The nameless old monk closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and chanted a Buddhist name, "Amitabha, Mr. Li is a person who has a predestined relationship with my Buddha. He has a deep foundation. He has been illuminated by the Buddha's light, and with the power of six relics, he can sleepwalk in hell, and the ghosts cannot hurt him."
Zhao Wan'er whispered, "Master, Brother Li has also obtained the true qi of Suzaku and Xuanwu. No evil spirit can hurt him."
The nameless old monk smiled without saying anything. Shi Liya quietly pulled Zhao Wan'er's clothes and said, "Wan'er, this is the Pure Land of Buddhism. The energy of the Vermillion Bird and the Black Tortoise is the true energy of Taoism."
Zhao Wan'er finally understood and immediately fell silent.
Li Bing clasped his hands together and asked the nameless old monk, "Master, there is one thing I don't understand. I still don't understand the relationship between the Ten Kings of Hell and the Eighteen Hells. Please enlighten me."
The nameless old monk said calmly, "The Yama King mentioned by the people is the general name for the Ten Yama Kings. The leader of the netherworld is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. The ones in charge of the affairs of the netherworld are Qin Guang Wang, Chu Jiang Wang, Song Di Wang, Chu Guan Wang, Yama Wang, Bian Cheng Wang, Tai Shan Wang, Metropolis Wang, Ping Deng Wang, and Zhuan Lun Wang. These ten kings live above the ten halls of hell respectively, so they are called the Ten Yama Kings."
"After a mortal dies, his soul enters the gates of hell. If a person has done good deeds in his life and has great merit, he can be reborn in the Western Paradise or be reborn as a human being without any examination. If he is an evil person, he will be judged by the ten kings of hell and be sent to the relevant hell to be tortured according to the severity of his evil deeds in the world of the living."
"Some people, whose sins are less serious, can escape from hell and enter the six realms of reincarnation after being punished in one or two hells. People with serious sins can be tortured in several hells. Those with extremely serious sins can be tortured in the eighteen hells and thrown into the endless hell, where they can never be reincarnated."
Zhao Wan'er then asked with infinite humility: "Master, I often hear about the six realms of reincarnation. Could you please explain in detail what the six realms of reincarnation are?"
The nameless old monk said calmly: "The six paths are: 1. Heaven; 2. Human; 3. Asura; 4. Animal; 5. Hungry ghost; 6. Hell. The six paths are also known as the six realms, the six ordinary realms or the six realms of reincarnation. They are the paths of reincarnation for all living beings. The six paths can be divided into three good paths and three evil paths. The three good paths are heaven, human and Asura; the three evil paths are animals, hungry ghosts and hell."
"Buddhists pay attention to the word cause and effect. Everything has its cause and effect. Those who can enter the three good paths of reincarnation have more good karma than bad karma; those who enter the three evil paths of reincarnation have more bad karma than good karma. All sentient beings who are trapped in the cycle of birth and death will reincarnate in the six paths."
Li Bing suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly.
The old monk motioned Li Bing to wash his hands in a basin of clean water placed at the corner of the door. Then he pointed to another cushion and asked Li Bing to sit cross-legged, close his eyes, put aside all distracting thoughts, and meditate on the legend of the six paths of the underworld .
Li Bing followed his instructions. The old monk lit a stick of incense and inserted it into the incense burner. He told everyone not to make any noise and to sit around Li Bing, waiting for the incense to burn out. Li Bing traveled through hell and returned to the spirit world.
The old monk shouted, "Om Mani Padme Hum, if you don't go now, when will you go?"
The old monk flicked the sleeves of his yellow robe, and Li Bing suddenly became like a wooden man, motionless.
Li Bing felt that he was suddenly floating in the air, with nothing around him. He only felt six golden lights bursting out from his body.
A towering city gate suddenly appeared, with gusts of cold wind and six paths of ghost legends , and gloomy clouds and mist. Li Bing knew that this was the gate of hell. Just as he was curious, he suddenly saw eighteen hideous ghosts appearing in the dark clouds, accompanied by many little ghosts, and they actually bowed to him.
