A one-day trip
The cold wind wailed, and the Yin world became illusory. Time turned into black soil, and year after year weighed down, forming a desolate and cold world.
In this world that seemed to be dark and boundless, a ray of golden light suddenly descended and outlined a large door covered in reliefs and patterns.
The door opened, and a group of humans walked out. There were young and old, men and women. They all had red headscarves wrapped around their heads, and there were rays of light attached to their bodies. The leader had two curvy beards, and he held a large yellow flag with five big words written on it:
“A group of tourists from the Netherworld!”
He felt the cold wind that could blow away his soul, he turned around and said, “Dear guests, you have the ‘Red Scarves’attached to your bodies. They are ice-cold and stealthy, so you can follow them without worry. However, you must not fall behind and lose your way. This Netherworld is vast and boundless, and it grows and accumulates every moment. It is not enough to see it without the help of the celestial venerables and Buddhas. Once you are separated, it is likely that you will not be able to find it back.”
“Yes, Mr. Guide,”the group of tourists answered politely in unison.
The guide unfurled the big yellow flag that he was holding, and it shone brightly, illuminating the road ahead, then, as they walked, he said, “The layer of yin soil that we see now was formed during the reign of the human emperor. It completely covers and buries the Yin soil from the two eras of the ancient barbaric era and the epoch of the creation of heaven and earth…”
The tourists looked around curiously. They could vaguely see a distorted and blurry shadow in the seemingly solid yin wind.
Unknowingly, they walked for a long time. The guide pointed at the Dark, towering mountain on the left and said, “This is the Yin mountain prison:
“This is the Yin mountain prison mentioned in the myths and legends. It was formed naturally in the underworld. Anyone who committed the crime of rape and plunder in life will be nailed to the peak after death. They will be blown by the ‘soul dissipating gale’and the ‘soul dissipating baleful aura’day and night. They will only be freed after suffering for forty-nine years without completely dissipating.”
Upon hearing these words, the tourists looked over and saw that the mountain peak was dark and smooth, covered in frost. However, the so-called tortured souls could not be seen.
“Could it be that the world has been so good recently that there are no longer any rapists and plunder?”A middle-aged scholar stroked his long beard and said.
The guide laughed, “No, no. It is Ksitigarbha, the king of Ksitigarbha, the mysterious grief Bodhisattva, who vowed to transcend all living beings and overcome all obsessions and sins, leading them to the Pure Land of the Buddhist kingdom.”
“Bodhisattva is merciful, bearing the sins of all souls with his own body.”Among the tourists, there were Buddhist monks who placed their palms together and praised.
“But, shouldn’t those who raped and plundered deserve retribution? In that case, in the future, everyone will do bad things and wait for Ksitigarbha to save them!”A teenager said indignantly.
The guide smiled when he heard this and said, “Guests, please be patient. Let’s go and listen.”
After a while, the cold wind in front of them suddenly slowed down, and a city wall that only had its main gate appeared. There were seven or eight canopies at the gate, and rays of water light hung down to protect one side of the plan table, many ghosts, either in pain or with an obsession, gathered from all directions.
“What does that do?”The youth who had spoken earlier asked curiously.
The guide chuckled:
“Everyone, take a closer look and you’ll understand.”
As the group approached, the light from the water gradually brightened. There were banners fluttering in the air above the proposal, with words such as “Ksitigarbha pure land”, “Fengdu ghost city”, “Banner of the underworld”, “Vacuum hometown”and so on written on them, one by one, the ghosts with solid figures were shouting and introducing something:
“Come to our Fengdu Ghost City, including food, accommodation, training, and reincarnation!”
“Do not go to the flag of Hell. Those who have committed all kinds of sins must undergo labor and reform there. Even the good people of the nine lifetimes do not have a higher status!”
“Everyone, everyone, reincarnation is limited, and the sea of bitterness is boundless. Do you want to spend your time in reincarnation and eventually lose your nature and become another person? Or do you want to undergo reform, take the path to the Dao, and cast your bodies with the law?”
“I, Ksitigarbha, the profound compassion Bodhisattva, am merciful. I am willing to use my golden body to bear your sins, and use the Buddha’s law to resolve your obsessions, so that your body and mind can be cleansed, and you will be able to enjoy the great bliss of freedom.”
