Fascicle 4

Today, the assembly gathered together in this common practice — once again, with utmost sincerity, listen with a single mind. The Buddha was at the Bamboo Grove of Kalandaka near Rājagṛha. At that time Maudgalyāyana, rising from meditative concentration, wandered along the banks of the Ganges, and saw hungry ghosts undergoing punishments of every different kind. The hungry ghosts, each arousing a reverent mind, came to ask Maudgalyāyana about the causes and conditions of their former lives. One ghost asked: "Since my birth in this form, I have constantly borne hunger and thirst, and wished to go to the latrine to eat the filth there — but a mighty ghost stationed at the latrine strikes me with a rod, and I can never draw near. What fault brought this about?" Maudgalyāyana answered: "When you were a person, you were the head of a monastery. A visiting monk came to the monastery to beg for food, but you, stingy, would not give him any, waiting until the guest had left before serving the resident monks as usual. Because you were without regard for the Way and stingy with the community's goods, you incurred this very fault because of this cause and condition. What you receive now is only the flowering retribution; the true fruit still awaits you in the hells." There was another ghost who asked Maudgalyāyana: "Since my birth in this form, I have carried a great bronze vessel on my shoulder, filled with molten bronze, and must ladle it out to pour over my own head, the pain unbearable. What fault brought this about?" Maudgalyāyana answered: "When you were a person, you served as the monastery's overseer, in charge of the community's affairs. There was a jar of ghee that you hid away in a private place, and did not distribute it at the proper time, waiting until the guests had left before serving it to the resident monks as usual. That ghee belonged to the wandering community, and everyone had a share in it — because you were without regard for the Way and stingy with the community's goods, you incurred this very fault because of this cause and condition. What you receive now is only the flowering retribution; the true fruit still awaits you in the hells." There was another ghost who asked Maudgalyāyana: "Since my birth in this form, I must constantly swallow red-hot iron pellets. What fault brought this about?" Maudgalyāyana answered: "When you were a person, you were a novice monk, and took pure water to make a sugar-cane syrup drink. The block of sugar was hard and large, and a thought of theft arose in you, so you broke off a small piece for yourself — before the community had even had their share, you stole a mouthful for yourself. Because of this cause and condition, you incurred this very fault. This too is only the flowering retribution; the true fruit still awaits you in the hells." Today, the assembly gathered together in this common practice — as Maudgalyāyana himself witnessed, this is truly a thing to be feared. We ourselves may well have committed faults such as these, covered by ignorance and unable to recall or recognize it. Since such immeasurable evil karma already exists, to be received as bitter retribution in the ages to come, today, with sincere mind, in this same anguish of resolve, let us prostrate ourselves fully to the ground in shame and confession, praying that it be dissolved. We further, on behalf of every hungry ghost throughout the ten directions and the whole reach of empty space, beg for mercy in confession; and on behalf of our parents and teachers, beg for mercy in confession; and on behalf of the venerable witnesses of high, middle, and low station who share this very platform with us, beg for mercy in confession; and on behalf of our good and evil companions, extending it out endlessly to every living being of the four modes of birth and six destinies throughout the ten directions, beg for mercy in confession — so that whatever fault we have already committed may, through this, be dissolved, and whatever fault we have not yet committed, we dare not commit. We look up and pray to all the Buddhas of the ten directions: Homage to the Buddha Maitreya. Homage to the Buddha Śākyamuni. Homage to the Buddha Krakucchanda. Homage to the Buddha Kanakamuni. Homage to the Buddha Kāśyapa. Homage to the Buddha, the Lion. Homage to the Buddha of Bright Flame. Homage to the Buddha Muni. Homage to the Buddha of the Wondrous Flower. Homage to the Buddha of the Flower Clan. Homage to the Buddha of Excellent Constellations. Homage to the Buddha, the Guide. Homage to the Buddha of the Great Arm. Homage to the Buddha of Great Strength. Homage to the Buddha King of Constellations. Homage to the Buddha Who Cultivates Medicine. Homage to the Buddha of Renowned Marks. Homage to the Buddha of Great Brightness. Homage to the Buddha of the Flaming Shoulder. Homage to the Buddha of Shining Splendor. Homage to the Buddha, Treasury of the Sun. Homage to the Buddha of the Moon Clan. Homage to the Buddha of Many Flames. Homage to the Buddha of Excellent Brightness. Homage to the Buddha Without Sorrow. Homage to the Bodhisattva Who Plays as a Lion. Homage to the Bodhisattva of the Lion's Vigorous Leap. Homage to the Bodhisattva of Boundless Body. Homage to the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. Homage to the Buddha. Homage to the Dharma. Homage to the Saṅgha. With great compassion, may they rescue every living being throughout the ten directions now suffering among the hungry ghosts, and may they further rescue every living being throughout the ten directions in the hells, among the animals, and among humans from their immeasurable suffering, so that all living beings may attain liberation at once, cutting off the karma of the three obstructions and free of the five fears, washing the mind clean with the eight liberations and covering all things with the four universal vows, beholding the compassionate countenance face to face and receiving the wondrous teaching, their every defilement exhausted forever without ever leaving their own place. May they respond to every thought, bowing throughout every buddha-land, their practice and vow soon fulfilled, swiftly accomplishing true and equal awakening. One bow. Today, the assembly gathered together in this common practice — once again, with utmost sincerity, listen with a single mind. At that time the Buddha was at Rājagṛha, where