Ten Halls of Hell
This is China’s unique Yama system. Initially, there was no mention of the Ten Halls of Hell in the Buddhist scriptures. According to the "Forbidden Samadhi Sutra", under the rule of King Yama, only the five sense organs are established. The fresh official prohibits killing, the water official prohibits stealing, the iron official prohibits prostitution, the earth palace prohibits two tongues, and the heaven official prohibits alcohol. Volume 33 of the Chinese Buddhist historical biography "Buddha Tongji" records: "It is said that the monk Daoming of Tang Dynasty traveled to the underworld and saw the people who governed the fifteen divisions. He became famous in the world because of his spread." The subordinates of the King of Hell became fifteen. It is said that at this time, Chinese Buddhism began to have the ten halls of Yama. The name of the Ten Palaces of Hell first appeared in the "Seven Sutras of Preparation for Fifteen Lives".
The ten kings of hell each have a clear division of labor, their respective powers, and their own methods of dealing with sinners. They are recorded in detail in the "Jade Calendar" and "The Book of Hell", which are now copied as follows:
The names of the kings of hell in the ten palaces, their respective powers, and the methods of punishing sinners are as follows: The first palace, King Jiang of Qin Guang, was born on the first day of February. When a good person dies, he will be reincarnated. Those who have merit or demerits will be handed over to the tenth palace for distribution, and they will still be reborn in the human world. The male will be transformed into a female, and the female will be transformed into a male. Those who do more evil than do good will be escorted to the high platform on the right side of the palace, which is called the Mirror of Evil. They will be asked to look at them and see whether they are good or bad in the world. Then they will be condemned to the second palace and sent to prison to suffer.
In the second hall, King Li of Chujiang, who was born on the first day of March, is in charge of the Great Hell, also known as the Ice Pavilion Hell, and there are sixteen smaller prisons. Anyone who hurts someone's limbs, raped, robbed or killed anyone in the human world will be thrown into this prison. He will be sent to another small prison to suffer. After completing his term, he will be transferred to the third prison. Palace, increased punishment and prison.
The third hall, Emperor Yu of the Song Dynasty, was born on the eighth day of February. He was in charge of the Black Rope Hell, also known as the Bloody Pool Hell, and there were sixteen smaller prisons. Those who rebel against their elders and instigate lawsuits in Jiuyang Shi will be sent to this prison. They will be sent to several smaller prisons to suffer. After serving, they will be transferred to the fourth hall and be sent to prison with increased punishment.
In the fourth hall, Wang Lu of the five sense organs, whose birthday is February 18th, is in charge of the Great Hell, also known as the Hell of Blood Slaughtering Pool, and there are sixteen smaller prisons. Those who resist food and rent, or commit fraud in transactions are thrown into this prison. They are also sentenced to a small prison to suffer hardship, and are sent to the fifth palace for inspection after a full day.
In the fifth hall, King Yama and Emperor Bao were born on the eighth day of the first lunar month. He used to live in the first hall. He died out of pity and was repeatedly released to return to the sun and snow. He was demoted to this hall and the chief minister called the earth." The prison is combined with the Sixteen Small Hells of Punishing the Heart. Anyone who is released to this palace will be escorted to Wangxiangtai, where they will be ordered to hear about the disasters that have occurred to their family due to their crimes. Kill the heart in the small prison, hook it out, and throw it to snake food.
In the sixth hall, King Biancheng was born on the eighth day of the third month. The chief shouted loudly. There are also sixteen small prisons in the hell and the city of vain death. Anyone who complains about heaven and earth, and weeps in front of the north will be sent to this prison. The incident he committed will be investigated and he will be sent to the seventh prison. Hall, check again to see if there are any other evils.
The seventh hall, Taishan Wang Dong, was born on March 27th. He is in charge of the Renu Hell, also known as the Ui Mo Meat Sauce Hell, and there are sixteen more. Prison. Anyone who has taken the remains of a deceased person and passed away will be sent to this prison. After the period of suffering is over, he will be transferred to the eighth prison.
