“Thank you, Magistrate, for your thorough explanation. I have learned yet more. I am truly grateful to you.”
When I arrived at the Sword‑Blossom Hell for Yin Souls, I saw it was extremely vast. Many children were undergoing torment here, especially those from Western nations; their numbers were staggering. Yin souls from Britain, the United States, France, China and nearly every other nationality could be seen throughout this hell.
At that moment, I watched the living souls of many boys being dragged forth by the nether wardens. A torture implement shaped like an iron blossom struck their genitals. They screamed in agony as blood gushed forth; the sight was absolutely harrowing. For female living souls, red-hot, white-hot implements shaped like iron blossoms were thrust into their lower bodies. Tormented by excruciating pain, they rolled on the ground, wailing bitterly. This hell held innumerable prisoners, and cries of suffering shook the heavens. The sounds distressed me deeply. I retreated shortly after arriving, my heart heavy with sorrow. If not for my duty to guide worldly beings, I would never wish to come here.
While mortals endure this punishment, they feel as though they are feverish, lying in bed trapped in a drowsy stupor. Why is this so? Their three souls have been seized and dragged to the hells to suffer torment, leaving them unable to live normally. Some think they are merely having a nightmare, yet the agony is far worse than any dream. Most can feel acute physical suffering, especially intense stabbing pain in their lower bodies. A small number of people awaken to the gravity of their suffering after enduring hellish torture, and resolve to reform themselves. The Magistrate said the Kings of the Netherworld regard this severe social crisis with great concern. Condemned souls endure torment so that this harmful trend may be halted, preventing grave disasters from descending upon the mortal world.
Ayù wished to ask the Magistrate another question: “Why do the torments in these sexual-misconduct hells seem so modern, with torture devices such as computers and light-emitting ice mirrors?” The Magistrate replied: “Hells are mere reflections of the mortal world. Whenever mortals create modern items that facilitate transgressions against the precepts, matching torture instruments are immediately constructed in the hells to punish those offenders. Cosmetic surgery has grown extremely sophisticated in the mortal realm nowadays. For a price, people can completely alter their appearance without others noticing. While they might manage to deceive others and evade consequences on earth, the nether laws brook no such loopholes. Not even a total physical transformation can conceal one’s deeds. Even if someone has reincarnated through multiple lifetimes, our King of the Netherworld can still track them down instantly and bring them to justice. Ayù, upon your return, earnestly admonish mortal beings to abide by laws and duties, practice filial piety toward their parents, and uphold humaneness, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness. Do not dismiss these values as outdated clichés. They are the fundamental laws that sustain the orderly operation of heaven and earth. Those who refuse to follow them will inevitably be eliminated by natural order and subjected to karmic retribution. That concludes today’s visit. You may head back now, and return another time.”
I prostrated and took my leave of the Magistrate.
12 / The Hell of Gears, Wolves and Serpents
Grateful for the empowerment of the Buddha! There is so much for which I must give thanks.
I am grateful to the Buddha! I am grateful for the unsurpassed Dharma sutras left by the Buddha!
I deeply love the Buddhist sutras, and I especially enjoy studying the original texts directly. It feels as if I were present at the Dharma assembly, transported back to Vulture Peak in India twenty-five hundred years ago, listening in person to the Buddha expound the sublime, wonderful voice of the Bodhi Dharma. Such a feeling cannot be fully described with plain words. Everyone ought to study the original sutras often; countless profound truths of life can all be found within them.