southeast of the city there was a pool of water into which all manner of filth and excrement flowed, its stench too foul to approach. A great worm was born in this water, its body many fathoms long, without hands or feet, writhing and rearing so that thousands came to watch it. Ānanda went to see it, and reported the whole matter fully to the Buddha. The Buddha, together with the assembly, went to the pool, and the assembly thought to themselves: "Today the Tathāgata will surely explain the origin of this worm to the assembled company." The Buddha told the assembly: "After the Buddha Vipaśyin entered nirvāṇa, there was a stūpa-monastery there, and five hundred monks, passing through the monastery, were joyfully invited to stay and receive offerings by the monastery's abbot, who provided them with meals with his whole heart, sparing nothing. Afterward, five hundred merchants, returning from gathering treasures at sea, passed by the same monastery, and, seeing the five hundred monks diligently practicing the Way, each of them was moved and, discussing it happily together, said that a field of merit such as this was hard to encounter, and that they should provide a modest offering. Each person contributed one pearl, and five hundred maṇi-jewels were gathered and entrusted to the monastery's abbot. The abbot, afterward, gave rise to an unwholesome mind, and, plotting to take them all for himself alone, refused to prepare any offering for the monks. The assembly asked him: 'The merchants have donated pearls, and an offering should be made.' The abbot answered: 'These pearls were given to me. If you wish to seize them from me, I will give you dung instead. And if you do not leave at once, I will cut off your hands and feet and throw you into the dung-pit.' The assembly, reckoning him a fool, said nothing and each departed. Because of this evil deed, he received this very worm's body, and will afterward enter the hells and undergo further suffering there." While the Buddha was at Rājagṛha, he further saw a being whose tongue was long and huge, pierced through with iron nails, ablaze with fire, undergoing bitter pain day and night without rest. Maudgalyāyana asked the Buddha: "What fault brought this retribution, that he now suffers so?" The Buddha answered Maudgalyāyana: "This person, in a former time, once served as the abbot of a monastery, and scolded and drove away visiting monks, giving them neither food nor drink nor any share of the offerings. Because of this cause and condition, he incurred this very fault." There was further a being whose body was of great size, upon whose head sat a cauldron ablaze with fire, filled with molten bronze that poured out on every side over his body, as he moved through the air without rest. Maudgalyāyana asked the Buddha: "What fault brought this about, that he now suffers so?" The Buddha answered Maudgalyāyana: "This person, in a former time, served as the manager of a monastery's affairs; when a donor sent oil, he did not share it with the visiting monks, waiting until the guests had left before distributing it to the resident monks as usual. Because of this cause and condition, he incurred this very fault." There was further a being through whom red-hot iron pellets entered at the top of the body and emerged at the bottom, moving through the air in pain hard to bear. Maudgalyāyana asked the Buddha: "What fault brought this about, that he now suffers so?" The Buddha answered Maudgalyāyana: "This person, in a former time, was a novice monk who stole seven pieces of fruit from the community's orchard; at death he entered the hells and underwent immeasurable suffering there, and, his remaining karma not yet exhausted, he incurred this very fault as well." He further saw a great fish, one body with a hundred heads, each head different from the others, fallen into another's net. Upon seeing this, the World-Honored One entered the samādhi of loving-kindness and called out to the fish, and the fish answered at once. The World-Honored One asked: "Where is your mother?" It answered: "My mother is a worm in a latrine." The Buddha said to the monks: "This great fish was, in the time of the Buddha Kāśyapa, a monk versed in the Tripiṭaka, and, because of harsh speech, received this retribution of many heads. His mother, at that time, accepted the offerings made to him, and because of this cause and condition became a worm in a latrine." The Buddha said: "Whoever receives this retribution does so entirely because of harsh and coarse speech, spreading rumors between one party and another to stir up strife between two households. At death, they enter the hells, where the jailers heat an iron probe until it glows red through and through, and sear the tongue with it; they further heat an iron hook with three blades, sharp as a razor's edge, and use it to cut off the tongue; they further plow and split the tongue with an ox and plow; and they further heat an iron pestle and drive it into the throat. Only after thousands upon thousands of kalpas is this fault exhausted, and one is then born among birds and beasts." The Buddha said: "Should any living being speak ill of their ruler, their parents, or their teachers, their fault exceeds even this." Today, the assembly gathered together in this common practice — hearing the Buddha speak in this way, this is truly a thing to be feared. The two paths of good and evil are now plainly visible, the fruits of fault and merit clearly understood without any doubt, and we should only strive diligently to confess. Let us together, having opened the sūtra and seen this matter in full, take care not to slacken or retreat even slightly — for if we do, by what means shall what we now attempt ever be accomplished? It is like a starving man whose mind dwells on a hundred flavors — such thoughts bring no relief at all to his hunger and distress. Hence we know that whoever wishes to seek the excellent, wondrous Dharma, and wishes to deliver living beings, cannot let it remain a matter of thought alone. Since it is a matter of the mind, we should apply our own effort and diligently put it into practice. Let us together, with sincere mind, in this same anguish of resolve, prostrate ourselves fully to the ground, and, on behalf of every living being in the hells, among the hungry ghosts, among the animals, and among humans, beg for mercy in this rite