CHAPTER 51VISIT TO THE 9TH PALACE INTERVIEW WITH THE METROPOLITAN KING Buddha
Tse Kong who manifested on March 29TH, 1978. Year of the Horse
Buddha
Tse Kong: We are through with our visit to the 8th Gate. Now,
we’re going to enter the 9th Gate and visit the Gate of Yin, alias the
door of hell. Yang Ts’ien, let’s depart. Yang
Ts’ien: Our duty
consists of entering the 9th Palace in order to complete the book
“Voyages to Hell”. My heart is so enthusiastic that my words fail
me. TK:
It is extremely important to pass over the sill of hell’s door.
Don’t underestimate it, and don’t be too optimistic either. We are
assuming a heavy responsibility that compels us to go up hill and down
dale in order to accomplish our mission. We have to be cautious in our
work. The publication of the book, when done, will bring you a lot of
spiritual merits, owing to its educational value to humans. I hope
you’ll do your best to complete your task. Now, come quickly on the
dais. YT:
At your request. I’m ready, Master. TK:
We arrive now. Let’s come down. YT:
Before us, a crowd is gathering. They’re organizing a solemn
welcome in our honors. TK:
The Metropolitan King was informed of our visit. An exceptional
reception is reserved for us. Let’s dust our clothes neatly. Look
ahead! Deafening sounds of cymbals and drums are accompanying the
musical instruments to form an harmonious symphony for our welcome. YT:
The melodious music is heard like the traditional folksong titled
“Harmonious flute notes of South and North”. TK:
You’re right! YT:
How blissful this divine music is! I’m filled with happiness
when hearing it: my soul soars as though I reach the realm of Immortals.
Could this spectacle be real? TK:
Why couldn’t it? Any earthly being who accomplishes meritorious
deeds will hear the same divine music, when he receives the
vermilion-sealed letter of heaven inviting him to the Kingdom of Gods.
As for the people whose meritorious deeds are mediocre, they aren’t
honored with this exceptional grace from the heavens. When prizes are
distributed on earth, there is music too. The earthly world has its
earthly music; the celestial world has its divine music. The rumor about this fact isn’t false. The man who commits crime in the course
of his life will hear no music other than the wails of demons and the
clankings of sword bayonets, cutlasses and shackles. When on his way to
hell, he won’t have the courage to complete the trip. The tragic
infernal music would urge him to stop halfway. He will be recaptured for
sure, and will be tied up, and finally led to hell by the infernal
guards. Let’s hasten forward. The dignitaries of the 9th Gate are
patiently standing in line and waiting for us. YT:
I humbly present myself to His Majesty the Metropolitan King and
to the Mandarins. I am the disciple of Saint Kouan-Chen of the Temple of
the Sages in Tai Chu. Carrying out the Celestial Edict, my gracious
Master Buddha Tse Kong and I visit hell to write a book. May I thank you
for your warm welcome, and your useful information that will help me in
preparing the book. The
King: I dispense
you from ceremonials, Mr. Yang Ts’ien. Tonight, I particularly invite
you to a feast. Please follow me to the reception hall for some rest. YT:
Thank you for your generosity, Sir. TK:
Let’s follow His Majesty to the reception hall. The
King: Please take a
seat. You must have visited nearly all gates, from the 1st to the 9th.
For the achievement of your book, you have experienced a great deal of
labor and pain. In honor of your arrival, may I give you something very
special to purify yourself from worldly dust. TK:
We appreciate greatly y our benevolence, Sir. After riding the
dais of lotus for an entire year, our bodies are soiled with so much
dust. The
King: Your hearts
are as pure as the lotus, which are not impregnated by the stench of mud
while growing amid a miry lake. The lotus flower preserves its nature in
perfect purity. Only your earthly feet need to be carefully washed now.
The fruits of the Kingdom of the Gods are on the tray. Please help
yourselves, without reserve. TK:
Dear disciple! Go directly ahead. This is the rarest occasion you
will ever experience. YT:
Thanks a lot, Master. These fruits resemble the grapes of the
living world. They are purple-red, and their flavor is exquisite. The
King: True.
The trees of these ebony-colored fruits grow naturally on the mount of
K’un Lun. By absorbing the pure breath energy, the skin of these
fruits is velvet black and their pulp is exquisitedly sweet. Please help
yourself. TK:
Can we talk while eating? Yang Ts’ien, if you have any
questions, don’t hesitate to ask His Majesty. YT:
Yes, Sir (to the King). May you kindly explain to me the
functions of your 9th Palace? The
King: I am assuming
a heavy responsibility. To see one group after another group of sinful
souls suffering painfully, I really can’t talk without emotion.
However, my duty consists of judging them impartially and I cannot allow
myself to be sentimental. All I hope is to see human beings return
quickly to the right path. I can then free myself of my moral
obligation. All organisms of hell function correctly and smoothly. Like
the magistrates in the living world, the infernal judges maintain this
judicial maxim of morality, “Act virtuously to give examples to
others. And teach other people with uprightness”. YT:
So that’s it! What prisons are governed by your palace, Sir? The
King: My
place governs the Eternal Prison. We also establish 18 smaller prisons
for the sinful souls. YT:
Suppose someone asks me, “Why do people usually say the dead
have to pass by 16 prisons?” How shall I answer them? The
King: People
have the habit of joking with this sentence, “Gosh! men have to pass
through the 18 prisons of hell after their death”. By saying so,
people only refer to the Eternal Prison, which consists of 18 floors
reaching as deeply as the core of the earth where the breath of the Yin
is dense and completely black. The prisoner can’t even see the fingers
of his raised hand. A liquid as dark as coffee overfloods this place.
