「地獄空」攝影集即將在八月中元節前出版,由知名設計師與攝影家黃子欽設計,內附在下二位高徒精美繪製符咒、心經版畫書籤、愣嚴咒牌、尊勝咒語...等,感恩十方大德助印,希望疫情退散,平安喜樂,後記如下:
野放台灣五十餘年,貪狼獨坐,三方四正殺破狼格局,少年多舛,白手起家,隨展覽雲遊四海,如閒雲野鶴常持各類底片機流連廢墟、山川、宮廟忘返,遂設幻影堂自詡堂主,一日三省「凡所有相皆是虛妄」,常宅於暗房沖片放大通宵、鍾情黑白世界之單純,彩色照片俗世繽紛花俏做作甜美甚至比現實更現實故少拍也。知天命之年有餘,了悟人生一瞬、眨眼即逝,雖非仙人,亦無道骨,初聞離垢地生清淨心,但離華嚴「不動地」尚遠,待修持也。
2017年盛暑拍畢《巨神連線》,心律不整差點心肌梗塞向閻羅王報到,意識死神隨伺在側,人生苦短,如何了生脫死、盡斷煩惱、無所罣礙、遠離顛倒……總不得解,蒙釋迦摩尼佛開示飆淚三晝夜,聞佛法數載始知自我渺如塵埃,甚感慚愧。閒暇乃參訪名寺古剎,禮敬焚香佛陀菩薩羅漢諸神天仙王爺媽娘,台灣宮廟千奇百怪、宗派錯綜複雜(佛教、道教、一貫道、天主教、基督教、齋教、回教&大同教、儒教鑾堂、天帝教&天德教、慈惠堂&勝安宮、軒轅教、道院、理教、萬國道德會、會靈山……)、神棍橫行(依人不依法、偶像崇拜、斂財、邪淫),因歷史變遷、社會動盪、政治鬥爭、意識形態等因素導致佛道混雜,但地獄造景稀少,後專注拍攝各殿閻王、判官、陰司、獄卒、七爺、八爺乃至一切罪人,各寺造景巧妙、耐人尋味,意境乖張溢於言表,造型扭曲非常人所能塑也,然匠心獨運、自成一格,專研西方藝術數十載方知真誠樸拙最美,絲毫不輸喬托(Giotto di Bondone,1267~1337)乃至米開朗基羅(Michelangelo Di lodovico Buonarroti Simoni 1475 ~ 1564)矣。
創立於1986年的石門金剛宮風景優美可眺望北濱,雖主祀四面佛,儒釋道眾神尊也不含糊,可過七星橋解厄、繞行五百黝黑羅漢敲鑼印心、跪拜亞洲最大臥佛涅槃像,安太歲自不在話下,甲子太歲爺雙眼長出手掌印象甚深,1994年經閻羅王指示廟公建造一條肚內設極樂世界及陰曹地府之神龍,行走暗黑通道觸動感應機關,只見面容猙獰受刑者呼天搶地喊冤、身邊盡是血肉糢糊殘肢敗屍腦漿塗地,十殿閻羅各司其職、威儀攝人。新北市林口區青嶺湖北文紫祥宮包公廟則以壁面彩塑地獄浮雕獨步全台,粉嫩色彩搭配卡漫風格,尤為造型簡直恐怖到可愛透頂,該廟主祀森羅殿閻羅天子包拯(包青天),陽世冤屈者可至此參拜祭解,求破懸案者眾,逢中元普渡皆以紙紮船渡亡魂至彼岸,全台唯一閻羅天子巨像籌備中,四周環繞墓地,適合修不淨觀也。台灣首尊彰化八卦山大佛旁南天宮(1971)地府則是首座電動地府,規模精小但驚嚇度破表,略顯破敗但五光十色仍蠻凶悍,出自已故台南大道長金登富之作,而電動神明起始可追溯至1960年代北港朝天宮。倒是嘉義水上鄉白人牙膏觀光工廠「戴相府」、「將軍府」設置十殿地府出乎意料之外,乾淨亮麗、ㄧ殿ㄧ間、簡單樸實。由高雄蓮潭龍虎塔龍口入內可見全臺唯一交趾陶地獄牆面,尊尊栩栩如生,續入龍身乃進聞聲救苦白衣觀音大士三十三化身浮雕隧道,造型設色甚為古錐。高雄大岡山超峰寺入口處「西方三聖蓮池海會」(阿彌陀佛、觀世音菩薩、大勢至菩薩巨像)旁設靜態十殿閻羅(1970年代初),雖略為陳舊然韻味猶存,續往上行可抵「證菩提道-釋迦如來應化事迹」雕塑園區,一攬世尊畢生精華。如來年邁時,琉璃國王為報長期被釋迦族輕蔑之傲慢心,世尊雖三次單獨伽跌坐 阻擋大軍進攻之路,但因緣果報無法逆轉,昔日婢女所生王子瞋恨無以復加,還是滅了祖國。自持神通第一目犍連不忍無辜百姓慘遭屠殺,遂以缽盛救度五百族人,最終卻化為血水,佛言神通廣大仍不敵千百劫業力,因緣果報屢試不爽。其母死後墜入餓鬼道飢餓難耐,目犍連遂展神通救渡,但所食尚未入口皆化為赤火,佛陀囑咐農曆七月十五日僧眾解安居自恣日,於盆中設甘露美食供養十方僧眾,因此超度亡母。後世「盂蘭盆法會」乃至「水懺法會」、「瑜珈焰口法會 」皆為消業障、斷塵垢之超渡儀軌,既渡亡魂也自懺悔。
