Origin of the Eighteen Layers of Hell

Eighteen layers of hell (or eighteen hells, eighteen hells, eighteen mud plows) is the name of hell. According to Chinese folklore, King Yama is the head of hell, and the eighteen magistrates under him are in charge of the eighteen layers of hell. After Buddhism was introduced to China, it was used and interpreted by Taoism. Hell is considered by some to be the place where the souls of people go after death, and in the traditional religious concepts of the Han Chinese, hell is part of the underworld. The eighteen layers of hell are also envisioned as a place where people are meant to be advised to do more good deeds and accumulate more virtue while they are alive. If they do evil deeds, they will suffer in the eighteen layers of hell after death.

The Chinese concept of hell is clearly of Indian origin. Traditional beliefs in China before the introduction of Buddhism held that the souls of ordinary people who died would return under Mount Tai, whose god, Dongyue Da Di, was the lord of the underworld. Later, it was believed that Fengdu was the entrance to the underworld, and some believed that Fengdu Da Di, the god of Fengdu, was the master of the underworld. The functions, attributes, subordinates and jurisdictions of Dongyue Da Di and Fengdu Da Di are almost exactly the same, and the two gods are generally regarded as the same god by the people. After the introduction of Buddhism, the folk are influenced by the Buddhist thought, that the hell is the worst and most bitter in the six reincarnation, the folk know "heavy hell" means "eighteen layers of hell". The eighteen layers of hell are controlled by the Ten Temples of Hell. Among them, the 18th level of hell, which is considered to be the most painful for the dead, is the Abyssal Hell. The King of Hell is the God of Hell, who is in charge of the Ten Hells and saves the living beings in Hell. The Chinese believe that plutonium coins can be used in hell, so burning them can help the financial resources of the ancestors. Some people believe that plutonium can be used to buy off the ghosts in hell and avoid heavier penalties, while the family members of deceased relatives often burn plutonium for their relatives in the "netherworld" on festivals such as the Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year Festival, the Chung Yeung Festival, and the Ching Ming Tomb-sweeping Festival.