CHAPTER 1ARRIVAL 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: 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. |
CONTENTS
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