CHAPTER
8
VISIT TO THE CITADEL OF PREMATURE DEATH Buddha Tse Kong who manifested on the 16th of the second 8th month. Leap year of the Dragon (1976)
Buddha
Tse Kong: This is a leap year. We have beheld the full
moon two times this month. It is just one month since the day we
received the Edict of God prescribing the preparation of the book
“Voyages to Hell”. Time is fleeting like water flowing. Humans
should be coming out of their errors and illusions. The moon may be full
and bright many times, but how could humans have the opportunity to
contemplate two mid-autumn full moons? Under the splendor of the
moonlight, people are strolling and chatting. But their enjoyment is far
from full if they cast a glance back to hell, and see nothing but dense
darkness and hear only the resounding wailing and moaning of demonical
sounds. They prepare yourself for a promenade in hell. Yang
Ts’ien: I am at
your request, sir. Time elapses so quickly. It has been one month and
yet we have not accomplish one tenth of our task in collecting materials
for our book. I fear we’ll fail to fulfill our mission. TK:
It suffices we hold firm our faith. Didn’t the ancient sages
say: “ By dint of sharpening a bar of iron, one can obtain a
needle”? My boy! If the Tao within you remains immutable, all of the
ten palaces of hell will open wide their doors before you. You need only
cast a glimpse, and then you will understand everything perfectly. Shake
off all such disturbances, will you? Now, the dais! YT: I’m on it. Let’s go... TK: We have arrived. Come down. YT:
Is this the Citadel of Premature Death you spoke of? The front
door is closed tight. Above it, are engraved the words: “Citadel of
Premature Death”. May we enter and see what is going on? TK:
Why not? To go through this door is precisely our purpose
tonight. Follow me. YT:
But this door is carefully locked. What shall we do? TK:
It will open automatically; just the way supermarket-doors do on
earth. The souls of victims of violent death due to unnatural or unjust
causes suffer a justified wrath and their pure essence, thus troubled,
cannot escape. When the demons lead those confused souls to this place,
negative energy attracts and repels, creating a repercussion that opens
the door widely. All things in the Kingdom of Darkness, and of anywhere
else result from the reaction of the elements of Yin and Yang that
govern every creature. They adapt together, or they change, according to
the craving of a man’s heart. But you and I shouldn’t rely on a like
effect, as far as the door is concerned. I’ll give a blow of my
rush-fan, and it will open for us. YT:
Your power is frightening, Master. Can you possibly lend me your
rush-fan sometime? I’ll take it to earth and perform a “magic
show” with it, which certainly will dumbfound the spectators. TK:
Abstain from such a desire to make yourself conspicuous, my son.
The one who nurtures such a dark thought is easily haunted by demons.
Exercising religious virtues doesn’t need an exhibition of miraculous
power. Tranquility of the soul and a sound, fair reasoning are enough.
By living a single day without any trouble and possessing a calm, lucid
spirit, you can consider yourself a diminutive sage or a small-sized
saint. No need for you to own my fan. You will do nothing but attract
chagrin and annoyance. YT:
You have opened my eyes, Master. I’m really grateful for it.
I’m ashamed of my foolish desire. I see a group of people coming. Who
are they? TK:
They are the Governor, the General, and other dignitaries of the
citadel-administration. Let’s go greet them. The
Mandarin-Governor: Our greetings to Venerable Buddha Tse Kong and to
saint-scribe Yang Ts’ien, of the Temple of the Sages. This citadel is
really honored by your visit. The
General: Welcome to
Buddha Tse Kong and Mr. Yang Ts’ien. Some time ago, we received the
Celestial Order about your visit. We greatly admire your mission of
writing a book for redressing the conduct of mankind. YT:
I have been following the steps of my elders, and tonight, I come
here to visit this citadel. I would feel deeply obliged if you could
give me detailed explanations about it. The
Mandarin-Governor: It’s
a pleasure, Mr. Yang Ts’ien. Please follow me into the citadel. YT:
This place looks like a big prison. It covers an immerse area.
