Disclaimer: My translations are not official nor endorsed by 2OR, so please just treat it as a ‘fan-based’ translation. Please enjoy, and I hope it serves as a good filler until the official English version comes out.
问： 2018 年 10 月 24 日，近期频游地狱，今天被地府官 员请去见地府高级官员——阎王。迷迷糊糊中来到一处 现代化的建筑物，走进去见到阎王坐在案前，我惊奇不 已，因为全部都是现代化的设施，好像我们工作的办公 楼。
Enquiry:
It’s the 24th of October 2019, and I had recently visited the Hell Realm frequently. Today, I was invited to meet a high ranking officer in the Underworld – Yama. In a haze, I arrived at a very modern-looking building. I entered, and I saw Yama sitting beside his desk. I was completely caught off guard by the interior design, that’s because all of the equipment was very modern, and it looks quite similar to the offices we have in the modern-day era.
阎王脸色微沉，看起来很威严，我合十礼拜。阎王 说：“我负责掌管马 XXX 国家（我现在居住的国家名字） 阳人生死，不管任何宗教，死后都会发放这里审判后再 依法处置，该下地狱的下地狱，投人道的就投人，至于 修行不同法门的人死后，如果善果具足就不通过地府， 由不同法门的菩萨护法直接接送去天界或佛国净土。
Yama looks intimidating and very powerful. I put my hands together and paid my respects to him. Yama said, “I’m responsible for the life and death of the mortals inside country X (the country where I live). Regardless of what faith and religion they have, they will be transferred here to be sentenced after their deaths. Those who should descend to Hell will go to Hell; those who should reincarnate back into the Human Realm will be reborn as a human again. Regarding cultivators of different cultivational practices, after they die and if their benevolent rewards have reached fruition, they won’t need to come here. They would be taken into care by the Bodhisattvas and Dharma protectors of their faith and go straight to the Heavenly Realm or to the Buddha’s Pure Land.
“生前如果不善不恶，又不愿投人道的，就在地府 居住，地府都有房屋，与阳间的环境是一模一样，只是 生活空间不同。地府地域复杂，非你们世间人所能测知。 我现给你一个通信器，你拿回去交予你法门护法菩萨， 将来游地狱时通报地府，我安排人员接送。
If one hasn’t committed many wholesome or unwholesome deeds while they were alive, and they don’t want to reincarnate into the Human Realm yet, then they can choose to live in the Underworld. There are many properties in the Underworld, and the environment looks exactly like the environment in the world of the living. The only difference is the space and dimension. The Underworld is very complex, and it’s not something that you humans can comprehend. Here, let me hand you a communicator first. You can give it to your Dharma protectors later so in the future; if you are to be assigned to attend a court hearing here, I will arrange a few officers to pick you up.
“有些法门在人间传很多年代了，比如 XX 宗法门。 观世音菩萨的心灵法门在这里算是新兴的佛教法门，观世音菩萨在天地之间是无人不知，无人不晓，地府也知 道这位菩萨（因为弟子所在的国家有很多宗教法门，眼 前这位地府官员有点像阿拉伯人）。其实不管你修什么 法门，各宗教都是依止天地因果法则，即善有善报、恶 有恶报，人心为善才是正法，是每个宗教的宗旨。我这 里的阴律都是根据因果定律来惩戒。
There are some Dharma doors (cultivational practices) that have been passed down for many generations, like Dharma door X, for example. Guan Yin Citta can be considered a new Dharma door in Buddhism. Every being in the different spiritual realms and worlds knows about Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Even us officers in the Underworld know of this Bodhisattva (because the country I live in consists of many different religions and faith, the Yama I’m speaking with looks like he’s of Arabian descent). In reality, regardless of what cultivational practice or faith you have, everything acts in accordance with the law of karma. Those who commit benevolent deeds will receive wholesome karmic rewards while those who commit evil will receive unwholesome karmic retribution. When one’s mind is benevolent, the Dharma they practise is considered right. That is the aim of every religion or faith. The laws of the Underworld are also designed in a way that follows the law of karma.
你们世间阳人愚痴， 不懂因果，也不懂阴律，要知道造心灵法门口业，我们 地府也是记录在案，如果是小小口业，就当小恶，如果 是大恶口，我就记录成大恶果。果报是你们自己受，死 后也别向我求饶，我也是根据果来判，地府是管果，不 管因。如果你们在世有功德在身，我就拿功德扣除再根 据你们自身所造因缘处置。不管什么法门，都有他们做 功德的方法，也有不同的护法神掌管。生死簿与其说是 我们地府掌管，不如说是你们自己造恶造善所写出来的。
You mortals in the world of the living are foolish. You’re ignorant of karma and ignorant of the laws of the Underworld. You must understand that if you speak irresponsibly about Guan Yin Citta, the officers in the court will record it. If your verbal misconduct is considered small, then it’s a small unwholesome deed. If your verbal misconduct is considered severe, then it’ll be recorded as a great unwholesome deed. One reaps what they sow; it will be too late to plea after you have died. I am also giving out punishments according to the consequences that you have created. The court is only concerned about the consequence, not the cause. If one has accumulated merit-virtues while they were alive, then we would use their merit-virtues to reduce the length of their punishment or to determine where they will go to according to their karmic conditions. Regardless of which Dharma door they have cultivated, each has their unique method of accumulating merit-virtues, and they have their own Dharma protectors whose in charge of it. This book of life and death is managed by the court of the Underworld, but from another perspective, you could say that you’re the one whose determining your own life and death by the benevolent and evil deeds that you had committed.
