| Jigong: |
The time to tour Hades again has now arrived. Yang Sheng,
quickly step on the lotus flower platform.
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| Yang Sheng: |
Yes, Sir. I am securely seated. We can now start.....
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| Jigong: |
We have arrived, get out.
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| Yang Sheng: |
There is a building the door-way of which reads
"Severing of Sinews and Extracting of Hand-Bone Prison". The
Officer and General are out to receive us. Greetings to you, Officer and
General. Your humble servant, Yang Sheng and Jigong have come to visit
you for necessary instructions.
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| Jigong: |
I bring Yang Sheng here today in compliance with the the
Order to write a Book because the present day affairs are deteriorating
from bad to worse. Everybody wants to enjoy material and immoral
existence. They worship money regardless of the consequences and seem to
ask how much is conscience worth nowadays. When I hear of this, it pains
me very much. When you come to think of it, much credit must be given to
Sheng Xian Tang for publishing and distributing books, leaflets and
religious tracts exhorting people to do good deeds. Yu Huang Da Tian Zun
has very high praise for Sheng Xian Tang. That's why the special job of
writing the Book, "Journeys to the UnderWorld" is entrusted to
Sheng Xian Tang. Our visit to Hades is to enable Yang Sheng to write the
Book based on his personal first hand observations.
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| Officer: |
We have already received information about the purpose of
your visit, so please follow me.
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| Yang Sheng: |
The soldiers of Hades are really very cruel. They use very
sharp knives to sever the sinews of the hands of souls who are strapped
to wooden crosses. These souls are in such great pain that they cannot
do anything but just struggle.
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| Officer: |
The name of this place is severing of Sinews and
Extracting of Hand-Bone Prison. The soldiers of Hades use very sharp and
pointed knives, firstly, to sever the sinews of the hands then to strip
the flesh of the hands to feed the iron dogs; secondly, to extract the
bones of the hands. Truly this brutal operations is very painful indeed.
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| Yang Sheng: |
I observe that after this cruel treatment, the souls
become more or less unconscious. There are a number of black dogs which
seem to be enjoying a feast of the flesh which has been stripped out of
the hands of the souls and thrown to them. On Earth, I have often seen
dogs eating the bones of animals or fishes but I have never seen them
eating the flesh of human beings. Can I ask Officer from where have
these black dogs come?
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| Officer: |
These dogs are called "iron dogs" and they are
peculiar only in Hades. They have never been domesticated for thousands
of years. That's why they like to eat human flesh very much. Dogs of the
Earth have been domesticated for thousands of years. That's why
they are used as watch dogs, pet dogs, etc, because they are more or
less familiar with human beings and their ways of life but these
"iron dogs" of Hades do not know nature and so they are used
to punish sinful souls by eating their flesh - this is one way of
recompensation.
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| Yang Sheng: |
Officer, what you have said is quite correct, If a person
does not know the meaning of honesty or righteousness he is worse than a
dog. I see that these souls are being punished by their flesh being fed
to these "iron dogs"; for what sins are they being punished?
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| Jigong: |
I will wave my rush-leaf fan to revive a couple of
unconscious souls so that they can relate to you their story. Just see
my magic.....
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| Yang Sheng: |
Really, these souls are awakening one by one.
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| Officer: |
I will release three souls for them to tell their stories
to Yang Sheng. You, come here and tell Yang Sheng what sin you had
committed on Earth.
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| First Soul: |
I will speak, I am now in great agony but my descendants
who are still alive on Earth do not know how much I am suffering here in
Hades! They seem to think that by my death, everything is finished with
and forgotten. When I was alive, I was a vegetable seller, I was greedy
for money and to get more money, I manipulated my weighing machine to
cheat my customers. After the manipulation, one kati of vegetables
according to my weighing machine, was in fact only11 or 12 tahils.
People say one must be honest when doing business; but I had no
conscience at all. How was I then to know that after death, when I was
brought before the Magic Mirror. I was shown every sin I had committed
when I was living? The Head of the Fourth Tribunal sentenced me to this
Prison for 10 years. Everyday, I have to undergo this terrible
punishment. I hope that businessmen still living will now realize that
they must be honest in all their dealings and not be greedy for easy
money by resorting to cheating. One must be honest when it comes to the
use of any kind of weighing machine because for cheating through
incorrect weight, Hades cannot overlook or excuse. The Head of the
Fourth Tribunal is very much against those who cheat by resorting to
short-weight.
