A soul was forced to stand perpetually on one leg, locked in a posture mimicking sexual intercourse. If he stumbled and stopped, enormous iron birds hurtled down and struck him dead. A karmic wind revived him, and the cycle of suffering resumed. This penalty awaited those who authored pornographic texts.
Yet another soul was compelled to swallow endless doses of medicine. Whenever he ceased, violent wracking overcame him until he hovered near death, after which he was forced to ingest more drugs. These were the souls who researched and manufactured aphrodisiacs and passion-stimulating concoctions in their mortal lives.
One soul clutched a torch-like instrument of torture and ceaselessly burned his own genitals until they rotted away. Then the karmic wind restored his flesh, and the torment began once more. This is the retribution for those who traded devices designed to incite lust.
Two souls each grasped writhing, vibrating small serpents, which coiled around their genitals to torment them. The souls endured excruciating agony as their private parts were mangled. In life, these two were proprietors selling adult sexual merchandise.
A soul sat upon a minuscule, sharp, searing chair placed atop a fire-spitting red-hot platform, forced to write. I reached out to perceive his thoughts; his mind churned with schemes for composing obscene literature. The instant he attempted to write, both hands were incinerated, only to regenerate so he might undergo the fiery torture afresh. This is the fate of all writers of erotic books.
Nearby, male and female souls appeared to gaze greedily upon obscene texts. (Owing to inverted delusions, their minds were saturated with lust, so they beheld lascivious scrolls, yet to my eyes, the objects were merely blank sheets.) A colossal printing machine resembling a giant computer stood here. Whenever they sought to print lewd writings, the vast apparatus sucked them inside, crushing their bodies into pulp. Blood splattered everywhere amid deafening screams. The unbearable torment was unspeakable, repeated tens of millions of times each day. I could bear to watch no longer, overcome with immense distress. These sufferings are the tremendous karmic retributions endured by those who film pornographic motion pictures and produce pornographic discs.
I drew a deep breath, then asked the Magistrate: “How many years must these condemned souls endure such retribution?”
The Magistrate replied: “It is hard to state exactly how long they must endure retribution. Generally speaking, they may only escape this hell once all the obscene books they wrote and printed, pornographic films and discs they produced, aphrodisiacs and libido-stimulating drugs they manufactured vanish entirely from the mortal world. Even if they are reborn as humans, they inevitably receive karmic retribution that condemns them to humble, lowly social stations. Only the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas know the true exact duration of their torment. This hell has recently been expanded into many tiers, with many different new forms of punishment added. In the past, this hell occupied far less space. Nowadays, advanced technology enables obscene products to be printed and manufactured at staggering speed and volume. Sex shops have also proliferated across the mortal realm. Hence, the number of beings who transgress the precepts and are sent here to suffer is beyond counting. Truly, hell is a reflection of the mortal world. Whenever new forms of transgression emerge among humans, extensions are built within hell forthwith to match the requirements of karmic requital. Beings who commit such evils come here to endure their suffering once their mortal lives end.”
I said: “These punishments with no fixed end — are they as agonizing as those in the Avīci Hell?” The Magistrate answered: “The afflictions endured by souls here are still vastly milder compared to the sufferings endured by those in the Great Avīci Hell. Such books and obscene products bring harm to innumerable sentient beings. Notably, internet pornography pollutes even innocent children of pure yang constitution. Such offences shall neither be tolerated nor pardoned under the nether laws. Let me explain. If actors are forced to star in pornographic films, their karmic retribution shall be lighter: one hundred years of torment, provided that they vow never to repeat such deeds and repent of their karmic transgressions. If an actor appears in only one pornographic film for money and never does so again, the punishment is one thousand years. Should they personally purchase and burn all copies of the pornographic discs in which they appeared, accompanied by sincere repentance, five hundred years of their punishment shall be remitted. Directors who film pornography and those who produce and distribute pornographic discs shall be cast into this hell after death and shall not be released until every related film and disc ceases to exist. Other supporting crew members shall be sent here to endure fifty‑thousand years of torment. All proprietors, actors, directors and relevant staff who write, print or sell obscene books, or produce pornographic films and discs shall suffer diminished blessings and shortened lifespans in this lifetime. For each obscene book or film involved, one year shall be deducted from their blessings and lifespans.”
I asked the Magistrate further: “What retribution awaits those who run websites selling pornographic videos and discs, or make such materials available for public download, whether for payment or free of charge?” The Magistrate said: “The principle remains the same. Such wrongdoers are also cast into this hell. They may only leave once every pornographic disc they circulated disappears forever from the mortal realm and all associated pornographic websites are permanently shut down. When you return, earnestly warn all people to abide by laws, uphold proprieties and observe the precepts, so they may escape heavenly chastisement. We shall conclude here for today. Depart upon your lotus flower now; you may return another time.”