Question:
On 18 November 2018, after offering the evening incense at the Guan Yin Citta Centre, I received a thought message from the Bodhisattvas that the Underworld had asked me to go there that night. When I returned home and fell asleep, I found myself enveloped in a ray of golden light as I was taken to the Heavenly Realm. Arriving at the Hall of Guan Di Bodhisattva, I saw Victorious-Fighting Buddha, Guan Yin Bodhisattva, the Buddha, Nanjing Bodhisattva, Guan Di Bodhisattva, Guan Ping Bodhisattva and Zhou Tsang Bodhisattva having a meeting.
问:18-11-2018,当天在观音堂上晚香时接到菩萨意念地府有事请我下去一趟。晚上在家中,意识陷入昏睡时被金光带往天宫,到达关帝殿,见到斗战胜佛、观世音菩萨、佛陀、南京菩萨、关帝菩萨、关平菩萨、周仓菩萨正在商议。
After paying my respect to every one of them, Victorious- Fighting Buddha asked me: “When there are differences of opinions among fellow Buddhists and disciples, how should one deal with it?”
I replied: “The Master once said that preserving harmony should be the highest priority, and that one must not allow their selfishness and distracting thoughts to take hold. Selfishness leads to distracting thoughts.”
Victorious-Fighting Buddha asked again: “How should a person cope with their distracting thoughts?”
我向诸佛菩萨一一请安后,斗战胜佛问弟子:佛弟子们意见不相同,如何处之?弟子答:师父说过以和为上,不要有私心杂念。私心会导致自己杂念纷飞。斗战胜佛又问:杂念又何以处之?
I answered: “We should replace ‘thought’ with ‘no thought’. Master Lu said that the state of no thought is virtuous. If one has no thoughts, they create no karma. Because we’re still in the process of cultivating, our thoughts that arise are not in a state of perfect enlightenment. When we encounter the inner demon, unwholesome thoughts appear, and even a slight mistake in our thoughts will create negative karma. If you find yourself in a conflict, you must immediately recite sutras. That’s what I learned from reading Master Lu’s Words of Wisdom and the story book about Meng Bao.”
Upon hearing my answer, Nanjing Bodhisattva smiled, although I didn’t know if I had answered correctly. I could only stand to the side and await further instructions.
The Buddha said telepathically: “Parents in the Human Realm overly pamper their children. They overindulge them, and their grandchildren too, with material goods that lead to bad habits and ignorant behaviours. They soon follow their parents in committing unwholesome deeds, and eventually descend into the Lower Realms. It’s a pitiful sight. If people continue like this, the negative energy will intensify. What awaits them is the suffering of rebirth within the Lower Realms. After you have watched this trial in the Underworld, write it down and quickly send your observations to your Master so that it can serve as a warning to the people in the Human Realm. Parents should set a good example by being noble and virtuous, by accumulating benevolent blessings and virtues, and by studying and practising Buddhism. That is the right way to sow blessings for future generations.”
弟子答:以无念代替有念。师父说无念即是德。没有念想就不会造业。因为我们还在修行,起心动念还不到正觉,一旦心中魔障,恶念现前,一念错就是业障。一言不合就念经,这是弟子看萌宝佛言佛语学到的。说完,南京菩萨微微一笑,弟子也不知道答对与否只好站在一旁等候。不久,佛陀传意念与弟子:人间父母对孩子百般宠溺,以物质名利喂养子孙,导致孩子无明习气,跟着父母造作恶业,乃至堕落恶道,实为可悲可怜。人间阳人长此下去,恶气甚重,以后会恶道轮回苦。你今前去地府听审,回阳世尽快书写与你师父让阳世众生警惕。父母应当以身作则,以德养身,积善积德,修习佛法,才为正,才能造福子孙后代。
I was whisked off to the Underworld in a ray of golden light. When I arrived, I saw three offenders all kneeling. The King of Hell gave one of the female offenders a stern look and declared: “You completely lack any sense of morality, and you indulge yourself in sexual pleasures. You were married, yet you lacked self-restraint. You enjoyed going to nightclubs, becoming intoxicated and having casual sex with different men you met - some of them were even married. You thought it made you trendy and cool, but you were ignorant of the fact that Heaven and the Underworld do not tolerate such shameless and lustful acts. There’s a saying from the past that ‘Lust is the worst of all unwholesome deeds’. Those who are promiscuous are bound to receive karmic retribution, and you were promiscuous for a very long time. Yet you still dare to argue with me?”