台南麻豆代天府規模宏大、造型豔麗,不但可遊十八層地獄尚可逛天堂(1979年興建,1983年開放),燈光絢爛、聲響駭人,獨自漫步宛如觀落陰、地獄走一回。先過「心頭山」、入「清心池」、進「陰陽界」、抵「交簿廳」、達「鬼門關」、遊「補經所」、探「枉死城」、行「奈何橋」,至ㄧ殿泰廣王照「孽鏡台」現造惡原形,睹抱柱、火床等小地獄。二殿楚江王開「陰查簿 」判案定奪,觀糞尿泥、餓鬼、舞池、寒冰、膿血、鞭韃、舌犁、劍葉、戟腹拋接、砧截……等小地獄。三殿宋帝王刑罰為倒吊、銅鐵刮臉、挖眼、搗樁、倒烤、吸血、穿肋、抽筋、蛆蛀等小地獄……兼遊「四生(胎、卵、濕、化)回魂府」。四殿五官王掌管腰斬、拔舌、沸湯、刺嘴、剝皮、箭樹、車崩、射眼……等十六小地獄。隨五殿森羅王豋「望鄉臺」回眸親人最終眼後觀擊膝、誅心、刀山、飛刀火石……小地獄。六殿卞城王別稱「大叫喚大地獄」,轄火牛、虎啖、噬腎、鉗嘴含鍼、釘喉、磨摧、砍頭……等小地獄。七殿泰山王為「熱惱大地獄」,窺烙手指、抽腸、頂石蹲身、油釜滾烹、割舌穿腮……等十六小地獄。八殿都市王掌管「大熱惱大地獄」兼火狗、鐵汁、鐵蛇、鋸劈斷肢、釘板、灸脊、鐵丸、磅秤……等小地獄。九殿平等王直轄十八層「阿鼻大地獄」,直透地心、內中陰森、不見五指、滿溢地漿,皆為極犯,另轄紫赤毒蛇鑽孔、夾頂、鐵鴉、針雨、蜂蠍……等小地獄。至十殿輪轉王上「觀生臺」、「轉劫所八司」(查驗司 、稽善司 、考過司 、恩怨司 、壽命司 、支配司、掌劫司 、授生司)後至「孟婆亭」飲「醧忘湯」忘盡前塵往事,依前世功德過金、銀、玉、石、木、竹六種橋樑至「轉輪臺(紫河車)」入六道輪迴轉生投胎。據《十八泥犁經》記載,人過世後七七四十九天為「中陰生」,經閻羅王審判善惡業力判定去留或懲罰百千萬劫,犯五逆重罪則墮入「無間地獄(阿鼻地獄)」永劫不復。地藏王乃幽冥教主,統轄十殿閻羅,逢三曹普渡便在各殿設「講道所」超度尚存善根之鬼魂。
人類居於五趣(阿修羅、人、傍生、餓鬼、地獄)雜居地五濁惡世之堪忍世界,犯十惡業(殺生、偷盜、邪淫、妄語、兩舌、惡口、綺語、貪慾、嗔恚、愚痴)者必墮三趣惡道。如何出「三界」(欲界、色界、無色界)二十八天?凡人無此意識,別說能破「十二因緣」(無明、行、識、名色、六入、觸、受、愛、取、有、生、老死)還滅門,更別想斷除「四聖諦」(苦、集、滅、道)集地八十一品見惑與八十八使思惑(五利使-身見、邊見、邪見、見取見、戒禁取見、五鈍使-貪、瞋、癡、慢、疑),了悟「五蘊」(色、受、想、行、識)本空、「十二入」(眼、耳、鼻、舌、意、色、聲、香、味、觸、法)空、「十八界」空,破俱生我執與分別我執、法執甚至空執,生十一處「善心所」(信、精進、慚、愧、無貪、無瞋、無痴、輕安、不放逸、行捨、不害),降二十六處「惡心所」(貪、瞋、癡、慢、疑、惡見、忿、恨、覆、惱、嫉、慳、誑、諂、害、憍、無慚、無愧、掉舉、惛沉、不信、懈怠、放逸、失念、散亂、不正知),須知善根斷盡則陷永劫輪迴、無垠轉世之苦。
地獄可能空滅嗎?若地獄空乏人間多鬼怪,地獄淨空世間何嘗非淨土?若能證空性何處現地獄?
地獄曠古來便廣泛流傳各部族間,老死生滅為自然運行之基礎、宇宙意識之核心,然今文明昌盛如咱城邦並非慾望消弭之所,惡性所及實無可根除,礙於憲法國家法律社會軍隊企業公司學校家庭團體之層層束縛不亞於十八層,乃遁於壓抑、束己情懷,暗埋心底、日久貪嗔痴慢疑怨噌會疊穢。而六塵未熄,心多妄念,妖魔鬼怪魑魅魍魎孤魂閃靈出沒於荒郊乃至人間,會靈於曠野密林以增性靈乃出世高人修煉之舉,我等凡人擅闖宛如迪士尼般之人造地獄,三魂七魄尚不足以出竅,驚邪恐怖淒厲猙獰倒滿足了自以為是的慚愧,豈不謬哉?