of bowing and confession; and on behalf of our parents, teachers, good and evil companions, and every kin of our own, beg for mercy in this rite of bowing and confession — praying that whatever fault we have already committed be dissolved, and that we dare not commit again what we have not yet committed. We look up and pray to the great and compassionate father of the world: Homage to the Buddha Maitreya. Homage to the Buddha Śākyamuni. Homage to the Buddha Tiṣya. Homage to the Buddha of Bright Splendor. Homage to the Buddha Who Holds a Garland. Homage to the Buddha of Meritorious Brightness. Homage to the Buddha Who Shows Meaning. Homage to the Buddha, Lamp of Splendor. Homage to the Buddha of Flourishing Abundance. Homage to the Buddha Bhaiṣajyaguru. Homage to the Buddha of Excellent Gentleness. Homage to the Buddha of the White Curl. Homage to the Buddha of Firmness. Homage to the Buddha of Blessed, Awesome Virtue. Homage to the Buddha Who Cannot Be Destroyed. Homage to the Buddha of Virtuous Marks. Homage to the Buddha Rāhula. Homage to the Buddha, Lord of the Multitude. Homage to the Buddha of the Brahmā Voice. Homage to the Buddha of the Firm Boundary. Homage to the Buddha Without Pride. Homage to the Buddha Who Creates Brightness. Homage to the Buddha of the Great Mountain. Homage to the Buddha Vajra. Homage to the Buddha Who Leads the Multitude. Homage to the Buddha Without Fear. Homage to the Buddha of Rare Treasure. Homage to the Bodhisattva of the Lion's Banner. Homage to the Bodhisattva of the Lion's Deeds. Homage to the Bodhisattva of Boundless Body. Homage to the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. By the power of compassion, the power of great wisdom, their inconceivable power, and their boundless power of mastery, may they deliver every living being of the six destinies and extinguish every one of their many sufferings, so that all living beings may cut off the karmic fault of the three evil paths, never again to commit the five heinous crimes or the ten evils and fall once more among the three evil paths. From this day forward, may they discard the birth of bitter retribution and attain birth in the pure land, discard the life of bitter retribution and attain the life of wisdom, discard the body of bitter retribution and attain a body like vajra, discard the suffering of the evil destinies and attain the joy of nirvāṇa; recollecting the suffering of the evil destinies, may they arouse the awakening-mind, the four immeasurables and six perfections always present before them, the four eloquences and six supernormal powers theirs at will, courageous and diligent without rest, until, advancing in cultivation, they fulfill the practice of the ten grounds, and, in turn, are able to deliver every living being. One bow.

Today, the assembly gathered together in this common practice — though the ten thousand dharmas differ in kind and their functions are not uniform, when it comes to light and dark set against one another, there is only good and evil: speak of good, and it yields the excellent fruit of humans and gods; describe evil, and it yields the severe retribution of the three evil paths — these two things stand plainly displayed in the world, and are no empty claim. Yet the foolish and deluded often give rise to doubt and difference, some saying that the realms of humans and gods are fabrications, that the hells are no true teaching, not knowing how to trace effect back to cause, nor how to trace cause forward to effect. Since they cannot distinguish cause from effect, each clings to his own worldly interpretation — not content merely to argue in speech that emptiness is existence, they even compose essays and treatises on it, their minds turned against excellent goodness, never once admitting their own error, and the more they are instructed, the more stubbornly they cling to their view. People such as this cast themselves into the evil destinies, falling into the hells in the time it takes an arrow to fly, and no loving parent or filial child can come to their rescue. They can only go forward into the cauldron of fire, body and mind shattered, spirit in agony — and at such a time, what good can regret possibly do? Today, the assembly gathered together in this common practice — good and evil depend upon one another exactly as a shadow depends on a form, or an echo on a sound; fault and merit dwell in different places, prepared and awaiting us with severity from long before. May each of us, fortunately, hold this clear belief and set aside every trace of doubt. What is meant by the hells? The sūtra says: in the space of darkness between the two ranges of the Encircling Iron Mountains of a great trichiliocosm, this is called the hells. The iron city measures sixteen million li in length and breadth, and within the city are eighty-four thousand chambers; below, the ground is made of iron, and above, a net of iron covers it; fire burns this city so that it glows red through and through, inside and out, the fire reaching from above all the way through to below and from below all the way through to above. Among its names are: Crushing-Together and Darkness, the Wheel of Blades and Forest of Swords, the Iron Frame and Forest of Thorns, the Iron Net and Iron Cave, Iron Pellets and Sharp Stones, the Charcoal Pit and Burning Forest, the Howling of Tigers and Wolves, the Boiling Cauldron and Burning Coals, the Mountain of Blades and Forest of Swords, the Fire-Mill and City of Fire, the Bronze Pillar and Iron Bed, the Fire-Chariot and Wheel of Fire, Drinking Bronze and Vomiting Fire, Great Heat and Great Cold, Tongue-Pulling and Body-Nailing, the Plow and the Axe, Blade and Weapon and Butchery, the River of Ash and Boiling Filth, Freezing Ice and Mire, Foolish Wailing, Deafness, Blindness, and Muteness, and the Iron Hook and Iron Beak. There are also the greater and lesser Naraka hells, and the hell of Avīci. The Buddha said to Ānanda: "Why is it called the hell of Avīci? 'A' means without, and 'vīci' means shelter; 'a' means without, and 'vīci' means rescue — together meaning without shelter and without rescue. Also, 'a' means uninterrupted, and 'vīci' means unmoving. 'A' means extreme heat, and 'vīci' means extreme torment. 