Getaway from Hell

Lion's Roar said: "Oh, World Honored One! Who suffers little in the present life what would have to suffer in hell?"

“Oh, good man! Any person in the world who practices the body, sila, Wisdom, and the mind, as stated above, and who sees that all things are void and all-equal, and who sees no Wisdom, nor who is wise, nor ignorance, nor who is ignorant, nor practice and nor even those who practice, that person is someone who is wise. Such a person really practices the body, sila, mind, and Wisdom. Such a person really makes [what would have been] the karmic retribution in hell become little to be suffered in this life. This person may have committed the gravest of sins, but it thinks about [the matter], sees, makes it light, and says: 'What I did is grave in nature. But, nothing is better than good deeds. For example, 100 pounds of flowers upon flowers cannot ultimately be compared with a 'ryo' [unit of weight or money] of true gold. We might well throw a 'sho' of salt into the Ganges, but no salty taste will come about [from this] and no one who drinks its water will feel it. A rich man may possess 1,000 million jewels and yet he will not be arrested and made to suffer pain because of this. Or a great gandhahastin (musky elephant) can break an iron cage, escape and be free.’ So it is [also] with the person who has Wisdom. It always thinks to himself: 'I have much of the power of good and little of evil deeds. I confess and repent, and end up with evil. If we practice Wisdom, the power of Wisdom will grow, and the power of ignorance will lessen.’ Thinking thus, he befriends a Good Teacher of the Way and learns the right view of life. If he sees a person who upholds, recites, copies and expounds the 12 types of sutras, he will feel respect in his mind and, moreover, will make offerings to him of such things as clothing, food, accommodation, bedding, medicines, flowers and incense, and will praise and respect him. Wherever he goes, he praises only what is good and does not speak of what is lacking. He makes offerings to the Three Treasures, respects and believes that the Vaipulya Sutra of Great Nirvana and the Thatagata are Eternal and Unchanging, and that beings possess the Buddha Nature. Such a person makes what would be heavily suffered in hell, something that is [only] slight pain in this life. Oh, good man! For this reason, it is not the case that all actions are definite and that all beings definitely have to undergo karmic retribution."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 38 - On Bodhisattva Lion's Roar 6.

getaway from hell.mp3