Voyages to Hell

translated by

Nguyen Khang & Bui H.Huu

CHAPTER 21

THIRD VISIT TO THE PALACE OF SOUL-RESUSCITATION FOR THE FOUR CATEGORIES OF CREATURES

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

Crustaceans and moluscs can’t keep themselves alive
Birds fly, quadrupeds bend when wind and cold drives
They violated karmic law through lust and vice
Ephemeral dreams go, souls yield up, and bodies die.

Buddha Tse Kong:    In the bitter cold of hell cries and laments resound; lawless humans cry with affliction, dead beasts utter their complaints. The four categories of creatures are being massacred in too great numbers on earth. Throat-cut, disemboweled, they have not yet recovered from the terror of the slaughter. In vain, they struggle against death, weak and helpless, they submit to their destinies, supplicating and imploring like a death-sentenced convict weeping under the gallows. Their spiritual energy disperses in the winds and falls dust-like in hell where the Palace of Soul-Resuscitation for the Four Categories reassemble it, waiting to reconstitute it to human form. They are judged according to their karma and the debts they incurred in their earlier life. It is common knowledge that the people who don’t follow the right path, who do perverse acts counter to celestial reason without caring for the consequences, and whose hearts are wicked, will be transformed by the law of metempsychosis into the forms of the four categories of creatures, viz. the viviparous, the oviparous, the marsh-animalcules, and metamorphosing insects. Yang Ts’ien, make yourself ready for a tour to hell. 

Yang Ts’ien:    Please, Master, the father of an adept of the Temple of the Sages has just died, and I still feel inconsolably afflicted. Why can’t a man as honest and meek as him survive a little longer in order to save the noble cause of the Temple and progress farther on the religious way? 

TK:      It is imperative that every mortal pass through the phases of birth, old age, sickness and death, no matter how high he is placed in the hierarchy of society. Take those sovereigns, noblemen, and heroes of battles who had onetime grasped the whole of a kingdom, or of an empire, in their hands. One and all they ended up lying motionless, their bodies stiffened, their arms along their sides, their faces waxen, their eyes closed. Dust-born, they returned to dust. The death of an ordinary man is but a natural event. The important thing is whether or not he led a virtuous and meritorious life. When a man dies, his physical body alone disintegrates while his virtuous soul perpetuates eternally. This explains why the dogmas and doctrines of the sages and virtuous men exist immortally after their death. Have you ever seen anybody on earth who chanced not to die? Don’t be that chagrined, my boy. 

YT:      I am so eager to see that dead man again. His descendants said he had been warned of his death two days before the term of his terrestrial sojourn. They all knew he would rejoin the sphere of buddhas. I ask myself to what extent of spiritual perfection can one acquire such prescience? 

TK:      To see him now is impossible, since the time is not propitious. Those premonitory signs against his death were forwarned by the highly evolved immortals who felt touched by the sincerity of the person. This fact demonstrates that the genii and demons really exist, and that they are not creatures of fiction. If a man applies himself seriously to spiritual perfection, every incident of his life is outlined on the palm of his hand. All he does is to read it. The matter is as simple as that. Now, make haste, or else we’ll be late. Quick! Embark on the dais. 

YT:      Here I rush, Master. Start off... 

TK:      Arrival! Now, let’s disembark. 

YT:      Look! The Thousand-year King and his mandarins are they’re waiting for us. 

TK:      Go ahead with your reverences. 

YT:      Please accept our most profound expression of respect. You are going to be disturbed again, as I wish to know further have your palace. 

The King:    No ceremonials, please! I am happy to learn that you two are not disgusted by the spectacle of the flocks of beasts that populate my gate. You have come here three times and it’s an honor to me. Please come inside.

TK:      I thank you, Sir. Since time is pressing, I appreciate your favoring Yang Ts’ien with your personal guidance so he can collect adequate information. 

The King:   Please follow me to inspect the different places. 

YT:      How marvelous! This place is equipped in the way of a vacuum-cleaner on earth. Swarms of mosquitoes, sucked from nowhere, are falling into snowflake-white heaps, floundering ghastly.  The King: They are the mosquitoes swatted or killed by men’s insecticide sprayers on earth. Attracted by telluric emanations, they fall down here in heaps of 500 each. Their souls which were scattered everywhere in the world, are now regrouped in many heaps which fall apart. If we sprinkle resuscitating-water on them, they recover their human form. 