'A' means without respite, and 'vīci' means without cessation — without respite and without cessation is why it is called the hell of Avīci. Also, 'a' means great flame, and 'vīci' means fierce heat — a fierce fire that enters the very heart is why it is called the hell of Avīci." The Buddha said to Ānanda: "The hell of Avīci measures three hundred and twenty thousand li exactly in length and breadth, with seven layers of iron walls and seven levels of iron netting; below are eighteen chambers, and all around, in seven layers, stand forests of blades, with a further forest of swords within the seven-layered wall. Below these eighteen chambers lie eighty-four thousand further chambers in layers. At its four corners stand four great bronze dogs, their bodies sixteen thousand li in length, their eyes like flashing lightning, their fangs like a forest of swords, their teeth like a mountain of blades, their tongues like iron thorns, every hair on their bodies pouring forth fierce flame, their smoke so foul that nothing foul in this world could serve as its comparison. There are also eighteen jailers, their heads like the heads of rākṣasas, their mouths like the mouths of yakṣas, with sixty-four eyes, from which iron pellets burst forth the size of a cart wheel ten li across. Their hooked fangs jut upward a hundred and sixty li, and fire streams from the tips of these fangs, burning the iron chariots before them, so that every rim of every iron wheel is transformed into a hundred million flames, and blades, edges, swords, and halberds all emerge from within these flames. Fire streaming in this way burns the city of Avīci, until the whole city of Avīci glows red as molten bronze. Upon the jailers' heads are eight ox-heads, each ox-head bearing eighteen horns, and from the tip of each horn bursts forth a mass of fire, which then transforms into eighteen fiery rims, and these fiery rims in turn transform into great wheels of blades the size of cart wheels, wheel following upon wheel amid the flames, filling the hell of Avīci entirely. The bronze dogs open their mouths and let their tongues hang to the ground, tongues like iron thorns, and when these tongues emerge, they transform into countless tongues that fill the city of Avīci. Within the seven-layered wall stand seven iron banners, from whose tips fire gushes forth like a boiling spring, this molten iron flowing and filling the city of Avīci. At the four gates of Avīci, above the thresholds, stand eighteen cauldrons, from which boiling bronze wells up and flows out through the gates, filling the city of Avīci. Between each and every chamber are eighty-four thousand great iron pythons and serpents, spitting poison and fire, their bodies filling the whole city; these serpents roar like heaven's own thunder, raining down great iron pellets that fill the city of Avīci. Within this city there are eighty billion, eighty thousand torments, and the very worst of all torments are gathered together in this one city. There are further fifty billion insects, each insect with eighty-four thousand beaks, from the tips of which fire streams down like rain, filling the city of Avīci. When these insects descend, the fierce fire of Avīci blazes still more fiercely, its red glow and flame illuminating three million, three hundred and sixty thousand li, rising up from the hell of Avīci to strike the great ocean and the mountain that consumes it beneath, so that the great ocean's very water, drop by drop the size of a cart-axle, is transformed into great iron spikes filling the city of Avīci." The Buddha told Ānanda: "Should any living being kill their father, harm their mother, or curse and revile their six degrees of kin — for such a fault, when their life comes to an end, the bronze dogs open their mouths and transform into eighteen chariots, each in the form of a golden chariot with a jeweled canopy above it, and every flame transforms into a jade maiden. Seeing this from afar, the guilty person's heart fills with joy: 'I wish to go there, I wish to go there!' As the wind-blades dismember the body, and the cold grows urgent, he loses his voice and cries: 'If only I could have that good fire!' Sitting upon the chariot, the fire ignites of itself. The moment this thought is formed, his life ends at once. In the flash of an instant, he finds himself seated in the golden chariot, gazing at the jade maidens — and they all seize iron axes and hack his body to pieces. Fire rises up from beneath his body like a spinning wheel of flame, and, in the time it takes a strong man to bend and stretch his arm, he falls straight down into the great hell of Avīci. From the uppermost chamber, spinning like a wheel of fire, down to the very lowest chamber, his body fills every chamber entirely. The bronze dogs roar loudly, gnawing his bones and sucking his marrow; the rākṣasa-jailers seize great iron forks and spear his head to make him rise, flames covering his whole body and filling the city of Avīci, while iron nets rain down blades that pierce through every pore of his skin. A manifestation of King Yama proclaims in a great voice: 'Foolish man, seed of the hells! In the world you were unfilial to your parents, perverse, arrogant, and without the Way — the place where you are now born is called the hell of Avīci. You knew no gratitude and felt no shame — do you find this suffering and affliction a pleasure, or not?' Having spoken these words, the vision vanishes and appears no more. At that time the jailers again drive the guilty one, from the lowest chamber up to the highest, passing through all eighty-four thousand chambers, his body dragged along until he reaches the very edge of the iron net — a single day and night pass in completing this whole circuit. But a single day and night in the hell of Avīci equals, by the reckoning of this Jambudvīpa's sun and moon, sixty small kalpas, and his lifespan there is not exhausted until a whole great kalpa has passed. One who has committed the five heinous crimes, without shame and without remorse, having committed these five crimes, at the moment his life comes to an end, the eighteen wind-blades, like an iron chariot of fire, dismember his body. Pressed by the heat, he says to himself: 'If only I could find a fine, cool, shady great tree beneath which to play — would that not be joyful!' The moment this thought arises, the eighty-four thousand evil forests of swords in the hell of Avīci transform into jeweled trees, their flowers and fruit lush and arrayed before him, and the great scorching