Part 3 - On the standard of pain of infernal beings

Q. 77. Bhante! Do all infernal beings suffer an equal pain?

A. 77. Gautama! This is not necessarily so.

Q. 78 Why so?

A. 78. Gautama? The infernal beings are of two types. They are: those with consciousness and those without consciousness. Those who have consciousness have a great paint, and those who are without consciousness have little pain. Hence so, Gautama...⁵⁵.

Q. 79. Bhante! Do all infernal beings have the same activities?

A. 79. Gautama! This is not necessarily so.

Q. 80. Bhante! Why so?

A. 80. Gautama! The infernal beings are of three types. They are: those with right outlook, those with wrong outlook and those with mixed outlook. Of these, those who have a right outlook, they are involved in four types of (sinful) activities, viz., activities arising out of endeavour, out of possession, out of deceit and out of non-abstinence. Those with a wrong outlook have five types of (sinful) activities (starting with) those arising out of endeavour, and so on,...till activities arising out of a perverted faith. The same (i.e., five activities) with those with a mixed outlook. Hence so, Gautama...⁵⁶.

Q. 81. Bhante! Do all infernal beings have the same lifespan and simultaneous genesis?

A. 81. Gautama! This is not necessarily so.

Q. 82. Bhante! Why so?

A. 82. Gautama! The infernal beings are of four types. They are: with same-span, simultaneous-genesis, with same-span, non-simultaneous-genesis, with dissimilar-span, simultaneous-genesis and with dissimilar-span non-simultaneous-genesis⁵⁷. Hence so, Gautama...⁵⁸.

Notes (based on commentary of Abhayadeva Sūri):

55. ‘Saṇṇibhūyā’ is one with mind, hence with consciousness; ‘asaṇṇibhūyā’ is the reverse of it. One with consciousness has a great feeling of pain. Some commentators have considered ‘saṃjñā’ to be synonymous with pure or right faith. According to this view, when one changes from a wrong to a right faith, he is a ‘saṇṇibhūyā’. According to a third view, ‘saṇṇibhūyā’ is one with right outlook. A fourth view holds that ‘saṇṇibhūyā’ is one who had ‘five organs of senses before coming to hell’ which cause him the greatest feeling of pain. All the views have relevance more or less.

56. Three types of outlook have been distinguished—right, wrong and mixed, and five types of activity viz., endeavour, possession, deceit, non-abstinence and wrong faith.

Their distribution is as follows:

1. Right outlook—four activities, viz., endeavour, possession, deceit and non-abstinence;
2. Wrong outlook—five activities, viz., above four plus-wrong faith;
3. Mixed outlook—five activities.

Elsewhere we have:

mithyādarśanāviratipramāda-kaṣāya-yogāḥ bandhahetavaḥ

[Wrong faith, non-restraint, carelessness, passions and activities (yoga) are the causes of bondage.]

The above has no conflict with the text here. For, ‘activities’ includes endeavour, and carelessness is with all. The remaining three items, viz., wrong faith, non-restraint and. passions are common to both.

57. Four types based on life-span and genesis have been distinguished which are as follows:

(i) same span, simultaneous genesis, e.g., those with a life-span of, say, 10,000 years, and born at the same time;

(ii) same span, non-simultaneous genesis, e.g., those with a life-span of 10,000 years, but some having been born earlier than others;

(iii) dissimilar span, simultaneous genesis, i.e., those born at the same time but with dissimilar life-spans, some being assigned a longer duration of stay than others;

(iv) dissimilar span, non-simultaneous genesis, i.e., when nothing is common.

58. To recapitulate from Q. 69 till Q. 80, the discussion on infernal beings started with the consideration of two items, which was raised to three and then to four as follows:

two’s:
with big bodies and with small bodies;
born earlier and born later;
with fewer karma bondage and with more karma bondage;
purer colour and deeper colour;
purer tinge and deeper tinge;
with reasoning and without reasoning.

three’s:
with right outlook, wrong outlook and mixed outlook;
with four activities, five activities and five activities (again)

four’s:
same span, simultaneous genesis;
same span, non-simultaneous genesis;
similar span, simultaneous genesis;
dissimilar span, non-simultaneous genesis.

The distinctions are relative, and hence there is no scope for contradictions.