Hell

This is the place where King Yan evaluates a person’s karma, both sins and merits, to make decisions. Whoever creates virtuous deeds will be reborn into the realms of Immortals and Buddhas, while those who commit sinful acts will be condemned to lowly realms and suffer endless torment. Once there, even if one regrets and repents past evil actions or wants to find a way to amend them, it will be too late.

Yan is another name for the noun hell, also called yanpu, yanding, and the one in charge can be called Lord Yan or King Yan. Hell is the opposite of Heaven or the Pure Land, where those who have accumulated much merit during their lifetime are guided to the higher realms upon death.

It is also a form of court in the underworld to judge sins, demonstrating that Heaven and Buddha are fair, so that people in the mortal world know not to continue committing many crimes, thinking that no one knows and that they will face no punishment after death, and that everything will be forgotten.

In the mortal world, if anyone does wicked deeds, when they die, their soul will be drawn by karma into hell to endure severe punishment.

Although Heaven’s net may be wide, it is difficult for even a single hair to slip through (Heaven’s net is vast, yet nothing escapes it). Human lives persistently tread the path of sin, and when the time of impermanence comes, before the judgment of Yama, not even a small point can be denied: ‘Even a half-point of fault at the moonlit observation is fully visible; all cunning schemes are revealed.’ (When one descends to the netherworld, even half a point of sin is hard to hide because it is reflected clearly in the mirror of the moon stage. Here, all hundreds of misguided schemes and errors are revealed) (From True Enlightenment in the World). – At that time, the judge will bring out the daily record of sins and merits, and Yama will judge the person’s deeds; rewards and punishments are executed very fairly. ‘When the eyes close and the soul leaves the body, the Impermanent Demon leads it down to Yama’s Court. That book clearly records sins and merits, and the paths of punishment and reward are clearly shown.’ (Sám Giảng Volume Two, lines 321-325)

(Sám Giảng Commentary, 1975)