關於 eight and a half ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

有學生推薦俐媽聽EXO的專輯Don’t Mess up My Tempo，
而且因為俐媽的教學，
他終於懂專輯裡的24/7是什麼意思了！

歌詞中的I think about it twenty-four seven，
即我思考著它24小時一天、一週7天，
也就是我「無時無刻、日以繼夜」地想著它，
所以24/7，
就是「無時無刻、全年無休」囉！

英文還有哪些有趣的「數字相關」片語？
俐媽提供局部補充給大家

完整筆記？課堂上見😉😉

———————————————————————-
🌀 俐媽英文教室—數字片語篇：
🔢 by twos and threes 三三兩兩
🔢 at sixes and sevens 亂七八糟
🔢 A stitch in time saves nine. 亡羊補牢猶未遲
🔢 kill two birds with one stone 一石二鳥
🔢 catch-22 兩難(⚠️ 英模班學生應該不陌生吧😉)
🔢 behind the eight balls 處於困境
🔢 take five 休息一會兒
🔢 on cloud nine 樂翻了
🔢 dress to the nines 盛裝打扮
🔢 six of one, half dozen of the other 半斤八兩
🔢 zero hour 關鍵時刻
🔢 in one piece 毫髮無傷
🔢 ten to one 十之八九
🔢 high five 擊掌🖐🏻

其他片語可以看：

https://www.instagram.com/p/CS66V7yJGlV/?utm_medium=copy_link

————————————————————————
說到工作，
俐媽也是work 24/7...

白天編教材錄影+晚上班群/FB/IG解題

而且今天錄影6小時，
又發現有雜音全程蓋住我的全部聲音，
兩包乖乖都鎮不住啦😭😭
要重錄惹⋯⋯

你們不看課程真的很令人桑心⋯⋯

快點截圖發限動告訴我你有看線上課程或網版啦！

#俐媽英文教室
#俐媽英文教室數字片語篇
#俐媽英文歌曲
#俐媽英文歌曲24/7
#俐媽韓文歌曲
#EXO #dontmessupmytempo
#台大明明服務全年無休24/7
#俐媽無時無刻投入工作24/7
#你也應該認真學習英文24/7

［天橋上的人］

星期五下午，港島頂級購物區繁忙非常。從金鐘廊走到太古廣場有一條行人天橋，巨型落地玻璃密封設計，讓行人可以遠眺整條金鐘道，俯瞰電車路的交通情況。在下午約4時，約一百人聚站在天橋的其中一邊，眼神同時望向遠處。路經這裡的有在附近工作的白領，和說英語的外籍人士。

在商場人潮裡，可以聽到這些對話：「何詩蓓真係好勁呀！」說的是這天早上代表香港出賽的游泳運動員，於今屆東京奧運已贏得第二面銀牌，是這天城中熱話，若包括早前勝出劍擊金牌的張家朗，香港運動員已在今屆奧運拿下了三面獎牌，是香港開埠以來最佳紀錄。

對於天橋上聚滿人，有不明所以的人走近，看到地上有人擺放了單張，「24歲的唐英傑 TONG Ying Kit is 24 years old，好人一生平安」，旁邊有唐早幾天因國安法入罪的中文資料，卻欠英語，有人用英語問：「What is this?」

這個城市，在狂喜和狂悲中搖擺。

從天橋上眺望遠處，正是連接太古廣場的最高法院。最高法院審訊案件，可判處刑期並不像區域法院有七年上限，嚴重案件都在這裡審訊。從高等法院進出的囚車，需要路經繁忙的金鐘道，但這天警方佈陣下，不但記者被隔到老遠，市民就更能只站在商場的天橋上遠眺。

從天橋位置到囚車出入位置，相隔約150米。以往「送囚車」的人們大喊或揮動手機燈，車內人看得見，這天，百多米外的眺望，只能遙記心意。

第一宗國安法審訊於周二(27日)判兩項罪名成立，三天後即今午宣佈刑期。判決有沒有罪的那天，法院來旁聽的記者人數，要比這天宣判刑期的更踴躍。那時全球記者關注「光時」口號是否入罪，這天判刑，記者人數略為減少。

