[The Three Sages of the Southern Realm]
This painting depicts the Southern Three Sages: Earth Store Bodhisattva, Dharma Master Daoming, Dharma Protector Elder Min, together with the divine beast Diting. The sacred forms are true manifestations witnessed personally by the book’s author laywoman, Shangguan Yuhua, during her spiritual journey through the netherworld. The image was painted devoutly by an artist, then revised under the guidance of Earth Store Bodhisattva, making it an extremely precious sacred icon.
Should viewers and fellow cultivators venerate, make offerings to, and recite sutras and mantras before the sacred images, misfortunes shall recede while blessings accumulate; households shall abide in lasting peace. Practitioners may attain rebirth in pure lands in this lifetime, and ultimately achieve full Buddhahood in future lives.
The meaning of the Chinese characters in the picture is:
As long as hells remain unemptied, I vow never to attain Buddhahood.
The Inexorable Nether Laws
Volume I
WRITTEN BY
SHANGGUAN YUHUA
[Lotus illustration from the original title page]