YT:      Amazing equipment, indeed! It would be wonderful, to see how it operates. 

The King:    It is the effect of the centripetal force exercised by the core of the earth. Since the souls of mosquitoes are frittered away and their nature is impure, they are naturally sucked down to this place. Their vital energy was disseminated like grains of sand, now it gets fused together in a single mass. This is where the marvel of the resuscitating mechanism lies. Let’s go elsewhere. 

YT:      This large ground serves as an enclosure for beasts. Ordinarily, we seldom see all these animals gathered together. Tigers and lions are seen here as in a zoo, whereas hens, ducks and hogs are extremely abundant. Here we are, back to the palace. Is there any information you can give me, Sir? 

The King:   For the moment, I am examining a complaint lodged by that cock you see over there. I’m going to give you his file. During his lifetime on earth, this cock was the son of a rich man in northern Formosa. Being vain about his father’s wealth, he committed adultery with other people’s wives, and made use of his money to seduce many young girls and gratify his carnal pleasures. He also satisfied his sexual demands with prostitutes. Therefore, he had contracted a heavy karma. In payment for his misdeeds, he was transformed into a cock for five consecutive incarnations. Now, he has completed his punishment, and his soul comes to our palace to solicit his resurrection to human form. 

YT:      How terrible! Cocks descending from humans! Now, what would happen to chicken-eaters? Is that a crime? 

The King:   All creatures have a spirit of the same nature. Only the apparent forms differ. They possess the same spiritual stock as men’s. It is customary that men like to eat the meat of animals. Nutritively speaking, meat, and eggs, provide a high extent of nourishment. People get a lot of strength while eating them. Yet, it is expedient to know that these species of creatures are nothing but faulty human souls who expiate their crimes through a reincarnation. Their bodies contain a sinful vital essence. By the way, at the moment their throats are cut, and in their ultimate struggle for survival, they are seized by panic and terror, which causes serious disturbance in their blood, and toxic substances are secreted from their viscera. By killing and absorbing their flesh and blood, men get fed with adequate amount of nutrients but at the same time, they consume harmful substances. The same phenomenon occurs among humans. Those who are victimized by terror, or submitted to continual or repeated torment, have their blood denatured. It then results that they suffer from physiological diseases which derive from a psychological source. A healthy man with a ruddy complexion when alive, is colorless when lying on his death-bed. It is therefore evident that the sanguine composition changes. The eaters of slaughtered animals are more likely to absorb the noxious substances than the nourishing ones in the meat. In a word, advantage and disadvantage are on a par. A number of scientists have studied this subject on food nutrition. For the people regenerating to the religious way, it would be impossible to deprive them immediately of meat. Nevertheless, it is advisable they eat less and less meat, in order not to be impregnated by impure blood. Otherwise, it would be difficult for them to reach the Way. As regards the sin for eating meat, let’s delay the topic until another time. 

YT:      What you said conforms to the principles of science, Sir. It depends upon each one’s will whether to adopt the meat regimen or not. The pro and con of such a decision is well exposed. Now, permit me to ask you a question: I see over there an ape and a parrot. They seem to be clever. The ape mimics man’s every gesture and the parrot speaks in a man’s voice. Do they belong to a higher class of beasts? 

The King:    That ape has identical gestures with men’s. He is pretty clever too. In his earthly life, he was a religious man. However, he had followed an unorthodox way and is now incarnated in an ape. The parrot was a fine speaker who caused ruin and death to other people. It’s a pity that a fine speaker fails to avail of his talent. The men of the living world should be prudent in each of their gestures that might damage morality. If not they will be incarnated in the forms of birds or animals, not knowing when they will be delivered from their karma. This is a piece of advice which should not be neglected. 

TK:      Time is running short, and we have to end our visit here. In brief, it is clear that your palace takes charge only of restoring human form to the creatures. The decision on the fates of the four categories of creatures, whether or not they are permitted to recover their human form, is the responsibility of the King of the 10th Palace. This fact should be known to humans on earth. Yang Ts’ien, get ready to go home. 

YT:      May I express to you my profound gratitude for the teachings you have given me. I have to leave now. 

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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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