然而，本地市民旁聽的意欲則沒有減退。早上八時已有中年女士來排隊拿旁聽票。最後，內庭及庭外直播票，公眾人士入場總人數約170人，出現「爆庭」現象。

其中，只有20名熱心市民能夠入到庭內。他們以中年人士為主。有人坐下來低聲互相提醒：「這個庭很細小，只能入二十人」「我們這個位置最接近唐英傑」「一會兒宣判時我們不要有太大的情緒反應以免影響家屬」「我已與唐的家人交換電話，希望將來可以探望，互相支持。」

市民拿的是紫色票，家屬拿的是白色票。然而，家屬票並不夠。
下午2時40分，市民及記者均入坐。家屬較遲到來，一名微胖紥馬尾的少女，拿着「市民票」向坐在較前的旁聽公眾低聲說：「我們是家屬，想坐在一起，可以跟你們交換座位嗎？」公眾隨即把最前的位置讓出，少女連連道謝。

長髮的唐英傑母親，穿着白色麻質套裝，腳踏平底鞋出現。她化了淡粧，做了粉色美甲，戴着紅色手鍊。她和幾名年輕女性親友一起，坐在最接近犯人欄的家屬席。

開庭前，年輕女孩不時拍拍唐母的肩，跟她談話時輕撫着唐母的背，或輕輕跟唐母牽手以示鼓勵。她們的座位距唐英傑約十呎，可以清楚跟唐交換眼神。

下午2時57分，唐英傑終於在懲教職員押送下出來。以往審訊時，唐會提早一點出來露面，可是，這天卻調校到距離開庭很短的時間才讓他出來，於是變相減少了唐可以與律師溝通的時間，或與家人對望的時刻。

法庭的時光，客觀上是一回事，主觀亦有另一種感受。

冗長的審訊，時間像特別漫長；但判決及判刑，又如電光火石。

身型壯碩的唐英傑，穿着十多日審訊的那套衣服出現。灰藍色西裝外套，黑色恤衫，髮型清爽但這天頭髮有點凌亂。甫步入犯人欄，唐先舉起左手跟律師打招呼，轉而望向母親及幾位年輕女性親友。

女性親友不時俯身，嘗試找角度能夠與唐保持眼神接觸。因為犯人欄的橫柵，與及防飛沫膠片的阻隔，令視線有所阻擋。女子們不時從座位做心心手勢，鼓勵唐。

律師趁開庭前的寶貴時間，拿了文件遞給唐，揭開防飛沫膠布跟他對話。唐亦把紙張交給律師。

唐英傑接過即時傳譯的耳機，把主機插向自己的西裝的左胸口袋，再把耳塞塞進左耳，再用手指托一托滑落的眼鏡。

不一會兒，一名駕駛着電動輪椅的中年婦人進來，被安置在家屬旁。她是一名熱心市民到來旁聽的市民，法庭未開始，她已經在拭淚。

3時04分， “Court！”的男聲喊出，三名法官步出坐在席上。法官杜麗冰用英語宣佈她不會詳細把判刑的原因詳細讀出，只挑選判刑重點來讀。

她以英語說出 “Six and a half years and eight years respectively for counts 1 and 2….”

判刑是否分期執行，還是同期？

杜官再說，如果當初唐選擇認罪，會是有減刑可能，但今次唐選擇不認罪。唐有幾次交通相關案底，於國安法判刑則不相關，會視他為「良好品格」。法庭亦表示同情唐的家庭狀況，作為唯一的經濟支柱，而其祖母亦有重病。但認為這些是「被告人應該在犯案前考慮的事」。

杜官指出，兩控罪雖然來自同一組事實（即開着插有「光時」旗的電單車衝過警方防線），但「兩罪是分開而明確的 (separate and distinct offences)」。

