Journeys To The Underworld - Journey No. 40

10th Moon 9th Day (19th November 1977)

Touring the Sixth Tribunal - 

"Barbed Netting and Locust/Leeches Small Prison"

Jigong: Sheng Xian Tang has been extensively renovated and repainted and looks very pleasant and stately. Deities like clean and quiet places of worship. If human beings want to see or commune with Deities, the most important requisite is their hearts must be pure otherwise, even if they have clear-sighted eyes, such eyes will be clouded by dust and so will not be able to see or feel the aura of the Deities. Yang Sheng, prepare to get up on the lotus flower platform, to tour Hades today.

Yang Sheng: Yes, Sir. Dear Master, why is it that you appear very happy today?

Jigong: It is because I am very happy to see Sheng Xian Tang so very nice and tidy today and any worry or sorrow that I might have has totally disappeared.

Yang Sheng: Human beings say 'out of sight, anything is clean'. Do you this this is true?

Jigong: Deities and Buddhas can say this is true but human beings cannot say so. Here is an example: In present day world, many crimes and actions lacking morality are being committed in the dark; how then can human beings say that if they do not see these 'dark places' then they must be clean?

Yang Sheng: What you have just said is very true. I'm now safely seated on the lotus flower platform so we can start......

Jigong: We have arrived; get down.

Yang Sheng: Today, we see the soldiers of Hades herding souls in an orderly manner and there are no crying and wailing.

Jigong: This is the "Barbed Netting and Locust/Leeches Small Prison". Because these sinful souls have not yet got the immediate effect of this Prison, that is why you cannot hear any loud crying or wailing. These souls just moan quietly at the beginning - just wait and see the after effects. We are now near the gate of the Prison. Look, the Officer and Generals are waiting to receive us.

Yang Sheng: My respects to you, Officer and Generals. My Master and I have come to seek your assistance; so please help us in our mission.

Officer: No need to stand on ceremony. This Small Prison is under the control of the Sixth Tribunal. Bian Cheng Wang is in-charge. The many books written by Sheng Xian Tang through planchette writing, have been the means of reforming many human beings and thus earning much meritorious merits. By touring our Sixth Tribunal and seeing what goes on in the various Small Prisons here and using the information gained to write your Book Diyu Youji for human beings to read and benefit thereby, makes us have a glorious and splendid feeling. Please follow me inside. 

Yang Sheng: Thank you very much Officer. Wow! This Prison has barbed netting spread on the ground and above ground. This barbed netting is like what the Police on Earth erect when they want to prevent mobs rushing. The first spread of barbed netting rests on the water-bogged ground. Just high enough for a person to crawl on the ground is another spread of barbed netting. No one can stand up and walk between these two spreads of barbed netting - he has to crawl. If a sinful soul tries to stand up, his head and back will be pricked by the barbed netting and clothings will be torn. Sticking to the bodies of the souls are several movable objects, indiscernible from our present position. Please, Officer, tell us what those movable objects are.

Officer: There are two types - one, locust and the other, leeches. They suck the blood of the body and brain of these souls. If we take a couple of steps nearer, we should be able to see more clearly.

Yang Sheng: Very good...... Ah! So many leeches are sticking to the uncovered parts of the body - so frightful! At the head are so many locusts, don't know what they are after.

Jigong: Leeches can mostly be found in drains. When a leech sticks to a body, it suchs the blood and refuses to drop off. Human beings are very afraid of them. Locusts suck the sap of rice paddy; they can destroy a paddy field in a short time. The locusts here such the brain of the sinful soul.

Officer: When locusts suck the sap of the rice paddy, the colour of the sap is white and when they suck the brain of the souls, the colour is also white.

Yang Sheng: Truly it is very frightful to witness this scene which makes me feel tired at the heart and my feet tend to become soft. 

Jigong: Do not be afraid. Because we have to write this Book, we are forced to tour this Prison. When I accompany you, what is there to fear?

Officer: Please wait a while. I will bring out a few sinful souls for them to tell their stories.

Yang Sheng: Thank you, Officer, but please be quick about it and remove the leeches first from the bodies because I'm afraid of leeches!

Officer: Yes, yes, just wait...... The two types of insects have been removed from the bodies of the souls so that they can come out and tell their stories. Look here, sinful souls, these two are Jigong Huofo and Sheng Xian Tang's Yang Sheng who have been entrusted with the job of writing the Book, Diyu Youji describing the suffering of sinful souls in Hades, for human beings to read and thereby reform. You have to cooperate and tell your stories why you are here.

1st Soul: When I was alive, I was a judge. I was corrupt and always passed judgement in favour of those who bribed me with money - thus being unfair to many parties because I did not pass sentence according to the laws of the land. I had often heard people say that corrupt judges who accept bribes and pass sentences not according to the laws will suffer recompensing when they die; but I had the feeling that if I could get honour as well as money, that was good enough when I was alive, and it was unrealistic to worry what comes after death. Now that I am dead, I have to come to Hades to face the Magic Mirror which projected every action and behaviour when I was on Earth, how I accepted bribed, how I dished out biased sentences, etc., etc., all of which I could not deny, like seeing a film show. After I had gone through punishment in the Ordure (Dung and Urine) Prison', I was sent to this Prison for further punishment. Bian Cheng Wang scolded me saying,"You were a judge and were familiar with the laws of the land and should uphold and respect them and yet you flouted the self-same laws which you should have upheld. You had therefore committed such serious crimes of which there is no equal.". He sentenced me to this Prison to crawl between the barbed nettings until the whole body is open to leeches sucking my blood, locusts sucking my brain, so much so, that my body pains and feels tired - all so much suffering that no words can describe.

Officer: You were expected to uphold and respect the laws yet you went against them thus making you an irresponsible, lawless judge. I do hope the existing judges on Earth will emulate Bao Gong - strict administration of justice, the execution of which is carried out without fear or favour; remove injustice, then only will they be respected, otherwise, after death they will have to be sent to this Prison to be punished. Not only will they be punished here but their past malpractices will implicate their future descendants. Such recompense has been handed down through history and is a fact - no running away from it!

2nd Soul: I had a big, tall and hefty body when I was alive. I worked as a bodyguard at gambling dens, houses of prostitution, collected protection money in the locality. I led a very full and happy life because I always had money coming in, plenty of drinks, gambling and women. How was I to know that after my death, Bian Cheng Wang would send me to this Prison to be punished? I am suffering everyday.

Officer: You had committed other sins also; do not hide them, tell the truth. If you do not obey, you will receive additional punishment.

2nd Soul: Oh, well. I'll tell everything. Because I was used to receiving money as a gangster, I never thought of making use of my strength to earn a proper livelihood. Whenever I ran short of money, I had just got to go to the shops to extort money; all my life through, I lived on ill-gotten easy money.

Jigong: As a human being, you refused to earn an honest living bu used force to extort money from those who toiled hard with blood and sweat. Such a person after death will have to come to this Prison to undergo the punishment and to suffer. I hope human beings will awaken. We are running short of time. Yang Sheng, we must prepare to return.

Yang Sheng: Thank you, Officer and Generals, for being so helpful to us. We have to return now.

Officer: All Generals, line up and say goodbye.

Yang Sheng: I am securely seated on the lotus flower platform. Dear Master, we can start......

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