Reflections on the Afterlife (2)
After boarding the boat rowed by the underworld's ferryman and crossing the river, one descends a staircase to the lower level, entering the second layer. Upon reaching the next floor after a remarkably long set of stairs, the departed soul finds itself facing a sunlit plain bursting with countless flowers. Though surely deep within a cave, this serene meadow filled with beautiful blooms quietly welcomes the souls of the dead.
Walking amid the profusion of flowers, the departed feel themselves healing through the blossoms' gentle touch. The second layer of the underworld is an extraordinarily kind realm. Wounds from life, fatal illnesses, injuries that led to death—all are mended by the flowers of Xitiyuan, allowing souls to press onward restored and whole. Even those flayed of every shred of flesh by the ghost maids in the previous layer can become whole again here.
This flower field is so peaceful, so breathtakingly beautiful, that any soul entering it would wish to linger as long as possible. But for those who must journey through the underworld, remaining here indefinitely is the wrong choice. Permission to stay is granted for just seven days.
As the allotted time draws to a close, the reaper escorting the soul urges descent to the next layer, even dragging them by force if needed. Ordinary souls cannot resist the reaper's grasp, but very rarely... one slips free and remains in this layer.
Such souls who evade even the reaper and stay beyond seven days will sense their essence gradually changing. Feet become roots, legs and torso twist into stems, arms sprout as leaves, and finally, the head blooms into a flower. They transform into a single blossom amid Xitiyuan's expanse.
Those not permitted to remain here dwell as flowers in the meadow until they forget themselves entirely. Of course, once all memory is lost, they proceed through the remaining process and reincarnate into their next life—but what does it matter? They have already forgotten who they were.
The third layer of the underworld is similarly kind—nay, "kind" scarcely suffices. This layer fulfills the soul's deepest wishes. A path of black gravel winds through verdant meadows, granting the desires of all who tread it. The starved fill their bellies here. The thirst-slain drink sweet water. Those who craved wealth in life are buried in gold and jewels; those who sought honor and glory hear the adulation of multitudes.
Yet this path, the Haemangdo—Path of Resolved Desires—is another place not to linger. What manifests here consumes the karma accumulated in life. The moment a soul stays beyond seven days without descending, exhausting their karma, they burn away part of their soul—the portion holding memories—to keep manifesting their wishes.
Even if they lose all recollection, even if their very sense of self is consumed, the soul that clings to desire becomes nothing but a pure, empty spirit. Such a hollow essence is simply transferred onward to the next life.
Thus end the three upper layers of the underworld. Examined closely, they harm no souls so long as one avoids forbidden acts or overstaying. Indeed, they largely serve to grant lingering regrets, easing the departed on their way. The four layers below, however, are wholly different—realms of strict judgment and punishment for sin.
These lower layers rigorously try and penalize sinful souls, tormenting them until their crimes are purged. Aptly named the hells, these four depths...
The fourth layer is Inferno, also called the Fiery Hell. The path to the next layer is a narrow, towering bridge, beneath which roaring flames surge endlessly. Amid those infernos writhe figures shackled with red-hot irons on hands and feet.
These sufferers are those who wielded violence, wounding others. Convicted of assault in the underworld's judgment, they burn in soul-scorching flames, chained in boiling irons until their sins are incinerated away.
……
"Do only those who wielded violence burn in this layer?"
"The scope of 'violence' is broader than you imagine, child. It includes mental assaults that shatter minds with cruel words. This layer consumes not just physical violence, but spiritual harm as well."
"That's... a bit harsh."
"But necessary."
……
Witnessing this horrific scene, the departed en route to judgment at the underworld's depths tremble at the possibility it could be their fate, and hasten onward with their reaper guide.
The fifth layer is Cocytus, also called the Ice Hell. A cave shrouded in biting chill, its ceiling thick with icicles of all sizes—each piercing a human form. Impaled on these needle-sharp frozen spears, they endure nerves freezing in agony alongside bone-chilling cold.
These sufferers coveted and stole what was not theirs. Convicted of theft in the underworld's judgment, they are skewered by soul-freezing icicles until their sins shatter and fall away.
……
"Theft merits punishment as severe as violence?"
"Of course. Theft here means coveting others' possessions and seizing them unjustly—defying the very statutes of the god of light, law, and justice."
"True, the commandments do forbid stealing."
"And coveting what isn't yours. Not just theft, but adultery falls under this too."
……
Gazing up at this horrific scene, the departed en route to judgment at the underworld's depths tremble at the possibility it could be their fate, and hasten onward with their reaper guide.
The sixth layer is Malebolge, also called the Thorn Hell. At first glance, its thorn-tree-dotted plain seems ordinary, but it is a hell for punishing sinners. Each tree entwines a sinner—or rather, parts of the sinner's body sprout as thorns, binding them in self-inflicted torment.
These sufferers deceived others for ill-gotten gains. Convicted of fraud in the underworld's judgment, those who planted thorns of deceit with honeyed tongues in life now find their tongues sprouting thorns that ensnare their entire forms.
……
"In this layer, they're shredded by thorns grown from their own tongues? Cruel punishment."
"The mouth is the gateway to calamity. Having wounded and harmed others with lies, such retribution is fitting."
"The commandments forbid falsehoods too."
"Fraud's harm can expand boundlessly compared to other crimes. Thus, it demands thorough punishment."
……
Surveying this horrific scene, the departed en route to judgment at the underworld's depths tremble at the possibility it could be their fate, and hasten onward with their reaper guide.
The seventh layer is Abyss, also called the Black Darkness Hell. Pitch blackness where not even a hand's breadth ahead is visible. Unlike other hells teeming with visible sufferers, here no forms can be seen—only faint screams and groans of torment echo, proclaiming its horrors rival any other.
These sufferers took others' lives. Convicted of murder in the underworld's judgment, the sinners here pay their debt in unseen agony.