-
- Yang Sheng:
Where are we going this time?
-
- JiGong: You
will soon know.
-
- Yang Sheng:
Yes, yes. I’m safely seated, we can start now…
-
- JiGong: We
have arrived. Yang Sheng get down.
-
- Yang Sheng:
Dear Master, why have you brought me to this hillside? I
can hear at a distance, voices crying and calling for
help. The crying is like one being beaten or being
slashed. Before us, I see the soldiers of Hades herding
sinful souls along the roads. Can we follow behind them
to see what will happen?
-
- JiGong:
Today we are visiting the Sixth Tribunal’s Small Prison
at the hillside, so quickly follow the soldiers of
Hades.
-
- Yang Sheng:
We have managed to catch up with them and the soldiers
are turning their heads as if to greet us. Don’t know
what kind of sins these souls had committed and don’t
know what punishment they will have to suffer.
-
- JiGong:
These sinful souls were previously drivers of motor
cars, lorries, riders of motor cycles; because when they
were alive, they were involved in fatal accidents
causing death to others, their souls will have to come
here to repay for their past actions.
-
- Yang Sheng:
But when they were still alive, these irresponsible
drivers had already been punished by the human law
courts, so their worldly mistake can very well be said
to have been adequately settled from the point of law.
-
- JiGong:
Because these souls had caused the death of other human
beings, they will now have to face another punishment in
Hades. We have now reached the gates of the Prison. If
you are in doubt on any matter, you are at liberty to
ask the Officer to enlighten you.
-
- Yang Sheng:
There is a guard at the gate and it does look as if
there is some measure of security. At the top of the
gate are the words “Prison for leaner Drivers”. The
Officer and Generals have come out to receive us.
-
- JiGong: Yang
Sheng, quickly go and pay your respects.
-
- Yang Sheng:
To you Officer and Generals, I humbly pay my respects.
Today I follow my dear Master, JiGong, to visit your
Prison so as to find out the reasons these souls are
sent here. Hope you will kindly give us every
assistance.
-
- Officer:
Yang Sheng, there is no need to stand on ceremony.
Please both of you; follow me inside for a look.
-
- Yang Sheng:
Which Tribunal controls this Prison?
-
- Officer:
This Prison is called “Prison for Learner Drivers” and
is under the control of the Sixth Tribunal. This Prison
is a totally new establishment and very few human beings
are aware of its existence. We have been informed
earlier of the Book “Diyu Youji” which Sheng Xian Tang
is now compiling and just today, we received notice from
Bian Cheng Wang to say that you will be visiting us
here. We are indeed very glad to welcome you. If you
have doubt on any subject here, do not hesitate to ask
and I will be only too glad to try to explain.
-
- Yang Sheng:
How do you punish these sinful souls here?
-
- Officer:
Careless motor car drivers and those who cause death or
severe injuries to others through reckless driving, or
those who, by their driving hazards cause the other
party to be disabled irrespective of what types of motor
vehicles they were then driving, their souls will be
sent here to be punished. Please follow me.
-
- JiGong:
Thank you very much.
-
- Yang Sheng:
There are so many souls at the hillside all occupying
the small sloping narrow roads which are strewn with
rough stones, dust and sand. Each sinful soul is pulling
a cart very much like the old-fashioned rickshaw. Each
cart is fully loaded with red bricks; because of the
weight each soul experiences great difficulty in
controlling the loaded cart and at the same time trying
to negotiate it down the small narrow sloping road of
the hillside. The road is narrow, just wide enough for
the two cart wheels to move along; a little lack of care
will land both the puller and the loaded cart or just
the cart, tumbling sideways down the hillside into the
drain. The pullers are bare-footed. Because the cart
fully loaded, is heavy, the puller must control the
sliding down momentum by means of the pressure grip of
the soles of his bare feet, thus causing bleeding and
blisters to form at the soles, the blood staining all
over the narrow road. In case of the unfortunate soul
who happens to lose control of the cart thus allowing it
to tumble down sideways into the drain below, he has
first to remove the bricks to lighten the cart which he
will have to bring up to the road, place the bricks at
the wheels to prevent the cart sliding down again, then
he will have to bring up the bricks from the drain and
stack them up on the cart after which he will have to
pull the cart down to the foot of the hillside. Where
the puller is not strong enough, both puller and the
cart will tumble down sideways into the drain, the body
of the puller being rolled over by the loaded cart,
causing him to scream and subsequently to faint, exactly
like what happens when a car accident happens, blood
oozing out. This is a novelty punishment to suit these
modern times and is very severe.
-
- JiGong: When
reckless vehicle drivers on Earth (who cause the death
of other road-users) die, their souls will be sent here
to be punished. This is true retribution – cause and
effect.