正當大家在疑惑究竟總刑期多長的時候，杜官又說會行使 “totality principle” (整體判刑原則)。

杜官最後交出一個數字，其中2年半刑期分期執行，總刑期9年。
杜官說，這刑期反映了「被告人的罪行嚴重性，社會人士對罪行的厭惡度，並達至阻嚇性」。

旁聽席上的人互相交換疑惑的眼神，大家對繁複的法庭英語不太聽得入耳，只關注總刑期多長。大家互相在電話上的筆記簿寫上數字，交換眼神。

唐英傑專心聽着耳機，翻譯員以廣東話給他解釋了自己未來命運。唐聽到這裡時，坐得腰板挺直，雙手放在膝上，偶爾用左手食指托一托鼻上的眼鏡，或飛快的揚一揚眉。

直至聽到總刑期後，唐才放鬆了一點點。當法官解釋要吊銷其駕駛執照達十年，唐英傑再向家屬席做心心手勢。
此時法官再談及充公證物的處理。

說時遲那時快，才20分鐘，又有人喊　“Court!”，判刑程序完畢，三名法官離席。旁聽席的人如夢初醒，等待了六、七個小時，為了見唐一面，時光就如此飛逝。「吓？咁快既？即係判幾多年？」旁聽席的人互相追問。

此時法庭有點混亂，坐在輪椅的女士大喊兩次：「抗爭無罪！」保安衝前阻止。唐英傑起身走向羈留室方向，亦即與家屬席最接近的時候。家屬都站起來靠向唐。

有人從旁聽席大喊：「重甲！撐住呀！」

「重甲」是唐英傑在反修例運動的綽號，他愛穿着保護裝備擔任義務救護員。

唐英傑在混亂中回了一句：「你哋都要撐住！」然後身影消失在法庭裡。年輕女親友互相擁抱，痛哭起來。

唐英傑的辯護律師團隊，走近家屬身邊解釋情況，再次確認判刑刑期。

判刑書長達15頁，在法庭外向記者派發，其中一段披露了唐英傑多封求情信內容。

「求情信中指，被告人是個思想單純，心地善良而且孝順父母的兒子，他供養妹妹到海外留學。」

「唐父形容，兒子容易被政治影響，亦受到『不良出版影響，令他做了錯事』。」

「唐的auntie形容，（唐英傑）『受到一些社會人士及傳媒的錯誤報導影響』。」

而判刑書亦有引述唐英傑自己向法庭親撰的求情信內容：「被告人表示感到後悔，現在明白政治看法是觀點與角度問題，最重要還是做人的品格。他亦表達到，希望社會把仇恨放下。」

(For the Defendant himself, he wrote to express his remorse, saying that he had now come to realise that political views are matters of perspectives and should not be more important than human decency. He also expressed the hope that the society might put aside hatred.)

「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

All the Philadelphia 76ers had to do was win, and
home-court advantage was theirs for at least the first round of the
playoffs.

Instead, the 76ers had one of their worst first quarters of the
season and never quite recovered. Now home-court advantage rides on
the very last game of the season.

"I never thought it would come to the last game to decide our
playoff spot," Allen Iverson said after the 76ers lost to the
Chicago Bulls 115-106 Tuesday night.

The 76ers' third straight loss dropped them into a tie with
Indiana for third place in the Eastern Conference, and it also
clinched the Atlantic Division title for the New Jersey Nets. Both
teams wrap up their regular seasons Wednesday night.

A loss could drop Philadelphia to as low as fifth in the East.

"When you lose a ballgame, especially to a team not going to
the playoffs, and we're trying to get home-court advantage, that
opens the window to say a lot of negative things about your own
team," Iverson said.

Actually, nothing more really needed to be said. The box score
summed it up: The 76ers fell behind 35-18 in the first quarter,
when they shot 24 percent from the floor.

"That's about as bad a first quarter as we played," coach
Larry Brown said. ``We had no energy, and took awful shots."

Though Iverson matched his season high with 42 points,
Philadelphia shot 38 percent. Eric Snow was the only other starter
in double figures, with 17. The final score might have been even
worse if the 76ers hadn't gone 40-of-44 from the line, including
17-of-18 by Iverson.

They couldn't find an answer for Eddy Curry, either. Curry made
his first eight shots on his way to a career-high 31 points. He
might have scored 40 if he hadn't been in foul trouble.

The Bulls finished the season 30-52; Curry ended up shooting
.580 from the field, the highest percentage for the Bulls since
1982-83, when Orlando Woolridge put up the same figure.

