Journeys To The Underworld - Journey No. 6

Intercalary 8th Moon 6th Day (29th September 1976)

Touring the "Magic Mirror Pavilion"

Jigong: The time has now come for us to tour the Underworld again. Yang Sheng, please be prepared to go.

Yang Sheng: Yes, Master, I am ready; let us proceed......

Jigong: We have now arrived; quickly get out of the lotus flower platform.

Yang Sheng: Where is this place that we have arrived? I see such a big crowd here. The soldiers of Hell hold so many people in custody, ushering them to the pavilion.

Jigong: This place is called the "Magic Mirror Pavilion". When these people were alive, they did many evil deeds and had no morality. Now that they are dead, their souls have to report to the First Tribunal; then they are brought here to this Magic Mirror Pavilion. What each and everyone did on Earth will be reflected on the Magic Mirror for the soul to see for himself what evil deeds he had committed. The soul will then realise that he had broken the Law of Hades by having done evil. All the souls on seeing the Magic Mirror will be much terrified and ashamed. Let us follow and see the Magic Mirror.

Yang Sheng: Very well, we will go and see for ourselves.

General of the Pavilion: Welcome Jigong and Yang Sheng of Sheng Xian Tang for coming here to visit us.

Jigong: Thank you. We have received the Order from the Jade Emperor to visit Hades so that we can write a book about our visits to the Underworld for human beings to read so that they can do good deeds. We have therefore come here today and I would request you, respected General, to kindly show Yang Sheng here, about the Pavilion.

Yang Sheng: Dear Master, you must accompany me because I am afraid to go alone in this place.

Jigong: Very well, we will follow the General to the Pavilion... Stand aside and see for yourself.

Yang Sheng: Oh! I see an old man being brought in front of the Magic Mirror. On the Mirror appears a young man climbing up a wall of a house and opening a window, jump into a room where a middle aged man and woman are sleeping. The young man opens a trunk and cupboard searching for something. The man wakes up and shouts. The young man draws a knife and stabs the man who cries 'ahyoh" and blood flows out. I am afraid to continue seeing this incident.

General: Do not be afraid. This is the mystery of the Magic Mirror. This old man you see in front of the Mirror, when he was alive and young, went to a house to steal something, but when discovered by the owner, the young man stabbed the owner. Now that the old man is dead his soul is brought here for the Magic Mirror to reflect each and everyone of his evil deeds on Earth.

Yang Sheng: This is very wonderful. How does the Magic Mirror work so mysteriously?

Jigong: This Magic Mirror has the combined supernatural powers of Heaven and Earth and can reproduce every deed a person had done when alive on Earth. In fact it is not the mysterious working of the Magic Mirror but the recordings of the individual's inner soul. A human being, from birth to death, knows through his inner soul every good or evil deed he does because he has his own intelligence and this is like a camera whose lens have snapped up everything he has done. This is called the "Heart Mirror". Although many persons quietly do a lot of evil deeds without the knowledge of others, they themselves are aware of what they have done. The movements of hands and feet and all other actions are directed by the heart. All deeds, whether good or evil are recorded there and everyone has a guardian angel called "San Shi Shen" who is in charge of these recordings. When a person dies, and his soul is brought in front of the Magic Mirror, there is a communicating effect between the heart (inner soul) and the Magic Mirror by means of the supernatural power generated by Heaven and Earth. The effect is reflected by the Magic Mirror and every deed done by the person when alive is shown.

Yang Sheng: Oh, and so the Magic Mirror serves no purpose when the soul of a good person is brought here?

General: There is no need for the soul of a good person to come here. Look at the board which lists those souls which appear before the Magic Mirror are people who had done evil during their lifetime. If a good person dies, his supernatural inner soul is very bright and when his soul appears before the Magic Mirror there is no reflection at all because the heart is very pure and so will not cast any shadow whatsoever. Such a person is considered virtuous and the soul is either conducted to Heaven or directed to the various Tribunals to assess his merits or demerits. It is not necessary for him to come here.

Yang Sheng: I see that the soldiers of Hell are trying to bring the soul of a young woman before the Magic Mirror but she cries and refuses to follow. What a pity. The soldiers of Hell do not seem to have any pity for this young woman. They use iron fork to force her to go before the Magic Mirror...... Oh! Now I see so many men moving about in a house with red lantern and green lights like a brothel we have on Earth.

General: This is in fact a replica of an Earthly brothel. You will soon see.

Yang Sheng: Inside every room I can hear the voices of women talking and singing and making merry. Dear Master, I don't want to see such things. Let us return.

Jigong: You see this and you have a feeling of shame. You still have sense of propriety, morality, modesty and a sense of shame. No wonder you are a devout disciple of Guan En Zhu and ascetic/sage. The women inside were prostitutes. They were indecent and vulgar in speech and subsequently by nature of their occupation, contracted venereal diseases and eventually died. Their souls are sent here for punishment. I would therefore advise women of the Earth to have self-respect and do not do shameful things. They should not allow their two arms to be used as pillows by thousands of men, such a woman is not worth a cent. To be a prostitute is to commit boundless and unforgivable sins. In the case of men, frequenting prostitutes is a sin just as great. I hope that men and women will not indulge in prostitution. Yang Sheng, we must prepare to return.

General: Don't you gentlemen want to see some more?

Yang Sheng: I am afraid to see some more. I am still a human being of the Earth and I cannot bear to see more of these sufferings. Now let us return home.

Jigong: Thank you very much, General for conducting us round. We will now return to Earth. Next time we will visit "Bu Jing Suo". Yang Sheng, prepare to return. Quickly get up on the lotus platform.

Yang Sheng: Wa! I am very frightened.

Jigong: What is there to be afraid; if you are a good person you need not have to come here and suffer. Sheng Xian Tang is here, quickly get down. Yang Sheng, your soul will return to your body.