flames transform into lotus flowers beneath that tree. Seeing this, the guilty man thinks: 'What I have wished for, I have now obtained.' The instant he says this, faster than a sudden downpour, he finds himself seated upon the lotus flower. No sooner has he sat down than iron-beaked insects rise up from the fiery flowers, boring through bone, entering the marrow, piercing the heart, and drilling through the brain. Climbing up the tree, every branch of blades shaves away his flesh down to the bone, and countless forests of blades descend upon him from above. The fire-chariot, the burning coals, and all eighteen kinds of torment arrive at once to greet him. The moment these signs appear, he plunges down into the ground below. Rising from the lowest chamber, his body, spread out like an unfolding flower, fills the lowest chamber entirely, and, rising from the lowest chamber, the fierce blaze of fire reaches all the way up to the highest chamber. Once at the highest chamber, his body fills it entirely, and, driven frantic by the urgency of the heat, he opens his eyes wide and thrusts out his tongue. Because of this person's fault, a hundred million measures of molten bronze and a hundred thousand wheels of blades fall from the sky, entering through the head and emerging through the feet. Every torment here exceeds those described above by a hundred thousand myriad times. Whoever has committed all five heinous crimes in full undergoes this punishment for a full five kalpas. There are further living beings who break the Buddha's own precepts while emptily consuming the offerings given in faith, who slander the Dharma, hold wrong views, do not recognize cause and effect, cut off their own study of the Perfection of Wisdom, defame the Buddhas of the ten directions, steal the property of the Buddha-dharma, engage in every kind of defiled and impure conduct, feel no shame, insult and defile their own kin, and commit every kind of evil deed. For such a person's fault, when their life comes to an end, the wind-blades dismember the body, and they lie tossing restlessly, as though being flogged. Their mind grows wild and deranged, giving rise to mad and foolish visions, and they see their own household, men and women, young and old, as nothing but impure things, filth and stench overflowing everywhere. At that time the guilty one says to himself: 'Why is there no fine walled city or fine mountain forest here for me to enjoy myself in — why must I dwell among such filthy things?' The moment he says this, the rākṣasa-jailers, holding up the hell of Avīci and its forests of blades on great iron forks, transform them into jeweled trees and a cool, clear pool, the flames transform into golden-leaved lotus flowers, the iron-beaked insects transform into ducks and wild geese, and the cries of pain from the hells sound like singing and music. Hearing this, the guilty one thinks: 'What a fine place — I shall go and enjoy myself there.' The moment he thinks this, he finds himself seated upon a fiery lotus, and the iron-beaked insects bore through every pore of his skin and devour his flesh, a hundred thousand iron wheels enter through the crown of his head, and iron forks as numerous as the sands of the river gouge out his eyes. The bronze dogs of hell transform into a hundred million iron dogs, competing to tear apart his body and eat his heart. In an instant, his body becomes like an iron flower filling all eighteen chambers, each flower with eighty-four thousand petals, and on the tip of each petal lies a body, a hand, or a limb within a single chamber. The hell is not large, and this body is not small, yet it fills this great hell entirely. Guilty ones such as these, having fallen into this hell, pass through eighty-four thousand great kalpas there. When this hell is finally exhausted, they enter the eighteen chambers to the east and undergo suffering there just as before. This hell of Avīci likewise has eighteen chambers to the south, eighteen to the west, and eighteen to the north. Whoever slanders the Vaipulya sūtras, commits the five heinous crimes in full, destroys the sages and worthies, and cuts off every wholesome root — a guilty one who has committed every one of these faults in full has a body that fills the hell of Avīci, its four limbs also filling the eighteen chambers. This hell of Avīci burns only beings who are the very seed of such hells. When the kalpa is about to end, the eastern gate opens, and beyond it a clear spring, flowing water, and flowering trees and fruit all appear together. These guilty ones, seeing this from the lowest chamber, find the fire momentarily fading from their eyes. Rising from the lowest chamber, crawling on their bellies, they drag their bodies upward and run to the highest chamber, their hands clutching at the wheels of blades, while iron pellets rain down from the sky above. Running toward the eastern gate, once they reach its threshold, the rākṣasa-jailers seize their iron forks and pierce their eyes from the front, and the bronze dogs gnaw at their hearts until they faint and die — and, having died, they are revived again. They then see the southern gate open, just the same as before, and likewise the western gate and the northern gate — and in this way half a kalpa passes. Dying in the hell of Avīci, they are reborn in the hell of freezing ice; dying in the hell of freezing ice, they are born in a place of darkness, their eyes seeing nothing for eighty million years. They receive the body of a great worm, crawling on their bellies, every faculty darkened and blocked, understanding nothing, devoured by hundreds and thousands of foxes and wolves that drag them along. When that life ends, they are born among the animals, receiving the forms of birds and beasts across fifty million bodies. When this fault, too, is exhausted, they are born again among humans, deaf, blind, mute, afflicted with scabies and leprosy and abscesses, poor and lowly, every kind of misfortune adorning their very person. They receive this lowly form across five hundred bodies, and afterward are born once more among the hungry ghosts. Among the hungry ghosts, they encounter a good companion, one of the great bodhisattvas, who rebukes them, saying: 'In your former bodies, across immeasurable lifetimes, you committed boundless fault, slandering and disbelieving, and fell into the hell of Avīci, undergoing