One of the prayer rituals conducted during the Da Zhai ceremony is the touring of the Ten Hall of Justice in hell. (Please don’t be mistaken, we are not going to bring anyone to tour the hell).
In Taosim, we believe that each individual hall has different kind of judgement and punishment for different kind of wrong doing. The purposes of this ritual is to make known to the deceased the kind of punishment one will received for the wrong doing they have committed during their life time. It also served as a teaching to the family members to refrain from committing any wrong doing during their life time so that they will not suffer from such punishment after they pass on.
In this ritual, the Taoist Priest will lead the family members to circle around an artifact castle (望乡台). The chanting narrates the different kind of punishment in the ten different halls of justice.
It was said that those who have not commit serious wrong doing during their life time will be allow to be brought up to the top of the castle by the guard. He or she could see and hear the chanting of the Taoist Priest and also the happening of the family members in the living world. But for those who have committed serious wrong doing, they can only stay at the foot of the castle. They can only hear the chanting and the voice of their family members but unable to see them. This is somehow a kind of punishment for their wrong doing.
The ritual will end once the Taoist Priest complete the chanting of the prayers of the ten hall of Justice.
游阴府十殿
游阴府十殿是广东打斋法事的仪式之一。在这仪式里，道长会带领逝者的亲人，手拿着逝者的牌位，绕着一个纸扎的城堡 （俗称望乡台）一边走一边念着经文。
广东道教中我们相信每一个阴府殿堂对于所犯的错误行为都有不同的判决和惩罚。而这仪式的目地就是要让逝者与在世的人们认识到他们在人世中如犯有任何严重错误的行为，将不会因为离开人世就会得到宽恕。因为，阳间和阴间是同等的。即使他们离开人世，也须要经过审判而接受判决。
据说，那些一生中未犯严重错误的逝者会被阴府的守卫带到城堡的顶台。他(她)可以从台上看和听到道士的诵经，以及在人世中亲人的谈话。但是对于那些犯了严重错误行为的逝者，他们只能留在城堡底下而不能上顶台。他们也只可以听到家人的呼喊的声音，但看不到他们。某种程度上，这是对他们错误行为的一种惩罚。
当道长完成了十个不同阴府殿堂的祈祷诵经，仪式就算完成。
