SN 19.21

Pāpasāmaṇerīsutta

“Idhāhaṁ, āvuso, gijjhakūṭā pabbatā orohanto addasaṁ sāmaṇeriṁ vehāsaṁ gacchantiṁ. Tassā saṅghāṭipi ādittā sampajjalitā sajotibhūtā, pattopi āditto sampajjalito sajotibhūto, kāyabandhanampi ādittaṁ sampajjalitaṁ sajotibhūtaṁ, kāyopi āditto sampajjalito sajotibhūto. Sā sudaṁ aṭṭassaraṁ karoti. Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, etadahosi: ‘acchariyaṁ vata bho, abbhutaṁ vata bho. Evarūpopi nāma satto bhavissati. Evarūpopi nāma yakkho bhavissati. Evarūpopi nāma attabhāvapaṭilābho bhavissatī’”ti.

A Bad Novice Nun

“Just now, reverend, as I was descending from Vulture’s Peak Mountain I saw a novice nun flying through the air. Her outer robe, bowl, belt, and body were burning, blazing, and glowing as she screamed in pain. It occurred to me: ‘Oh lord, how incredible, how amazing! That there can be such a sentient being, such a spirit, such an incarnation!’”

Atha kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “cakkhubhūtā vata, bhikkhave, sāvakā viharanti; ñāṇabhūtā vata, bhikkhave, sāvakā viharanti, yatra hi nāma sāvako evarūpaṁ ñassati vā dakkhati vā sakkhiṁ vā karissati. Pubbeva me sā, bhikkhave, sāmaṇerī diṭṭhā ahosi. Api cāhaṁ na byākāsiṁ. Ahañcetaṁ byākareyyaṁ, pare ca me na saddaheyyuṁ. Ye me na saddaheyyuṁ, tesaṁ taṁ assa dīgharattaṁ ahitāya dukkhāya. Esā, bhikkhave, sāmaṇerī kassapassa sammāsambuddhassa pāvacane pāpasāmaṇerī ahosi. Sā tassa kammassa vipākena bahūni vassāni bahūni vassasatāni bahūni vassasahassāni bahūni vassasatasahassāni niraye paccitvā tasseva kammassa vipākāvasesena evarūpaṁ attabhāvapaṭilābhaṁ paṭisaṁvedayatī”ti.

Then the Buddha said to the mendicants: “Mendicants, there are disciples who live full of vision and knowledge, since a disciple knows, sees, and witnesses such a thing. Formerly, I too saw that novice nun, but I did not speak of it. For if I had spoken of it others would not have believed me, which would be for their lasting harm and suffering. That female novice used to be a bad novice nun in the time of the Buddha Kassapa’s dispensation. As a result of that deed she burned in hell for many years, many hundreds, many thousands, many hundreds of thousands of years. Now she experiences the residual result of that deed in such an incarnation.”