There, night and day, the sinful souls quench their thirst with this
liquid. Do you like having a cup of this coffee, Mr. Yang Ts’ien? YT:
On, no! May I abstain from it! I prefer some tea! The
King: You are Yang
Ts’ien, the cautious. Now, try these heavenly fruits. YT:
This kind of fruit has the form of a 9-floored tower on earth.
They are savoury, aromatic and cooling. What do you call them? The
King: This
is a specialty of the 9th Palace. The fruit is called “Nine-Floored
Tower”. Whoever eats this fruit, will have his bones strenghtened. It
is also the tonic for the spirit and vital energy. The nine towers
symbolize the absolute Yang. Therefore, once eating these fruits, the
vital breath energy of man will be reinforced. They are really good for
your health, Mr. Yang Ts’ien. TK:
Most people prefer the ascent to the 9th floored Tower than the
descent to the Eternal Prison with its 18 floors. It’s quite strange. The
King: Please
serve yourself and relax. You still look covered with ashes and dust (to
Tse Kong). Now, I’m going o take Yang Ts’ien to the “Cascade of
Nine Streams” for a genial bath. YT:
I fear to go there by myself, gracious Master. Please, accompany
me. TK:
All right. I’ll go with you, son. YT:
I thank you very much, for your kindness in accompanying me.
Here, the roads are new, clean and even, which are quite a rare sight to
be found in hell. TK:
These roads are particularly reserved for the spiritual Immortals
who want to return to the terrestrial world to attend the Memorial
Ceremony. You are indeed lucky to have a chance to behold this scenery.
Profit from the coolness of the cascade. Do you see those three genii
that are coming in our direction? Well, they are purified of all dirt,
and are going to receive the celestial order for returning to the living
world and assuming their functions. YT:
These genii look high-spirited. They are crowned with aureoles. The
King: Please,
go ahead. YT:
That Mountain before us is pretty high. It is covered with
verdant trees. High up from the rocks of the slope, the water of the
cascade is gushing out, looking like gigantic ribbons of silk. Amidst
this scorching heat, the refreshing nine streams are pouring down
freely, and the earth seems to revive at their contact. The
King: Here we
are at the Cascade of Nine Streams. YT:
On the slope of the mountain, engraved characters of glittering
golden color are seen: “Cascade of Nine Streams”. From a lofty
height, the nine streams are unfurling their waters, just like a picture
of spread strips of silk. The
King: Young
Yang Ts’ien is going to take a cleansing bath. Order the Generals and
escorting officers to withdraw. The
Generals: At your
request, Sir. The
King: Mr.
Yang Ts’ien, go straight to the end of the cascade. YT:
The current is too swift. I
am reluctant to go there alone. Please keep me company, Master. TK:
With pleasure. For three years, my Buddha’s body hasn’t been
bathed. I should take this opportunity to purify myself at least once.
Let’s go. YT:
What coolness! Hey! I can’t open my eyes! TK:
Try hard to open them to wash your profane eyes. YT:
How happy I am! I feel completely refreshed. But I am all wet.
What should I do? TK:
Don’t worry. In a moment, with my rush-fan I shall dry you,
just the way a drying-machine does. Wash your dirty feet with the water. YT:
You’re making fun of your disciple, Master. TK:
The places people can’t see are usually dirty, such as the
soles of the feet, the undersides of beds and desks. They are like
“fortresses”. If we don’t launch a mopping-offensive against them,
they can serve as refuges for fleas and bugs. How could you ride the
winds and mount the clouds with these parasites with you? YT:
You are absolutely right, Master. TK:
As its name indicates, the Cascade of Nine Streams resembles nine
dragons spouting water with which one gets washed without recourse to
soap or detergents for cleansing the filth. Human beings should take
care of their bodies and souls; keep them all clean to avoid the
punishments beyond life. You look clean and neat, son. Come up to the
bank. YT:
Master, can you give me that blow of your rush-fan so I can get
dried quickly? TK:
Look at this rush-fan. It outdoes a drying-machine. YT:
In fact, my clothes are dried while my body and soul are
purified. I thank you very much, Sir, and Venerable Master. The
King: I hope
you’ll have enough courage and patience to endure the pains and to
accomplish your mission. YT:
I’ll try my best, Sir. May I wish to be blessed with more
spiritual energy? The
King: When the
clouds are clear, the sun will appear. At that time, there will be no
need to be leased anymore. Do you understand? TK:
It’s growing late. We must leave now. And we apologize for not
accompanying you back to your palace. The
King: Never mind,
Venerable Buddha. Line up your men for the salute, Generals. YT:
Your generosity will never be forgotten, Sir. I am thankful for
the party and for the cleansing bath at the Cascade of Nine Streams.
Please accept my greeting and my gratitude, Sir. |
CONTENTS |
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