I watched King Taishan, bearing a fearsome countenance, interrogate a male soul guilty of sexual misconduct committed during his mortal life. The spirit attempted to make excuses for himself. King Taishan traced a line through empty space, and the karma-revealing mirror instantly manifested. The mirror revealed scenes from the soul’s youth: his acts of sexual misconduct with his wife and extramarital lovers at improper times, in improper places and through improper sexual organs, alongside his offences of viewing pornographic books and discs. Trembling all over with terror, the male soul knelt and begged for mercy, yet it was already too late. King Taishan ordered the ghost enforcers to take him away and send him to the Hell of Embracing Copper Pillars to endure punishment.
Ghost enforcers armed with great blades dragged the male soul away from the hall using iron chains to receive his punishment, and I followed to witness what would unfold. I would rather not have seen it. The souls in this hell all scream in agony, and their numbers are countless. Their mournful cries never cease; their suffering is unrelenting, without a single moment of respite. I saw the male soul from earlier walk toward the copper pillar with a joyful air. Yet the instant he embraced it, he let out a shriek of excruciating pain. I asked the Magistrate why the spirit would embrace the red-hot copper pillar. The Magistrate explained that to the spirit, the blazing copper pillar appeared as a beautiful woman, and thus he approached gladly. But upon embracing it, the pillar scorched his entire body, triggering cries of torment.
I went on to ask the Magistrate what was meant by sexual misconduct at improper times, in improper places and using improper parts of the body. Even lawfully wedded husbands and wives must avoid violating these precepts, otherwise they still commit the offence of sexual misconduct.
Improper times refer to the birth anniversaries of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the six monthly Uposatha days, and the three long annual fasting months, when intercourse should be strictly abstained from. On such days — for instance, the first, tenth, fifteenth days of each lunar month — the Four Heavenly Kings tour the mortal world to record good and evil deeds, then report to the Jade Emperor in the Heavenly Court. Improper places: Spouses should observe moderation regarding intimacy. Other than the marital bed, intercourse must not take place elsewhere, such as living rooms, kitchens, restrooms, open outdoors, or before Buddha statues. Improper parts of the body: Outside of genital intercourse, spouses must not engage in sexual acts involving other bodily parts. Transgressors will descend into the hells to endure torment. After completing their hellish punishments, they will be reborn as animals such as pigs, dogs, mandarin ducks, and snakes.
Technology is advanced in the present age, yet people must refrain from browsing pornographic websites. Viewing such sites also constitutes a precept violation, inevitably diminishing blessings, shortening lifespan and eroding one’s destined fortune. Even if a person performs no physical acts, the moment his lustful thoughts arise, the attendant deities born together with the human being immediately record them. Every mortal is accompanied by two attendant deities: one records black karma, the other good karma. Naturally some will argue: If one only has one lifelong partner, this cannot count as infidelity. Yet such conduct is still wrong.
The Magistrate said: “Human beings must preserve their genuine vital essence. Excessive intercourse consumes one’s righteous vital energy. When men and women engage in sexual union, malignant energy radiates forth, disrupting the righteous energy between heaven and earth.” If lawfully married couples have transgressed the precepts concerning improper times, improper places and improper parts of the body, they ought to repent and reform without delay. Share this message with all sentient beings in the mortal world, so everyone may uphold purity and self-respect, observe etiquette and human ethics, and restore balance to the righteous energy permeating heaven and earth.
If one previously transgressed the prohibitions of improper times, places and means yet was coerced by one’s lawful spouse, felt no pleasure from the act, repented promptly, and resolved to exhort others thereafter, such a person may be spared torment in these hells. But those who deliberately seek gratification while breaking the precepts must descend into the Hell of Embracing Copper Pillars. Once their punishment concludes, they will be reborn within the animal path, and upon returning to the human world, they shall receive a lowly female body.
Now I shall elaborate on the varying verdicts for violating the precept against sexual misconduct. First, unmarried men and women. Single unmarried persons who remain virgins and have never engaged in sexual relations with the opposite sex commit the offence of sexual misconduct if they read pornographic books or browse pornographic websites. This diminishes their blessings, shortens their lifespans and erodes their destined fortune. Viewing such content once reduces one’s lifespan by one month; continued viewing shortens it by more than a year. If one only views such material without acting upon lustful thoughts and repents in time, one’s karmic offences may be lightened.
Unmarried persons who engage in premarital relations with only one partner will both suffer depleted blessings, even if they later marry one another, for they have failed to uphold proper etiquette. Furthermore, if unmarried people recklessly engage in promiscuity, constantly changing partners — with Person A today, Person B tomorrow, and Person C the day after (in the present age, many men take pride in having numerous girlfriends, while some women indulge in indiscriminate intimacy with many partners), upon death, such people will fall into this hell and endure far longer torment embracing the fiery copper pillars. Afterwards they transmigrate as animals, and when reborn among humans, they must repay their ancient karmic debts. Married persons who enter extramarital affairs receive sentences varying in severity and duration according to the harm inflicted; the minimum punishment is ten thousand years embracing the fiery copper pillars.
Rapists who plot to deprive women of their chastity, as well as women consumed by rampant lust, shall fall into this hell for twenty thousand years after death. Thereafter they enter the Howling Hell for another ten thousand years of suffering, before returning to the human realm to settle their past karmic debts. Those who commit sexual misconduct and additionally poison and slay others shall descend into this hell for forty thousand years, then return to the human realm to repay their past karmic debts.