Today, we explored the Gao Miao Temple in Zhongwei. Over time, this temple has catered to Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Today, the refurbished Buddhist architecture and deities outnumber the other faiths.
In China Illustrata, Kircher has translated the ‘Compendium of the Divine Law’ into Chinese to propagate the Christian faith in China. The text includes a description of Christian Hell; “The place is below and has all bitterness. It is called Earth’s prison, and is the place where the evil are punished. God sends the evil soul to the prison of Earth to receive eternal punishment.”
It seems as though ‘hell’ has some universal features; beneath the Gao Miao Temple is a former bomb shelter that is now used as a Buddhist hell-house. The dim tunnels are decked out with flickering lights, various scenes of the condemned being tortured, having their tongues cut out and being sawn in half with motion sensored screaming to top it off.
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Whilst Kircher’s Hell sounds unpleasant, the more graphic Buddhist illustrations of hell are far more persuasive! (And more effective)
After our live trip to hell, we might try to be more well-behaved!
