"In the Earth Store Bodhisattva Sutra, the Bodhisattva said that if anyone dies, you should make vegan food to offer. Because if you kill any animals for their sake, or make a meat or fish offering, then the dead person's (bad) karma increases. Or even if he is about to go to Heaven, because of that, their journey to Heaven will be delayed, or maybe stopped."
No matter how many beings go into whatever hell, it's never full. It's not like a prison, say, "OK, we have no more space." No matter how. Just like Heaven. No matter how many people go into one Level of Heaven, it's never filled. Jesus says, "In my Father's house, there are many mansions." But not just many mansions, limitless mansions. So don't worry that Master initiates so many beings, how can they all go to Heaven? You all go to Heaven. (Thank You, Master.) Welcome, welcome.
Just don't give me a chance to have to go hell to fish you out. (No.) Don't want that chance. After reading all this, you should know better. In case you forget. It's not because Master gives you initiation, then "OK, no matter, Master will rescue me anyway," so you can do what you want. It's not that. You have to consider other beings. Even if Master can help you, but if you hurt somebody else, that's not fair. That's not a gentleman's way. Understand? (Yes.) So try to be good and fair, for being a gentleman, gentlewoman's sake, not because Master can or cannot rescue you. Can, it's just not the way to do. If we cannot help others, at least do not hurt them.
My God, this is really detailed. I read it 30 some years ago. Even though I read it, I don't remember all this. The iron walls on top and iron all over, and burning from up and burning from down. Where would you go? If it's burning from down, maybe you jump up, and then hide yourself up there. But if it's burning from up down, maybe you run further, but no, both up and down fire. Oh, God! Oh, God! I wish that all beings never have to experience this. Never! They are just so ignorant. They are born in this world, and they were badly educated, badly exampled, badly misled, and then punished like this. This is too much! It's too terrible! Even though you shed this physical body, and you are in the astral body when you're in hell, but it doesn't mean you don't feel pain. You feel just the same, even worse than here. Because, for example, if here, emotion you can hide. For example, if he's sad, but he's smiling and that, I would not know, because he is hiding. He's hidden inside, all the wickedness and all that. You don't know, you don't feel it. But when you have no body, no protective wall of the human body, then you feel everything, all the pain and suffering, worse in multifold, multifold worse. If somebody, your beloved family is suffering pain, you'll feel it so much, so much. But if you are in the physical body, your family says, "No, no, I'm OK, I'm OK," then you don't feel it. But in hell or in the astral body, you feel everything. You feel very intensely, everything.
"The wall of that hell is a thousand miles high, totally made of iron, and covered with a fire burning downward." My God, can you imagine? One thousand miles of fire upon you and another one from down. "Iron snakes and dogs spewing fire race back and forth atop that wall." So you can't go anywhere. Snakes and dogs are even there. Iron snakes and dogs spewing fire race back and forth, to make sure everywhere is burning all the time. "In that hell is a bed that extends for 10,000 miles. One person undergoing punishment, sees his or her own body filling the entire bed." So the suffering is more intense. It's more everywhere. "When millions of people undergo punishment simultaneously, each one of them still sees his or her own body filling the whole bed." So big. "That is how retributions are undergone by those with the same (bad) karma. What is more, these offenders undergo extreme suffering. Thousands of yaksas and other evil ghosts display fangs like swords and eyes like lightning as they pull and drag the offenders using their brass-clawed hands. Other yaksas…" Very wicked evil and ugly. "Other yaksas wield huge iron halberds that they use to pierce the offenders' mouths and noses, or stab their bellies and backs." Oh, God!
"What is more, these offenders undergo extreme suffering. Thousands of yaksas and other evil ghosts display fangs like swords and eyes like lightning. And they pull and drag the offenders using their brass-clawed hands. Other yaksas wield huge iron halberds that they use to pierce offenders' mouths and noses or stab their bellies and backs. They toss the offenders into space and then catch them by skewering them with the halberds." Halberds, something like forks or something like that. "Or they let them drop onto the bed. Iron eagles peck at the offenders' eyes and iron serpents wrap around their necks. Long nails are driven into all their limbs." Oh, God! How terrifying! Must be terrible to be there. How pitiful! How inconceivable! What bloody hell like this! What kind of law is this? Oh, God! "Their tongues are pulled out, stretched." It's scary. "And then plowed through. Their internal organs are gouged out, sliced, and minced. Molten metal is poured into their mouths, and their bodies are bound with hot iron. Responses to their (bad) karma go on like that throughout thousands of deaths and rebirths in the same hell. They pass through millions of eons seeking escape in vain."