In the Eighth Hall, the lord of the capital, Wang Huang, was born on the first day of April. He was in charge of the Great Hell of Hot and Suffering, also known as the Hell of Hot and Sultry Pot. There were also sixteen smaller prisons for those who were unfilial and made their parents and aunts depressed and troubled. In this prison, he will be handed over to various smaller prisons for additional punishment. After suffering all kinds of pain, he will be handed over to the tenth palace, and he will be transformed into a beast forever.
In the ninth palace, Ping Ping Wang Lu, whose birthday is on the eighth day of April, is in charge of Feng. There are sixteen smaller prisons in the Abi Hell under the iron fence of the capital city. Anyone who commits murder, sets fire, or is beheaded and hanged in the previous life will be sent to the main hall, where his hands and feet will be forged with hollow steel pillars, and the flames will be fanned and burned, and his heart will be burnt. After being tortured until all the victims were reincarnated, Fang Zhun proposed that six paths would occur in the tenth hall.
In the tenth hall, the wheel-turning king Xue was born on April 17th, and he was responsible for exterminating ghosts in each hall. , distinguish between good and evil, and determine the level. Men and women, rich and poor, will be reincarnated in the four major continents, and the names will be recorded in detail. All ghosts who have committed extremely evil crimes will be informed of the changes. The eggs become wet, and they will live and die in the morning and evening. After they have completed their sins, they will be reincarnated in a barbarian land. Those who are sent to be reincarnated will be handed over to God Mengpo.
Forget about it and drink soup. It makes people forget about their previous lives.
These ten halls are usually represented by the fifth hall, Yama, and are collectively referred to as the Tenth Hall of Yama, the Tenth Hall of Yama, or the Tenth Hall of Yama. The reproduction of the ruling system in the underworld is the extension of human official positions in the underworld.
This class of hell leaders, each with a Chinese surname and a clear birthday, is a typical example of the sinicization of Buddhism.
The Ten Palaces of Hell have a great influence among the people. It has been popular since about the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, so much so that even Taoism also followed this system of gods in the underworld. In Buddhist temples, ten halls of the King of Hell are often carved to the left and right of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, the controller of the underworld. In the past, there were usually fifteen halls in the City God's Temple. The ninth niche of Shilu Mountain in the famous Dazu Grottoes contains the statues of the ten kings of hell in the Northern Song Dynasty. The images of the ten kings are as follows:
King Guang of Qin has leopard eyes, lion nose, long beard, wearing a square crown on his head, holding a wat on his chest in his right hand forward.
The King of Chujiang has a short face and a wide mouth. He wears a crown and robe, and holds a wat in his left hand.
The Emperor of the Song Dynasty frowned and held the wat in front of his chest.
The king of facial features frowns and stares, has ears and long mane, wears a square crown on his head, and a robe. He holds a rosary in front of his knees with his left hand and a wat between his knees in his right hand.
King Yama has a fair face, wears a crown on his head, sachets hanging from both sides to protect his ears, wears a long robe with ruffled lapels and wide sleeves, and boots; he holds a wat in front of his chest with both hands and sits upright.
King Bian Cheng raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth, wearing a battle helmet on his head, wearing lead armor, a girdle around his waist, leather boots on his feet, and his hands clasped in front of his chest.
The King of Mount Tai has a flat nose and a concave face. He wears a square crown on his head and holds a scepter in his arms.
The urban king has fair skin and holds the wat in both hands.
The image of an old man named Ping Ping, with a mane and a long beard, a square crown on his head, and a robe; he holds his hands in his sleeves and holds the flute board in his arms.
The wheel-turning king has a short beard on his face and holds a wat in both hands.
If we look at the names, King Yama among the ten kings of hell comes from King Yama in the Buddhist scriptures, King Pingping comes from another translation of Yama, and King of Five Features comes from the five senses under Yama, etc. It also has Buddhist scriptures. If there are traces on it, then judging from the attire and shape, the Tenth Palace King of Hell has been completely and purely Chinese.