“Therefore, the true purpose of observing the Fifth Precept against drinking alcohol is this: all consumables that numb and impair people’s normal power of thinking ought to be abstained from. The prohibition is not limited merely to alcohol. As science and technology in the mortal world keep evolving, new products akin to alcohol or tobacco will emerge in the future. Any consumable possessing intoxicating properties that disrupt sound thinking must be avoided. I hope everyone will earnestly uphold this principle. If you transgress the laws of the netherworld, your blessings and lifespan will be diminished, and you yourself will ultimately endure the resultant suffering.
“Very well! Ayù, our discussion concerning smoking shall conclude for today. You may return now. You are welcome to visit again.”
I pressed my palms together and said: “Ayù is grateful to the Magistrate. I have benefited immensely from learning these karmic events unknown to my family today!”
I returned home on a white lotus flower.
12 / The Promotion of Great Emperor Dongyue and the Calamities in Jambudvīpa
Grateful for the empowerment of the Buddha! I departed riding a white lotus flower.
“Amitabha!” Ayù pressed her palms together in greeting to the Magistrate. “Magistrate! Today I wish to ask you to take me to visit the legendary Great Emperor Dongyue.”
The Magistrate said: “Great Emperor Dongyue is presently one of the Yama Kings under the leadership of the Nether Sovereign Yama King. Prior to the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Great Emperor Dongyue was also known as Great Emperor Fengdu, the supreme ruler of the netherworld, holding a position equivalent to that of today’s Nether Sovereign Yama King. At present, however, Great Emperor Dongyue serves as one of the Twelve Yama Kings subordinate to the Nether Sovereign Yama King. New hells have been continuously constructed, with construction accelerating after the Song Dynasty. Since the year 1995 of the human world, the construction of additional hells has accelerated further. The hells have now nearly reached saturation—for far too many people commit transgressions in the mortal realm! I know some devotees, after reading The Inexorable Nether Laws, wonder why new hells are built and official positions are reshuffled in the netherworld. Consider the mortal world: government institutions and their staff expand and shrink as needed. The same principle applies to both the mortal and nether realms, and even the heavenly domains follow this rule. Ayù, come with me!”
The Magistrate continued: “In the 350th year after the Song dynasty, countless unresolved grievances, both major and minor, began piling up in the human world. When the wronged souls from these unresolved cases arrived in the netherworld, all of them brought their appeals before Great Emperor Dongyue. His judgment hall became thronged with aggrieved souls, leaving the Emperor overwhelmed with work. Later, a large, expansive mansion for the Nether Sovereign Yama King was constructed in the netherworld. Upon its completion, Great Emperor Fengdu was renamed the Nether Sovereign Yama King. The newly built mansion combined the Nether Sovereign Yama King’s living quarters and administrative offices within one compound, making it easier for him to govern the nether realm. The supreme judgment hall of the netherworld that you toured last time, Ayù, was also built during this period. Great Emperor Fengdu moved to this mansion to reside and conduct official duties.
The current Great Emperor Dongyue was promoted from King Qin Guang of the First Hall. When he lived in the mortal world, King Qin Guang was a righteous and humane monarch. After the end of his mortal life, he was appointed to serve as the Yama King of the First Hall. The work duties of Great Emperor Dongyue are largely similar to those of the Nether Sovereign Yama King. Nevertheless, after some souls descend to the netherworld, they insist on bringing their lawsuits to the highest Yama King. Nearly all such souls are guided to the judgment hall within the mansion of the Nether Sovereign Yama King, to be judged personally by the Sovereign. This is merely a habit carried over from the human world. When the souls of the deceased arrive at the netherworld, every Yama King there is upright and strict. All Yama Kings handle every single case in strict accordance with the nether laws and the law of karma. Not the slightest favouritism is extended to kin, relatives or friends. Each condemned soul is sent to the corresponding hell according to the crimes they have committed. If there are valid grievances, the netherworld will issue corresponding lawful netherworld warrants to claim lives.”