Oh God, how terrible! How terrible! How pitiful! God! Maybe it's terrifying, but maybe everyone should know. Otherwise, they think they can do anything. They won't escape. I think they should know. Even us, we should remind ourselves that nothing escapes the net of karma. "When this world is destroyed, they find themselves in another world. When that world is destroyed, they pass to another one. When that world, too, is destroyed, they move on to another. When this world comes into being again they return here. The situation involving uninterrupted retribution for offenses is like that." Meaning even if this world is destroyed and the hell that is connected or belongs to this world is destroyed, they will be transferred to another. Just like prisoners, sometimes this prison has a problem, or they have to repair or kaput, they transfer the prisoners to another prison. The same. They won't escape. My God! And sometimes a world is not destroyed for a billion eons of times, then they continue forever like that. That's why the Bodhisattva says it's uninterrupted. Never stops.
"Moreover, five karmic responses account for the name Uninterrupted. What are the five? First, it is said to be uninterrupted since punishment is undergone day and night throughout many eons without ceasing for a moment. Second, it is said to be uninterrupted since one person feels it in the same way that many people feel it. Third, it is said to be uninterrupted since repeated punishments continue without cease throughout years that stretch into nayutas of eons." "Nayuta" means unlimited. Limitless eons, or limitless time, unlimited time, limitless time, infinite time. "Those punishments are inflicted by instruments of torture such as forks and clubs, or by serpents, wolves and dogs." These are irons and manifested. So they're not real. Not real dogs, real serpents, but it's even worse. The dog or serpent bites you, you die once, maybe. But these, they keep biting, biting, and you won't die. You just feel pain forever. "Or by pounding, grinding, sawing, drilling, chiseling, cutting and chopping; or by boiling liquids, iron nets, iron ropes, iron asses, iron horses, or by raw hide bound around one's head and hot iron poured over one's body." And you think the prisons on this planet are torturous. It's nothing compared to this. "… Or by meals of iron pellets and drinks of iron fluids. Fourth, it is said to be uninterrupted since everyone undergoes karmic responses based on their offenses they committed, whether they be men, women, savages, old, young, honorable, or lowly, whether they be dragons, spirits, gods or ghosts. Fifth, it is said to be uninterrupted since offenders continually undergo 10,000 deaths and as many rebirths each day and night from the moments they first enter this hell and on and on through thousands of eons. During that time, they seek even a moment's relief, but it never happens. Only when their (bad) karma is finished can they attain rebirth somewhere else."
Oh, God! "Earth Store Bodhisattva said to the Worthy Mother, 'That is a brief description.'" Even brief only. Imagine if it's long. How pitiful! No wonder He vowed to save all beings in hell. Because He saw all this, He knew all this, He felt the extent of their suffering. Even if we read it only, we feel terrified already. We feel the suffering for them already. How would it be if you really witnessed this and heard their crying and saw the conditions there? Earth Store Bodhisattva said to the Worthy Mother, meaning the deceased mother of the Buddha in Heaven. Just to remind you. "That is a brief description of Uninterrupted Hell. If I were to speak extensively about the names of all the implements of punishment in the hells and all the suffering there, I could not finish speaking in an entire eon." Meaning He could speak forever. An eon is many billions of years. That He could not even finish if He wanted to describe everything in hell, all the instruments they use, and all the suffering. There are different kinds of suffering. Then He could speak forever. "After hearing that, Lady Maya placed her palms together sorrowfully, made obeisance, and withdrew."
