[Lotus illustration from the original edition]
Supplement One The First Hall: King Qin Guang
Grateful for the empowerment of the Buddha, I departed riding a white lotus flower.
Ayù: “Namo Amitabha! I, Ayù, press my palms and pay homage to you, Magistrate. Today I wish to inquire: where do mortal humans go once their earthly lives end? Does everyone fall into the netherworld after death?”
Magistrate: “Not all souls must enter the netherworld. Departed mortals fall into three categories upon death. First, those of supreme goodness ascend directly to their karmically‑destined Buddhalands or pure lands in all directions. Some beings pass through the hells before ascending, yet the greatly virtuous endure no suffering while traversing them. The grade of one’s rebirth hinges upon the purity of one’s spiritual radiance, cultivated through observing precepts in mortal life. Those who faithfully uphold the Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds may ascend to the heavenly realms or various pure lands of the Buddhas. Their specific rebirth plane is determined by their observance of precepts and the good karma amassed in life. The merciless karmic laws impose corresponding punishments upon those who break precepts, tailored to each transgression. In contrast, the nether authorities shall protect and safeguard those who generate the great Bodhicitta, observe pure precepts, and cultivate good deeds lifetime after lifetime, until they attain ultimate liberation and consummate, unsurpassed perfect Bodhi.
“Second, neutral mortals of neither great good nor great evil are brought to the netherworld to stand trial after death. Those with no record of major good or evil deeds are dispatched to the Tenth Hall to be reborn directly into the human world. Reborn as male or female, they enter upper‑class, middle‑class or lower‑class families corresponding to their past accumulated karmas.
“Before every living being’s life expires, netherworld messengers, namely the soul‑snatching ghosts and essence‑snatching ghosts, come to seize their soul and essence‑qi. True accomplished practitioners feel no death‑agony at the end of life and will not be dragged by karma into the three evil realms: hell, hungry ghosts and animals. Relying on the power of the blessings, merits and virtues cultivated in life, they recite the Buddha’s name in deep samadhi and attain rebirth in pure lands by the Buddha’s power. Ordinary people, pulled by karma, endure the pain of having their soul and essence-qi seized. The duration of suffering varies with individual karma. When the soul-snatching ghost takes the soul, the person loses consciousness and cannot speak. Then the essence‑snatching ghost seizes essence-qi. Once essence-qi is taken away, the body becomes powerless and motionless. How much soul and essence-qi is seized is decided by one’s karma. Most beings lose everything at one go, while a small number suffer seizure in two stages. Once a mortal’s soul and essence-qi are taken by the two ghosts, this earthly life is drawing to an end.
“Finally, the po, namely one’s consciousness, is dragged out by Ox‑Head and Horse‑Face with iron chains. At this moment, the mortal draws their last breath. Once one’s spirit, energy and essence-qi are depleted, this lifetime comes to an end. The being transmigrates into the next stage of life following its karmic tendencies. There is no set sequence for the two netherworld messengers—the soul‑seizing ghost and essence‑snatching ghost; the order is determined entirely by one’s individual karma.”
Ayù: “Magistrate, my question is as follows: Vegetative patients have had their souls taken away by soul-snatching ghosts, so they lie motionless waiting for their allotted lifespan to expire. Some vegetative‑state patients endure terrible agonies from various medical treatments. If their families arrange euthanasia for them, does this action contravene karmic law?”
Magistrate: “Ayù, the karmic fortune of sentient beings is steadily declining at present. If sentient beings fail to arouse repentance, recite the Buddha’s name, observe precepts and practise goodness, their karmic conditions will only grow worse ahead. More cases will arise where sentient beings end up in a vegetative state or die from cancer. For such sentient beings, their blessing rewards for the present stage of life have not yet been exhausted, and they are known to the world as patients in a vegetative state. Their souls are first seized by the soul‑seizing ghost, plunging them into permanent unconsciousness. Once the souls are taken away, no earthly medical technology can rouse them from their coma. Later, their essence-qi will be seized by the essence‑snatching ghost. Once both soul and essence-qi are fully taken away, the mortal person remains trapped in a vegetative state until the end of their natural lifespan. One falls into a vegetative state because residual blessings and unresolved karmic afflictions from their earthly life remain unspent, preventing them from immediate death. At this time, their family members must not administer euthanasia to such patients, for euthanasia distorts karmic retribution and violates the precept against killing under netherworld law. If the residual blessings of the patient in a vegetative state remain unexhausted, though the patient has lost soul and essence-qi, they subjectively experience a state akin to sleep even as physicians diagnose coma; they feel little physical suffering. Their family members are then bound to provide constant devoted care — this is the condition brought by unexhausted residual blessings. By contrast, a vegetative‑state patient with unresolved karmic afflictions must endure manifold agonies inflicted by various medical interventions. These are leftover karmic tribulations that require time to end the karma. When such residual blessings and karmic afflictions are fully spent, the patient will naturally pass away. If family members truly wish to ease the patient’s suffering, they should perform virtuous deeds and accumulate blessings on their behalf. Ideally, they may use the patient’s own funds for extensive almsgiving. A Buddha‑name chanting device may be placed beside the patient’s bed to play the Buddha’s holy name non‑stop twenty‑four hours a day. Further genuine benefit can be brought to the patient if genuine virtuous mentors stay nearby to guide them and expound the full ritual of The Liberation of the Intermediate‑state Being. Though the patient lies comatose and cannot speak, their consciousness has not yet departed, and it receives all surrounding messages and intentions. The finest way for family members to assist the patient is to observe precepts and practise goodness, then dedicate the accrued meritorious virtues to the patient, praying for their early release from suffering and rebirth into a pure land. Aided by the meritorious virtues dedicated by their relatives, the patient shall surely attain peaceful rebirth in favorable realms. Recently, our netherworld has received several appeal cases concerning euthanasia. For the sake of time, Ayù, behold the karmic record tablet!”