Journeys To The Underworld - Journey No. 30

4th Moon 13th Day (30th May 1977)

Touring the Fifth Tribunal

Seeing Wang Xiang Tai and Paying Respects to Sen Luo Wang

Yang Jian: Because Jigong has prior engagement, he cannot come to bring Yang Sheng today for this trip to Hades; Yu Huang has ordered me to descend to Sheng Xian Tang to conduct Yang Sheng on this tour. Time is rather limited and so we have to start quickly.

Yang Sheng: Deity Yang Jian, I am highly honoured today because you have come to accompany me to Hades. Why do you bring this Heavenly Dog along? Previously Deity Jigong used his lotus flower platform to bring us to Hades and now I do not see any mode of conveyance - how then are we going there?

Yang Jian: Jigong has his lotus flower platform, I do not have the same. Each Deity has his or her own special magic power and for us today, we will use my Black Dog as a mode of conveyance.

Yang Sheng: Your Dog moves so slowly and looks fiercer. I'm afraid to go near him for fear of being bitten.

Yang Jian: This is not an ordinary dog; it is a Heavenly Dog. I depend on him wherever I go and so why should he bite you?

Yang Sheng: But dogs travel slowly, therefore will take a long time to complete our journey.

Yang Jian: Set your mind at rest. The four legs of a dog are like the four wheels of a motorcar. Its speed is like that of Jigong's lotus flower platform. Sit on this Dog quickly.

Yang Sheng: I'm safely seated but Deity, will you please sit in front of me so that you can control the Dog and prevent me from falling down? If I fall down that will be the end of me.

Yang Jian: Shut your eyes quickly; there will be no accident, so don't be afraid.

Yang Sheng: I don't know which part of Hades we are going today.

Yang Jian: Today we are going to the Fifth Tribunal. No need to ask so many questions as we do not have much time. We must start now...... We have arrived; get down quickly.

Yang Sheng: Truly, I can hear the strong wind blowing and within a twinkle, we have arrived. There is no difference between Buddhist and Taoist implementation of methods of transport (n.b. Jigong - Buddhist, Yang Jian - Taoist)

Yang Jian: Taoists and Buddhists belong to the same religious family. In this matter of mode of travel, it is like a human being buying two different brands of vehicles, saying that these vehicles are of the best brands not knowing that it is the heart that determines which brand is better. The engine is like the heart, and if the heart is good, the engine plus the heart will surely proceed on a safe journey.

Yang Sheng: Deity, there is much truth in what you have said. In front of us is a group of male and female souls being urged up the stone steps by the soldiers of Hades; and there is also another group of souls looking cheerful, climbing up the stone steps but not under guard. What is this place?

Yang Jian: This place is called "Wang Xiang Tai". All these souls who have arrived at Hades are entrusted to the Fifth Tribunal and proceed to Wang Xiang Tai for them to look back to Earth and see what their families are doing. The group which is ushered or urged by the soldiers of Hades will feel sad after looking back to Earth while the other group which is cheerful will feel happy on seeing how their families are faring.

Yang Sheng: I see a V.I.P. group coming; don't know what Deity is there.

Yang Jian: The Deity is Sen Luo Wang, the Chief of the Fifth Tribunal, being escorted by his military and civil officers coming to welcome us. Go and pay your respects quickly.

Yang Sheng: I am Yang Sheng, a medium of Sheng Xian Tang in Taichung. I have been ordered to write a Book entitled Diyu Youji for human beings to read and profit therefrom. Today, Deity Yang Jian has very kindly brought me here. Can I request Sen Luo Wang to help me so that I can fulfil my mission in writing the Book?

Sen Luo Wang: Sheng Xian Tang have done many meritorious deeds and have also published and distributed many books entreating people to do good deeds. There are many evil doers who have turned good after reading their books. I am in charge of this Fifth Tribunal and have come across quite a number of souls who claim that they had read the books published by Sheng Xian Tang; thus mitigating the sins they had committed when they were living, and I accordingly reduced their sentences, to enable them to be reborn earlier.

Yang Sheng: Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness. Right or wrong, there must be an impartial decision. Those souls who had done meritorious deeds are fortunate to be forgiven by Your Highness.

Sen Luo Wang: No need to kneel - arise. Please follow me inside for a rest.

Yang Jian: As we do not have much time to spare, there is no need to rest but we can now start to show Yang Sheng around Wang Xiang Tai.

Sen Luo Wang: Very well, we will go to Wang Xiang Tai.

Yang Sheng: Thank you again Sen Luo Wang.

Sen Luo Wang: All souls who come to the Fifth Tribunal, must first go to Wang Xiang Tai to see what their families on Earth are doing because they still have a blind love for their families and naturally want to know how they are getting on. Therefore, all souls irrespective of whether sinful or not, want to see for themselves what is going on at home after they have died.

Yang Sheng: It is human nature and there is no change even after death. I see an old man is being brought here by the soldiers of Hades. This old man, after looking at Wang Xiang Tai is crying so very pitifully and tears falling like rain down his cheeks I don't know why.

