CHAPTER 59VISIT TO THE POPULAR QUARTER OF HELL Buddha
Tse Kong who manifested on June 9th, 1978. Year of the Horse
Buddha
Tse Kong: In the world, the people carry on hundred of trade,
and they compete among themselves quite ludicrously. In hell, under the
sinister starry vault of the sky, also prevails much activity created by
the souls exercising their trades. Lao Tzu had said: “If we attract
misfortunes and woe, it is because we possess a physical body. Once the
body exists no more, misfortunes disappear”. It is strange to see the
souls in hell become so attached to their illusory bodies (false and
temporary). Yang Ts’ien, I’m going to have you visit the Popular
Quarter of Hell tonight so you can attest to what I’ve just said. Yang
Ts’ien: Thank
you, Master. I am ready. TK:
We arrive. Down. YT:
This citadel has much activity, with groups of souls going back
and forth. They look content and free, unescorted by the infernal
guards. On the wall of the citadel, I read the inscription “Popular
Quarter”. I would like to know what is happening inside. TK:
This is the Popular Quarter, which are the residential quarters
of ordinary souls whose merits and sins are balanced. After their death,
these souls come here if they are not forced to reincarnate for
settlement of accounts with their enemies or their benefactors. The
quarter is named “Popular” because the souls are free to exercise
their trades here. A farmer or a merchant can do the job they did on
earth to make a living in hell. The only difference is that here in
hell; they have to work hard for a mouthful. They can’t enjoy an
agreeable existence with little work because they can’t use any
mechanized equipment. Let’s enter the citadel for a better view of
things. The
Officer on guard: Which
region are you from, deities? TK:
I am Buddha Tse Kong. By order of God, I take a terrestrial man
to visit your citadel to get information for writing a book on hell to
educate mankind. The
officer: I
regret that it is impossible for me to disclose the situation of the
citadel to strangers. TK:
Here is God’s edict. Please announce me to your superior. The
officer: I humbly
apologize for my impertinence. Let me announce you right away. The
Mandarin - Administrator of the Citadel:
I present my apology to Buddha Tse Kong and Mr. Yang Ts’ien for
the rudeness of my guard-officer. Also, forgive my delay in receiving
you. TK:
Don’t worry, Excellency. The fault is ours for not having
informed you of our visit. The
Administrator: You
are invited to come inside. YT:
Thank you for your kindness. Do the functions of an administrator
here differ from an administrator’s in the terrestrial world? TK:
How inquisitive of you, Yang Ts’ien. He is called an
administrator just for the sake of distinction, but he is in reality the
Mandarin-Governor of the Quarter of Ordinary Souls. YT:
All lodgings here are made of wood. There are no storied houses
like the living world. The
Administrator: They are the living quarters of the souls.
Wooden houses suit them better, because the spirit of wood and that of
earth always go together. YT:
One could almost say this is a replica of the terrestrial world.
