“Ah! Forgive me, Magistrate. I, Ayù, spoke improperly. Please pardon my fault.”
The Magistrate said: “Before the Buddha attained enlightenment beneath the Bodhi Tree, Mara came to disrupt him fiercely. The Buddha repelled Mara’s army with the samadhi concentration, plus the awesome divine power of compassion and meritorious virtue. Frustrated, Mara retreated and vowed: ‘Though I cannot shake your concentration now, in the distant Dharma-Ending Age, I shall send my demon sons and grandsons to don your robes and destroy your Dharma.’ With that threat, Mara departed in anger, and the Buddha shed tears of compassion. In truth, the Buddha was not worried that Mara would destroy the true Dharma. He pitied Mara’s demonic kin, who would inevitably endure boundless suffering in the hells as karmic retribution for undermining the Buddha’s teachings and slandering the true Dharma. Before entering final nirvana, the Buddha instructed his disciples: ‘In future generations, practitioners must take the precepts as their teacher; practitioners shall rely upon the Dharma, not upon people.’ To judge whether one’s teachings are correct, the foremost standard is to verify if they align with the Buddhist sutras. As stated in the Shurangama Sutra: ‘That which accords with my words is spoken by the Buddha; that which departs from my words is spoken by Pāpīyān.’ Even during the Age of the true Dharma, while the Buddha walked the earth, demons still came to obstruct the true Dharma. How much more so now, in the Dharma‑ending Age, when deviant teachers abound as the sands of the Ganges. Wherever the true Dharma abides, demons will surely appear. This also serves as a trial, an opportunity for spiritual refinement and advancement along the path of cultivation. While the Buddha was alive, his cousin Devadatta repeatedly slandered him, schemed to harm and ruin him. In the end, Devadatta fell into the hells to undergo torment.”
Just then, an official of the Netherworld arrived to deliver an announcement: “By order of Emperor Fengdu, the mortal Shangguan Yuhua is summoned immediately!” I was greatly startled. Emperor Fengdu is the supreme ruler of this realm, and he wished to see me. Wondering what momentous event had transpired, I proceeded forthwith together with the Magistrate.
We arrived at the grand hall. I knelt immediately to pay homage to Emperor Fengdu.
“Shangguan Yuhua, mortal woman of the Land of Zhendan in Jambudvīpa, bows before Emperor Fengdu! May Emperor Fengdu pardon my transgressions.”
I beheld Emperor Fengdu clad in formal imperial robes and wearing a jeweled crown, seated upon a lofty throne. His complexion was dark, and his expression stern and solemn, inspiring awe and dread.
I remained kneeling in the great hall, not daring to lift my head to gaze upward.
Then Great Emperor Fengdu spoke: “I already know the purpose of your visit; hence I grant you this audience. The mortal Tan, alias Manjushri-Vimalakirti, expounds the true Dharma to guide living beings in the Dharma-Ending Age and purify human minds. Nowadays, moral standards in the mortal world continue to deteriorate, and teachings on karma and causality are gravely lacking. People no longer understand that good deeds bring good fruits and evil deeds bring evil retribution. Thus they recklessly advocate unrestrained notions, commit killing, indulge in sexual misconduct, and slander others, mistakenly claiming this is freedom of speech. Little do they know they have committed offenses of defaming others and vilifying the sacred teachings. What Tan expounds is the true Dharma that saves people’s hearts, urging them to reform and turn towards goodness. Anyone who protects and upholds the true Dharma spoken by the Buddha shall receive merits and rewards from me. If one abides by the Buddha’s teachings and observes the precepts throughout their life, even if they only cultivate personally without propagating the Dharma, they shall certainly avoid suffering in the hells after death. If one not only cultivates and keeps the precepts all their life, but also shares and spreads the Buddhadharma to others, such a person shall receive augmented blessings and a lengthened lifespan, with good fortune extending to their descendants. If people refuse to cultivate and uphold the true Dharma, yet deliberately undermine and slander it, their blessings and lifespans shall inevitably be diminished in this present lifetime. Upon the end of their mortal lives, they will fall into the Hell of Tongue Ripping and the Hell of Wailing, and endure torments including eye gouging, heart piercing, ear chopping and other cruel hellish punishments. The duration of their torment depends on when all living beings who have accepted these slanderous remarks against the true Dharma re-establish right faith and resume practicing the true Dharma. Only then will the spirit of this person have a chance to escape the hells. Afterward, upon rebirth as a human, this person will be born into a lowly station, or be afflicted with impaired senses — blind, deaf, frail and emaciated. This person may also live in poverty amid harsh conditions, lacking material provisions, troubled by disharmony within the family, and plagued by countless other hardships. Hasten back and record my words. Persuade those who remain deluded not to slander the true Dharma; let them turn back and repent.”
I prostrated in gratitude to Emperor Fengdu, the King of the Netherworld and all Magistrates! And then I returned by white lotus flower.
14 / The Hell of Electric-Light Screens — The New Hell Where Electric Ice Needles Are Fired