Voyages to Hell

translated by

Nguyen Khang & Bui H.Huu

CHAPTER 1

ARRIVAL UPON MOUNT of HEART-SUMMIT VISIT TO HELL’S GROTTO

Buddha Tse Kong who manifested on August 16th, 1976, leap year of the Dragon (1976) gave this quatrain:

Paradise or hell is within man’s heart
Good or evil depends on one’s self will
I, Tse Kong will accompany Yang Ts’ien tonight
On the lotus flower, we together depart.

Buddha Tse Kong:     Tell me, Yang T’sien, you are going to take a trip with me to hell.  How do you feel about that?

Yang Ts’ien:               I thank Heaven and Buddhas for having granted me this opportunity to visit hell. I’m really delighted.

TK:      The Temple of the Sages belongs to the Southern Sector of Celestial Kingdom. Its disciples should be devoted to cultivating virtues, saving those people drowning in perdition in the harbor of illusions, disseminating books and sutras for preaching good to fill the whole universe with a religious spirit. The Celestial Emperor has ordered that a narrative of the “Voyages to Hell” be published in a book. Since this is your first time to visit such an important place, you will relate in detail all that you have seen to help people understand clearly what hell is like. You can do this because you will have known every road in hell. While you make use of your mediumnistic brush-pen, I have taught you many things. A bond has therefore been created between master and disciple that are strong and lasting. Now, our Almighty Lord in the Heavenly Kingdom has arranged for us to visit the kingdom of darkness in order to write a book. It is a great joy for me, because this is a chance for us to express our ardent and sincere desire to awaken and educate people. Day by day, they will probably show improvement. Let’s get going! 

YT:       Venerable master, I thank you for the teachings you’ve just given me. But I’m told that for a descent to hell, there must be a prodigy steed or a lotus flower. How could we get going? Do you mean we go on foot? 

TK:      Yang Ts’ien, how naive of you! How can people go down to hell on foot? Do you suppose we’ll have to walk on clouds or fly on smoke? In this society of advanced science, people travel by cars and other mechanized vehicles. Do you think we can depend on such means of transport? In reality, hell is without a door. Everyone has to enter by himself. To do otherwise is pure imagination. It requires patience and completion of the long path of regeneration before one can reach paradise. 

YT:      It seems to me you’ve been drinking tonight, Master. 

TK:      True! I’ve had some alcohol for I’m struck with fright at the moral conduct of human beings. Their morals and customs give me horror. To salvage them from loss is too difficult. An immense sadness invades my heart. I had to turn to alcohol to drown my sorrows. I know you are fond of alcoholic beverages, too. A little inebriety would help us arrive in hell with lesser pain. 

YT:      I’m not used to drinking, as you know, Master. I pray you not to ridicule me! 

TK:      Oh, I see. Well, time is pressing. I’m going to have a flower of lotus appear, and we’ll make a dais of it for our voyage. 

YT:      Your Buddha dharma is really miraculous and boundless. No sooner said than done, a white lotus- flower is in sight. But my feet are not clean; I dare not step on this magnificent dais of lotus. 

TK:      Your heart as well as your speech are pure. That’s enough. Even though, your feet may be dirty, it doesn’t matter. There is a proverb about the lotus: “Growing in mud, but never get impregnated with the bad odor of mud.” 

YT:      Since you permit me, I may now try to get on this flower of lotus. I’m settled, Master. Which direction are we going? 

TK:      Close your eyes. I’ll show you. We’ll arrive in no time. 

YT:      At your request.  

TK     Now, you may open your eyes. 

YT:      Say, Master! What place is this? I see a high mountain and on the slope I read three golden words “Mount of HEART-SUMMIT” with glitter that dazzles my eyes. 

TK:      This mount is named “Heart-Summit”. On the top of it, is the door that leads to paradise.  Looking down from the top, you’ll see a dark, bottomless grotto. It’s the grotto of hell. After his death, the soul of a man who has led an upright, honest life will come up to the top of the mountain and proceed to paradise. For those who did evil in their lives, when arriving at the top, they will be struck by vertigo, will lose consciousness and tumble down into the bottom of the grotto of hell. It is for this reason that the sages of old times have taught the following: “one’s heart is capable of creating paradise, or creating hell”. 

YT:      In other words, paradise and hell are the actual creation of man. This explains the existence of immortals and of demons as well. 

TK:      We don’t have much time left tonight. Let’s stop here and get ready for the return to the Temple. Get quickly on the dais of lotus. 

YT:      I’m seated, Master. 

TK:      Make sure your eyes are closed tightly. If you do open them, they can’t resist the winds that blast from the world of darkness.

YT:      How true, how true! It’s blowing like a gale. I can hardly stand it. 

TK     Here we are, at the Temple. Young man, just alight and your soul will be reinstated in your body.

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CONTENTS

Forward
Introduction
Preface
Summary
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Celestial Edict
Postface

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