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by 芥川龍之介 · 2026-03-31

One

One day, the Buddha was strolling alone by the lotus pond in paradise. In the pond, pure white lotus flowers were in full bloom, with golden stamens at their centers, and an indescribably pleasant fragrance wafted around. Paradise was enveloped in the morning light.

After a while, the Buddha stopped at the edge of the pond and looked down through the gaps in the lotus leaves covering the water's surface. Beneath this paradise lotus pond was the very bottom of hell, and through the crystal-clear water, the scenery of the River of Three Crossings and the Mountain of Needles could be seen clearly, as if peering through a magnifying glass.

At that moment, he noticed a man named Dada writhing among other sinners at the bottom of hell. Dada was a great thief who had committed various crimes, including murder and arson, but he had one memory of a good deed. One time, while passing through a deep forest, he found a small spider crawling on the path. He tried to step on the spider, but then thought, "No, this is a living creature too. It would be cruel to take a life recklessly," and ultimately decided to save the spider.

The Buddha, observing the state of hell, remembered that Dada had saved the spider. He thought that, to reward that one good deed, he would try to rescue this man from hell if possible. Fortunately, nearby, a lotus leaf colored like jade was adorned with a beautiful silver thread spun by a paradise spider. The Buddha gently took the spider's thread and lowered it straight down through the pure white lotuses to the bottom of hell far below.

Two

On the other hand, in the blood pond at the bottom of hell, Dada was floating and sinking along with other sinners. The surroundings were pitch dark, and occasionally, the only thing that faintly emerged was the glimmering needles of a terrifying mountain of spikes. The sense of helplessness was beyond words. It was as quiet as in a grave, with only the faint sighs of the sinners occasionally heard. Those who fall here are likely exhausted from the various torments of hell, having lost even the strength to cry. The great thief Dada, suffering in the blood pond, was merely struggling like a dying frog.

One day, as Dada casually lifted his head to gaze at the sky above the blood pond, he saw a silver spider's thread descending towards him from the quiet darkness, shining thinly as if avoiding human eyes. Upon seeing this, Dada couldn't help but clap his hands in joy. If he clung to this thread and climbed up endlessly, he would surely be able to escape from hell. No, if things went well, he might even enter paradise. Then, he would no longer be chased up the mountain of needles or submerged in the blood pond.

Thinking this, Dada immediately grasped the spider's thread tightly with both hands and began to climb up with all his might. Being a great thief by nature, he was accustomed to such things.

However, the distance between hell and paradise is thousands of miles, so no matter how anxious he was, it was not easy to emerge above. After climbing for a while, Dada finally became tired and could no longer climb even a single inch higher. With no choice, he decided to take a break, hanging in the middle of the thread while looking far down below.

Then, after climbing with all his might, he found that the blood pond he had been in just a moment ago had somehow hidden itself in the dark depths. The terrifying mountain of needles that glimmered faintly could also be felt at his feet. If he continued to climb like this, escaping from hell might not be as difficult as he thought. Dada laughed with a voice he hadn't used in years, entangling his hands in the spider's thread, saying, "I've got it. I've got it."

However, when he suddenly realized, he saw countless sinners below the spider's thread, following in his footsteps, climbing up with the same determination as an ant parade. Dada watched this in shock and fear, standing there for a while, mouth agape and eyes moving in disbelief. How could this thin spider's thread bear the weight of so many people when it seemed like he could barely endure it alone? If it broke along the way, he would surely be sent tumbling back down to the original hell after climbing so far. That would be a disaster.

At that moment, hundreds, thousands of sinners crawled up from the dark bottom of the blood pond, diligently climbing in a line along the thin, shining spider's thread. If he didn't do something soon, the thread would surely snap in the middle and fall apart.

So Dada shouted loudly, "Hey, sinners! This spider's thread is mine. Who gave you permission to climb? Get down. Get down!"

In that instant, the spider's thread, which had been fine until now, suddenly snapped with a sound right where Dada was hanging. Unable to bear it, he was cut through the air in an instant, spinning like a top, and quickly fell headlong into the dark depths.

Behind him, only the spider's thread of paradise sparkled thinly, hanging short in the middle of a sky devoid of moon and stars.

Three

The Buddha stood by the edge of the lotus pond in Paradise, quietly observing the entire scene. Eventually, as Dada sank to the bottom of the blood pond like a stone, he began to walk aimlessly again, wearing a sorrowful expression. The merciless heart of Dada, who sought to escape from hell alone, received a punishment befitting that heart and fell back into the original hell, which must have appeared pitiful in the eyes of the Buddha.

However, the lotuses in the lotus pond of Paradise paid no attention to such matters at all. Those pearl-like white flowers swayed their petals gently at the feet of the Buddha, and from the golden stamens at their center, an indescribably pleasant fragrance continuously overflowed into the surroundings. It seems that Paradise is nearing noon as well.