CHAPTER 13VISIT TO THE BRIDGE OVER THE PIT OF SNAKES AND TO THE BURNING DANCING GROUND Buddha Tse Kong who manifested on September 19th, 1976. Leap year of the Dragon (1976)
Yang
Ts’ien: I express
my deep gratitude for what you have taught me, Venerable Master. All of
the disciples in the Temple of the Sages have been offering soul and
body for the recovery of virtuous culture, by printing books to teach
morality to men. I pray to God to provide protection and reduce the
pains for my co-religionists. TK:
A devout religious person is always thwarted by obstacles. From
the remotest of my hiding places, I have always tried to alter and
soothe the scheme of the celestial mechanism in order to help you
proceed with less discord. Now, we’re going to have a visit in hell. YT:
I’m on the dais, Master. TK:
Here we are. Get down. YT:
Where are we, Master? Why those unceasing wails, cries, and
laments? Before us, there is a bridge. People walk on it. They slip and
fall, uttering deafening cries. TK:
This Bridge is called “Bridge Over The Pit of Snakes”. Most
of the dead have to pass over it. YT:
But it’s swinging terribly. One could say it’s a suspension
bridge. Buffalo-headed and horse-faced demons are seen escorting sinful
souls to the middle of the bridge, and pushing them off Why, it’s
cruel! The
General: (guarding the
bridge) I’ve just received a message from the Pontiff-King of the
Underworld announcing the visit of living Buddha Tse Kong and the saint
scribe Yang Ts’ien from the Temple of the Sages. Excuse me delay. TK:
Don’t mention it, General. We are ones who disturb you. The
General: Follow me, please. I’ll lead you to the bridge. YT:
I shall not come up. To look at it from below is enough. TK:
Come, come! The General will not push you, you know that. You
have nothing to fear. YT:
So be it. But hold my hand securely, will you, Master? This
bridge is swaying. I may fall. TK:
Of course, I’ll hold your hand. Let’s go! YT:
Mercy upon me! Here below, vipers and serpents are teeming. There
are thousands and thousands of snakes of all kinds! I also see a dragon
the size of a pillar. It is gaping its steel-like jaws, and sticking out
its blood-red tongue. As soon as a man falls in the pit, the snakes rush
and devour him in no time. The screams of the victims are horrible. I
can’t stand it. Shall we go, Master? The
General: Calm down, Mr.
Yang Ts’ien. Below this bridge is a pit full of venomous snakes. All
those people with wicked hearts who misused other people’s money, or
damaged young girls’ chastity, created scandal or intrigue, killed or
caused disasters to others for amusement, have their entrails
transformed into vipers, after their death. Sinful souls who reach this
bridge are petrified and paralyzed, and two guards push down as prey for
the serpents. The victims struggle to find a means of escape, but the
dragon is there to snatch and crush them to shreds with its iron jaws. YT:
It’s frightful. The mere sight of those vipers is enough to
make a timid man swoon at the middle of the bridge and fall into pit.
Any push would be superfluous. He can’t control his senses, and falls
down the way a ripe fruit does. TK:
Let’s walk to the other end. Today, there are too many sinful
souls. They fill up the bridge, some crying, others lamenting; the sight
is sickening. Well, it’s their own fault. They committed sins when
alive, and now they are seen trembling and falling into the vipers’
jaws. YT:
Let’s hurry to the other end. I am chilled with fright. Now I
know about the bridge over the pit of snakes. There is no banister to
lean upon; the sinful souls, with numbed hands and tottering legs, have
no strength left at the sight of the vipers. TK:
Your liver and your bile are too weak. I’m going to give you
three of my soothing pills. Swallow them and you’ll regain your color,
and you will stop perspiring. Say goodbye to the General. We are to go
elsewhere. YT:
Your information is really interesting, General. We have to go.
And thank you, General. The
General: Goodbye,
gentlemen. YT:
I’m ready to follow you, Master. TK:
We have arrived. Get down. This prison, called “Prison with
Burning Dancing-Ground”, was recently constructed. It is under the
administration of the 2nd Palace. The
Mandarin Governor: My greetings to the living Buddha Tse
Kong and to the saint scribe Yang Ts’ien. I’ve just received
instructions from the Pontiff-King of the Underworld about your visit.
Please come in. YT:
Please accept our thanks, Excellency. This hall is well-lit by a
soft colourful light, and I hear the noise of feet jumping, accompanied
by piercing shrieks and heart-rendering cries. May I ask you what it is
about? TK:
The people detained in this prison were professional taxi-girls
and inveterate dancers. Let’s go have a look. YT:
The house is full inside. I see men, young and old, decently
dressed in western clothing, and young ladies in thin, gaudy silk gowns.
There are also many foreigners of different nations and races. Each time
they set their feet on the dancing ground, I see them bounce up,
screaming at the top of their voices. All those couples are clinging to
each other and they hop, and jump the best they can. May I ask who they
are? The
Mandarin:
Well, the women were professional dancers in their lifetime. They
did not behave correctly and made dancing a means for illicit behavior.
After they died, they were detained in this prison where they can enjoy
the pleasure of dancing in hell. The difference here is that the dancers
don’t have the same feelings of ecstasy and self-satisfaction nor the
rapture of enjoying feminine beauty and bewitching perfume as they did
before, in the living world. In this prison, the dance floor is made of
iron heated to a high temperature which produce a red glow. The men and
women setting their feet on it bounce and gambol pitifully while roaring
with pain. They had enjoying such a good time in their dancing nights on
earth. It’s quite normal for them to dance here, in hell. They don’t
have to give up their amusement for yore. The soles of their feet are
roasted on the dance floor, swelling and putrefying. They are doing
wonderful dance-steps. YT:
You have repeated the teachings of morality, Excellency. If
people adore dancing when in life, they can dance to their heart’s
content when in death. Justice is done. But there is one thing to
notice: as times change, vogues change accordingly. By itself, dancing
is no crime. It is also an exercise to preserve one’s body and spirit.
Now, if ever dancer is to come here for chastisement, don’t you think
the laws of hell are unjust! The
Mandarin:
I said it. Not every dancer has to come here. Only those people
are punished who dance in debauchery, not as a means for exercise, but
rather for enjoying women’s beauty are punished. Those young women who
adore mundane flirtations, offering their bodies to the embraces and
caresses of men and gaining foul money; those who accept offers after
dancing, to go to hidden dens for fornication; also those young girls
who disobey their parents by frequenting ill reputed amusement-houses
and spending whole nights dancing and forgetting themselves in lust and
love games. On the other hand, for the practice of good style of dance,
choreography, ballet, and quadrille, for instance, for the sake of
fortifying the body and spirit, or for esthetics, this prison is not for
them. In a word, the detainees are lustful people and had elements of
immorality. I advise the human beings to reserve their money and health
for wholesome entertainment, if they want to avoid dancing on this
burning dance floor. YT:
Well said, Excellency. As fashions change with time, one should
adopt them with lucidity. We have our methods of strengthening our
bodies, and foreigners in various nations have their own. Only detained
in hell is the people who take advantage of dancing for dishonest acts. TK:
Time is up, Yang Ts’ien. Well, I appreciate your hurry up to
the lotus dais, Yang Ts’ien. Yang Ts’ien, the dais. YT:
I’m coming. My sincere thanks to you, Excellency. |
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