CHAPTER 14VISIT TO THE PRISON OF ICE Buddha
Tse Kong who manifested on September 29th, 1976. Leap Year of the Dragon
(1976)
Buddha
Tse Kong: Autumn is passing, rigorous winter is coming
around. The weather seems to change unusually this year. A host of
people are ill because of it. Today, I’m going to take you to the
Prison of Ice. We are to encounter squalls of wind that freeze your
bones. Do you think you can stand that? YT:
Gracious Master, I’ve just caught a cold. It’s frosty today.
May be we can postpone our trip to the Prison of Ice until some later
day, and visit some other place. What do you think, Master? TK:
Don’t joke, son. We have already announced our visit to the
Prison of Ice, haven’t we? It is impossible to change our minds at the
last minute. If it is the bitter cold that frightens you, I’ll give
you these three warming-pills. Take them, and stop worrying. YT:
I’m greatly thankful, Master, for your miracle-pills. I’ve
taken them. Good gracious! I feel as if I were sitting by the fireplace.
The cold is gone. TK:
Fine. Now, the lotus dais is waiting us. YT:
I’m on it. Shall we start? TK:
Here we come. Get down, son. YT:
Before us, there is no one, except for a snow-capped high
mountain. The snow seems fresh. No vegetation except some skeletal
trees, leafless, are found here and there. Where are we, Master? TK:
We are a short distance from the Prison of Ice. The mountain you
see over there is crowned with snow all year round. It is extremely
cold. Since we didn’t take the path to hell, we see no one. Besides,
we sat on the lotus that flew in space. Follow me to the left slope of
the mountain and you’ll see the Prison of Ice. YT:
This deserted area has no single path. All vegetation dies
because of the ice. Everything has withered and died. I feel colder as I
come nearer. Is it because the miracle-pills have lost their effect? TK:
By no means is their efficiency reduced. Remember this: the
deities’miracle-pills all have a back-and-forth effect. Just wait a
while, and you’ll feel warm again. You’ll have enough stamina to
endure the cold for three days. Rest assured. You don’t think I’m
going to let you freeze to death, do you? YT:
I see a row of cells built of wood and painted black. On the roof
is the immaculate white of snowflakes. In front, two stakes support a
board with this inscription “Prison of Ice”. Opposite the prison, I
see a narrow alley that joins with the cells. Why don’t I see any
furniture in the cells? TK:
This prison is furnished with ice. The sinful souls are benumbed
and frozen in it. There is no means of escape, which explains the
absence of furniture. YT:
On the alley, I see some guards escorting ten young men and
women. Are they led here for punishment? TK:
Nothing is truer. The Mandarin-Governor and the General are
coming. Make yourself ready, Yang Ts’ien. We’re going to greet them. YT:
My respects to His Excellency and to the General. I have received
the order to visit hell and I rely on your assistance. The
Mandarin:
Welcome to you. I have just received the Pontiff of Hell’s
instructions announcing the visit of Buddha Tse Kong and Mr. Yang
Ts’ien. You are writing a book to teach men about morality. Please,
come this way to the reception hall. YT:
Thank you, Excellency. TK:
We’d rather go straight to the prison, General. No need to
enter the reception hall. The
Mandarin:
If that’s what you want, gentlemen. YT:
The Prison of Ice is located between two mountains. In the
background, there are lakes which look like swimming pools stretching
long distance. In the lakes, many young men and women are seen in
underwear, the lower part of their bodies immersed and hidden by ice.
One and all, they look blue with cold, their lips are black, their arms
trembling. They have neither strength left for crying, nor for groaning.
In front of me, two elderly men are staring at me with imploring eyes.
They seem to have something to say. Please, Master! Don’t you have any
means of rescuing them from the icy cold that stiffens their bodies? The
Mandarin:
I will have some of them come up to answer your questions. YT:
Please do. Now, respectable old man. How do you feel in this
lake? The
soul:
With all that ice on the tops of mountains, and this snow on the
ground, I have only this thin underwear, I don’t have the strength to
speak. All my body is frozen. I think I’m going to faint. The
Mandarin:
General, bring him some ginger-water to help him recover his
vital essence. The
General: Drink this, and
confess the crimes of your life. They’re going to write a book to
advise the living men not imitate you, if they want to avoid falling in
hell. The
soul: When
alive, I had the hobby of collecting stamps, ancient coins, and antique
items of all kinds. At the age of 45, I made friends with a man who had
the same hobby as mine. We were a pair of close companions. We spent
hours drinking tea, making confidence and discussing things. Our
friendship was very intimate. One day, as he had to travel abroad, my
friend proposed to entrust me with his treasure of stamps, ancient coins
and antique objects, lest they should be stolen during his absence. In a
moment of greed, I took possession of all his fortune and hid it at a
place away from home. Upon his return, the man came to reclaim his
entrusted properties. Quite brazenly, I told him: “I’m really sorry
and confused, dear friend. Just a fortnight ago, a burglar broke into my
house and stole all your stuff. All of my precious collections are gone
also.” My friend was thunderstruck upon hearing my words. He pulled
his hair, pestered me, fretted day and night, cursed his fate endlessly.