-
- Officer: I
will summon a few souls to come and tell you their
stories.
-
- Yang Sheng:
Thank you very much.
-
- Officer: The
sinful souls are here.
- Look here, sinful souls, quickly tell JiGong and
Yang Sheng what sins you had committed on Earth that you
are here to suffer punishment. Tell them truthfully so
that they can include your stories in the Book they are
writing for human beings to read thus avoiding pitfalls.
-
- 1st Soul:
When I was alive, I was an omnibus driver. One day,
while rounding a corner, a small girl rushed out from a
side lane on to the path of my bus but because I could
not stop in time, the poor girl was rolled over and died
on the spot. In my career as a bus driver, I was
involved in quite a number of accidents, sometimes
causing slight injuries to others but my bus was usually
damaged. Because of these frequent accidents, I was
sacked by the bus company. When I died, my soul was sent
to this Small Prison to be punished for one year – every
day I have to pull the loaded cart down the hill slope,
using my feet and toes to control the sliding cart.
Although my body can stand this punishment, I have to
make the trip 100 times a day resulting in my feet
bleeding profusely and sores forming plentifully.
-
- Officer:
Now, soul no 2, your turn to tell your story.
-
- 2nd Soul:
I was a taxi driver when I was alive. One day I went
with a friend for a drink at the bar which made me
somewhat drunk in spite of which I continued to drive my
taxi. I drove it rather fast and because of my drunken
state, my vision was rather impaired and not being in
full control of my taxi, rolled over a pedestrian
killing him on the spot. I was sentenced to a jail term
and had to pay indemnity. After death, when I appeared
before Bian Cheng Wang, he scolded me saying, “When
drunk you continued to drive your vehicle thus playing
with someone’s life causing him to die.” He then
sentenced me to serve three years in this Prison,
everyday pulling the loaded cart downhill and being
insulted by the soldiers of Hades; the soles of my feet
are bleeding and in great pain. Because I have to make
use of all the strength I have, you can now see that my
body has shrunken until it is like a stick! I hope human
drivers will not drive at all when under the influence
of liquor.
-
- Officer:
Come here 3rd Soul and quickly disclose your
side of the picture.
-
- 3rd Soul:
I was a businessman when alive, riding my motor cycle
daily to deliver goods. As I take pleasure in exceeding
the speed limit and ignoring the usual road regulations,
one day I knocked down a man inflicting on him severe
injuries while I sprawled on the road and was hurt with
a leg injury. The unfortunate man among other injuries
also had his head bashed. I recovered after 6 months
but, although the victim survived, the head injury made
him an idiot of him when he recovered! I had to dish out
a lot of indemnity to settle matters. On account of this
accident, after my death years later, my soul was sent
to the Sixth Tribunal before Bian Cheng Wang who
sentenced me to a 3-year term of punishment in this
Prison. The suffering here is so terrible that it cannot
be expressed by word of mouth.
-
- Officer: The
stories narrated by these three souls should teach human
beings to be very careful when driving motor vehicles;
they should value the lives of others as much as their
own. In this Prison, there are various severity of
punishment – some light, some heavy. To those who were
involved in accidents unintentionally, the punishment is
light whereas, to those who deliberately drove motor
vehicles while under the influence of liquor, the
punishment dished out is more heavy than to those hit
and run drivers who did not even stop to investigate, or
render assistance or at least stop to find out the
extent of the damage he had caused. Therefore, I would
advise drivers to stop and render every assistance in
any accident they are unfortunate to be involved in;
this should clear their conscience.
-
- JiGong: This
is a new establishment Prison, very much like the “motor
driving institutes” of Earth. Those new souls who come
here for “refresher course” must start all over again to
learn the correct and recognized methods of driving
motor vehicles so as not to endanger lives. This Prison
serves as a warning to human beings never to drive when
under the influence of liquor, not to exceed the speed
limit and to follow rigidly the official road
regulations. If they ignore this warning, when they die,
they will have to be sent to this Prison to be retrained
and to obtain another certificate of proficiency. Time
to return has come. Yang Sheng, prepare to get up on the
lotus flower platform. Thank Officer and Generals for
the help they have so kindly given.
-
- Yang Sheng:
I am very grateful to Officer and Generals for your
really great help; we have to return now.
-
- Officer:
Should I fail in my humble duty to entertain you, I hope
you will pardon me. I must instruct my Generals to line
up for a hearty send off.
-
- Yang Sheng:
I am safely seated, dear Master, we can start now…
-
- JiGong: We
have arrived at Sheng Xian Tang. Yang Sheng, get down.
Soul, return to your body.
-
- End of Journey No 38.
