CHAPTER 31VISIT TO THE 5TH PALACE THE KING OF PALACE’S ACCOUNT ON THE TORMENT OF CHEST-CLEAVING AND HEART-WRENCHING Buddha
Tse Kong who manifested on April 29th, 1977. Year of the Snake
Buddha
Tse Kong: The last time, I was busy. I had asked Master
Yang Tshieng to replace me and accompany Yang Ts’ien on his trip to
hell. It was the first time the two Yang’s had an occasion to go
together to the 5th Palace. The trip was performed impeccably. It has
been demonstrated that two religious hearts can harmonize easily and
that the Way is profound and immense. It is hopeful that humans realize
the advantage of reading the facts in this highly precious canonical
book. One must lend an attentive ear to the rumors that spread out like
the vibrations of a stringed musical instrument, and judge them
seriously, because words and writings are inadequate to depict all the
subtlety and mystery of the Tao. It’s like a man eating a watermelon.
He must bite into the pulp to relish the succulent and cooling taste of
the fruit instead of contenting himself with nibbling it rind. Tonight,
we’re going for a tour to hell. Yang Ts’ien, on the dais. Yang
Ts’ien: At
your request, Master. You had previously taught me that Immortals and
Buddhas had the divine power of doubling themselves. Why didn’t you
exercise your ability of ubiquity and duality? TK:
Ha! Ha! That divine power, I always had it. But I intentionally
asked Master Yang Tshieng to replace me for once, simply to create an
agreeable variety for the humans’ minds. Now, it’s quite late.
Let’s cut short our chatting, and set off. YT:
I’m ready, Master. TK:
Here we come to the 5th Palace. Let’s go down. The King of the
5th Palace and his mandarins are coming down the steps to welcome us.
Let’s go greet them.
The
King: Be on
your feet, Mr. Yang Ts’ien. I am really happy to welcome you, Buddha
Tse Kong and Mr. Yang Ts’ien. Please come inside for some relaxation
and then we shall talk together. TK:
As of tonight’s visit to the 5th Palace, we have accomplished
only one half of the mission entrusted us by the order of God to prepare
a book. We expect to receive your collaboration for achieving our task
gloriously and perfectly. The
King: Venerable
Buddha, what you said is right. We are living in an era of mechanics
when man’s conscience is not as it was formerly. Morality is lost.
Fortunately, sacred temples are being erected, institutions are opened
to disseminate religious dogmas and methods of spiritual perfection,
conformably to the will of God. The endeavors made by your Temple for
spiritual education have brought forth salvation to innumerable persons.
Your merits in the dissemination of moral culture are highly admirable.
The honor is yours for being designated by celestial order to
participate in writing the book “Voyages to Hell”. The prisons of
the ten Palaces of Hell have been instructed of your mission since the
15th of the 8th month of the Year of the Dragon. Shall we come inside
for some rest and discussions? YT:
We thank you very much for your hearty welcome, Sir. Outside the
Palace, I see a big crowd of souls with their faces all pale with
terror. A number of them are looking in our direction. TK:
The King of the 5th Palace, with a face as hard as iron, is very
impartial. For a long time, he has been well known to the world of
mortals for his rigidity in the application of punishment. Upon hearing
his name and title pronounced, the sinful soul are terrified and becomes
a prey to unspeakable distraction. The
King: Won’t
you come in to feel more at ease? YT:
Thank you, Sir. The
King: Please,
take seats. Orderly Mandarin! Serve us some tea of immortals and fairies,
will you? The
Mandarin: At your orders. Here is the tea. Help yourself to it, Sir,
honorable visitors. YT:
I am thirsty, and am happy to have a cup of it. It’s really
wonderful. Its aroma is delicious. The
King: I like
to drink this tea which is also called “Bodhisattva with an iron
heart”. TK:
His Majesty’s words imply a figurative meaning. Do you think
you can understand it, Yang Ts’ien? YT:
I see what His Majesty is alluding to. A legend circulates among
humans that under the Song dynasty, there lived a mandarin named Pao
Kong who was renowned for the impartiality of his judgments in hearings.
His face had the coldness of ice, and his heart was as hard as iron. The
tea His Majesty is offering us symbolizes these traits of character and
reminds us of the methods used by that illustrious magistrate whose
reincarnation we find in our host. The
King: Well,
the erudition of the holy-scriber is certainly without contest. Your
religious wisdom and your level of comprehension are out of the
ordinary. You interpret my story splendidly. YT:
It’s just guesswork, Sir. The
King: I
am really delighted in entertain you, gentlemen. The situation of the
human world changes from hot to cold. It is pretty changeable. Nowadays,
the people only think of disputing honors and profits. The good
principles inspired by God have vanished. Everywhere, we
see nothing but subterfuge, envy, and hate among men. In order to
amass money, people refuse no misdeeds. Activities for promoting human
desire and passion are commercialized. All kinds of markets are
developed for gaining personal interests. Pleasure-houses, restaurants,
night-clubs are mushrooming; pretty girls are employed to kindle sexual
desire and vice in the male sex. The authorities of hell, in their
day-and-night rounds have witnessed so many immoral acts that their
uncountable numbers can’t be engraved accurately on an entire
bamboo-forest. There exist night-clubs and amusement-centers where an
excess of pleasure leads people to distress, even to death. I am
responsible for the administration of the 5th Palace which is baptized a
“Place of Iron Face and Impartiality”. I examine the causes and
handle justice with equity and a maximum of seriousness. I noticed that
the sinful souls incarcerated in this prison were terrified at my just
and severe verdicts. Therefore, if people are unwilling to return to the
good path, they may some day come to my palace for some time. At that
time, they couldn’t reproach me for my implacableness in chastising
them. My palace is equally surnamed “The Great Penitentiary of
Groans”. In fact, all of the detainees in these prisons do nothing but
cry and moan. It has 16 cells named “Heart-Wrenching” Prisons. They
are particularly reserved for those who, in their terrestrial life,
committed unforgivable crimes related to the heart: knavish heart,
wicked heart, spiteful heart, revengeful heart, lustful heart, jealous
heart, partial heart, selfish heart, wolf’s heart, dog’s heart,
bestial heart. When dealing with all these ignoble sinners, I order my
guards to open their chests and wrench out their hearts. These
punishments are really horrible, I admit the fact. It is not because I
am without mercy, but the karmic law has reserved such torment for those
criminals. It’s growing late now. I promise to take you to the
Heart-Wrenching Prison next time. TK:
Indeed, it’s growing late. Yang Ts’ien, let’s go home. YT:
We are deeply grateful, Sir, for your warm welcome and your
precious information. My respectful salutations. The
King: I
order the civilian mandarins and officers to stand in line for the
salute. TK:
Once again, I present my appreciation, Sir. Yang Ts’ien, the
dais. YT:
I am on it. Shall we start, Master? |
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