Voyages to Hell

translated by

Nguyen Khang & Bui H.Huu

CHAPTER 15

VISIT TO THE THIRD GATE MEETING WITH THE KING OF THE PALACE

Buddha Tse Kong who manifested on October 9th, 1976. Leap year of the Dragon (1976) 

The spiritual path is expanded by means of books
Portraying hell with lively description
Honored guests are welcomed to the underworld
Why be intimidated if our conscience is faultless.

Buddha Tse Kong:      We visit the Third Palace today. Among the prisons of the ten palaces, we need to visit only the main ones, those most typical. If we want to visit every prison of every palace, it would take us many, many years, but the book “Voyages to Hell” has to be published as soon as possible with a view to warn and educate human beings. We are to write only the most important parts. Yang Ts’ien, are you ready? 

YT:      I’m coming, Master. Shall we go? 

TK:      We have arrived. Get down. 

YT:      Ahead, I see a placard hung up high in front of a storeyed house just like an advertizing board before a store. On the board, I see a red bulletin. Many people, civilians and servicemen are reading it. Let’s go and see what it is about. 

TK:      I know what it is about. Go and see if you want to. 

YT:      Why were those people frightened at my approach and they seemed to move away? 

TK:      Because they knew you were a profane man coming from the living world and you brought with you the Celestial Edict. They moved away for fear of jostling you. What did you read on that red bulletin? 

YT:      It was an order of God that read as follows: “By proxy of the Celestial Emperor, the Pontiff of the Kingdom of Darkness prescribes the following: This day, I, Celestial Emperor, from My Kingdom in the Ethereal Heights, administrator of 3000 worlds, exercise my power of life and death over the nine regions of darkness and the six ways of transmigration. I recall the time when original souls began to incarnate on the earth. In prehistoric times, man was so simple and ingenious, endowed with a mild and sincere nature. He lived and returned to the heavens after his death. Hell, in those times, was nonexistent. During the middle Ages, man became more cruel, his celestial heart was day by day soiled by the impurities of the earth. Natural law was upset, unsound amusements multiplied and thence hell was created. With the exception of the people who know to preserve humanity, fidelity, civility, rationality and loyalty, the rest of the people are wallowing in the six ways of existence, namely, the world of deities, world of human beings, world of combatant devils, world of hungry devils, world of hell, and world of brute. Now we are in a phase where human beings are extremely depraved. Their hearts are obsessed by passions. They commit many atrocities. Villainy, guile and lust increase. The natural original essence of their souls gifted by heaven and earth has degenerated, and they attract to themselves disasters and unending woe. I, Supreme God, am merciful. I can’t look helplessly at the human race sinking in perdition. I have had an authentic religious way disseminated in an effort to minimize catastrophes, and to salvage the honest men. The Temple of the Sages in Tai Chu, dependent on the administration of the Heavenly Southern Sector, received my order to propagate the religious faith, on one hand, by inheriting and perpetuating the morality of Confucius-Mencius, on the other hand, by embracing orthodox Buddhism for the sake of redressing virtues and religious culture for the salvation of human beings. So far, this temple has acquired magnificent results. My goal is to help human beings recognize the realities in hell, so I ordered the Temple of the Sages to edit a rare book entitled “Voyages to Hell”. To enable it to accomplish this divine mission, I commanded the living Buddha Tse Kong to lead saintscribe Yang Ts’ien’s soul to hell, visiting its ten palaces, and depicting the horrors he will have seen and heard. While traveling to hell for his discovery of truth, Yang Ts’ien will also contribute to the elimination of men’s superstition. During all the time they are dedicated to their divine task, the living Buddha Tse Kong and Yang Ts’ien must be warmly welcomed by the civilian and military officials of the ten gates, and provided every type of necessary information for the preparation of the precious book. This edict must be obeyed to the letter by every division of hell. Any infringement upon it is subject to severe punishment. This day, I give my order. The 15th of August, year of the Dragon. 

YT:      It is thus an order of the Celestial Emperor to the gates of hell. 

TK:      Nothing truer. For a book of the caliber of “Voyages to Hell”, a single order of God to the living world is inadequate. Hell, too, must be aware of it. Let’s hurry to meet the King of Third Palace. 

YT:      Is the Third Palace far from here? On the road, I see only sinful souls and guards coming and going. No gate in sight. 

TK:      Not very far. To save time, come quickly on the dais. 

YT:      I am up, Master. Let’s be going. 

TK:      Here we are. Get down, son. The Third Palace is right there. Go present your greetings to the King of the Palace and his retinue of civilian and military dignitaries. 

YT:      My respects to His Majesty and to the dignitaries of the Third Palace. We have come here in search of information for our book and hope to be honored with your assistance. 

The King:        Be on your feet, Mr. Yang Ts’ien. Please, don’t act ceremonial. I have often heard of your Temple, which is wholly devoted to the propagation of holy laws. It has converted a large number of bad elements, and guided many honest people in the religious way. My admiration for your temple has always been great. Well, gentlemen, if you care to come in for a little rest and some talk. 

YT:      I am really touched by your compliments, Sir. From the time our temple came into existence, all disciples have combined their efforts, representing God in the role of educators and have done their best to accomplish this divine mission. We are still far from deserving compliments. 

TK:      Don’t be so ceremonious, Yang Ts’ien. Let’s come in for some rest. 

The King:        Won’t you take a seat? These tables and chairs of wood are certainly not comparable to the soft easy chairs in the terrestrial world. Serve some tea, General.  

YT:      I am really thankful, sir. This room is furnished with antique pieces of furniture. They look very simple. On the walls are hung pictures drawn in Chinese ink. I see many religious books, too. 

The King:        Right. In their moments of leisure, the dignitaries of my palace used to come here for day-long discussions. They were virtuous, regenerated personalities in their life who were designated to serve in hell. They are free to do what they want. To come down to hell does not necessarily mean to be forced to suffer pain and misfortune. Hell is similar to a jail on earth. The transgressors are the only ones to undergo punishment. The personnel under my power are identical to those of the living world. They work as freely as possible. The man whose heart was not wicked and who performed charitable deeds in his life has his soul welcomed in hell with all the honors that are due to him. I suggest living men are aware of that. If they ventured to do dishonest acts that deviated from religious laws, they would be chained by the demons, mercilessly flogged by the guards, and forced to carry pillories on their heads. 

TK:      We don’t have much time left, Yang Ts’ien. We should think of going home. I am grateful, Sir, for your instructions, and we hope to have the honor of seeing you again. 

The King:       The pleasure is mine. 

TK:      Now, let’s return to the Temple. 

YT:      We are constantly in haste. We can’t do much with fragments of time, Master. 

TK:      No prattling, will you? There is the Temple. Go to find your body, son.

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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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