弟子过后就被金光带入地府。阎王殿前,跪着三个罪灵。阎王一脸威严看着其中一个女罪灵,说:不知妇德为何物?自己纵欲堕落,已经是结婚的妇女,还要在外面不知检点,爱跑娱乐场合,喝酒,和不同男子发生关系,有些还是有妇之夫,以为自己时髦、潮流,知不知这些淫荡、伤风败俗之事天地不容,自古万恶淫为首,淫乱一人都要受报,更何况你长期淫乱?还要在本王面前百般辩解。
The female offender was completely unwilling to accept it. She cried, exclaiming: “Ever since I married my husband at a young age, I endured hardships as I raised the family and took care of our child. When my husband was young, he had an affair. I couldn’t stand it, and I vented my feelings to my closest friends. My original intention was just to get it off my chest, and then I wasn’t going to take it lying down! I thought about how much suffering I had endured, and the guys I met outside my marriage were really sweet-talkers. I was already faced with the hardship of a dysfunctional marriage. Everyone is like this nowadays - even my friends also had affairs. I didn’t even know about the law of karma. Who knew about these things?!”
Sternly, the King of Hell replied: “Even so, you shouldn’t have stooped so low! Forget it – there’s no point saying anything more to you. You are sentenced to punishment in the Hell of Iron Bed.”
女罪灵一脸委屈不服气,哀哀哭泣:我那丈夫打从我年轻嫁给他,跟着他辛辛苦苦养家,看顾孩子。我丈夫年轻出轨,我忍受不了这口气,我有自己的姐妹淘,原本只是诉诉苦,后来自己也是不甘心,想我这么辛苦,外面男子又对我甜言蜜语。我本来就面临婚姻苦恼,阳间大家都如此,我身边几个姐妹也曾出轨,我又不知因果,哪懂这些道理?阎王接着说:那也不能如此堕落,罢了。本王不与你多说,判铁床地狱受罚。
The King of Hell turned and pointed at the male offender beside her, and said: “Your family is very wealthy, and your parents cared for you deeply. They satisfied every one of your materialistic desires, giving you whatever you wanted. But they did not educate you properly! You became rude and obstinate. Even now, you’re still acting the same way right in front of me. It’s because you acted impudently in my court that I ordered the enforcement officers to give you a beating. Your parents were ignorant, but did you think that the offences you had committed would escape my eyes?”
Immediately after the King of Hell said this, a display appeared and started to show the offences committed by the offender before his death.
阎王过后指向另一个男罪灵:你家中富贵,父母又对你百般溺爱,满足你的物质欲望,要什么给什么,可是却不曾好好教养你。你在世刁蛮任性,下来见到本王还要如此,在本殿放肆无礼,我才叫鬼差杖打你。你在世父母不懂,可是你所犯之罪难道能逃过本王法眼?说完,银幕上播放罪灵生前的罪业。
When he was alive, the offender ran a business along with a relative. When it failed, he lied to his parents and blamed it all on his relative. The move sowed great discord between them and enormous financial difficulties for the relative. While working with his relative, he would often go clubbing and have casual sex with girls he met there. He also liked watching pornography on the internet. Even when he met girls who were Buddhists, he coaxed them into having intimate relations with him regardless of their willingness, taking away their innocence. The offender’s parents were also dishonest in business, and their son followed suit, cheating their relative out of their company’s shareholding. He tampered with legal documents and seized assets that weren’t his.
The King of Hell glared at the offender and said: “I sentence you to the Hell of Iron Bed, the Tongue-Ripping Hell and the Hell of Eye Shock. When your sentence is over, you will be reborn as a woman into an impoverished family.”
The King sighed: “Did you know that it was due to your cultivation in your previous lives that you were blessed to be reborn as a rich family’s son? But you committed a series of grave offences, that’s why your life was cut short and now you’re going to Hell.”
Ignoring the offender’s resistance, the enforcement officer dragged him out.
罪灵生前与亲戚合作生意,生意失败在父母面前撒谎,把生意失败过错推到自己亲戚身上,挑拨离间,害亲戚全家经济出问题。罪灵生前与亲戚在某地合作时,出去花天酒地,淫乱女子,又喜在网络看情色资讯。对修学佛道的女子,不顾她的意愿,强行淫乱,毁女子清白。罪灵的父母亲做生意不老实,孩子有样学样,跟着父母欺骗亲戚股份产权,在文件上做手脚,霸占不属于自己的财物。阎王怒目瞪着罪灵:我现判你入铁床地狱、拔舌地狱、电眼地狱。刑罚完毕后,投贫苦女身。唉,你知不知你前世有修行才会今生投富贵人家做大少爷,可你造业连连,才短命早夭,现在堕落地狱。鬼差不顾罪灵反抗硬拖下去。
The King of Hell turned to another male offender and declared: “You were ignorant of the Buddha-Dharma and the law of karma, that’s why you committed the karma of killing. You are now sent to Hell for punishment. During the 49 days after your death, one of your family members, who is practising Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, performed meritorious deeds and life liberations for you. I will use these merits and virtues to reduce your punishment in Hell.”
