Voyages to Hell

translated by

Nguyen Khang & Bui H.Huu

CHAPTER 33

SECOND VISIT TO THE PRISON OF HEART-WRENCHING

Buddha Tse Kong who manifested on May 29th, 1977. Year of the Snake 

The ignorant are envious of the kind in many ways
Through lies, slander and foul play
Immorality will certainly have to pay
In the Heart-Wrenching Prison, they lament night and day.

Buddha Tse Kong:     In the terrestrial world, there is a category of people who are good-for-nothing. They are jealous of talented men, conspire in wicked subterfuges, create villainous tricks, and search out the others’ defects to slander them. If they chance to discover somebody alien to their vicious thinking, they set to libel and scorn him. Because of their crimes, they are thrown into the Heart-Wrenching Prison. Their misdeeds are the result of their jealousy of honest people. Tonight, we’re going to pay a visit to hell. Yang Ts’ien, be seated on the dais. 

Yang Ts’ien:     I’m seated, Master. Let’s set off. 

TK:      We’re arrived. Come down. 

YT:      In fact, the Heart-Wrenching Prison is there, ahead of us. 

TK:      We won’t disturb the King tonight, and to save time, we’ll go straight to the 16 cells of the prison. The mandarin-governor has opened the prison door to welcome us. 

YT:      Let’s come in. 

The Mandarin:    Welcome to Buddha Tse Kong and Mr. Yang Ts’ien. Just step in for observation. 

YT:      The torment inflicted upon the sinful souls by the laws of hell are really dreadful. From the First Palace, where we paid our first visit, to the successive palaces we visited during these last days, the torments we have seen and heard is simply appalling. But it is all seems weightless as compared with the horrible pain endured by the sinful souls in this Heart-Wrenching Prison. 

The Mandarin:    You said it. The heart is the principal organ of man’s body. To have one’s heart wrenched out is to suffer the most terrible pain. Once the heart is tortured, the six roots of sensation are all shaken and the suffering is indescribable. 

TK:      Let’s come farther in to interview some souls and collect more information. 

The Mandarin:     Please, wait outside. I shall have some sinners come. I order the geniuses of hell to stop the torment and use the “resuscitative fan” to revive the unconscious souls so we can see their real faces. 

The Genius:     At your request. 

The Mandarin:      Have three sinners come for Buddha Tse Kong and Mr. Yang Ts’ien to interrogate them on their offences, so they can write a book of moral guidance for men. 

The Genius:     Three souls are momentarily released. Quick, follow the Governor to the prison door. 

The Mandarin:     These are Buddha Tse Kong and Mr. Yang Ts’ien of the Temple of the Sages in the living world. They come here, by order of God, to gather necessary information for writing a book. So, you must give an account of the crimes you committed in your lifetime. 

The soul:    When in life, I worked in a government office. As I was incapable of doing anything meritorious, I was jealous of my colleagues who were successively promoted to higher positions. I bore a grudge against the office-chief and looked for opportunities to take my revenge. I secretly reported to my superiors, slandering some for laziness, the others for stealing, with the purpose of degrading my office-mates. Four years ago, I died of a liver disease. The impermanent black-and-white demons led me here for imprisonment. I was later led to stand before the Mirror Revelator of Past Crimes, which reflected all the images of my crimes. I was handed over to the King of the 5th Palace. The King was furious at the sight of me. He reprimanded me, saying I was talentless but discontent with my incapacity. I was envious of talented people and had the wicked heart to harm my colleagues, and the torment that corresponded to my misdeeds was heart wrenching. Day and night the demons wrench out my heart, which causes me extreme suffering. During my lifetime, I never believed in the karmic law. Now, after my death, I feel its reactions. 

TK:      While nurturing envy against the persons better than you, you lost your conscience. You destroyed the union-spirit of your collectivity just as a horse does harm to its own herd. In general, people show great regard for men of character, of virtue, and of talent, for they can learn from them, and follow their examples to progress. Now, if they behave with a jealous heart, they will have to suffer the torment of heart-wrenching as does this sinful soul. 

The Mandarin:     Now, your turn, second soul, you give an account of your past sins. 

The soul:    When in the living world, I was converted as a devout Buddhist. I led a life of spiritual perfection at home, and read a lot of canonical books. I scorned the disciples of the other religions, particularly those of Taoism who, I was convinced, were of low level, pertaining to heterodox doctrine with their worship of genii and demons. These people, I believed, could not accede to a higher plane of evolution. I was also offered many books edited by the Temple of the Sages which I did not deign to read, pretending they were written at random by mediums obsessed by spirits and demons, and such was a demonical religion. During my lifetime, I disparaged the other religions, considering myself happy for having acquired full knowledge of Buddhism, which was absolutely sublime. Never had I thought that it was not the Nirvana I acceded to, but hell was the place to provide me hospitality. In place of the genii-protectors who should come to welcome the religious men like me, infernal guards arrested and led me to the 5th Palace before locking me up in a dark cell. Seeing me so low-spirited, the King of Palace reprimanded me in these terms: You are a traitor, you betray the Buddha Amitabha. You don’t have a merciful heart. You are a Buddhist but you don’t behave as a genuine Buddhist should. You are spiteful and disrespectful against the other religions. All in all, you do not understand the Buddhist sense of equality. Every religion has its own way and reason. Authentic religions, one and all, teach their believers to do good and shun evil. Aware as you were that Buddhism was immense, conciliatory and forgiving, you did belittle the other religions, and prided yourself for having a superior spirit. In your life, you had nothing but preconceived thoughts, you showed yourself vain and proud of your “self”. Thus you unconsciously swerved from the right path of the Tao. Your Buddhist conscience was darkened, and here you are, in hell”. I advise my Buddhist brethren not to commit the same errors as mine, for they will create bad karmas and endure moral suffering. 

TK:      With so darkened a Buddhist conscience, how could you hope to preach Buddhism convincingly? How regrettable it is for you! You have to suffer not only the heart wrenching torment now, but also the tongue-cutting torment in days to come. 

The Mandarin:     To the 3rd soul now. Relate the faulty acts of your life. 

The soul:    In my lifetime, I served in a temple for invocation of spirits. At first, I performed the role of a medium and I must admit that the revelations of the deities were marvelously effective for educating people. Afterwards, as I remarked that the sexton of the temple had little regard for me, and felt the séances of invocation were pretty long and wearing, while they failed to afford me substantial gains, I lost faith in my role as a medium. I gradually told the believers that mediumistic revelations were falsified and only superstitious people believe in them. The pious folks, men and women, who believed in my sayings, lost their confidence and stopped coming to the Temple to hear religious teachings. As for me, I quit my job as a medium and left the temple. Seven years later, I died of sickness. My soul was arrested by the infernal guards and let to the King of the 5th Palace. Upon seeing me, the King reprimanded, “you were the main medium of your temple. Even if the temple sexton had little consideration for you, you were not supposed to vilify the deities. In doing so, you committed a heavy sin. I condemn you to 15 years of detention in the Heart-Wrenching Prison”. It is too late for me to repent of my past misdeeds. I implore you, Buddha Tse Kong, to solicit from the King some grace for me. 

TK:      The genii of spiritism represent the deities. Profane humans should not blaspheme them, or their blasphemy will be unforgivable. Mediumnistic scriptures have the purpose of teaching morality to men, and bringing them salvation in accordance with their destinies. It is for this reason God ordered the foundation of these temples

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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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