Jamal Crawford matched his career best with 33, and the Bulls
shot 63 percent, including 10-of-15 from 3-point range. The team's
30 victories are nine more than last season, and just six fewer
than it managed in the two previous seasons combined.

"As a team, we just wanted to end on a good note and get our
goal of 30 wins," said Crawford, who also had eight assists.
"It's exciting for us."

The Bulls have Curry and Crawford to thank for this one. The two
opened the game with their own 13-4 run, and the 76ers were
overwhelmed. Curry had a monster first quarter, going 8-for-8 and
matching the entire Philadelphia squad with 18 points. He didn't
miss a shot until there was 6:30 left in the first half, and he
finished the half with 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting.

"When you are out of the playoffs, it is easy to come in and
not give your best effort," Bulls coach Bill Cartwright said. "I
thought our guys have been terrific and showed a lot of character.
They showed great spirit."

Philadelphia trailed by as much as 17 early in the third, but
Iverson scored six straight points to pull them to 94-90 with 7:24
left in the game.

Allen Iverson would almost always rather drive to the basket than settle for a jumper.

Seattle's porous defense gave him ample opportunity to dart down the lane for all the easy baskets he wanted.

Iverson scored 41 points, John Salmons had 18 and Kyle Korver 17 to lead the Philadelphia 76ers over the SuperSonics 107-98 on Monday night.

Although Iverson said he's still slightly bothered by his right ankle, which he sprained Dec. 27 at Denver, it hardly showed as he had one of his top shooting nights of the season.

"It's getting a lot better with treatment and everything, and I'm able to push off it like I want to," Iverson said. "Once it gets loose, I'm able to move around like I want to. I try to get to the basket."

Certainly returning home provided an immediate fix for the slumping Sixers. When they left for a 15-day, seven-game trip, they were in first place in the Atlantic Division; they returned four games back in the division race after a 2-5 mark.

"If we closed games out better, we'd have a lot more wins," Iverson said. "I honesty feel like we gave away eight games this season, games we should have won."

The Sonics have been just as bad, finishing 1-4 on a trip that saw them fire Bob Weiss and replace the coach with Bob Hill.

Hill promised a quicker pace and improvement on defense as ways to turn around Seattle's disappointing season.

Seattle's league-worst defense still needs work.

Iverson scored 40-plus points for the eighth time this season as he chases Kobe Bryant for the league scoring title. Iverson wasn't the only one getting open looks -- the Sixers shot 53 percent from the field, seven points higher than their average.

Chris Webber sat out with a lower back strain and was listed as day-to-day. Coach Maurice Cheeks was hopeful that rest would allow Webber to return for Wednesday's game against Utah.

Salmons started in Webber's place and hardly missed a beat on 7-for-9 shooting. Andre Iguodala had 16 points and Samuel Dalembert 11 to put all five starters in double digits.

"That's how you should play," Iverson said. "When you do share the ball, nine times out of 10, more positive results come of it."

Ray Allen led the Sonics with 27 points and Vladimir Radmanovic had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The Sonics rallied from a 19-point deficit to pull within six late in the fourth quarter -- hardly surprising since only Seattle allows more points than the Sixers -- after 3-pointers by Allen and a couple of free throws from Rashard Lewis.

Korver, though, sank his fifth 3-pointer and Salmons added a 3 to get the lead back to nine. Stuck on 39 points for a while, Iverson sank two free throws to push him over 40 and give the Sixers a 106-95 lead.

"We took control of the game and shut them down," Dalembert said. "We controlled the tempo of the game and didn't really let them get back in."

Iverson scored nine points during a 19-5 run in the third quarter that gave the Sixers a 79-60 lead. Iverson usually drove through a lane that offered little resistance and little reason for the All-Star to resort to his usual banging and crashing all over the court.

Iverson went 6-for-8 in third for 18 points and the Sixers shot 68 percent in the quarter. Hill blamed fatigue from a long road trip for the Sonics going flat in the third.

"We played pretty well in the first half, then I'm sure our legs got tired," Hill said. "We wouldn't move and we weren't guarding. Away games are tough, but they have to find a way to fight fatigue. That was a winnable game."