病毒肆虐年半有餘,全球確診者逼近一億八千萬,枉死者近四百萬,堪比戰爭規模,望眾生發慈悲心、令往生者安息、善待其他物種、平等有情眾生。地獄本空,唯妄念生起一切羨慕嫉妒恨而地獄現前。盡以此書作為世界新冷戰獨裁者、超限戰者、暗網駭客、陰險狡猾冷嘲熱諷落井下石者之良知備忘錄矣。
姚瑞中寫於2021年端午節
Postscript
I have been living recklessly in Taiwan for more than fifty years. According to Zi Wei Dou Shu (Purple Star Astrology), Tan Lang is the sole star in my house of Self. This star, which represents xxx, forms an equilateral triangle with that star Qi Sha and Po Jun on the square chart and constitutes a Sha Po Lang pattern. The pattern indicates a kind of turbulence and change, a life of wandering with ups and downs and it tells a lot about my life. After my ill-fated youth, I started from scratch and traveled around the world with exhibitions that I participated. Like a flaneur, I wandered around ruins, nature, and temples with every type of film camera obliviously. Thus, I founded the Hall of Illusion and claimed to be the master of the hall. Several times a day, I pondered a quote from the Diamond Sutra, “Everything with form is unreal.” In addition, I usually stayed in the darkroom developing film and enlarging those negatives overnight. However, I treasured the simplicity of the black and white world. The earthly, gaudy, garish, phony and pleasing qualities within colored photos make the images even more realistic than the real world. It is not my cup of tea, so I seldom took colored photos. In Confucian thought, the age of fifty marks the stage knowing the mandate of Heaven. I am now at my fifties and realize how ephemeral human life is. However, I am not an immortal, nor having sagelike characteristics. I just learned that the stage of stainless (the second bhūmi) and develop a pure mind that is free from doubt and defilement. However, I’m still far from the immovable state and need to practice.
In the summer of 2017, after filming the work Incarnation, I experienced a severe heart rhythm problem which almost triggered myocardial infarction and could have killed me. Consequently, I realized that death was waiting for me and the life is too short to figure out how I can liberate myself from the cycle of Birth and Death. I couldn’t comprehend how to be free from all afflictions and worries and how to avoid delusive ideas. I wept for three days and nights after being enlightened by Shakyamuni Buddha. Up to the moment, I felt ashamed that I failed to realize that the self is as insignificant as dust after these years learning and practicing Buddhism. Since then, I have visited famous temples and monasteries in my spare time, worshiping Buddha, Bodhisattvas, arhats, and all the deities and immortals. Taiwan’s temples are myriad with a enormous number of sects, including Buddhism, Taoism, Yiguandao, Catholicism, Christianity, Chinese religions of fasting, Islam& Baháʼí Faith, Confucianism, Tiandiism& Tian-De Teachings, Xiwangmu cult, Yellow Emperor Sect, Precosmic Salvationism, Liism, World Wide Ethical Society, séance cult, etc. Some people even claim that they can mediate communication between the deities or spirits of the dead with human beings, having their believer rely on themselves instead of the orthodox dharma or dogma and pay excessive respect and admiration for the mediums or objects, accumulating wealth through such an unfair means or even harassing their believer sexually. Due to Taiwan’s historical changes, social turbulence, political struggles, and ideological issues, Buddhism and Taoism are somehow mixed. However, there are few emphases on the concept of the hell. As I took photographs of Yama of each court, judges, wardens of the underworld, jailers, General Fan and Hsieh (the ghost escorts) and all sinners, I found few temples cleverly created hellish scenes that are intriguing, exaggerating, and extraordinary. However, the creations are unparalleled unique. I have been studying Western arts for decades and then I came to realize that simplicity makes the most beautiful works of art. These hellish scenes can even compete with works of Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337) and Michelangelo Di lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564).
Jingang Temple Shimen District, founded in 1986, overlooks the beautiful North shore. Although the temple is mainly dedicated to Phra Phrom (the Thai representation of Mahabrahma), spirits of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism can also be founded in the temple. The worshipper can go cross the Seven Star bridge to relieve bad luck, walk along the five hundred arhat statues and knock on the gong to affirm one’s Buddha nature. Furthermore, the worshipper can also prostrate themself before Asia’s largest statue of Buddha in Nirvana (the Reclining Buddha statue) and pacify the Taoist Tai Sui deity of the year. I was impressed by the Jia-Zi Tai Sui General that a pair of palms grow out of his eyes. In 1994, the biō-kong (the person taking charge of the temporal affairs of a temple) received a divine inspiration from Yama (the King of Hell) that he had to build a sacred hall in the shape of a divine dragon, with the interior designed according to the World of Ultimate Bliss and the Underworld. When the visitor walks in the dark hallway, they will see the tortured people (dioramas, of course) scrunching their faces and crying bitterly and loudly in excessive grief as the visitor triggers the mechanism. One will even find them in the midst of flesh, body liquid and blood, mutilated limbs, and rotten corpses. While each of the ten Yamas are focusing on their own duties, showing their sacred dignity that collect visitors’ attention. The Baogong Temple in Linkou District, New Taipei City exclusively features colorful depiction of hellish scenes in relief in Taiwan. With its pastel shades and cartoon-like style, the relief is both grotesque and adorable at the same time. This temple is dedicated to Bao Zhen (also known as Justice Bao) representing the incarnation of Yama. Living people who have been treated unjustly can come worshipping Bao Gong and receive exorcism. Therefore, many people come here for seeking to solve unsolved cases. In Zhongyuan Festival (the ghost festival), the temple will burn the Zhizha (paper craft) boat to ferry the ghosts to the other shore, which is the shore of enlightenment. The only giant statue of Yama in Taiwan is still in the making. The temple is surrounded by a cemetery, suitable for meditating on the loathsomeness and impurity. Nantian Temple (1971), located next to the Eight Trigram Mountains Buddha in Changhua, features the first animatronic underworld. Despite the small size, the animatronic underworld is intensely shocking. Though it’s slightly worn, the colorful dioramas are still brutally ferocious. The creator was the late venerable Dao Zhang (Taoist priest) Jing Deng-fu while the origin of animatronic deities can be traced back to the 1960s Beigang Chaotian Temple. On the contrary, the Whiteman Toothpaste Tourism Factory in Shuishang Township, Chiayi, features ten Yamas with individual booth. The place is unexpectedly clean and polished yet keeps a simple and modest tone. Then, the Dragon Pagoda of the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas at Lotus Lake in Zuoying, Kaohsiung, holds the only relief of hellish scenes made of Kochin ceramic. All the figures are vivid and life-like. If one goes further into the pagoda, they will see a relief tunnel of the thirty-three incarnations of the white-robed form of Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara) on a white lotus, with a lovely