“你们世间的人真的愚痴，不知道的事情宁愿不要 去说，修了几年就以为什么都懂了？天地之大你们能知 晓？法门之多你们能知道的？还有修道人又邪淫，又杀 生，又妄语，是个修道人吗？我这里指的修道人是包含 所有世间法门，自然也包括心灵法门的修道者。
You mortals in the world of the living are truly foolish. If you’re ignorant about something, it’s better not to talk about it. You’ve only cultivated for a few years, yet you think that you know it all? How could you possibly comprehend the worlds beyond? How could you possibly know about all the Dharma doors that exist across time and space? There are also some cultivators who act promiscuously, kill, and lie. Can that person be considered a cultivator? The cultivators I mentioned here encompass all the ones who are practising every other Dharma door, which also naturally includes the one practising Guan Yin Citta.
“观世音菩萨慈悲啊，一直不让天上下圣旨惩戒你 们这些众生，说是你们无明，有可怜之处，一直在请天地护法怜悯你们这些造业者。善与恶自己心里不明白 吗？善果、恶果都是自己做的，自己无明，不懂因果造业，命运不好，你们好意思去怪天地？菩萨是慈悲你们， 但也不是纵容你们造恶业。
Guan Yin Bodhisattva is very compassionate and merciful. She’s constantly stopping the Heavens from delivering their judgement to punish you sentient beings. She explains that the sentient beings are pitiful as their unwholesome deeds are done out of ignorance. And She constantly asks the Dharma protectors to have mercy on you all. Are your minds truly blind and unable to differentiate benevolence and evil? Wholesome and unwholesome consequences are created by oneself. If you’re ignorant, ignorant about karma and create negative karma, and your fate is bad, don’t you think it’s shameless to blame God? The Bodhisattvas are merciful, but it doesn’t mean they can tolerate that you continue to commit unwholesome deeds.
“你师父通晓天地，对你们弟子严格是因为他知道果。果报来了自己受，明白吗？（地府官员是用阿拉伯 语与我沟通，可是我意念中都明白阎王在说什么，我用 中文与地府官员沟通，他们也能明白我意思。）
Your master understands the laws of the worlds. He is strict towards you disciples because he understands the consequences. When karmic retribution manifests, you’re the one who suffers, you understand? (The officer was speaking to me in Arabic, but I could understand what he said. I spoke to him in Chinese, and he also understood).
“我这里的书记官都很忙碌，整天记录你们人间人 的善恶，你们还要门派之间说来道去，在我看来都是口业。愚痴啊，你们！”
The clerks here are always very busy; they have to constantly keep track and record all the wholesome and unwholesome deeds that a person did. And all of you people of different faiths are also arguing and bickering about your differences and what’s right and wrong, in my eyes, all of it is considered as deeds of verbal misconduct. Such foolishness!”
到这里，我好奇地问：“如果外国人死在本国，地 府怎么处置啊？”阎王瞪了我一眼：“告诉你也无妨。 如果死在本国，魂体会由在阳间巡逻的鬼差（这里的鬼 差穿警察制服）带下来，在这里查找他们的国籍在哪里。 地府有通道，会安排他们去他们所在国家的地府管理。 如果是外国人居住这里，在我国造恶业，我根据业大小 书写公文，再押送去他们国家的地府。有些大地狱是容纳不同国家的罪灵一起惩戒，所有国家的地府都有通道 直通那些大地狱。如果是定居这里的，我当成本国人民， 由我管理。
Then I curiously asked, “If a foreigner died in this country, how would the court deal with the case?” Yama paused briefly and said, “There’s no harm in telling you anyway. If a foreigner died in this country, patrolling officers would take them into custody (the Underworld officers also wore uniforms) and be brought here, where we would check their nationality. There are many portals in the Underworld, and we’ll arrange to have them brought to the Underworld court in their home country to deal with. If the foreigner had lived here and had created unwholesome deeds in this country, then we would write out all of their deeds on to a document and have it dispatched to the court in their home country. There are some great hells in the Hell Realm that accommodate all sinners regardless of nationality. There are portals in every Underworld court that are connected directly to the great hells. If they’re a permanent resident here, then I would treat them as one of our national citizens, and they would be managed by me.
“好了，回去吧。好好修行吧。你们法门的护法菩 萨都很伟大，暗中一直护佑你们，不要做坏事啊。回去 好好感恩观世音菩萨，一直在慈悲救度你们这些众生， 你们是不知道的，还要说法门坏话，良心到哪里去了！” 不久，意识清醒。
Alright, you may return. Properly cultivate. The Dharma protectors and Bodhisattvas of your Dharma door are great; they are constantly providing protection and blessing to you practitioners secretly. You mustn’t commit unwholesome deeds. Return and sincerely express your gratitude to Guan Yin Bodhisattva, who had constantly been showing mercy and saving you sentient beings. It’s just that you don’t know about it, yet you badmouth the Dharma door (that She had created). Where is your conscience?!” Not long after, my consciousness returned.
答：透露了很多地府的情况给你们看，所以不要乱来啊， 学佛不是开玩笑的，很多人这么年轻不就走了？表面上 总有毛病的，生癌症或者其他病，实际上有他的业障。很多人过去嘴巴太会讲了，伶牙俐齿，讽刺别人，也是 造口业的。你一不留心就造口业了，到时候业来了，年纪轻轻就走掉了。
Master’s reply:
She has revealed many things about the Underworld to you, that’s why you mustn’t act recklessly. Practising Buddhism is not a joke. Why do so many young people die? From the surface, you could see that they have diseases like cancer, but in reality, it’s all because they have significant negative karma. Many people in the past are too vocal, they have a way with words, and they like to criticise others using irony or humour. It is all considered as deeds of verbal misconduct. If you’re not careful, then you would create negative karma. When the karmic retribution manifests, then they might die young.