every affliction beyond full description. You should now arouse a compassionate mind.' At that time, these hungry ghosts, hearing these words, utter 'Homage to the Buddha!' — and, through the power of this invocation of the Buddha, their lives come to an end at once, and they are born in the realm of the Four Heavenly Kings. Once born in that heaven, they repent their past faults, reproach themselves, and arouse the awakening-mind. The light of the Buddhas' own minds never abandons beings such as these, gathering them in, cherishing them with sorrow as though each were Rāhula himself, and teaching them to avoid the hells as one cherishes one's own eyes." The Buddha said to the great king: "If you wish to know where the light of the Buddha's mind shines, know that it constantly shines upon beings such as these, suffering without interruption and without rescue. What the Buddha's mind takes as its object is constantly these very beings of the utmost evil. By the power of the Buddha's own mind, adorning itself in this way, across kalpas beyond counting, he causes even such evil people to arouse the awakening-mind."

Today, the assembly gathered together in this common practice — having heard the World-Honored Buddha describe the sufferings above, we should apply the mind further and not give rise to heedlessness. If we, together, still fail to diligently apply skillful means and walk the bodhisattva path, then we ourselves bear a share of the fault in each and every hell. Today, together, on behalf of every living being now suffering in the hell of Avīci and its kind, every living being yet to suffer there, and, extending it out to the ten directions, every living being throughout every hell, present and future, without end or limit, let us, with this same anguish of resolve, prostrate ourselves fully to the ground, and take refuge in the great and compassionate father of the world. Homage to the Buddha Maitreya. Homage to the Seven Buddhas of antiquity. Homage to the Ten Buddhas of the Ten Directions. Homage to the Thirty-Five Buddhas. Homage to the Fifty-Three Buddhas. Homage to the Hundred and Seventy Buddhas. Homage to the Thousand Buddhas of the Kalpa of Adornment. Homage to the Thousand Buddhas of the Auspicious Kalpa. Homage to the Thousand Buddhas of the Kalpa of Constellations. Homage to the Great Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas of the Ten Directions. Homage to the Twelve Bodhisattvas. Homage to the Bodhisattva of Boundless Body. Homage to the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. We further take refuge in every image throughout the ten directions and the whole reach of empty space, without measure: King Udayana's golden image, images of sandalwood, King Aśoka's bronze image, the stone image of Wu, the jade image of Siṃhala, and, in every land, images of gold, images of silver, images of lapis lazuli, images of coral, images of amber, images of mother-of-pearl, images of agate, images of pearl, images of maṇi-jewel, and images of the finest, deep-purple Jambūnada gold. We further take refuge in every hair-relic stūpa, every tooth-relic stūpa, every fang-relic stūpa, every nail-relic stūpa, every stūpa for the bone at the crown of the head, and every stūpa holding the relics within the body, of the Tathāgatas of the ten directions, together with robe-stūpas, bowl-and-spoon stūpas, water-vessel stūpas, and staff-stūpas — all such things made in honor of the Buddha's own deeds. We further take refuge in every Buddha's birthplace stūpa, awakening-place stūpa, first-turning-of-the-Dharma-wheel stūpa, and parinirvāṇa stūpa; the stūpa of the Buddha Prabhūtaratna; the eighty-four thousand stūpas built by King Aśoka; every stūpa in the heavens, every stūpa among humans, and every jeweled stūpa within the palaces of the dragon-kings. We further take refuge in all the Buddhas throughout the ten directions and the whole reach of empty space. We take refuge in all the venerable Dharma throughout the ten directions and the whole reach of empty space. We take refuge in all the sages and worthies throughout the ten directions and the whole reach of empty space. We look up and pray that they may together, by the power of compassion, the power to comfort living beings, their power of boundless mastery, and their boundless power of great supernormal ability, receive us. Today, together, on behalf of every living being suffering in the great hell of Avīci, we confess; and, extending it to every living being throughout the inexpressibly many hells of the ten directions, we confess; and, on behalf of our parents, teachers, and every kin, today we confess. May they wash away, with the water of great compassion, the defiling fault of every living being now suffering in the hell of Avīci and every other hell, bringing them to purity; may they wash away the defiling fault of this assembly gathered here today in confession, and of our parents, teachers, and every kin, bringing them to purity; and may they wash away the defiling fault of every being of the six destinies, bringing them, upon reaching the very seat of awakening, to complete purity. From this day forward, even to the very seat of awakening, may all attain the cutting-off of the suffering of the hell of Avīci, and of every hell, inexpressibly, inexpressibly many, throughout the ten directions and the whole reach of empty space, never again to enter the three evil paths, never again to fall into the hells, and never again to commit the ten evil deeds or the five heinous crimes and undergo their suffering and affliction. May every fault be entirely dissolved; may they discard the birth of the hells and attain birth in the pure land, discard the life of the hells and attain the life of wisdom, discard the body of the hells and attain a body like vajra, discard the suffering of the hells and attain the joy of nirvāṇa. Recollecting the suffering of the hells, may they arouse the awakening-mind, the four immeasurables and six perfections always present before them, the four eloquences and six supernormal powers theirs at will, fully endowed with wisdom, walking the bodhisattva path, courageous and diligent without rest, until, advancing in cultivation, they fulfill the practice of the ten grounds, enter the vajra-mind, accomplish true and equal awakening, and, in turn, deliver every living being of the ten directions.

