CHAPTER
61
VISIT TO THE LAKE OF POLLUTED BLOOD AND TO THE PALACE OF THE KING OF THE EASTER MOUNTAIN Buddha
Tse Kong who manifested on July 25th. Year of the Horse
Buddha
Tse Kong: While traversing the paths of hell, we saw nothing but
sinful souls plunged into nearly total alienation. Before his birth, man
ignored who he was. Born into the world, he ignores the place he came
from and the place he will go. With haggard eyes, he doesn’t know how
to behave. He is like a lazy pupil following his comrades to school with
his lunch basket in hand. All he knows is to eat his food and play with
his schoolmates. Upon the arrival of the exam, he has memorized none of
his lessons, and he fails. He has thus nullified the pains and cares of
his parents who have reared and tried to educate an ignorant, ungrateful
child. I appeal to humans to show themselves worthy of their names, be
honest and follow the good path. Let them not be demonical and inhuman
in their lives, because they will become real demons and devils after
their death. Let’s depart on duty, Yang Ts’ien. YT:
In the distance, I see a lake where people are being drowned.
Some of them are immersed to the bottom while others are struggling to
rise to the surface. Cries for help are reaching me, and I smell a fetid
odour. TK:
That’s the lake of polluted blood. The sight will be
horrible, and I suggest that you remain calm. Let’s go closer to have
a better look. YT:
Along the road leading to the lake, infernal guards are seen
mercilessly dragging some sinful souls. TK:
They’re going to cast the souls into the lake. YT:
As we are approaching the lake, the smell of blood is growing
more and more nauseous. The wild screams of the dying souls squeeze my
heart. The General on guard: I am delighted with your visit. I received a message announcing your arrival. Please follow me to the lake. YT:
Thank you very much, General. Looking from here will do. There is
no need to go as far as the lake. Can you tell me about the crimes
committed by these souls? The
General: Of
course. First, I deem it proper to tell you about the history of this
lake. It is situated adjacent to the Bridge of Distress - you must have
seen it previously - Under the bridge, there crawl a multitude of snakes
as big as an arm, which bite the souls. The sinful souls serving as prey
for the snakes are dragged to the middle of the bridge and pushed down
to the pit. The snakes will snatch at them, crush them to pieces and
swallow them. The number of victims is so great that the blood gushing
from their bodies flows abundantly enough to make up this lake. The
souls who drowned in it had committed foul crimes in their lives. YT:
Can you explain more to me, General? The General: The Immortals, as you know, must be
accorded full respect. There are number of persons who dare curse the
Immortals or use blasphemous speech when they are in desperate
circumstances: sickness, ill luck, and misfortune. Others utter rude,
obscene words addressed to the aged, respectable persons or slander
other people. All those people belong to the category of men whose
hearts and entrails are polluted. This includes those professional
prostitutes who trade their beauty for money and whose every utterance
is swearing; exceedingly lustful people who spend their days in
pleasure-dens, soiling their bodies and souls; people fortifying their
bodies by eating impurities; people of certain perverse doctrine
practicing their cults and rites with animals’ blood and others; those
who like to massacre living creatures while disgracing the holy ambiance
of sacred places and canonical books. All of these are drowned in the
Lake of Polluted Blood after their death. TK:
According to an age-old tradition, it is rumored that a woman
dying of childbirth is also condemned to the polluted-lake drowning. I
believe this rumor is nonsense. The fact of giving birth to child and
bringing it up is included in the law of nature. When a woman dies in
her confinement, her fate is already deplorable as it is, why should she
be thrown into the lake of polluted blood? The members of the victim’s
family should perform as much charitable work as possible; recite
prayers for providing her soul some peace in the grace of the genii,
saints, gods, and Buddha. The General:
You are perfectly right, Buddha Tse Kong. I hope the living men
can understand this truth. TK:
I think it’s quite enough. Now, we’re going to see something
else. YT:
Thank you for your instructive information, General. The General:
At your service. TK:
Good. Now, let’s pay a visit to the King of the Eastern
Mountain. We arrive, now. The King: At
last, you have come. We are glad to see you. TK:
Please forgive us for coming here late. We have chosen to visit
the other Palaces first, because of their hierarchical functions. The
King: Your
arrival affords me a great deal of joy. Don’t apologize. Since the
days of the Temple of the Sages were opened, a large number of canonical
books have been distributed and the radiance of the Tao has shone
throughout the world. These books have responded to the wish of the
virtuous hearts that have a thirst for the providential way of God. They
transform honest people into passionate worshippers of the divine light.