阎王过后对另一个跪着的男罪灵说:你不懂佛法因果,乃至造下杀业,现在堕落地狱受罚,在你七七四十九天期未满之时,你家中有修习心灵法门的亲人给你做功德了,为你放生,现在本王用此善功德免你一些地狱罪行。
Turning to me, the King of Hell said: “If a deceased person’s relatives practise Buddhism and perform meritorious deeds such as life liberations for them during the initial 49-day period after their death, it will help the deceased to eliminate their negative karma quickly. But once the 49 days is over, the negative karma is set and only the energy of Buddhist scriptures can help them ascend to a higher realm. Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door uses a collection of Buddhist scriptures – Little Houses – while other Dharma Doors have their own ways of helping spirits ascend to a higher realm. However, you must remember not to compare nor make casual comments about other Dharma Doors. Every Dharma Door has its sutras and mantras that help the deceased to ascend, and they are all equally effective.
“The reason why Little Houses can help spirits ascend to a higher realm and so quickly eliminate negative karma is because of the immense power of vows and compassion possessed by Guan Yin Bodhisattva. If anyone in the Human Realm is reckless enough to recite and offer the Little Houses in a dishonest manner– like those who fill in all the dots of the Little House without reciting the sutras in full – then the Underworld will report the names of the culprits who signed and recited them, to the Heavenly court. This happens after the counterfeit Little Houses have accumulated up to a certain amount, or when we receive complaints from the spirits about not receiving sufficient scriptures. We have the device to track it. The Heavenly court will then write an official letter to authorise our action. I hope you will convey this to the people in the Human Realm, reminding them to properly recite the sutras. Never use Dharma items to trick people and line their pockets. Don’t fool around with the Underworld! Buddhist rituals and matters relating to helping spirits ascend to a higher realm should never be treated lightly. Otherwise, when you come down and kneel before me, I can only act according to the law.”
阎王过后告诉弟子:亡人过世未满七七四十九天,只要家中修习佛法的在世亲人给亡人做功德,善事,放生能快速消减亡人在世所犯诸多罪业。可是一旦七七四十九天期满,罪业定型,只能依靠经文的能量才能达到超度亡灵的作用。心灵法门是用佛教经典组合(小房子),其它法门也各有它们超度的方式,切记不可法门与法门之间说来道去,每个法门都有它们超度亡灵的经咒,一样灵验。小房子之所以能快速起到超度亡灵、消罪业的作用,是因为你们心灵法门的观世音菩萨大悲愿力所化,如果在世念诵者胡乱念诵,严重没有念满遍数(念几遍经文就随便点),我们地府会根据你们烧送下来的签署名字(念诵的人),地府会有仪器追查,假的小房子张数达到一定数量或者地府接到灵体投报收不到足够经文遍数,就会上报天庭,天上会书写公文卷轴,我们地府执行。希望你转告阳间的人,好好念诵经文,不要用这些佛门法物敛财骗人,这些是佛门法物,不要和地府开玩笑,超度的佛事你们可不要等闲视之,哪天下来见我阎王,跪在我面前,我也只能依法制裁。
As he finished, I was enveloped in a ray of golden light and returned to the Human Realm.
Master Jun Hong Lu’s reply:
That’s very good. You must remember how much you can learn from these observations. If you have offered Little Houses of very poor quality, the spirits will not be able to receive them and they can complain to the King of Hell. This scenario had been depicted in some dramas in the past. When these spirits appealed to the King of Hell, the King would hear the trial, as happened in the Cantonese opera Wang Kui Betrays Guiying. When Guiying died, she became a spirit who wanted revenge. The King of Hell approved her request to go to the Human Realm and drag Wang Kui away. These kinds of things are not uncommon. If you trick the spirits and the number of Little Houses you offer is insufficient, you commit an offence – so you must be careful.
A similar case, also shared by the same person, was published on our website. A few days later, someone called into my radio program to confirm what was stated in the article posted. There was indeed a fellow Buddhist practitioner who passed away exactly as described in the article. The scenes resembled exactly what happened to him when he was alive. That practitioner is in Hell now, kneeling before the King of Hell. Practising Buddhism is no joking matter, nor is it easy. Don’t fool around – you must be true to your cultivation.
说完,弟子被金光送回阳世。
答:这个非常好。你们好好记得,里面能学到很多东西。你要是烧了质量不好的小房子亡灵拿不到,他就可以去阎王那里告你。过去你们看戏里面都有,告到阎王那里,阎王就可以判。比如焦桂英怒责王魁,焦桂英死了变成鬼了都要去追这个男的,阎王爷同意她去阳间把他拉走。很多事都是这样的,如果骗人,小房子数量不够,一定会有罪,真的要当心。上次在这里读的一个案例,也是这个人写的,在博客上发表后,前天就有人在广播里反馈,真的对上号了,我们一个佛友就是这样走掉的,讲的和他生前的事情一模一样,已经在地狱里了,在阎王老爷那里跪着呢。学佛不是开玩笑的,学佛不容易,不是念念玩玩的,要真的真修。
——卢台长开示解答来信疑惑(二百七十二)2018-12-11