I see inns, shops, groceries, and crowds of souls congregating. Why do
some of them wear long, long hair, with clothes of ancient style? The
Administrator: O, yes. Some of the souls belonged to very ancient dynasties,
and they preserve their traditions and customs, which are different from
the contemporary souls’. Let me take you to the fields so you can
observe the way they till the earth. TK:
The world of the living and that of the dead are two, but men’s
psychology is always the same. When in life, they didn’t travel on the
right path; when in death, they don’t forget the profession of their
life. Thence, this dictum: “One carries along his trade to the
grave”. The fact is true. In this quarter, the souls like to exercise
the trades of their lifetime. None of them renounce their occupation. YT:
I see men working everywhere in the fields. But what labor! Not a
shadow of a buffalo, a mule or a tractor. Just work, pure manual work! The
Administrator: No comparison is possible between hell and the living
world, which is much better off. Here, the souls rely wholly on their
strength and labor to make a living. YT:
Can you describe their way of living in hell? The
Administrator: It somewhat duplicates the one on earth. Three meals a
day, a regular schedule for working and resting. Being imbued with their
infatuation from the terrestrial world, they keep intact their passions
and anxieties. Marriages have been taking place. Their hardworking,
painful existences have become a custom. YT:
Will they have to work this hard forever? The
Administrator: No! Everyone has a different length of time to be in this
place. When reaching the end, he or she will be granted a period of
relaxation while awaiting reincarnation onto the earth. YT:
The living people on earth have the custom of burning
gold-colored paper, imitation banknotes and checks...and give offerings
to the soul. Could these souls profit from all that? The
Administrator: I’m going to explain your question this way: the
souls of the humans’ ascendants by no means can profit from the
offerings, because they are sinners waiting for punishment in hell. As a
dictum has it: “When luck arrives, the earth is changed to gold”. In
the terrestrial world, this phenomenon may occur and become reality
because earth may produce gold according to the law of creation and
destruction governing the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire and
earth) but those golden papers, imitation banknotes, once burned, become
ashes and return to the soil. Gold is indestructible but ashes become
earth that absorbs water to generate energy. The souls receive this
energy to nourish their five viscera. In other words, that energy of the
five elements which comes indirectly from the paper burned by their
descendants, will feed the souls, the way human beings eat food for
their maintenance of life. YT:
I have heard that in the dreams, some descendants have seen the
souls of their ancestors come back asking for alms. What does that mean? The
Administrator: On the earth, people used to offer food to their
ancestors during the annual memorial ceremony. The offered food remains
intact because the souls only feed themselves on the vital breath energy
of the food. Because of the work they did in hell, also following the
punishment they endured, the souls’ vital breath energy became
exhausted. Sometimes, they must come back to the earth to ask for energy
support from their descendants. Members of their families may burn paper
money or offer a meal in the form of the offerings, when seeing them
come back in the dreams. A simple offering is sufficient to prove
one’s filial piety towards his ancestors. Terrestrial wealth is
meaningless to the dead; therefore there is no need to offer a great
quantity that will be a waste if the souls cannot receive it. The
offerings or the memorial ceremonies serve to soothe the pains of the
dying person, and preserve the morality toward man’s predecessors.
Isn’t the filial piety a form of loving energy too? And the ritual
ceremonies are the means to express man’s filial piety towards his
ancestors. When the papers are burned, they will be converted to energy
that can soothe the dying person. However, it’s not necessary to burn
a large quantity of papers. Few are sufficient to warm the soul of dying
person. Human beings should not underestimate this fact. Filial piety is
essential, and the offerings are the means of extending your love toward
the defunct person. Souls can only receive energy provided from
the fact of burning paper money, but they cannot use that money for
trade in hell. Here in hell, we use a different kind of money for trade. TK:
These burnt papers are only useful for the ordinary souls. For
the souls whom done charitable actions on earth or followed the way of
Tao, their vital energy is pure and their halo is bright. So, they
don’t need profane monetary means. Humans should know about this. YT:
You are perfectly right, Master. Now, other things: since the
imitation banknotes of the world are all different in sizes as well as
in quality, I wonder how the souls will make their exchange in hell’s
bank? TK:
Ha! Ha! Hell’s banknotes are printed in great quantities on the
earth. Therefore, sometimes it becomes a mere business for profits. If
the printer doesn’t have a clear conscience, he may create also a bad
karma for himself. Isn’t it true that hell has had to return to earth
a lot of things that fail to meet the required norm? (Implying
reincarnations). YT:
What is the difference between the souls living in the Popular
Quarter and the sinful souls being in condemnation? The
Administrator: The souls in the Popular Quarter enjoy
freedom. They can obtain a permit to go out of the quarter, whereas the
souls with heavy sins aren’t allowed to go out, except for special
cases. The souls with slight sins can get a permit to go out of their
respective prisons during the month of July. YT:
Now I understand. TK:
I advise humans to engage in regeneration, and learn the Tao so
they can acquire knowledge of the truth, and realize that their bodies
are all but illusory. They should not hold on to life after death. If
they do not mend their ways and lead a path toward spiritual perfection,
they will never escape from the cycle of birth and death. They will be
entangled in the vicious circle without end. Time is short; let’s go
home, Yang Ts’ien. YT:
We thank you for your information, Excellency. |
CONTENTS |
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