Amidst the noise, only the deities under the banner of “Home of the vacuum”were listless. Every now and then, they would have the energy to call out “Mother of no life, home of the vacuum,”as if they were doing something perfunctory.
“Are they snatching souls?”A white-haired old man asked with concern.
The guide nodded and replied, “Of course. This boundless yin land originally only had Ksitigarbha’s pure land, which controlled life and death, and controlled reincarnation. Later on, forces such as Taoism, the human emperor, and Luoism entered. Bodhisattva Xuan Bei was merciful and did not wish to cause conflict because of this. He silently allowed everyone to act according to their own abilities, but he could not resort to fighting.”
“Is that so…”the white-haired old man nodded slightly. “Mr. Guide, which family do you think is the best after you die? If you have sins, can you go to Ksitigarbha’s pure land to resolve them and then have peace, freedom, and Bliss?”
The teenager curled his lips and muttered, “If it’s really that easy, then the world is full of bad people…”
The guide chuckled and said, “Please listen to my explanation. Although there is a saying in the Zen sect that ‘put down the butcher’s knife and become a Buddha’, and the bodhisattva of profound sorrow will also bear the corresponding sins for you, he can not resolve the karma within it. And in our era, with the celestial venerable Meng of the Hollow Jade Temple as the leader, his fundamental dao contains the matter of karma. Therefore, after eliminating the sins and obsessions, you still have to enter reincarnation and sever the Karma before you can continue to cultivate in Zen. Otherwise, even if you stay in the Pure Land of the bodhisattva of profound sorrow, your cultivation will also stagnate and wait for the complete end to come.”
The white-haired old man’s expression was solemn. After a long while, he finally nodded. “Where are we going next?”
“Of course, we’re going to Ksitigarbha’s pure land. Bodhisattva Mystic Sorrow is the publicly acknowledged Master of the Netherworld from all over the world. Moreover, everyone is opening a forum and giving speeches. It will definitely benefit US greatly if we listen to them,”the guide said as he walked, after passing through the city gate where ghosts and ghosts were placed, they chose the central fork and entered a hazy Buddhist kingdom that spanned across billions of tribulations.
The Pure Land was filled with verdant bodhi trees, and the ground was filled with Brahs and golden lotuses. The pond was inlaid with golden glass and other seven treasures, rippling with strange lights of various colors. Even though there were countless Buddhist temples in between.., he could still see the sacred lotus throne in the center of the Buddhist kingdom.
On the lotus throne, Xuan Bei, who had appeared in Ksitigarbha’s golden body, sat high up. He held the secret of life and death in black and white, showing mercy and compassion. He explained the Buddhist dharma in a grand and solemn voice, the surrounding area was filled with countless ghosts of various races.
“Eh, my universal symbol has lost signal.”The teenager wanted to take out the universal symbol, take a picture, upload it to the forum, and use it as a proof for a one-day trip, but he didn’t expect the signal to be lost.
The guide cleared his throat and said, “In the beginning, the Yin and Yang worlds could be connected with the universal symbol, but later, it was discovered that the yin and Yang worlds corroded each other and intertwined with each other. Thus, one day, the two worlds were separated, and underworld became its own region. It could only be connected to each other for fifteen days starting from the seventh month of every year.”
“Then can the express delivery reach the Yin World?”Someone asked anxiously.
“Yes, yes. All the great immortal sects have normal contact with the Yin world, and the Yuxu Express delivery is endless!”The guide answered respectfully, “Everyone can disband on the spot. Those who want to listen to the Buddhist dharma, those who want to visit their relatives, and those who want to walk around, we will gather here after Bodhisattva Xuanbei finishes his speech.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire pure land suddenly turned pitch black. There was no more light, and the ears were filled with exclamations.
In the blink of an eye, it brightened up. The clear light shone through the Buddhist kingdom and illuminated the yin land.
Xuan bei, who was sitting on the lotus throne, stopped his speech. He raised his head and looked beyond the Yin Land. He saw strange phenomena and Yang Jian ascending to the other shore.
After everything had calmed down, he looked at the location of the hollow jade temple and sighed softly:
“I have the intention to take in a disciple. I wonder which two benefactors are fated?”
As the Buddha’s voice echoed, he reached out and grabbed a falling golden lotus.
Seeing this scene, the ten-year-old youth among the tourists suddenly smiled for some reason, as if he had understood a lot.
Xuan bei held the flower and Jia Ye smiled.