How heavily populated it is! The
Mandarin-Governor: New victims of premature death come everyday. Come
along. You will inspect the rooms successively. To begin with, take this
one. YT:
I see a large number of infants whose heads are wet with blood.
They wail and cry unceasingly. Some of them are writhing on the ground
in a heart-rending way. Why aren’t they set free? The
General: These infants
had their normal development interrupted by volutary or forced abortion.
They are abandoned here because their makers refused to accept
responsibility, pretending that the child had been conceived either
casually or illegitimately. The foetus had taken human shape so its
innate life did not die out completely. Thus the souls of these tiny
creatures survived a little while on earth, before they came here.
Considering the fact that each human has a predestined fate, why then
are these beings prevented from seeing the light of day? Their vengeance
on their parents persists forever. They swear to bring an implacable woe
upon their parents by not allowing them to enjoy matrimonial happiness,
and plaguing them until death. As soon as the souls of their parents
come down to hell, the infants cling to them to reclaim their lives.
Because of such moral torment, it is recommended that humans not
practice abortion. This practice not only jeopardizes virtue, but also
creates the abominable, lewd vice of lust. The people guilty of abortion
must redeem their sin by acquiring an important record of good actions
and meritorious deeds. Only under these conditions can hell consider
mitigating circumstances in favour of the sinners. YT:
Now, I realize how things are. But General, may I ask you this:
Do all people dying of premature death have to come to this citadel? The
General: Not all of them.
The soldiers and officers who die while defending their country, for
instance, sacrifice their “smaller self” for perfecting their
“greater self”. They are not detained in this citadel. Their loyalty
and patriotic actions, on the other hand, are taken into consideration.
They are admitted to the Kingdom of Immortals where they live in
felicity. Nevertheless, a number of them may not be completely freed
from the burden of the law of causality. They will either rejoin the
sojourn-place of genii and saints, or reincarnate, that is, become a
foetus and be born again among human beings, in a blessed land. This is
the reason so many temples have been erected in the world of humans in
honour of great patriotic matyrs. Every year, tens of thousands of
people perform pilgrimages out of respect and gratitude to them. And we
should say that at all times, the great men, illustrious for their
devotion and loyalty to the cause of their countries, always leave
behind them a good reputation that perpetuates to following generations. YT:
What you said is exact. TK:
Heaven and earth always wraps honest and loyal people in deep
affection. The great patriots who dedicated their lives to preservation
of their countries inspire admiring respect from heaven and earth, and
even excite tears of commiseration from demons themselves. A number of
them have attained the “Way”, only by having observed and done what
their noble feelings of devotion and loyalty dictated them to do. For
the moment, we have no time left. Yang Ts’ien, let’s return to the
Temple. We’ll come back another day for further information. Turn to
our hosts and say goodbye. YT:
Excellency, General, accept my thanks for the explanations you
gave me. Now, we wish to take leave. The
Mandarin-Governor: If
any shortcoming occurs, I apologize. TK:
Please, don’t mention it. YT:
I’m on it, Master. TK: Alas! It’s sorrowful to say that people nowadays are so deeply plunged in the abyss of love that they trifle with their own blood and flesh. Abortion has been practiced regularly and to-be-born infants are abandoned even from within the wombs of their mothers. What disgusting spectacle! The sight is simply repulsive to Buddhas and angels. It is important to advise mankind to change and embark on the “Arc of Mercy”, in conformity with the divine will, and to establish an ethical norm in married life in order to secure a sane and sound progeny and permanent happiness in the family. Mild moral satisfaction is much more valuable than momentary voluptuousness procured for sensual pleasures. One should preserve one’s energy and should not waste one’s blood, because these aren’t limitless. Men must make efforts to render themselves useful for humanity, for society, and for their families. (The two travelers arrive at the Temple. Yang Ts’ien descends from the dais and reinstates in his body) |
CONTENTS
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