In the long run, he resignedly accepted the loss of his treasure. At the
age of 56, I died of liver cancer. Arriving in hell, my soul found out
that the Mirror Revelator of Past Crimes unveiled my every act even
identifying the place I concealed the collection. With bent head, I had
to admit my misdeeds; and the King of the 2nd Palace condemned me to 5
years of imprisonment in this Prison of Ice. Day by day, I suffer the
cold that freezes and numbs my body. It’s extremely painful. I have
deep remorse but I think it is too late. Could you by chance intervene
with the Mandarin-Governor to deliver me from this torment? YT:
May I solicit from you some reduction for his pains? The
Mandarin:
We are dealing with the laws of hell, you know, Mr. Yang Ts’ien.
Without the King of the Palace’s instructions, I have no authority to
do anything. All I can do is to give him another gulp of ginger water
and that’s all. Let him be satisfied with that, and cease his
supplications. Now, interrogate this old woman on the action that led
her to this prison. YT:
This elderly woman is all stiff with cold. She lets herself drop
on the ground. How can I ask her questions? I propose that she should be
given a gulp of the ginger-water to get revived. The General:
Drink this quickly then answer Mr. Yang Ts’ien’s questions.
Should you disobey, your punishment would be more severe. The
soul:
Alas! I suffer more than I can stand. This piercing cold is akin
to freezing corpses in the morgue of the living world. Look at my body.
It is all green with cold, and my blood is clotted. In my life, I was a
brothel keeper. I accommodated a dozen young girls, and we lived in a
den with shabby rooms. Among the girls, there were professional whores,
daughters of reputable families, and students playing truant. Daily I
forced them to entertain the clients and if they refused to comply, I
locked them up and had the hooligans punish them. Many of the girls had
been ransomed by their parents and by the clients who sought to deliver
them from the yoke of prostitution and restore their freedom. From the
ransomers, I demanded handsome amounts of money, and those who did not
have enough money to pay for their liberty were required to leave their
youth in my den of carnal pleasures. At the age of 51, because of
debauchery and excess use of opium and alcoholic drinks, I died of
cerebral hemorrhage. Only upon arrival in hell did I know my longevity
had been curtailed by ten years by the Pontiff of Hell. My karma was too
weighty; I was first condemned to five years in the prison with the Lake
of Mire, Excrements and Urine, then transferred to this Prison of Ice
for another 31 years. Upon termination of my sentence, I don’t know if
I will be sent to other prisons. My present is disastrous, my future may
reserve other pain for me, I hate myself enormously for having created
such a bad karma. The
Mandarin:
Now, it’s your turn to narrate your crimes. Make her drink some
ginger-water, General, so she can regain a little of her vital essence
and talk coherently. The
General:
At your request. She has drunk her cold proof water. YT:
Young lady, may I ask why you are here. The
soul:
I blush while telling you this. When I was 18 years old, I was a
member of a group of singers and dancers. We gave performance at various
places. Usually, I performed my show of strip tease to attract the
spectators. Afterwards, in a period of crisis, the group was disbanded.
I became a wench and entertained my clients with my old strip tease
show. I made acquaintance with a wealthy businessman who rented a
separate house for me to live with him as his concubine. When I was 36
years of age, we did not live in perfect harmony, my husband and I were
separated. At one time, sadly discouraged and depressed by my solitude
and incapacity, I committed suicide with poison. Upon my death, I was
detained in the Citadel of Premature Death for 5 years, and then
transferred to this Prison of Ice where I have lived for 3 years. I
still have 20 years to go. At present, my pain is unbearable. Each day,
my body and limbs are frozen; the icy cold pierces my heart. I am deeply
repentant, but there is nothing I can do. I advise young girls in the
terrestrial world to never take the path I have taken. The
Mandarin:
This sinful soul did not pursue an honest trade in her life. She
lived on her nude body and sexual intercourse; therefore, she destroyed
the ways and customs of society. She did not like to wear decent
clothing. After her death, she was condemned to this Prison of Ice to
experience the icy cold temperature. She is trying to get more clothing
against the cold but she can’t find any. When people commit a sin,
they pay for it. She committed other sins too. Upon expiration of her
sentence here, she will be sent to other prisons for judgment. Let the
girls on earth consider her example! General, take these souls back to
the prison. YT:
I see a white veil of fog evaporating from the prison, just like
smoke. And the air begins to grow colder. TK:
That is the cold smoke and air emanating from the prison. The
Mandarin:
All those who steal properties entrusted to them by others; keep
brothels and prevent loose women from changing their life to be
respectable citizens, disregard local produce, and wear only imported
silks to show off their wealth. The money they spend lavishly and
foolishly can be given to provide needy people with warm clothes against
the cold. Women whose dresses lay bare their backs, bellies, and thighs,
intentionally exhibiting the secret parts of their bodies to allure the
male sex, and all these people who don’t fear the cold and are slaves
of ornaments will have to come to the Prison of Ice and experience some
coldness. TK:
Time is running short. We have to return to the Temple. YT:
My deep thanks to His Excellency and to the General. I hope to
see you again. The
Mandarin:
So long, gentlemen. TK:
To the lotus dais, Yang Ts’ien. YT:
All set, Master. Shall we go? |
CONTENTS |
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