With the easy looks, and a mid-range jumper that was on target, Iverson finished 15-for-25 from the floor and made 11 of 13 free throws.

Game notes

Korver hit a 3-pointer for the 26th straight game, the longest streak in the league. ... Sonics F Danny Fortson sat out with a sore left knee and C Vitaly Potapenko sat out with a lower back strain. ... Iverson was briefly shaken up when he was smacked in the face by Luke Ridnour while they went after a loose ball in the third quarter. ... Iverson has 67 career games with more than 40 points. ... The Sixers are 8-0 at home against the Western Conference.

Stephon Marbury dominated early. Allen Iverson struck late.

Iverson scored 14 of his 38 points in the final nine minutes as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied for a 102-94 victory over Marbury and the New Jersey Nets.

The NBA's leading scorer, Iverson fell a bucket shy of his 16th 40-point game of the season. He took over in the fourth quarter, giving the 76ers their first lead since the opening minute with a fadeaway jumper with 8:22 remaining and made sure they never trailed again.

Iverson was just 12-of-32 from the field but made 13-of-14 free throws and added seven assists and four steals. He scored 14 of Philadelphia's final 19 points, then skipped the media to nurse bruised ribs and a fat lip, products of a somewhat chippy game.

Marbury collected 20 points and 14 assists. He scored 16 points in the first half, when the Nets controlled play. But he went scoreless over the final 7 1/2 minutes, when the Sixers trapped him to force the ball out of his hands.

Forced to become a playmaker rather than a scorer, Marbury was let down a bit by his teammates. The Nets scored just 15 points in the fourth quarter and lost for the 12th time in their last 13 road games.

Last month, Iverson and Marbury teamed up to rally the Eastern Conference from a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit to victory in the All-Star Game. In this one, Iverson hounded Marbury down the stretch. Marbury shot 8-of-24 and committed seven turnovers.

"They went big, and we tried to trap him and get it out of his hands," Sixers coach Larry Brown said. "Then we tried to keep him from getting it. Our big guys did a good job of trapping and then Allen did a terrific job of denying."

"He was getting fouled and he wasn't getting calls," Nets coach Byron Scott said. "He goes to the line two times tonight. That's ridiculous. They say he is creating all the contact, but that other little guy (Iverson) that is pretty (darn) good does the same thing and he goes to the line 14 times. Tell me the difference."

Tyrone Hill had 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Sixers, who have won three in a row and eight of 10. They are 4-2 since acquiring All-Star center Dikembe Mutombo, although he was not on the floor when the Sixers made their surge.

"Tyrone Hill just killed us on the boards," Scott said. "That was the difference."

The league-leading Sixers (45-16) dominated the boards, 41-28, and avenged a 96-89 loss at New Jersey on February 4 in which they blew a 15-point third-quarter lead.

"We have a bull's-eye," Hill said. "Every team that we play wants to play hard and wants to beat us. ... They feel if they can beat the No. 1 team twice in one year, that it shows you what kind of talent they have."

The Sixers trailed 79-75 entering the fourth quarter but began the period with a 10-4 run that Iverson capped with his go-ahead jumper. It was Philadelphia's first lead since 2-0.

Marbury answered with a layup for his final points and the teams traded a pair of points before Iverson made two free throws and a jumper that followed a dive to the floor that kept possession for the Sixers and gave them a 91-87 lead with 4:49 left.

"Allen made an unbelievable hustle play among a lot of great plays," Brown said. "Defensively, I thought he's improved a lot, but that was by far for a whole game his best defense. He played against a great player."

A free throw and dunk by Aaron Williams got the Nets within one before Iverson struck again. He came around a screen for a jumper and added two free throws for a 95-90 bulge with 2:57 to go.

Williams made two more free throws, but Mutombo powered for a three-point play after Hill kept possession with by hustling for a rebound. Iverson answered rookie Kenyon Martin's jumper with one of his own and Eric Snow's jumper sealed it at 102-94 with 35 seconds remaining.

"They were hitting some shots in the first half, but we kind of tightened it up in the second half and it was hard for them to make the shots they were making in the first half," Hill said.