Journeys To The Underworld - Journey No. 24

1st Moon 23rd Day (12th March, 1977)

Touring the Prison of Boiling Water

Jigong: There are many types of business that are carried out by human beings. If one is hardworking and is not afraid or ashamed of earning a decent living there is no fear of death caused by hunger. Nowadays there are quite a number of people who do not want to work for a living; they prefer to get easy money by stealing, robbing, cheating and such like. Those who are more daring are not afraid even to resort to using the knife or other weapons to threaten and, even worse, to the extent of killing to rob. If such is the case, especially when it concerns the young, whose mistake is it? Primarily, the fault can be attributed to the parents who fail to teach their children (when still young) to behave well and become good and law-abiding citizens. When alive, wayward youngsters behave as if the whole world belongs to them and that they can do what they very well like, but when they die their souls will be suitably punished by the Soldiers of Hades according to the extent and seriousness of their past behaviour. Human beings on Earth if they do not believe what I have just said, will have a different opinion when I bring Yang Sheng to Hades to show him how punishment is being handed out and when he returns to Earth he can record what he has seen in the Book he is presently writing. Yang Sheng get ready for the tour of Hades.

Yang Sheng: Thank you for instructing me, dear Master; after what you have said, I am sure human beings will agree with you and follow your good advice. I wish to ask you to explain what some of my friends have often queried me. Let us take for example, this present moment when you have undertaken to bring me to tour Hades - of course you will be very busy and fully occupied. And also at this very moment of time, someone elsewhere invites you to come into a trance to help him solve his individual problem. And also at this same moment of time a third party also invites you to come into a trance to help in his problems. How can you be in three or even more places (or different countries) at the same time?

Jigong: I am fully aware that many people are puzzled over my simultaneous presence in various localities. Lord Buddha had said that his powers were boundless and limitless; all the Deities had also said that their supernatural powers were vast and widespread. If a person wants me to be with him and help him, his thoughts must be in affinity with mine; then only will I be present. There is only one Jigong in Heaven but to those human beings anywhere who have the same affinity as mine, I can be with them in a thousand or more places at the same time to answer their earnest and sincere requests for help, if justified. Yang Sheng, our time is limited and so we must hurry. Step on the lotus flower platform and prepare to go.

Yang Sheng: Dear Master, I am safely seated; we can start......

Jigong: We have arrived; Yang Sheng, get out.

Yang Sheng: Yes, Sir. My ears seem to hear a lot of voices crying in pain. Before us the writing on the gateway reads "Prison of Boiling Water". 

Jigong: This is under the control of the Fourth Tribunal. Let us go quickly and see what is going on there.

Yang Sheng: A group is coming out; I think they are officers...... I salute you, Officers and Generals. I come here with Jigong and I hope you will kindly help me.

Officers: Don't stand on ceremony. I welcome Jigong and Sheng Xian Tang's Yang Sheng to our place. We have just received Wu Guan Wang's order about your coming here. In case we fail to entertain you sufficiently well, please pardon us.

Jigong: As we have already wasted quite some time, will you therefore please conduct us to see the inside of this Prison?

Officer: Will both of you please follow me?

Yang Sheng: Thank you very much. I see that inside this Prison there is a lot of steam floating about and I also hear the noise of so much wailing and crying, all getting mixed up with the steam. I also see many souls whose two hands are upraised and nailed to the wooden framework and the Soldiers of Hades using ladle to splash hot boiling water on to their hands; all the souls are crying and shouting that their hands are in pain. For every cry the Soldiers of Hades spank each soul with a rattan. I don't know for what sins they are being punished; some of the souls are quite young.

Officer: When these souls were living on Earth they were thieves, robbers and swindlers; after death they are sent here to undergo punishment. I will summon some of them and you can ask them to relate their stories.

Yang Sheng: Very well; their stories will be published in my Book for human beings to read.

Officer: I will release three and you can speak to them, one at a time.

First Soul: Ouch; Ouch;  my two hands are putrefied. Please, Master, help me by applying medicine on my hands to relieve the pain.

Yang Sheng: Look at both his hands, there is yellow water dripping from them. Will dear Master please apply some medicine to relieve the pain?

Jigong: No need to say so much. His two hands had done so many evil deeds that even medicine cannot help to relieve the pain.

Officer: Beast, don't disturb these people to help you to relieve the pain. You had better tell them why you are here.

First Soul: OK, OK; When I was alive my family was very rich; I had money for food and clothing and everything. I made friends with undesirable people, not wanting to earn a decent living but frequented coffee houses to waste time and money gambling, womanizing, etc. I refused to listen to the good advices of my parents who later on advertised in the newspapers disowning me. Because of this, I hated my parents very much and left home. I joined the company of bad hats from whom I learned the art of thieving and pickpocketing. I was very active with my new profession especially in crowded places, parks, bus stations, etc. I soon found that this thieving did not bring in plenty of money. Consequently I changed method and a robber I became, robbing exclusive flats and residences of the wealthy. I estimate that I had robbed to the total of about $100,000. Once, while in the act of robbing a household, I was spotted, chased and then arrested. I was sent to jail by the magistrate. After serving sentence I was later released; instead of repenting, I straightaway embarked upon my old bad habit of robbing. At the age of 41 years, I suffered from cancer as a result of my earlier wild life of drinking and womanising. All my ill-gotten money was spent on medical expenses. When my bad companions found that I was sick and useless, they avoided me and I was left in agony, and subsequently died. After death, my soul was brought by the Ox-head-horse-faced soldiers to this Prison, beating me all the way. After entering this Prison I realised that I had died prematurely by 9 years. This earlier death was a recompense for my many sins for which I now have nothing to say.