and interesting design. Another Hall of Yama is built in the 1970s next to the entrance of Dagangshan Chaofeng Temple, located in the Alian District of Kaohsiung. Visitors will also see three statues of the Three Holy Ones of the Western Pureland (Amitābha, Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta) which assemble at a lotus pond. Although the hellish scene looks somewhat antiquated, you may still find its previous charm. If one goes further, they will reach the sculptural garden of “Attaining the Bodhi Way: the Incarnation of Sakyamuni Buddha,” where the visitor can see the essence of Bhagavato’s (meaning the Blessed one, one of the common epithets for Buddha) life. When Tathāgata (another epithet for Buddha) was old, the king of Kosala wanted to avenge the arrogance of the tribe of Shakyas who had long despised him, regarding him as a son of a maiden. Although Buddha has sat in lotus position alone three times to stop the army from attacking his tribe. However, one can never reverse the cause and following karma. The prince born of a maiden was so furious that he eventually destroyed his homeland. Maudgalyāyana (one of the Buddha’s closest disciples), who is said to have had supernatural abilities that surpassed the other disciples, could not bear to see the slaughter of innocent people. Thus, he saved five hundred people of his tribe with a pātra (an eating utensil of Buddhist monks). Unfortunately, everything he did was in vain, those who were saved eventually turned into a puddle of blood. The Buddha said that the supernatural abilities cannot surpass the power of karma. The cause and effect work all the time. When Maudgalyāyana’s mother fell into the path of hungry ghost, he used his supernatural abilities to save his mother from hunger. However, all the food turned into fire before being fed to his mother. Later, the Buddha commanded the monks to put nectar and dishes in a basin on the 15th day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar for the monks from all directions to free his mother from reincarnation. In later times, the Ullambana Dharma Service, the Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance, and the Yoga Collection for Feeding the Searing Mouths Dharma Service are rituals to eliminate karmic hindrance and to cease to worldly delusions. Through such practices, one can free the dead as well as confess their repentance.
Madou Daitian Temple is a magnificent and colorful temple in Tainan. Not only can the worshippers visit the eighteen levels of Hell but also the Heaven (it was built in 1979 and inaugurated in 1983) here. The lighting and sound effects are stunning and frightening. When walking alone in the space, one may feel like taking a Guan Luo Yin trip (a Taoist necromancy which leads people’s spirits to hell and communicate with the dead ones) to visit the underworld prison. Before arriving the first court of the underworld, the visitor will walk through the Mountain of Heart Summit, the Pure Heart Pond, the Frontier between the Living and the Dead Realms, the Soul Registry Hall, the Portico of Demons, the Center for Complementary Teaching of Canonical Books, the Citadel of Premature Death, and the Bridge of Vanity. When one arrives at the first court, they will see King Chin-guang, who is in charge of the court, using the Mirror of Retribution to show the earthly form of evil creatures and also witness the sub-hell of Pillar-Holding and Fire Bed, etc. At the second court, King Chu-jiang collates the register of sins the souls of the dead have committed to impose the punishments. Here, you will see the sub-hell of Excrement and Urine, Hungry Ghost, Burning Dance Floor, Ice, Pus and Blood, Whipping, Tongue-Raking, Sword Blade, Stomach-Piercing, Chopping, etc. Next, the dead at the third court, ruled by King Song-di, will receive the punishments including inversion tortures, face-skinning with steel and copper knife, eye-wrenching, pounding, blood-sucking, rib-piercing, roasting, tendon-taking, being eaten by maggots. The visitor can pay a visit to the Palace of Soul-Resuscitation for the Four Forms of Creatures (birth from an egg, birth from a womb, birth from moisture, and birth by transformation). King Wu-guan is in charge of the fourth court. There are sixteen sub-hells at the fourth court including Waist Chop, Tongue Removal, Boiling Pond, Mouth-stabbing, Skin-peeling, Sword Tree, Burning Wheels and Cart, Eye-shooting, etc. Next, at the fifth court, sinful souls are allowed to ascend the Tower of Hometown-Viewing to take a final look of their family. The visitor will witness sub-hells of Knee-striking, Heart-slicing, Blade Mountain, Flying Swords and Burning Stones, etc. The King of Bian City takes charge of the sixth court, which is also known as the “Great Hell of Screaming,” with sub-hells including Fire Cattle, Tiger-Biting, Kidney-Eating, Mouth-Poking, Throat-Nailing, Iron Mill, Decapitation, etc. The King of Tai-shan is in charge of the seventh court, the “Great Hell of Heat and Fire.” The sixteen sub-hells at this court include Finger-Searing, Bowel-Hauling, Stone-Bearing, Boiling Oil, Tongue-Removal and Cheek-Piercing, etc. Next, the King Du-shi is in charge of the eighth court, the “Great Hell of Intense Fire and Heat,” and the sub-hells including Fire Dogs, Molten Iron, Iron Snakes, Dismemberment, Steel Spikes, Burning-Marrow, Iron Ball, Scale, etc. The ninth court is ruled by the King Ping-deng. It is known as the biggest court, Avici Hell (the Hell of Incessant Suffering), which if the lowest level of the hell realm and the interior is gloomily and terrifyingly dark. Those who committed the most serious evil deed will be sent to the Avici Hell. Sub-hells such as Poisonous Snake, Brain-Removal, Crow-Gnawing, Raining Needles, Wasps and Scorpions are included at this court. After arriving the tenth court, ruled by the Great King of the Reincarnation Palace, one can visit the “Observatory of Life on earth” and the “eight bureaus of the Reincarnation Palace” (including the Bureau of Judicial Control, the Bureau of Good-Actions, the Bureau of Bad-Actions, the Bureau of Debts, Gratitude, and Vengeance, the Bureau of Longevity and Destiny, the Bureau of Familial Ties, the Bureau of the Reincarnated, and the Bureau of Birth). The sinful one will be sent to the Pavilion of Mengpo and made to drink the Soup of Forgetfulness to forget all past affairs. According to the sinful one’s merits of previous life, they will go across one of the six bridges (gold, silver, jade, stone, wood, bamboo) to the “Reincarnation-Wheel (Wheel on the Crimson River).” Finally, one is able to reborn in the six realms. According to the Aṣṭadaśa nāraka sutra ( the Eighteen Hells Sutra), after one passes away, they will enter an intermediate and transitional state between death and rebirth, known as antarābhava in Sanskrit, for forty-nine days. The being will be evaluated by Yama, who will decide if one should get reborn or get punished at the hell. Those who committed the Five Grave Offenses (killing one’s father, killing one’s mother, killing an Arhat, shedding the blood of a Buddha, and creating a schism within the community of Buddhist monks and nun who practice for attaining enlightenment.) will be sent to the Avici Hell and stay there eternally. Kṣitigarbha is the Lord of the Nether World, ruling the ten court of Hell. The lord will set up the “Hall of Teaching” at each court to salvage those sinful ones who still obtain few merits at the offering rituals.