Today, the assembly gathered together in this common practice — the many other hells, receiving punishment of every mixed kind, cannot all be recorded here, their names and their torments beyond measure; let us together open the sūtra and see the whole matter in full. The sūtra says: a single evil thought of King Yama governs the affairs of the whole hell, and the suffering he himself undergoes cannot be told either. King Yama was, in a former time, the King of Vaiśālī, and, warring against King Vaideha and finding his forces unequal to the task, made this very vow: "May I, in a life to come, become the lord of the hells, and there govern these guilty ones." His eighteen ministers and his hundred million subjects all made the same vow together. The King of Vaiśālī is now King Yama; the eighteen ministers are now the eighteen hell-lords; and the hundred million subjects are now the ox-headed and horse-faced jailers. And these officials are all subordinate to Vaiśravaṇa, the Heavenly King of the North. The Dīrgha Āgama says: King Yama's own dwelling lies within the Vajra Mountain, south of Jambudvīpa, his palace six thousand yojanas in length and breadth. The Hell Sūtra says: dwelling among the hells, his palace-city measures thirty thousand li in length and breadth, made of bronze and iron. Three times each day and night, a great bronze cauldron, filled with molten bronze, appears of itself before him. A great jailer forces him to lie upon a bed of red-hot iron, and, prying open his mouth with an iron hook, pours the molten bronze in, so that from his throat downward nothing is left unscorched and unmelted. His many ministers undergo the very same. The eighteen hell-lords: the first is named Kāla, who governs the Naraka hell. The second is called Yielding-Honor, who governs the Mountain-of-Blades hell. The third is named Boiling-Life, who governs the Boiling-Sand hell. The fourth is named Boiling-Curve, who governs the Boiling-Filth hell. The fifth is named Kāśyapa's-Generation, who governs the Black-Ears hell. The sixth is named Cha-Suo, who governs the Fire-Chariot hell. The seventh is named Boiling-Words, who governs the Boiling-Cauldron hell. The eighth is named Iron-Blazing, who governs the Iron-Bed hell. The ninth is named Evil-Birth, who governs the Cha-Mountain hell. The tenth is named Groaning, who governs the Freezing-Ice hell. The eleventh is Vaiḍūrya, who governs the Skin-Flaying hell. The twelfth is Distant-Head, who governs the Animal hell. The thirteenth is Tibo, who governs the Weapons-of-War hell. The fourteenth is Yidai, who governs the Iron-Mill hell. The fifteenth is Joyful-Head, who governs the second Freezing-Ice hell. The sixteenth is named Bone-Piercing, who governs the Iron-Awl hell. The seventeenth is named Body, who governs the Maggot hell. The eighteenth is Body-Contemplation, who governs the Molten-Bronze hell. Each of these has, in turn, immeasurable hells as its own dependents. Each hell has its own lord, and the ox-headed and horse-faced jailers, savage and cruel by nature, without a trace of compassion or forbearance, seeing living beings undergo this evil retribution, worry only that it is not painful enough, fear only that it is not cruel enough. Someone once asked a jailer: "Living beings undergoing such suffering are truly worthy of pity, and yet you constantly harbor such cruelty and poison, with no compassionate mind at all." The jailer answered: "These guilty ones undergoing such suffering were unfilial to their parents, slandered the Buddha, slandered the Dharma, slandered the sages and worthies, cursed and reviled their six degrees of kin, treated their teachers and elders with contempt, and defamed everyone; they spoke with harsh words and a divisive tongue, were flattering, crooked, and jealous, estranged others from their own flesh and blood, killed out of hatred, deceived out of greed, pursued a wrongful livelihood and wrongful seeking and held wrong views, and, idle and heedless, wove every kind of enmity and grudge. People such as this come here to suffer, and on the very day of their release, I always add this word of advice: 'The suffering here is beyond endurance. Now that you have gained your release, do not commit such deeds again.' And yet these guilty ones show not the slightest change of heart — no sooner released today than they return again in a moment, turning through the cycle again and again without ever recognizing their own suffering, exhausting all my strength on their account, forced to confront them again from kalpa to kalpa. Because of this, I hold not the smallest fragment of compassion for the guilty, and add cruelty and poison instead, hoping that they will come to know suffering, know shame, and know disgrace, and never return here again. Observing these beings, I see that they would rather endure the very worst suffering than ever avoid it, resolutely refusing to cultivate goodness and move toward nirvāṇa. Since they are creatures without any understanding, not knowing how to avoid suffering and seek joy, their pain here is doubled compared to that of the human world — how, then, could I ever give rise to compassion and forbearance