Sen Luo Wang: This is a sinful soul who has served his punishment in Hades and has come to Wang Xiang Tai to see how his family is faring. When he sees that his family now does not feel any sorrow for his death, he is very sad because when he was alive, he loved his family very much and sacrificed everything for them; he now feels that all his sacrifices and love are not repaid and so he starts to cry.

Yang Jian (to old man): When you were alive, you never thought of ascetic practices and now that you are dead, you expect your family to offer prayers for the release of your soul from suffering. This is a very high expectation because the present-day families do not believe in prayers and in redemption of souls. Where then will they ever think of prayers for the release of your soul? You have now come to Hades and it is already too late. If you still had some breath left when you were alive, you should have thought of ascetic practices for your future redemption.

Yang Sheng: I see that there is nothing in Wang Xiang Tai - all void and emptiness.

Yang Jian: Your eyes are still alive although Jigong had, some time ago, brought you to bathe in Qingxin Chi to cleanse your body and mind; it's already so long ago that your body and mind have, by now, gathered all the earthly filth and dirt that your eyes now cannot see what is in Wang Xiang Tai which is a mysterious place and has many transformations.

Sen Luo Wang: Because there is a lot of sins and evil and filth on Earth, they have caused even good eyes to become bad eyes thus making them unable to see clearly. Officer, please quickly bring pure water for Yang Sheng to wash his eyes.

Officer: Yes Sir, pure water is here.

Sen Luo Wang: Give the water to me. Yang Sheng open wide your eyes and wash them with this pure water......

Yang Sheng: Thank you, Your Highness for giving me this pure water to wash my eyes. Truly my eyes now feel cool and pleasant.

Sen Luo Wang: Now go and look inside Wang Xiang Tai.

Yang Sheng: Oh! How wonderful! I can see clearly what is going on in Sheng Xian Tang. The planchette writing assistants line both sides; I am standing holding the arms of the willow branch in front of the sand tray and small Deity Yu Xu Yong Zi is supporting me from behind; I am actively writing with the aid of the willow branch, on the sand tray. Brothers Wang and Li are at the side table writing while Brother Lin is reading out what is being written on the sand tray - all like having a film show.

Sen Luo Wang: Wang Xiang Tai is very wonderful and mysterious. Small Deity Yu Xu Yong Zi is fixing his magic power eyes on your body so that what you observe in Hades you use the willow branch to write on the sand tray. The eyes of Small Deity Yu Xu Yong Zi are like Wang Xiang Tai - the eyes have the power to see Hades and Earth.

Yang Sheng: Truly, the creation of Heaven and Earth is very mysterious. In front there is another soul who is very free to move about, with soldiers of Hades guiding him and telling him to look here and there. After looking, this soul is smiling. Why is this so?

Sen Luo Wang: This soul has a good heart and he was an ascetic practitioner but he was not successful in the practice. He died not long ago. He just saw his family on Earth praying to his tablet inside the paper house, most reverently. He was a kindhearted person but was not a successful ascetic practitioner and realised that if there is life there must be death; he never regrets, that's why he is smiling. Within a few days he will be sent to "Ju Shan Suo" to be instructed in more ascetic practices.

Yang Sheng: I have a question to ask Sen Luo Wang - why is it that as soon as a soul comes to Wang Xiang Tai, he can see what goes on, whereas I could not see anything?

Sen Luo Wang: Because you are still a human being, your spirituality still sticks to your body; that is why in Wang Xiang Tai you could not see anything. When a person dies, his soul is separated from his body and his mode of existence changes. That is why he can see what goes on, on Earth, when his soul is in Hades. When in Hades, one's spirituality is changeable, whereas the spirituality of a living person cannot change.

Yang Jian: We are running short of time and so we have to return. Thank you very much, Sen Luo Wang and Officers of the Fifth Tribunal; we both, teacher and pupil, have to return.

Yang Sheng: Thank you, Sen Luo Wang and all Officers, for giving us so much assistance. We will visit next time.

Sen Luo Wang: All Generals and Officers, line up and give them a hearty send off.

Yang Jian: Yang Sheng, quickly get down the stone steps.

Yang Sheng: Yes, yes. Deity, what is the purpose of the third eye on your forehead?

Yang Jian: This third eye is a heavenly eye - a combination of heaven, earth and self; sun, moon and stars shining towards each other. Therefore the power is very great, specially to catch the evil spirits on Earth; when evil spirits see me, they are very frightened.

Yang Sheng: So terrible! There are so many hearts in this Third Eye.

Yang Jian: You must not look down on my Third Eye. Those who are far-sighted, when they lift up their heads heaven-wards and see the Deities and Spirits there, how dare they do evil deeds?

Yang Sheng: This is the first time I am associated with you. Please do not take offence; really I have eyes but no eyeballs to enable me to see properly.

Yang Jian: Oh, it does not matter. Sit on the Heavenly Dog quickly and we will return.

Yang Sheng: I am properly seated, Deity, we can proceed......

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