Human beings live the Sahā world (sahāloka in Sanskrit, meaning “endurance of suffering,” a concept of mundane world in Mahāyāna Buddhism) where they share with other reincarnations (including beings of the hells, of the preta, and of malevolent nature spirits) with five turbidities (the Kalpa turbidity, the view turbidity, the affliction turbidity, the living beings turbidity, and the life turbidity). Those who commit the ten evil deeds (killing, stealing, adultery, lying, using immoral language, slandering, equivocating, coveting, anger, and false views) must fall into the three evil paths (animals, preta, and hell). However, how can one escape from the three realms/ twenty-eight heavens (including the six heavens of the desire realm, the eighteen heavens of the form realm, and the four heavens of the formless realm)? Worldly people who don’t have such an awareness cannot leave the cycle of the twelve nidanas (meaning causes or motivations), let alone eliminate the eighty-one afflictions (that have been produced due to misunderstanding regarding reality) and the eighty-eight illusions (including five afflictions of advanced practitioners, also known as five views: view of self, extreme view, evil view, view of attachment to views, and view of morality; and five unintelligent temptations: desire, anger, stupidity, arrogance, and doubt) of thought within the three realms and four Arya satyas (noble truths, including suffering, arising, ending, and path). They cannot realize that the essence of the five skandhas (referring to aggregates of clinging, including the matter of form, sensation, recognition, mental formation, and consciousness) , the twelve ayatana (meaning sense base, including six internal bases: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind and six external bases: visible objects, sound, odor, taste, touch, and mental objects), and the eighteen dhātavah (meaning compositional elements of human existence, including six consciousness, six faculties, and their objects) are the emptiness and the void. Furthermore, they cannot dispel the two reasons for clinging to the idea of the self and the attachment to elemental constructs and even believe in the two (false) tenets that that karma and nirvana are not real and that the ego and phenomena are real. As a consequence, they fail to develop the eleven wholesome mental factors (faith, energy, conscience, being ashamed, non-attachment, non-aggression, non-delusion, calmness, equanimity, conscientiousness, and non-injuriousness) and cease the sixteen unwholesome mental factors (desire, greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, doubt, wrong view, wrath, enmity, hypocrisy, vexation, jealousy, parsimony, deceit, flattery, harming, ambitiousness, stupidity, lacking of faith, idleness, being unrestrained, forgetting, distraction, non-discernment, ). One must bear in mind that once all our virtuous roots are discontinued, they will be trapped in the never-ending reincarnation and the suffering of infinite continuity.
Is it possible that the hell will be empty one day? If the beings in hell will become extinct while evil spirits inhabit the mundane world, the world could be considered as a pure land. If we could witness the nature of the void, then hell will exist no more.
Since ancient times, the concept of hell has been widely spread among all tribes. Aging, death, beginning, and end are the basis of nature and the core of cosmic consciousness. However, the prosperous civilization as our island is not a place where desire can be eliminated. It’s impossible to eradicate evil nature. Since fetters brought by the constitution, the state, the law, society, the military, corporations, schools, families, and groups are not less than the eighteen levels of hell, the mortals repress themselves, bury their feelings. Day after day, greed, anger, stupidity, arrogance, doubt, and resentment are stacking. However, since the six dust (visible objects, sound, odor, taste, touch, and mental objects) has not yet been extinguished, people in the mundane world are still full of delusions. The demons, devils, evil spirits, and the wondering dead exist in the wilderness, while only advanced practitioners with transcendent would attempt to make contact with the dead in the wasteland and forest. Worldly people like us trespass in Disneyland-like man-made hell. It is absurd and ridiculous that the hellish scenes cannot stop us from perpetrating evil deeds, but the horrific and cruel scenes yet satisfy our self-righteous shame.
The pandemic has been boiling over for more than a year and a half. The number of infected patients worldwide is nearly a hundred and eighty million, and the death toll has risen to four million, which is equivalent to a war crisis. I hope that we can all be compassionate, give peace to the dead, treat all sentient beings well and equally. The hell is innately empty; however, deluded and misleading thoughts would give rise to all jealousy and hatred and then manifest the hell before us. This book merely serves as a memorandum of conscience for dictators of the world’s new cold war, supporters of unrestrained warfare, dark web hackers, and those who are cunning and contemptuous and maltreat others when knowing they have problems.