When I was in Taiwan (Formosa), I remember. I remember now, I did read this sutra. Because when I was in Taiwan (Formosa), I don't remember if I read all or not, but I read some. I remember in Taiwan (Formosa), I was in a temple once. I stayed in one temple, but then some nuns… We know each other somehow. And then she invited me to her temple. And then I went there. And then sometimes she had to go and do the reciting of the sutras for the dead people. Many monks in Taiwan (Formosa) do that. And then they make offering to them and pay and all that also. So she said to me, "Would you like to come along?" I went along. I said, "I cannot recite the sutras. You do it. It's your job. It's better." And I asked her if wherever she goes, do they put… Normally after the death, they made food and all that offering to the dead person in the family, relatives or whoever, or friends or something, whoever. Then I said, "Do they make vegetarian food for the deceased, to offer to the deceased, or not?" And she said, "Sometimes some families do, but mostly they just cook chicken or whatever, normal, because that's what the deceased ate when he or she was alive. So they cooked the same and gave it to them. And then I said, "No. You have to tell them to make vegetarian before you come." The nuns or monks said to me, "Oh, we don't say anything. We just go recite the sutras." I said, "You must. Because in the Earth Store Bodhisattva Sutra, it says that if a person dies, and then the relatives kill the animals or make animal food for them, then their (bad) karma will become heavier. And if they were supposed to go to Heaven, then because of that (bad) karma…" So I say, "In the Earth Store Bodhisattva Sutra, the Bodhisattva said that if anyone dies, you should make vegan food to offer. Because if you kill any animals for their sake, or make a meat or fish offering, then the dead person's (bad) karma increases. Or even if he is about to go to Heaven, because of that, their journey to Heaven will be delayed, or maybe stopped." So they said, "Oh! Really?" I said, "Yeah, you go look at Earth Store Bodhisattva Sutra." She said she never read it.
This is some not very right concept. Nuns and monks are supposed to study sutras first, whatever they can first, so that they can talk to other beings. But it's just so easy to become monks and nuns and go recite any sutra, just Amitabha Sutra, whatever's easy, simple, so don't need to do anything more. It's not true like that. So I said, "You have to tell them." And then one of the monks over there said, "Oh! You! Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva." They called me. They think, just an honorary kind of talk. So I remember now. So that meant I read it. Some of the chapters say that. And also when you give birth to a child, mother and child should be fed by vegan. And thanking Heavens and Buddha all that, food should always be vegan. The Buddha said that is better, safer for the mother and child. Because when the mother gives birth to the child, there are many yaksas, ghosts and evil spirits hanging around, wanting to take the blood from the mothers and the child when they were born. I remember that. Maybe one day we will come to that chapter, and then you will know. You will know that I read it. Therefore, we should not … Even because if giving flesh and all that, they're also more attracted to that, and then maybe endanger the mother's and child's safety. Because of all this negative spirit energy surrounding them during the sensitive time of birth. (In Supreme Master Television…) Supreme Master Television? (In the quotes about vegetarianism in religion.) They also say this? (Yes!) Yeah. Yes, I guess because I reminded them, somehow. I didn't see that. I didn't see that they do this. That is good also, good they did that. Also I told them to search into many different sutras and religions to give quotes, short quotes. That's how it came about. And also I told them to do these pop-ups. All the famous people, all the muscle people who are vegan. Intelligent people. That's why they have all the pop-up stuff, many. It's a good job. Good job.
And this is "The Karmic Retributions of Beings in this World." Wait a minute, how long will it take? Because when I read something, I like to finish it. It's quite long! Oh, no, not really! When it's one page it means only half a page, so I should be OK. Just looks big, because they printed only one side. That's OK. It's an urgent job. I told them to print it quick. So, next time, but we keep it. It's OK like that. You still want to hear the retribution? (Yes.) Not scared yet? (No.) OK. "Karmic Retributions of Beings of Jambudvipa." Means planet Earth. Humans. "At that time, Earth Store Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, 'World Honored One, because I receive the awesome spiritual strength of the Buddha.'" He is so humble. But of course, all the Buddhas support Him with their spiritual, energy. So He can continue His job. I think the whole universe supports Him, otherwise this is a very difficult job. To keep going up and down in hell, sapping your energies and strength, spiritual strength.