in such a place?" Today, the assembly gathered together in this common practice — comparing this now to the prisons of this world, we can at once know and believe that this is no empty claim. Suppose a person is thrown three times into a worldly prison — even his own family and relatives, going about their business, would already feel no pang of sorrow for him — how much more, then, the ox-headed and horse-faced jailers, seeing these beings released only to return again, their suffering long and their release only brief, would think only that one should cultivate the mind and change one's own habits. If one does not repent and change, one sinks forever into this place of suffering, falling into it and passing through it in sequence, from one suffering into the next without rest. This is why enmity across the three periods of time gives rise to cause and effect in turn, the two wheels of good and evil never once ceasing, and the signs of retribution stand plainly visible. Doing evil obtains suffering, which is repaid in kind, and in the hells, through the fullness of years and the extremity of kalpas, one undergoes this severe suffering in full. When the fault of the hells is exhausted, one falls further among the animals; when the fault of the animals is exhausted, one is born further among the hungry ghosts — passing in this way through immeasurable birth and death, immeasurable pain and suffering. How, then, could each of us fail to practice the Way while there is still time? Let us together, today, with this same anguish of resolve, prostrate ourselves fully to the ground, on behalf of every hell-lord and minister of the hell-destiny throughout the ten directions, the ox-headed and horse-faced jailers, and each of their kin; on behalf of every hungry ghost and hungry-ghost spirit, and each of their kin; on behalf of every animal and animal-spirit, and each of their kin; and, extending it out endlessly to the ten directions, on behalf of every living being, beg for mercy in confession, correcting what is past and cultivating what is to come, no longer doing evil — praying that whatever fault we have already committed be dissolved, and that we dare not commit again what we have not yet committed. We pray only that all the Buddhas of the ten directions, by their inconceivable, sovereign, supernormal power, may together extend their rescue, their compassionate regard, and their reception, so that all living beings may attain liberation in due time. We further pray to the great and compassionate father of the world: Homage to the Buddha Maitreya. Homage to the Buddha Śākyamuni. Homage to the Buddha of the Flower's Sun. Homage to the Buddha of the Army's Strength. Homage to the Buddha of Flower Radiance. Homage to the Buddha of Benevolent Love. Homage to the Buddha of Great Awesome Virtue. Homage to the Buddha King Brahmā. Homage to the Buddha of Boundless Brightness. Homage to the Buddha of Dragon Virtue. Homage to the Buddha of Firm Stride. Homage to the Buddha Whose Vision Is Never False. Homage to the Buddha of the Virtue of Diligence. Homage to the Buddha Who Guards Well. Homage to the Buddha of Joy. Homage to the Buddha of Non-Retrogression. Homage to the Buddha of the Lion's Form. Homage to the Buddha of Victorious Knowledge. Homage to the Buddha of the Dharma Clan. Homage to the Buddha King of Joy. Homage to the Buddha of Wondrous Mastery. Homage to the Buddha Who Acts with Love. Homage to the Buddha of the Virtuous Arm. Homage to the Buddha of the Fragrant Elephant. Homage to the Buddha Who Watches Over All. Homage to the Buddha of the Cloud's Sound. Homage to the Buddha of Excellent Thought. Homage to the Bodhisattva of the Lion's Banner. Homage to the Bodhisattva of the Lion's Deeds. Homage to the Bodhisattva of Boundless Body. Homage to the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. By their sovereign, supernormal power, may they rescue the hell-lords and ministers of the hell-destiny, and every dependent of the hells, the eighteen lesser cell-hells — and each of these eighteen lesser cell-hells, in turn, has its own dependent hells — so that every hell throughout the hell-destiny, the ox-headed and horse-faced jailers, and every suffering being there, may today all attain liberation together, their fault and its bitter fruit dissolved together. From this day forward, may they cut off forever the karma of the hell-destiny, never again to fall among the three evil paths, discarding the birth of the hells to attain birth in the pure land, discarding the life of the hells to attain the life of wisdom, discarding the body of the hells to attain a body like vajra, discarding the suffering of the hells to attain the joy of nirvāṇa; discarding the suffering of the hells, may they arouse the awakening-mind, the four immeasurables and six perfections always present before them, the four eloquences and six supernormal powers theirs at will, courageous and diligent without rest, until, advancing in cultivation, they fulfill the practice of the ten grounds, and, in turn, deliver every living being without limit, entering the vajra-mind and accomplishing true and equal awakening. One bow.