June 2021,
Yao Jui-chung
the tunnel影集 在 賣字 Facebook 的最佳解答
世上有如此多的不許人間見白頭,有那麼多原以為不會分離的同偕白首,像在我心裡面秋官還是楚留香的模樣,周潤發和鍾楚紅是秋天的童話裡的一對。這些照片記著的不單是傾倒眾生的風華絕代,還是粵語最漂亮精彩的年代,最動人心魄又不可方物的聲音。
很久之前,有一個朋友,經已記不起是誰,向我提議開闢一個攝影專欄,以拍攝電影界人物為主。我本來就喜歡拍攝人物,又由於當時加入了『電影雙周刊』,跟電影界朋友有著密切的聯絡,何不藉此「專欄」逼自己不停拍攝?我生性疏懶,要是沒有「專欄」的壓力,我是不會定期工作的。故此,就於一九七九年十月十一日在『電影雙周刊』第二十期開始了「曝光人物」一欄。當時,「曝光人物」是意圖把有突出表現的電影工作者,或有潛質的幕後工作者介紹出來,特意「曝光」一番。
記得第一個電影人,我是選擇了許鞍華,那時她剛拍完了處女作《瘋劫》。許鞍華的性格,我是知道的,要她拍照,實在為難她,我私下有點兒不忍逼害她,可是任務在身,唯有努力把她誘請出來。回想也好笑,我把她帶到深夜的電車上,舉機相向,她還苦苦哀求我放好一馬拍。她不是矯扭作態,因為四周無人,而是她真的很怕拍照。怕拍照,我覺得完全正常,我也怕被人拍照。終於我還是完成了任務。我很喜歡那張照片。
說起來,譚家明也是一個怕拍照的人,他可害得我苦了!我曾經隻身夜探嘉禾片場,在又焗又熱的廠景內苦候整個晚上,一無所獲,就是因為他怕了我的攝影機,又很會躲。又有一次我碰見他在尖沙咀拍戲,立刻趕回家取攝影機,以為可以替他拍得一張照片,豈料,他竟然在眾人面前央求我不要拍,真給他氣壞!所以至今我還未有一張滿意的譚家明照片,遺憾!
幸而,電影工作者不是全部都害怕攝影機,有些根本喜歡上鏡,這類型的人最受歡迎,亦是最合作的模特兒。章國明就最可愛,他懂得怎樣引導你的攝影,不斷提出意見刺激你。面對著他,你會有很多很多選擇,而不是相對無言─尷尬。拍攝過程是輕鬆、愉快的。徐克也是很好的拍攝對象,他會給你機會,給你時間。有些導演在工作時異常緊張,不停走動,使你一個鏡頭也沒法捕捉。楚原在邵氏片場內,快步來回,難得有停下來的一刻,但在適當的時候,他也會記起我的存在,而給我機會。但有些導演便不會明白我持機等待的苦心,像有意作弄似的永遠不會走到「有足夠光線」的地方,使我用武無地。有時連燈光師也同情我的苦候,通情達理的特意把燈光射去,給我拍攝的機會,為了拍攝「曝光人物」,多年追縰電影進行拍攝的實況,跟很多工作人員都熟絡起來,他們給我很多方便和幫忙,感激不盡。
拍攝人像,我喜歡用廣角鏡,在短距離捕捉對方最自然,最不自覺的面貌。為了達到這個目的,我唯有在他們工作時進行拍攝,因此使我有機會體會拍電影的艱苦,亦豐富了我的經歷。我會落到中區的地底深處,那時黃志強正在那裡拍攝《癲佬》。我冒生命危險攀落地鐵的地底地盤,裡面沒有空氣調節,烏煙瘴氣,真難為那班工作人員要在裡面工作多日。我又曾探過西環上面的防空洞,那時鄧光榮在山洞裡面拍《怒拔太陽旗》。我要忍受那些防空洞的髒和黑,工作人員都懷疑我為何要自討苦吃。我又試過在寒風凜裂的高速公路佇立,那時曾志偉在拍《最佳拍檔大顯神通》的飛車鏡頭。全組工作人員士氣高昂,像感覺不到寒冷,只有我一個冷得牙根打顫。
記得有一次,我要替麥嘉拍照,照例先打電話追查行蹤,他說:「今晚我們半夜出發,像黑夜行軍,要攀山越嶺,你還是別跟來吧!」永遠是那樣大男人口氣,我才不被他嚇倒,堅持跟隨出發。麥嘉唯有帶同我摸黑走路,一行人有講有笑,並不太辛苦。雖然當晚捱到通宵,我也拍不到一張滿意的照片。可是深夜行山是我前所未有的經驗,也算是有多少收獲。
說來「曝光人物」帶給我的收獲可不少,除了經驗、朋友之外,就是意外的讚賞。有點奇怪,不少人都表示喜歡「曝光人物」。施南生便說過她和徐克喜歡把所有的「曝光人物」放在一起來欣賞。台灣『中國時報』亦要求刊登那些照片,另立名目為「電影人映象」。直至一九八三年九月一日,『電影雙周刊』第119期,「曝光人物」一欄才停止。因為我要應付一項新的工作,分身不暇,唯有割愛。想不到有不少朋友比我還緊張,屢次追問我何時再續 ,此事一直令我耿耿於懷。
我可不曾想過把作品結集成書,名攝影家翁維銓早已建議我進行出版攝影集,他的鼓勵使我欣然,但亦令我歉疚,我曾替上百的電影人拍照,竟然遺漏了這位也是導演的朋友。其後還有不同的機構及朋友向我提議出版「曝光人物」,可是每次翻看那些攝影作品,都覺得成績平平,差強我意,實在沒有勇氣再拿出來獻醜。幾經規勸和催逼,我才毅然把四年來的『曝光人物』和其他電影人的照片勉強整理出一個大概,完全是就地取材。真怪自己疏懶,心無大志。要是早有計劃,就不至內容偏頗不全。
這本『電影人』只是這幾年的攝影紀錄,我希望會有第二集的『電影人』,能夠把本港現在及將來出色的電影工作者的照片收集,攝影師不必是我。
希望這願望有實現的一天。
A long time ago, a friend persuaded me to start a photo column expressly on film makers. i love photographing people, and ever since, I joined the film Biweekly in 1979, i have come to know film makers well. Being a photo columnist, I had to photograph continuously. The column"exposeure" came into existence in the 10/11/79 issue of the flim Biweekly, solely to "expose" and introduce to the public some remarable film makers or outstanding personaliities in the industry.
