and (2) “faith,” “joy,” etc. “Unhappy” or “dissatisfied” has already been expressed two sentences prior: rtag tu sems mi dga’ bar ’gyur ba dang.
backReading spangs ba yis as in previous iterations of the refrain, though here D and S read spangs ba yi.
backAs above, D and S read spangs pa yi; C reads spangs pa yis.
backOr “the wives of others”; cf. Feer’s translation (1883, p. 238):
back“L’homme qui a des désirsdoit, de naissance en naissance,s’abstenir d’aller vers les femmes d’autruiet nettoyer les souillures de son esprit.”Following S and N bud med gang zhig gis; D reads bud med gang zhig gi.
backD gzhan yang lag pa dang / rkang pa dang / rgyab la las su bya ba mi byed pa dang. Cabezón (2017, p. 316) translates this as “who engages in inappropriate actions with her hands, her feet, and her back.”
backTranslation tentative khyo bo la klog par byed. Cabezón (2017, p. 316) translates this as “who reads/chants (klog) to her husband” and speculates in a footnote (n. 809) that this might refer to the brahmanical injunction against women reading/reciting the Veda.
backOn this passage, see Introduction #UT22084-034-025-1072–#UT22084-034-025-1073.
backTranslating D and S brdzun du smras pas; C reads brdzun du smras par.
backTibetan reads literally, so la srin ’byung ba, “worm(s) will appear in their teeth.”
backFor more on Black Thread Hell (or Black Line Hell), see The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma (Toh 287), #UT22084-068-021-567.
backTranslating S kunda kha yi dri; D reads kun da kha yi dri, K reads kun da zhim pa’i dri, and H and N read kun nang kha yi dri.
backTranslating H, N, and S ’os par; D reads ’os pa’i.
backchos rnams kun la mkhas pa dang. An alternative translation could be “They will be adept in all aspects of the Dharma.”
backTranslating D don dang tshig ’bru; S has the variant don dam (“ultimate/real meaning”), i.e., what the words refer to.
backTranslating D sems kyi rtog la zhum pa med; H and N read sems kyi rtog pa la zhum med, and S reads sems kyi rtog la zhus pa med.
backTranslating D and S brdzun du smra ba spangs pa yis [H and N yi]; Y omits spangs pa, and K reads brdzun du yang ni mi smra yis.
backUsually, rebirth in this worst of the so-called major hot hells is the result of grave negative actions such as matricide, patricide, and showing disrespect toward holy beings (cf., e.g., Hazlewood 1987, p. 140, n. 20). Why it is mentioned here as the result of speaking falsehoods, although the sūtra itself has stated earlier that the result of speaking falsehoods is rebirth in the Black Thread Hell, is unclear.
backAlternatively, this sentence may be interpreted to mean, “Not even for the sake of one’s life should one speak a lie,” but the sentence does not contain a concessive particle.
backTranslating D and S ril bu bzhag; Y reads ril bu gzhag, C and J read rol bu bzhag, and K reads rol bu gzhag.
backTranslating D and S rta’i; U reads lha’i.
backTranslation tentative: D reads smras pa’i tshig la ral gris ske ’breg pa’i tshe tshig gnyis mi smra ba bzhin no. S reads skye ’breg, and K and Y read ske ’brel.
backFor more on the Burning Hell (or Hell of Heat), see The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma (Toh 287), #UT22084-068-021-999.
backD reads ’gre bar byed; C, H, J, N, K, Y, and S read ’dre bar byed.
backTranslating D ’gre; C, N, K, Y, and S read ’gro.
backThe traditional imagery is as follows: the roughness of the river refers to the cutting waves, which are said to be like razors, and the water is full of unseen weapons that appear as lotuses.
backD and S read dogs; C and J read dgos.
backAccording to our count, the following list contains only twenty-nine items.
backLiterally, “their words are very clear” (tshig ni shin tu gsal ba).
backReading the agentive (H, N, and S) kyis, rather than (D) kyi.
backThe Pali formula underlying this is likely kāyassa bhedā param maraṇā apāyaṃ duggatiṃ vinipātaṃ nirayaṃ uppajjati. Bhikkhu Bodhi (2012, p. 467) translates as follows: “In consequence, with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the lower world, in hell.” In the Tibetan, “in hell” (Pali niraya; Tib. sems can dmyal ba) is missing.
backSkilling (1993, p. 132) translates this maṅgalam verse as “May the surface of the earth be like the sun and moon.”
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