Journeys To The Underworld - Journey No. 58
6th Moon 3rd Day (7th July 1978)
Touring the Tenth Tribunal
Visiting the 6 Paths of Metempsychosis
Jigong: Today we'll tour Hades again. Yang Sheng, step on the lotus flower platform quickly.
Yang Sheng: Yes, Sir. Why is it that today you have not given any advice as you usually did before asking me to step on the lotus flower platform?
Jigong: The more one talks, the more mistakes there are and this will lead to much criticism. The less one talks the better and the few words spoken are more valuable and treasured.
Yang Sheng: Yes, yes, very true. I'm safely seated on the lotus flower platform......
Jigong: We've arrived, get out. Today we'll tour the Tenth Tribunal visiting the 6 Paths of Metempsychosis and see for ourselves the actual conditions existing here. You must be more attentive...... Zhuan Lun Wang has come.
Zhuan Lun Wang: Salutations to both of you for visiting us today. The last time, you visited Meng Po Ting. Today you will visit Stages for the Transmigration of Souls. Would both of you please follow me?
Yang Sheng: Thank you very much, Zhuan Lun Wang, for instructing and explaining so much to us.
Zhuan Lun Wang: It is but our duty. On Earth, so long as mankind and all living things do not discard evil to follow the good, the Wheel of the Stages for the Transmigration of Souls will continue to be operative and active which means that all living things will also continue to be unlucky.
Yang Sheng: I see a river in front of us with red-coloured water rolling like boiling. What is this?
Zhuan Lun Wang: This is called the Red River where the vigour and blood of all living things are blended together. Look at the rolling of the reddish water of this Red River; it is exactly like the sensual and sexual desires of human beings on Earth, up and down, up and down!
Yang Sheng: In the Red River, there is a huge wheel revolving endlessly. What is the meaning?
Zhuan Lun Wang: Here is the stage for the Transmigration of Souls flowing and bouncing up and down in unison with the rolling water, the wheel revolving all the time.
Yang Sheng: Further on there are many bridges.
Zhuan Lun Wang: Our Tenth Tribunal is the final Tribunal in Hades. The many bridges lead to the Six Paths of the Transmigration of Souls. These bridges are made of 1) gold, 2) silver, 3) jade, 4) stone, 5) wood and 6) bamboo
1) Golden Bridge: Those souls who had accumulated much merit when living on Earth after passing through all the Tribunals in Hades and after having been given a "clean passage by the Registrar, will be allowed to cross the Red River via the Golden Bridge to go to Paradise. In the case of souls who had cultivated "Divine Element" within themselves, they will ascend direct from Ying Yang Jie to Paradise without having to use this Golden Bridge.
2) Silver Bridge: Those who had earned medium merits when on Earth, after death their souls will be sent to Ju Shan Suo for further cultivation of virtue and if they pass the test, will have to go to the Nine Springs Waterfall for purification of the soul. Then only will they be allowed to cross via this Silver Bridge to Earth as Deity / Spirit for human beings to worship.
3) Jade Bridge: Those who had earned some merits on Earth, at death after their souls had gone through the punishments of all the Tribunals, will be allowed to be reborn as rich and / or noble persons. They will cross via this Jade Bridge to the Stage for the Transmigration of Souls for rebirth.
4) Stone Bridge: Those who when alive, had equal measure of merits as well as sins, will be allowed to be reborn as ordinary human beings. They will cross via this Stone Bridge to the Stage for the Transmigration of Souls for rebirth.
5) Wooden Bridge: Those who when alive had committed more sins than merits and will be reborn as poor, lonely, miserable, destitute, lower strata human beings, will cross via this Wooden Bridge to the Stage for the Transmigration of Souls for rebirth.
6) Bamboo Bridge: Those who when alive, had a full measure of iniquity and whose actions were contrary to humanity, murderers, robbers and rapists, and more sinful people, will be destined to be reborn as animals, fowls, fishes, worms. These will use the Bamboo Bridge to cross to the Stage for Transmigration of Souls for rebirth.
Yang Sheng: Thank you Zhuan Lun Wang, for teaching us on such enlightening matters. I observe very few souls make use of the Golden and Silver Bridges whereas there is a big rush at the other Bridges.
Jigong: All these souls are stupefied after having drunk the Ou Wang Tang; each taking his own path, some wearing Officer's dress, some carrying tools, some carrying pens, some carrying hides and skins, some carrying horns on their heads, all like mad people, everyone of them seem very happy to be reborn.
Zhuan Lun Wang: They have lost their intelligence. For example, those with implements not knowing whether they will live or die on reaching Earth, all so eager to be reborn. The same applies to conditions on Earth; people knowing the depth of the drain have no hesitation in jumping in, or knowing the intensity of the fire do not think twice before playing with it. So long as there is sin on Earth, there will be Transmigration of Souls after passing through the various Tribunals.