Officer: It is too late now to be sorry about. If you had known how to be sorry when you were alive and in jail, and had reformed on release, it would have some effect and you would not have died earlier by 9 years and therefore will not be here in this Prison to be punished. This is not your only misdeed for which your are now being punished but there is another sin - disobedience to your parents. So Wu Guan Wang has sentenced you to 30 years imprisonment in this Prison; there is no cure. Second Soul, quickly come here and tell Yang Sheng your sinful story.

Second Soul: When I was alive, I opened a hardware and spare parts shop. During the first couple of years I worked very hard and made profits. As years went by I learned to gamble, drink strong liquor and also womanising. Later I took a concubine without the knowledge of my wife. As a result, my financial turnover was not too sound. I then turned to bad business practices - I bought goods from two factories, gave them post-dated cheques, sold the goods cheaply for ready cash, did not bank in the cash and absconded. When the cheques were presented on due dates they were dishonoured because I had no money in the bank. As I could not be readily traced, a report was lodged with the Police and a warrant of arrest was issued against me. After some time, when I was in a relative's house I was traced and arrested but my cash was not with me as I had left the money with my concubine. I was produced in court and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment. On release I did not turn over a new leaf and went back to my old bad ways again. My previous creditors said bad things about me. Six years ago I had a heart attack and eventually died. The Ox-head-horse-faced General brought me to the Second Tribunal where Chu Jiang Wang, the Chief of the Second Tribunal, scolded me saying that I had cheated in my business dealings and he sentenced me to Dung and Urine Pool of Hades. After serving the sentence I was brought to this Fourth Tribunal where Wu Guan Wang said that because I had issued non-negotiable cheques, my two hands are sinful and must be punished by boiling water being splashed on them, for 10 years. And for keeping a concubine and womanising, I will have to undergo some further punishment. Wu Guan Wang also told me that after I have served all these sentences, I will have to be sent to Zhuan Lun Wang at the Tenth Tribunal; on my first rebirth, I will be a deformed human being but with good intelligence. I will have to work under and for my creditors and earn money for them, while I will have just enough to eat to pass the day, thus repaying my previous earthly debts. My second rebirth will be the son of rich parents. At birth, my body will be very frail and sickly thus causing the parents to spend plenty of money on medical expenses trying to cure me - I will have to take medicine to pass the day. The doctor will be my previous creditor and will be on special long-term contract to attend on me. I should have mentioned that, although my parents of this second rebirth will be rich, they will be inhumane. Because of their inhumanity, as a recompense, they will have to spend much money on medicine because of my continued sickness and secondly, because I cheated in my previous business dealings, I will have to take medicine everyday to pay back what I had cheated. This is retribution, pure and simple, which one cannot escape. Now that I have learned by the hard way, I would advise human beings and particularly business people to maintain, honour and respect their business principles and morality; do not go in for easy money, ill-gotten money or money that is not justified. If I now want to repent, I cannot do so because it is already too late and useless; I am already dead.

Officer: You are a beast; you had no morality when doing business. The hardware goods, etc. had turned to dust. On your next rebirths, you will have to repay for your ill-gotten money or for money you had cheated when living. Your previous implications in commercial crime have tarnished and will tarnish the name of your descendants who thereby will not prosper. What this Second Soul had just said about retribution is very true - there is no doubt about it. The previous human creditors of this Second Soul had great merits and were virtuous that is why on rebirth they will be his creditors again and the same Soul on rebirth will have to slave to repay. Regarding retribution when it concerns human beings, it is a very delicate and sensitive matter. Therefore I would advise human beings to be kindhearted, not to offend others and not to care too much for oneself at the expense of others. If one goes against this advice then one will surely reap bad results - no wonder there is so much suffering and trouble on Earth nowadays.

Jigong: As we are running out of time, I think it is just as well and enough to hear these two stories.

Yang Sheng: Quite OK. Can I ask Officer; those robbers when convicted on Earth are sentenced to death by hanging or by shooting, what happens to their souls after death?

Officer: These sinful souls when they reach Hades are sent to another Prison to receive more drastic punishment. I will bring you to see this place next time.

Yang Sheng: Thank you very much, Officer and General, for your very kind explanations and instructions. We will have to return.

Jigong: Quickly come out and step on the lotus flower platform to return.

Yang Sheng: I am securely seated; dear Master, we can start......

Jigong: We have arrived at Sheng Xian Tang. Yang Sheng, get down, soul, return to your body.