Ann Hui, was my first subject, who had just finished her first film, "The Secret" In spite of her reluctance of being photographed, I accomplished my first shooting assignment on the upper deck of a tram - but not without much coaxing and cajoling. This particular portrait meant much to me.
Patrick Tam too, was reluctant to be photographed. In spite of my patience and perseverence, I yielded to Patrick's evasiveness and reluctance. Consequently, i never did photograph Patrick.
Fortunately, not all film makers had " camera fright" and these cooperative personalitieswere excellent subjects as well as models. Alex Cheung was great because he would not mind being photographed, and he even offered suggestions which made the photo-session a delightful and happy experience.
Tsui Hark was easy to work with for his cooperativeness and time. While photographing Chu yuan at work, His mobility almost rendered the mission impossible, but his understanding enabled me to accomplish my mission. Often, the dimness of the studios possed problems to photographing directors at work; and without the lighting men's special assistance, some works would never have been achieved. Many thanks are due to those i have come to know and worked with during those years.
The focal length of a wide angle lens is my preference for portraiture. It facilitates my capturing the subjects in the naturnal and uncontrived. On following film makers around in those photo--sessions - through studios and on locations, I experienced the hard work of film-making. I lived with the heat and grime of MTR construction site in Central where Kirk Wong was filming "The Mad man." i experienced the darkness and filth of the tunnel in kennedy Town where Allan Tang filmed the "Aces Go places II" on a freeway.
Once i hiked all night to photograph Carl Mak. Though the night trip did not merit any good photographs, the experience itself was rewarding.
Not only had the "Exposure" won me experiences and friennds, bbut also pleasant surprises - acceptance. people from many walks of life expressed interests in those works. Often, Nansun shi recalled she and Tsui hark would lay them out for appreciation. The "China Times" of Taiwan had publish them ina photo colum. "portraits of Flim Makers' Against my friends Advice the "Exposure" ended on September 1,1983 when I took up another job.
Peter Yung, a renowned photographer and film maker as well, whom I regretably did not photograph, encouraged me to publish them.Repeatedly, publishers approached me with similar ideas to which I had not complied. After much rationalization, I re-examind and re-edited the body of work, an accomplishment in four years. i reaized that had I been planning in advance, I would have been been more organized and comprehensive in covering more film makers.
" The Flim Makers" is merely a photographic record to which i wish there could be a sequel by me or other photographers. I hope I can find the time and energy to make the wish come true.
the tunnel影集 在 Tina Liu 劉天蘭 Facebook 的最佳解答
寶藏!捕捉了一代香港電影人映像的盧玉瑩攝影作品<電影人-The Film Makers> , 太珍貴!
(<電影人>結集,電影工作室1986年出版)
很久之前,有一個朋友,經已記不起是誰,向我提議開闢一個攝影專欄,以拍攝電影界人物為主。我本來就喜歡拍攝人物,又由於當時加入了『電影雙周刊』,跟電影界朋友有著密切的聯絡,何不藉此「專欄」逼自己不停拍攝?我生性疏懶,要是沒有「專欄」的壓力,我是不會定期工作的。故此,就於一九七九年十月十一日在『電影雙周刊』第二十期開始了「曝光人物」一欄。當時,「曝光人物」是意圖把有突出表現的電影工作者,或有潛質的幕後工作者介紹出來,特意「曝光」一番。
記得第一個電影人,我是選擇了許鞍華,那時她剛拍完了處女作《瘋劫》。許鞍華的性格,我是知道的,要她拍照,實在為難她,我私下有點兒不忍逼害她,可是任務在身,唯有努力把她誘請出來。回想也好笑,我把她帶到深夜的電車上,舉機相向,她還苦苦哀求我放好一馬拍。她不是矯扭作態,因為四周無人,而是她真的很怕拍照。怕拍照,我覺得完全正常,我也怕被人拍照。終於我還是完成了任務。我很喜歡那張照片。
說起來,譚家明也是一個怕拍照的人,他可害得我苦了!我曾經隻身夜探嘉禾片場,在又焗又熱的廠景內苦候整個晚上,一無所獲,就是因為他怕了我的攝影機,又很會躲。又有一次我碰見他在尖沙咀拍戲,立刻趕回家取攝影機,以為可以替他拍得一張照片,豈料,他竟然在眾人面前央求我不要拍,真給他氣壞!所以至今我還未有一張滿意的譚家明照片,遺憾!