Li Bing was stunned for a moment, then he understood that those were the eighteen ghost kings and the ghost soldiers guarding the Ghost Gate. They were not worshipping him, but the six relics of the great monks in his body.
Originally, the gates of hell would only open on the 14th night of the lunar calendar, which was the eve of the Ghost Festival. At this moment, the two heavy gates suddenly opened. In a flash of thought, Li Bing had passed the gates of hell.
In the dark clouds and fog, two people, one black and one white, bowed respectfully to Li Bing. Li Bing knew that they were the soul-snatching Black and White Impermanence.
Black and White Impermanence said in unison: "By order of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, please let Li Bing dream through the Ten Palaces of Yama."
As Li Bing was in a daze, a palace suddenly appeared before his eyes, although it was grand but gloomy.
Li Bing looked at the palace curiously, and suddenly found a platform about ten feet high beside the palace, on which stood a mirror ten feet in size made of unknown material.
I saw the mirror hanging to the east, with yin and yang energies swirling in it. There was a horizontal plaque on it with seven large characters written on it: There are no good people in front of the evil mirror.
Li Bing knew that this was the mirror table that Fan Zhengping had told him about after returning to the world.
As he was about to step forward to take a look, the Black and White Impermanence bowed and said, "Li Bing, this mirror is for ghosts who committed evil deeds in their past lives. You are a Buddhist, your life span is not over yet, and you have not committed evil deeds. You do not need to look in this mirror. Please follow us into the hall."
Li Bing asked quietly: "Two Wuchang brothers, the First Palace is King Qin Guang."
Black and White Impermanence replied, "Yes, King Qin Guang's original surname was Jiang. He is in charge of the First Hall of the Underworld. On the day of the death of all good people, they will be led to the afterlife. If they can seduce a man or a woman with equal merits and demerits, they will be sent to the Tenth Hall for release. They will be reincarnated into the human world, and men will be transformed into women, or women into men. They will compare their wealth and poverty to settle their grievances."
"If a person committed evil deeds during his lifetime, his soul will be taken to the Mirror of Sins to be examined. He will see the danger of his heart in the world and the danger of going to hell after death. Only then will he know that he cannot bring a fortune, and that his sins will only follow him throughout his life. After entering the mirror, he will be sent to the Second Palace to be punished and sent to prison to suffer."
Li Bing followed the Black and White Impermanence and floated into the first hall of Yama. He saw a plaque hanging above it with five large characters written on it: The First Hall, Qin Guang Wang,
Under the plaque, there is a desk with a man sitting on it. He wears an emperor's crown, has a white face and a black beard, and exudes a majestic aura.
On the right hand side of the desk of King Qin Guang, there stood a man in a red robe, holding a thin red brush.
Li Bing immediately understood that this person was the judge of the underworld. The book in his left hand was the Book of Life and Death, and the pen in his right hand was the Pen of Soul-Catching.
The Book of Life and Death and the Soul-Catching Pen are very powerful. The Book of Life and Death records the time when a mortal's life span ends. As long as the cinnabar pen ticks the mortal's name on the Book of Life and Death, the Black and White Impermanence will go to catch the soul according to the good and evil deeds of the dying person in his life. It is really like this: If the King of Hell tells you to die at three o'clock in the morning, who dares to keep you alive until five o'clock?
To the right of King Qin Guang stood an ox-headed and horse-faced man holding an iron chain. In front of the table knelt a group of ghosts, some standing, while others kneeled on the ground with iron chains tied to their collarbones.
Seeing Li Bing entering from outside the palace, King Qin Guang shouted sternly: "Who are you, Your Highness, to dare to trespass into the underworld? I am King Qin Guang, King Jiang of the First Palace of the Netherworld. I am in charge of the life and death records of the human world, guiding the reborn, and the good and bad fortunes of the Netherworld."
Li Bing was shocked and trembling. Before he could speak, the red-robed judge on the right side of the case leaned over and whispered, "Your Majesty, the person sitting beside your Highness is not a ghost. He is a guest invited by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."
Prince Qin Guang then changed his harsh tone and said to Li Bing in a friendly manner, "So you are Li Bing. By the order of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, you will stay aside and watch me judge the right and wrong in the world of the living and the justice in the underworld."