15 / Unveiling Life in the Civilian District of the Netherworld
Since the publication of The Inexorable Nether Laws, some people assume this text was written via spirit-writing or spirit possession. Hence I must emphasize once more: I, Ayù, entered meditative stillness, clearing all wandering thoughts to concentrate my mental power. Supported by the Buddha’s spiritual empowerment, I traveled atop a white lotus flower to the hell realms in an instant, in a fully conscious state. For this reason, the contents of The Inexorable Nether Laws have been verified through repeated journeys to the Netherworld, rendering it of great reference value. Any inaccuracies arise solely from mishearing due to my limited cultivation. Nonetheless, my aspiration to serve the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and help all sentient beings uphold the precepts is utterly sincere. Therefore, The Inexorable Nether Laws differs fundamentally from folk works produced through spirit-writing, spirit possession, invoking souls or dream visions. I earnestly ask all readers to distinguish and pay attention to this distinction.
Grateful for the empowerment of the Buddha, I set forth riding upon a white lotus flower.
I pressed my palms together and bowed to the Magistrate. Today my question was: “Does the Civilian District of the Netherworld belong to the ghost path?”
The Magistrate replied: “The Civilian District falls under the jurisdiction of the ghost path. It is inhabited by sentient beings who, when alive in the mortal world, led ordinary lives, neither notably virtuous nor gravely wicked. They committed no major good deeds nor serious evils, passing through a mediocre lifetime. Upon the end of their mortal lifespan, they are first escorted by the black and white impermanence messengers to the Hall of Judgment, where their Register of Good and Evil Deeds is examined. Beings without karmic offences worthy of hell torment may be assigned to reside in this civilian district. Those possessing great virtuous karma may ascend to higher realms or be reborn back in the mortal world.”
Today we were going to visit the civilian district of the Netherworld. With a thought, we arrived there. I found this place was vastly better than the hells; at the very least, the beings here endure no tortures. I observed that the souls dwelling here live much as humans do in the human realm, enjoying considerable freedom. They may move about freely and conduct simple trade and commerce.
There were adults and children, as well as shops. The sky hung grey; there was no sun, nor any moon or stars. Their garments were muted and lackluster. Devoid of tangible flesh-and-blood forms, their figures felt somewhat light and floating, unlike people walking in the mortal world, where one feels the pull of gravity. This is one of the distinguishing marks.
I stepped forward to look. A crowd of ghostly civilians gathered ahead. It turned out to be a long corridor lined with retail stalls. The passage stretched far into the distance, with vendors’ booths on both sides. Each stall had one, two or three souls tending to trade.
There was also a food quarter. I glanced at their food and noticed something strange: none of it held any warmth; everything was stone cold. All provisions appeared substantial to the eye, yet when I held them in my hands, there was no sense of physical weight. A cup of water bears tangible weight in the mortal realm, yet things here gave me no such sense of weight. I watched to see how these souls consumed food. They seemed only to inhale sustenance, and the process was swift. At that moment, a female vendor called out to me.
I greeted the vendor: “Hello! What is this?”