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| Officer: |
Who on Earth told you to cheat by giving short-weight or
short measure? Now that you are here in this Prison, the soldiers of
Hades have to "cure" your two mischievous hands which had
manipulated your weighing machine. Now, 2nd Soul, tell your side
of the story to Yang Sheng quickly.
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| Second Soul: |
When I was alive, my family was poor, I was not given a
decent education and at an early age, had to earn my living as a
"rag and bone" man - collecting rags and old clothes, scrap,
iron, odd and ends, etc at times buying from householders, using an old
bicycle for the purpose. I then sold the scraps to bigger shops. Friends
of the same trade advised me that to succeed and get good profits, we
had to cheat when buying and weighing the old scraps, or old newspapers,
etc, because householders who sell these articles just want to get rid
of their unwanted rubbish and were not very particular about what weight
we say e.g. sometimes if the scraps actually weighed 10 katis and if we
said 4 katis, the householders would not know or couldn't care less or
bother to haggle. I had been doing this sort of cheating for a number of
years and when I died, the Head of the Fourth Tribunal before whom I was
brought, was very angry with me. He said I did not have commercial
morality and sentenced me to this Prison for 15 years, being punished
every day by the soldiers of Hades who insult me and cause me much
suffering. I cannot express my great grief here; so will Yang Sheng of
Earth please help me to get out of this Prison.
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| Yang Sheng: |
Dear Master, what this chap has spoken is quire sincere.
Look at the suffering he is undergoing and the rags he is wearing. Can
we do something to help him?
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| Jigong: |
We have been entrusted with the mission to write the Book,
therefore, please do not deviate or interfere with the punishment these
souls are going through; this is best left to the Officer.
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| Officer: |
When you were on Earth, you
did not take the trouble to keep your hands clean. Now that you are dead
and are here, the soldiers of Hades have to sever the sinews of your two
hands, etc. You should be brave and face the consequences of your past
actions, like a he-man should.
Now, 3rd Soul, you can tell
your story to Yang Sheng.
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| Third Soul: |
When I was alive, I was married to a man who was a
government servant. During the day time after my husband had gone to his
office and the children had gone to school, I was left with nothing
useful to do at home. So, to kill time, my neighbours and I spent our
time playing mahjong. At the beginning, I did not know how to play but
they taught me until I became proficient. Satisfied with my acquired
knowledge of playing mahjong, I later became expert in other types of
gambling. Although the stakes were small and the winnings and losses
were not high, the gambling habit got the better of me and I could not
let the day pass without a gambling session, so much so, that I
eventually neglected my home and did not look after the welfare of my
growing children and family. My husband advised me to give up the
gambling habit and to concentrate on the home, but, instead, I turned a
deaf ear and this resulted in frequent family quarrels. Four years ago,
I died of heart failure and my soul was sent to the First Tribunal, the
Chief of which sentenced me to this Prison where I have to undergo
punishment for another 6 months, making 4½
years in all. I would therefore advise women now living, to maintain the
virtues proper to women, take care of the family and not do what wrong I
had done. Now that I am dead, the sinews of my two hands are severed. I
have to blame my own self for my present suffering because I did not
conduct myself properly when I was alive.
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| Officer: |
If women do not take good care of their family and home
but go gambling, they have themselves to blame because they destroy
social morality. One redeeming aspect of your case is that although you
did gamble, you did not cheat people, neither did you frequent brothels
or take to gambling for a living. The Chief of the First Tribunal was
kind to sentence you so lightly, i.e. only 4½
years
punishment.
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| Yang Sheng: |
Officer, what type of prison would a lone professional
gambler be sent to when he dies? This sort of person makes gambling his
sole livelihood and resorts to cheating when at the gambling table.
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| Officer: |
This type of sin does not come under the jurisdiction of
this Fourth Tribunal; the proper Tribunal to deal with him is the
Seventh Tribunal which is under Tai Shan Wang. I would exhort human
beings who have committed the sins mentioned above to quickly turn over
a new leaf and live a new life; help to print and distribute this Book;
then only will their sins be lightened and they will not be sent to this
Prison when they die.
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| Jigong: |
We are running out of time. So, we have to return.
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| Yang Sheng: |
Thank you very much, Officer, we must hurry back.
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| Officer: |
Fare you well, Jigong and Yang Sheng.
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| Jigong: |
Yang Sheng, leave this Prison quickly and step on the
lotus flower platform.
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| Yang Sheng: |
I am safely seated, dear Master, we can now start to
return.....
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| Jigong: |
We have arrived at Sheng Xian Tang. Yang Sheng, get down.
Soul, return to your body. |
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