幸而,電影工作者不是全部都害怕攝影機,有些根本喜歡上鏡,這類型的人最受歡迎,亦是最合作的模特兒。章國明就最可愛,他懂得怎樣引導你的攝影,不斷提出意見刺激你。面對著他,你會有很多很多選擇,而不是相對無言─尷尬。拍攝過程是輕鬆、愉快的。徐克也是很好的拍攝對象,他會給你機會,給你時間。有些導演在工作時異常緊張,不停走動,使你一個鏡頭也沒法捕捉。楚原在邵氏片場內,快步來回,難得有停下來的一刻,但在適當的時候,他也會記起我的存在,而給我機會。但有些導演便不會明白我持機等待的苦心,像有意作弄似的永遠不會走到「有足夠光線」的地方,使我用武無地。有時連燈光師也同情我的苦候,通情達理的特意把燈光射去,給我拍攝的機會,為了拍攝「曝光人物」,多年追縰電影進行拍攝的實況,跟很多工作人員都熟絡起來,他們給我很多方便和幫忙,感激不盡。
拍攝人像,我喜歡用廣角鏡,在短距離捕捉對方最自然,最不自覺的面貌。為了達到這個目的,我唯有在他們工作時進行拍攝,因此使我有機會體會拍電影的艱苦,亦豐富了我的經歷。我會落到中區的地底深處,那時黃志強正在那裡拍攝《癲佬》。我冒生命危險攀落地鐵的地底地盤,裡面沒有空氣調節,烏煙瘴氣,真難為那班工作人員要在裡面工作多日。我又曾探過西環上面的防空洞,那時鄧光榮在山洞裡面拍《怒拔太陽旗》。我要忍受那些防空洞的髒和黑,工作人員都懷疑我為何要自討苦吃。我又試過在寒風凜裂的高速公路佇立,那時曾志偉在拍《最佳拍檔大顯神通》的飛車鏡頭。全組工作人員士氣高昂,像感覺不到寒冷,只有我一個冷得牙根打顫。
記得有一次,我要替麥嘉拍照,照例先打電話追查行蹤,他說:「今晚我們半夜出發,像黑夜行軍,要攀山越嶺,你還是別跟來吧!」永遠是那樣大男人口氣,我才不被他嚇倒,堅持跟隨出發。麥嘉唯有帶同我摸黑走路,一行人有講有笑,並不太辛苦。雖然當晚捱到通宵,我也拍不到一張滿意的照片。可是深夜行山是我前所未有的經驗,也算是有多少收獲。
說來「曝光人物」帶給我的收獲可不少,除了經驗、朋友之外,就是意外的讚賞。有點奇怪,不少人都表示喜歡「曝光人物」。施南生便說過她和徐克喜歡把所有的「曝光人物」放在一起來欣賞。台灣『中國時報』亦要求刊登那些照片,另立名目為「電影人映象」。直至一九八三年九月一日,『電影雙周刊』第119期,「曝光人物」一欄才停止。因為我要應付一項新的工作,分身不暇,唯有割愛。想不到有不少朋友比我還緊張,屢次追問我何時再續 ,此事一直令我耿耿於懷。
我可不曾想過把作品結集成書,名攝影家翁維銓早已建議我進行出版攝影集,他的鼓勵使我欣然,但亦令我歉疚,我曾替上百的電影人拍照,竟然遺漏了這位也是導演的朋友。其後還有不同的機構及朋友向我提議出版「曝光人物」,可是每次翻看那些攝影作品,都覺得成績平平,差強我意,實在沒有勇氣再拿出來獻醜。幾經規勸和催逼,我才毅然把四年來的『曝光人物』和其他電影人的照片勉強整理出一個大概,完全是就地取材。真怪自己疏懶,心無大志。要是早有計劃,就不至內容偏頗不全。
這本『電影人』只是這幾年的攝影紀錄,我希望會有第二集的『電影人』,能夠把本港現在及將來出色的電影工作者的照片收集,攝影師不必是我。
希望這願望有實現的一天。
A long time ago, a friend persuaded me to start a photo column expressly on film makers. i love photographing people, and ever since, I joined the film Biweekly in 1979, i have come to know film makers well. Being a photo columnist, I had to photograph continuously. The column"exposeure" came into existence in the 10/11/79 issue of the flim Biweekly, solely to "expose" and introduce to the public some remarable film makers or outstanding personaliities in the industry.
Ann Hui, was my first subject, who had just finished her first film, "The Secret" In spite of her reluctance of being photographed, I accomplished my first shooting assignment on the upper deck of a tram - but not without much coaxing and cajoling. This particular portrait meant much to me.
Patrick Tam too, was reluctant to be photographed. In spite of my patience and perseverence, I yielded to Patrick's evasiveness and reluctance. Consequently, i never did photograph Patrick.
Fortunately, not all film makers had " camera fright" and these cooperative personalitieswere excellent subjects as well as models. Alex Cheung was great because he would not mind being photographed, and he even offered suggestions which made the photo-session a delightful and happy experience.
Tsui Hark was easy to work with for his cooperativeness and time. While photographing Chu yuan at work, His mobility almost rendered the mission impossible, but his understanding enabled me to accomplish my mission. Often, the dimness of the studios possed problems to photographing directors at work; and without the lighting men's special assistance, some works would never have been achieved. Many thanks are due to those i have come to know and worked with during those years.
The focal length of a wide angle lens is my preference for portraiture. It facilitates my capturing the subjects in the naturnal and uncontrived. On following film makers around in those photo--sessions - through studios and on locations, I experienced the hard work of film-making. I lived with the heat and grime of MTR construction site in Central where Kirk Wong was filming "The Mad man." i experienced the darkness and filth of the tunnel in kennedy Town where Allan Tang filmed the "Aces Go places II" on a freeway.
Once i hiked all night to photograph Carl Mak. Though the night trip did not merit any good photographs, the experience itself was rewarding.
Not only had the "Exposure" won me experiences and friennds, bbut also pleasant surprises - acceptance. people from many walks of life expressed interests in those works. Often, Nansun shi recalled she and Tsui hark would lay them out for appreciation. The "China Times" of Taiwan had publish them ina photo colum. "portraits of Flim Makers' Against my friends Advice the "Exposure" ended on September 1,1983 when I took up another job.
Peter Yung, a renowned photographer and film maker as well, whom I regretably did not photograph, encouraged me to publish them.Repeatedly, publishers approached me with similar ideas to which I had not complied. After much rationalization, I re-examind and re-edited the body of work, an accomplishment in four years. i reaized that had I been planning in advance, I would have been been more organized and comprehensive in covering more film makers.
" The Flim Makers" is merely a photographic record to which i wish there could be a sequel by me or other photographers. I hope I can find the time and energy to make the wish come true.