Lesson 43 from A Comprehensive Commentary on the Words of My Perfect Teacher covers the Eight Cold Hells and the Ephemeral Hells.
The Eight Cold Hells — from the Hell of Blisters through to the Hell of Great Lotus-like Cracks — are described in ascending order of severity, each named after the progressively worsening physical torment its inhabitants endure in a world of perpetual blizzard and nakedness. Their lifespan is illustrated by the sesame-seed analogy from the Treasury of Abhidharma, with each subsequent hell lasting twenty times longer than the one before. Three principal causes of rebirth in the cold hells are identified: holding nihilist views, slandering sublime beings, and freezing living creatures to death. The story of Bhikshu Kokālika — who slandered Sariputra and Maudgalyayana despite being warned by Brahma and the Buddha himself — demonstrates the gravity of the second cause with particular vividness.
The lesson then turns to the Ephemeral Hells, presenting the story of the siddha Lingje Repa who dried up Lake Yamdrok with a miracle to reveal the Black Horse Lama reborn as a vast fish covered with creatures devouring it alive — a stark warning against misusing offerings received for the deceased.
