The Foolish and the Astute · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral
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Yaṁ kho taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘ekantaṁ aniṭṭhaṁ ekantaṁ akantaṁ ekantaṁ amanāpan’ti, nirayameva taṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘ekantaṁ aniṭṭhaṁ ekantaṁ akantaṁ ekantaṁ amanāpan’ti. Yāvañcidaṁ, bhikkhave, upamāpi na sukarā yāva dukkhā nirayā”ti. Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “sakkā pana, bhante, upamaṁ kātun”ti?
And if there’s anything of which it may be rightly said that it is utterly unlikable, undesirable, and disagreeable, it is of hell that this should be said. So much so that it’s not easy to give a simile for how painful hell is.” When he said this, one of the mendicants said to the Buddha, “But sir, is it possible to give a simile?”
“Sakkā, bhikkhū”ti bhagavā avoca. “Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, coraṁ āgucāriṁ gahetvā rañño dasseyyuṁ: ‘ayaṁ kho, deva, coro āgucārī, imassa yaṁ icchasi taṁ daṇḍaṁ paṇehī’ti. Tamenaṁ rājā evaṁ vadeyya: ‘gacchatha, bho, imaṁ purisaṁ pubbaṇhasamayaṁ sattisatena hanathā’ti. Tamenaṁ pubbaṇhasamayaṁ sattisatena haneyyuṁ. Atha rājā majjhanhikasamayaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ambho, kathaṁ so puriso’ti? ‘Tatheva, deva, jīvatī’ti. Tamenaṁ rājā evaṁ vadeyya: ‘gacchatha, bho, taṁ purisaṁ majjhanhikasamayaṁ sattisatena hanathā’ti. Tamenaṁ majjhanhikasamayaṁ sattisatena haneyyuṁ. Atha rājā sāyanhasamayaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ambho, kathaṁ so puriso’ti? ‘Tatheva, deva, jīvatī’ti. Tamenaṁ rājā evaṁ vadeyya: ‘gacchatha, bho, taṁ purisaṁ sāyanhasamayaṁ sattisatena hanathā’ti. Tamenaṁ sāyanhasamayaṁ sattisatena haneyyuṁ. Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave,
“It’s possible,” said the Buddha. “Suppose they arrest a bandit, a criminal and present him to the king, saying, ‘Your Majesty, this is a bandit, a criminal. Punish him as you will.’ The king would say, ‘Go, my men, and strike this man in the morning with a hundred spears!’ The king’s men did as they were told. Then at midday the king would say, ‘Look here, how is that man?’ ‘He’s still alive, Your Majesty.’ The king would say, ‘Go, my men, and strike this man in the midday with a hundred spears!’ The king’s men did as they were told. Then late in the afternoon the king would say, ‘Look here, how is that man?’ ‘He’s still alive, Your Majesty.’ The king would say, ‘Go, my men, and strike this man in the late afternoon with a hundred spears!’ The king’s men did as they were told. What do you think, mendicants?
api nu so puriso tīhi sattisatehi haññamāno tatonidānaṁ dukkhaṁ domanassaṁ paṭisaṁvediyethā”ti? “Ekissāpi, bhante, sattiyā haññamāno so puriso tatonidānaṁ dukkhaṁ domanassaṁ paṭisaṁvediyetha, ko pana vādo tīhi sattisatehī”ti?
Would that man experience pain and distress from being struck with three hundred spears?” “Sir, that man would experience pain and distress from being struck with one spear, let alone three hundred spears!”
Atha kho bhagavā parittaṁ pāṇimattaṁ pāsāṇaṁ gahetvā bhikkhū āmantesi: “Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, katamo nu kho mahantataro—yo cāyaṁ mayā paritto pāṇimatto pāsāṇo gahito, yo ca himavā pabbatarājā”ti? “Appamattako ayaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā paritto pāṇimatto pāsāṇo gahito, himavantaṁ pabbatarājānaṁ upanidhāya saṅkhampi na upeti, kalabhāgampi na upeti, upanidhampi na upe”ti. “Evameva kho, bhikkhave, yaṁ so puriso tīhi sattisatehi haññamāno tatonidānaṁ dukkhaṁ domanassaṁ paṭisaṁvedeti taṁ nirayakassa dukkhassa upanidhāya saṅkhampi na upeti, kalabhāgampi na upeti, upanidhampi na upeti.
Then the Buddha, picking up a stone the size of his palm, addressed the mendicants, “What do you think, mendicants? Which is bigger: the stone the size of my palm that I’ve picked up, or the Himalayas, the king of mountains?” “Sir, the stone you’ve picked up is tiny. Compared to the Himalayas, it doesn’t count, it’s not worth a fraction, there’s no comparison.” “In the same way, compared to the suffering in hell, the pain and distress experienced by that man due to being struck with three hundred spears doesn’t count, it’s not worth a fraction, there’s no comparison.
Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā pañcavidhabandhanaṁ nāma kammakāraṇaṁ karonti— tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ hatthe gamenti, tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ dutiye hatthe gamenti, tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ pāde gamenti, tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ dutiye pāde gamenti, tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ majjhe urasmiṁ gamenti. So tattha dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vedeti, na ca tāva kālaṁ karoti yāva na taṁ pāpakammaṁ byantīhoti.
The wardens of hell punish them with the five-fold crucifixion. They drive red-hot stakes through the hands and feet, and another in the middle of the chest. And there they feel painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings—but they don’t die until that bad deed is eliminated.
Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā saṁvesetvā kuṭhārīhi tacchanti. So tattha dukkhā tibbā …pe… byantīhoti.
The wardens of hell throw them down and hack them with axes. …
Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā uddhampādaṁ adhosiraṁ gahetvā vāsīhi tacchanti. So tattha dukkhā tibbā …pe… byantīhoti.
They hang them upside-down and hack them with hatchets. …
Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā rathe yojetvā ādittāya pathaviyā sampajjalitāya sajotibhūtāya sārentipi paccāsārentipi. So tattha dukkhā tibbā …pe… byantīhoti.
They harness them to a chariot, and drive them back and forth across burning ground, blazing and glowing. …
Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā mahantaṁ aṅgārapabbataṁ ādittaṁ sampajjalitaṁ sajotibhūtaṁ āropentipi oropentipi. So tattha dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vedeti, na ca tāva kālaṁ karoti yāva na taṁ pāpakammaṁ byantīhoti.
They make them climb up and down a big mountain of burning coals, blazing and glowing. …
Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā uddhampādaṁ adhosiraṁ gahetvā tattāya lohakumbhiyā pakkhipanti ādittāya sampajjalitāya sajotibhūtāya. So tattha pheṇuddehakaṁ paccati. So tattha pheṇuddehakaṁ paccamāno sakimpi uddhaṁ gacchati, sakimpi adho gacchati, sakimpi tiriyaṁ gacchati. So tattha dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vedeti, na ca tāva kālaṁ karoti yāva na taṁ pāpakammaṁ byantīhoti.
The wardens of hell turn them upside down and throw them into a red-hot copper pot, burning, blazing, and glowing. There they’re seared in boiling scum, and they’re swept up and down and round and round. And there they feel painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings—but they don’t die until that bad deed is eliminated.
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