We looked at that elderly female soul beside us. Her zone of food was many times larger and far more terrifying than that of the young woman we saw earlier. Not only was her area vast, but the food there emitted an overpowering sour and putrid stench. It was all rotten, heavily mouldy, discolored and crawling with worms and fungi. How could anyone eat such things? The sight sent shudders through one’s heart.
“Amitabha! Could you tell me how you came to this place?”
“I was a housewife in my lifetime. I disliked housework. To save time grocery shopping, I often bought large quantities of ingredients and stored them at home. Food could not be kept for long, and it spoiled after some time. I frequently prepared more food than I could finish and poured the leftovers away; many ingredients were discarded after going bad. My husband often told me not to waste water and to avoid leaving the tap wide open while washing dishes. Whenever he reminded me, I would shout viciously and quarrel fiercely until he fell silent. He urged me not to squander food, yet I refused to listen. I even intentionally bought extra groceries, letting them rot before throwing them out. After my passing, Yama condemned me to the Hell of Abundant Harvest of the Five Grains to consume all the food I had discarded. I deeply regret ignoring my husband’s words.” At that moment, hell guards came to drag her away to continue eating.
I turned to ask the magistrate, “Must one eat the food if it spoils unintentionally?”
The magistrate replied, “If food spoils accidentally or without your knowledge, you are not required to eat it. Eating spoiled food and falling ill would only bring unnecessary trouble. You should repent for this unintended fault and be more careful in the future to avoid repeating it. Do not let the Black Impermanence record your misdeeds and incur punishment under the laws of the netherworld. You may recite Buddhist mantras or the Buddha’s name over spoiled food, then leave it in woods or grass as an offering for small creatures to form good affinities, or cast it into the sea to feed aquatic beings.”
“We shall stop here for today. You may return now, Ayù. You are welcome to come again if you have further questions.”
“Amitabha! I am grateful to you, Magistrate.” I pressed my palms together and bowed to the magistrate.
I returned by white lotus flower.
9 / The Buddha’s Instruction: “Those Who Waste Food and Drink Will Certainly Fall into the Naraka to Suffer!”
The Buddha said: “The torment within the Naraka far surpasses the pain of being wounded by spears millions upon hundreds of millions of times over, yet even that pain cannot compare to the agony of the Naraka. A pain no bigger than a small stone in your palm equals the hurt of three hundred spear wounds; suffering as massive as a mountain is the torment endured in the Naraka. Foolish beings harbor evil thoughts, utter evil words, and commit evil deeds with their bodies. After death, they fall into the Naraka. Within the Naraka reside beast ghosts. They drag the sinners forward, hook their upper gums with iron hooks, and then hook their jaws to force their mouths wide open. Molten copper is poured into their mouths, scorching and destroying their lips, tongues, intestines and stomachs. The molten metal passes through their bodies, inflicting unbearable searing agony. Such is the torment of Naraka. When ghosts seize sinners in Naraka, they use iron hooks to pry open their upper and lower jaws, then drive red‑hot iron pestles into their throats, scorching their lips, tongues, intestines, and stomachs. The pain is unbearable, yet they do not die because their evil karma has not yet been exhausted. Such is the suffering in the Naraka.” (Sutra of the Naraka, translated by the Western Region Shramana Dharmarān of the Eastern Jin Dynasty)