Your important works inspire deep admiration from me. At present, you
are accompanied by your disciple Yang Ts’ien, and it is an honor for
me to welcome you here. Please follow me to the reception hall for some
discussion. YT:
We are grateful, Sir. The King:
Take your seats. General, please serve us some tea. The King:
May we offer you some tea and fruit? Please, make yourselves at
home. TK:
Thanks you so much! The tea is delicious. YT:
Its fragrance is excellent, and the fruits are exquisite. May I
take some with me to the living world? The King:
These fruits are tasty only if eaten here in hell. TK:
Don’t be so greedy, Yang Ts’ien. I saw in your orchard a lot
of ripening fruits. Take good care of them and you’ll have something
good to eat. The fruit of the Tao, alone is the most exquisite, it has
neither form nor bulk, but it is wonderful. By eating it, you obtain all
that you desire. But if you learn it to rot, it will become useless. YT:
The teachings of Buddha Tse Kong and of your Majesty enlighten me
greatly, and I feel ashamed. TK:
Can you explain to us your various functions in this Palace, Sir? The King: This Mountain in the east, alias T’ai Shan is the first of a range of five mountains. It is placed under the administration of the 10th Gate. This is the highest judiciary branch of hell, something like the Supreme Court in the terrestrial world. My function consists of correcting and punishing all of the discontent and belligerent souls who create disorder, also promoting or demoting the genii and demons on earth as well as in hell. I can send a request directly to the Celestial Emperor and then give the order to execute. All of the genii of mountains, regions, frontiers, heaven and earth are dependent on my palace. We also have to make the final decision for the judgments of the other palaces. We are the most important branches of the ten palaces. On the summit of this mountain resides the Pontiff of the World of Darkness, alias King of Hell. He administers and directs the activities of hell to insure success. My role as administrator is quite different from the administrators of the other gates. YT:
May I have one more question, Sir. You said all of the souls and
demons in hell are at your command. However, it is often rumored in the
world that some man is obsessed by a demon; some other is haunted by a
devil and other things of this kind. Can these demons and devils escape
from your control and run away to do what they want? The
King: The celestial
net is incommensurable and loose, but no human being can slip off its
vast meshes. Even though, the infernal net is thick and thight, some
devils can occasionally escape from it. Your remarks are correct. The
law of hell is impartial but it doesn’t mean that compassion is
neglected. It must encompass both the logical side and the sentimental
side of the matter. Malevolent geniuses and devils causing disorder on
the terrestrial world are many. This is because souls, which suffer an
unfair death, have the right to avenge. But after they are back on the
earth, for lack of consciousness, they get attached to humans and
don’t want to leave them. However, the demons don’t dare approach
the good people who possess pure and strong spiritual energy. As a
result, the souls who violate the infernal law and sow disorder will be
discovered some day. They will be either punished by the genii on earth
or arrested by the patrollers of our palace and led to hell for
punishment. They will be unable to deny their crimes and will be judged
by the law of hell. Back to your question, I can summarize the matter
like this: Because the authorities of hell want to see the soul’s
rancor dissipated, they set the souls temporarily free for the latter to
return to earth and settle their accounts. Therefore, we can find in the
world those people who are obsessed by devils or demons, and sometimes,
the convicts who, after their release from jails, disguise their faces
to commit even heavier crimes. These vindictive souls can manipulate and
incite human beings who lack of self-control, so they commit serious
mistakes without being aware of the consequences of their acts. YT:
Now, I understand perfectly. TK:
You clear explanations have opened my mind. May we take leave,
now. The
King: Before you
go, I hope that the “Voyages to Hell” will be finished as soon as
possible and distributed to humans under the best conditions. Officers,
form your lines to render honors to our distinguished guests. YT:
We are really grateful, Sir. Shall we go, Master? |
CONTENTS |
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