22.2 The Story about the Fruits and Powers of People’s Bad Conduct
Duccaritaphalānubhāvasattavatthu
Dhp 307
Burlingame: The Skeleton-Ghost
Compare: SN 29.1
Elder Moggallāna saw a Peta dressed as a bhikkhu flying through the air with body all on fire and reported it to the Buddha, who told that previously the Peta had been a bhikkhu under Buddha Kassapa, but had not lived accordingly, and then he spoke a verse.
Keywords: Chief Disciples, Petas, Previous Buddhas
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“Many wearing the robe,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Veḷuvana with reference to people oppressed by the power of the fruit of their bad conduct.
For as venerable Mahā Moggallāna was descending Mount Vulture’s Peak with Elder Lakkhaṇa, he saw, among others, forms of
“Friend,” he said, “just now, as I was descending Mount Vulture’s Peak, I saw a bhikkhu soaring through the air, and his body was all aflame.” Continuing in the same strain, he mentioned five of their associates whom he had seen on fire, bowls, robes, girdles, and all. Thereupon the Teacher told the bhikkhus of the wickedness of certain bhikkhus who went forth in the dispensation of the Buddha Kassapa and failed to act accordingly. And pointing out the fruit of wicked deeds to the bhikkhus who at that moment sat there before him, he pronounced the following verse:
307. Kāsāvakaṇṭhā bahavo pāpadhammā asaññatā,
pāpā pāpehi kammehi Nirayaṁ te upapajjare.
Many wearing the robe around
their necks are wicked, unrestrained,
the wicked through their wicked deeds
arise in the Niraya Hell.
At the end of the teaching many reached the fruition of Stream-entry and so on.