Yang Sheng: All these stupefying stouls are rushing to the various types of Bridges leading to the Stage for Transmigration of Souls. They fall down suddenly, senseless, not knowing the nature of their future rebirth.
Zhuan Lun Wang: All earthly beings do not know such things. That's why I now want to explain. On Earth, all living things are subject to rebirth; negative and positive must combine to create life. This Zhuan Lun Tai (Stage for Transmigration of Souls) is like male and female on Earth. Sexual desires of both combine and cause their minds to be in a muddle, exactly like the waves of the Red River causing the Metempsychosis Stage (Wheel) to revolve and suck up the muddled souls according to the classifications of souls to be reborn as future beings. It is like the body of a woman at ten months gestation; when the time is ripe, the embryo comes out with the blood water (amniotic fluid) and the child emits a cry, realising that he is now reborn as a human. Souls who will be reborn as animals, fishes, birds, worms, etc., will remain in Zhuan Lun Tai until the time is ripe for them to be reborn as such creatures. Women in the course of pregnancy will have a tendency to vomit at various stages; this is exactly like the Wheel of Zhuan Lun Tai revolving, or like train sickness (giddiness) when travelling by train.
Yang Sheng: So I see. If you do not say so, people on Earth will not know.
Zhuan Lun Wang: Zhuan Lun tai is very much like the Ba Gua; the centre of which is a circle representing the "Ying" and "Yang" (negative and positive). When the Wheel revolves, life is created inside it, eventually to become human beings or animals, birds, etc. There are six exits from Zhuan Lun Tai. That is why it is called "Six Paths of Metempsychosis". The first is for Officers, the second for educated people, merchants, farmers and artisans (including widows and widowers), the third for animals, the fourth for birds (and those born from eggs), the fifth for fishes (and water-born things) and sixth for worms. Therefore the exit a soul is sent out from depends upon the sins or merits it made when alive as a human being on Earth.
Jigong: Exactly like the factories on Earth. The products produced depend upon besides other factors, the quality of the raw materials used. Very much like wood; good wood for building houses, rotten wood for cooking. The same applies to human beings on reincarnation; those who had merits in previous life will be reborn through the first path while those with less merits and those with various degrees of sins will pass through the other five paths to be reborn.
Yang Sheng: Is there any other explanation of the Six Paths of Metempsychosis?
Jigong: Another explanation is: 1) Devas, 2) Human Beings, 3) Asuras, 4) Beasts, 5) Hungry Ghosts and 6) Hell Beings. The first path leads to Paradise where there are Fairies, Buddhas, Deities, Saints; these need not have to pass through Zhuan Lun Tai but proceed direct to Paradise. But there are others like founders of religions, patron saints, etc. who voluntarily pass through Zhuan Lun Tai to be reborn as human beings in order to teach people to do good deeds and save them. There is a saying that Saints, Buddhas, etc., and human beings must cooperate to do good deeds. In fact, for these Saints, Buddhas, etc., it is not actually Transmigration of Souls but it is for a specific purpose e.g. saving humanity. Figuratively speaking, "3000 big worlds" cannot be traversed by the Six Paths, but it should really be 10,000 paths of transmigration instead. There is constant change in spirituality. All things are different but they have a common origin. Those who read this Book will soon know.
Zhuan Lun Wang: Now that you have seen the workings of the Ten Tribunals, you can write what you have learnt, in your Book for human beings to read. To be candid, the sufferings encountered by the souls in Hades are caused by human beings themselves. I sincerely hope that all of you will take up ascetic practices as early as possible. Once a soul is lost in Hades, it will be more difficult to save it. I congratulate you on writing your Book, the aim of which is to tell people to do more good than evil. I'll now bid you farewell to return to Sheng Xian Tang.
Yang Sheng: Thank you very much Zhuan Lun Wang, for enlightening us in this matter which has never been taught to human beings from ancient times to the present day. This is indeed the good luck of human beings. I'll now step on the lotus flower platform. Dear Master, we can now start......
Jigong: We have by now toured all the Ten Tribunals. Yang Sheng, you must be very tired indeed. On Eighth Moon, fifteenth Day, when the Book is completed, it should first be sent to Heaven for approval. After it is printed and distributed, The Spirits in Heaven, human beings, ghosts, everyone, will be happy. I hope people will reprint it and distribute widely for everyone to read so that all can know the contents. The aim of which is to teach all to do good. This is my intention. If you can understand and benefit from the teachings in this Book, it will be like darkness giving way to light. You must cast away selfishness to be replaced by happiness, liberal mindedness, and compassionate feelings towards others; then only will the road to Paradise be open before you.
We've arrived at Sheng Xian Tang. Yang Sheng, get down. Soul, return to your body.