CHAPTER I: Bodhisattva Maitreya's Past Incarnations
4. Lord Maitreya Himself Was Kong Ming
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Statue of Kong-Ming (181–234) in Đà Lạt
Close to entering the Eight Masses of Nirvana,[3] the Lord visited Đà-Lạt city and bought a statue of Kong Ming, which He brought back to Nha-Trang (left). The Lord then inscribed below the statue:
Life is an OCEAN OF SUFFERING; not many people can avoid the sufferings of life.
Even Prime Minister Kong Ming Zhuge Liang had to bend his head to a pile of books and endure unhappiness to find out a way to help life be free from suffering.
The Universe never helps us. It is only our mind that can save us.
The HEARTLESS is the cruelest. —T. V.[4]
[3] The Eight Masses, also called the Eight Parts, of Nirvana are: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Emptiness, The Consciousness Constitution, The Enlightenment about Form, and The Tathagata.
[4] T. V. is the abbreviation for Reverend Tịnh Vương, meaning Pure King, which is the Vietnamese name for Lord Supreme Maitreya Buddha in this lifetime.
The Lord has clearly determined the Tao path: The Tao practitioner cannot rely on others or simply supplicate and pray to the superior beings. One must be diligent in correcting one’s nature for the better. In the presence of thousands of Dharmas evolving into scenes, one must endure and self-resolve to clear up one’s karma. After achieving True Enlightenment, one will suddenly self-generate a great compassionate heart toward living beings, love them as oneself, and not just sit quietly watching living beings sink into the fire ocean of suffering.
One day, the Lord taught and I heard these words:[5] “You and I have been found throughout many lives side by side. There was one former lifetime when I was a national chief advisor in China, I could not keep my eyes closed before the people who were groaning in suffering. I had to make use of my wisdom as a means to salvation for life. The practice and fulfillment of Tao Dharma today—though without a strong army, an authority, a guard, or physical weapons beside me—yet with a determined will, I use the Buddha power, which is thousands of times stronger than before, to effectively save life.”
The Lord then ordered a drawing of a Guan Gong picture and hung it in His residence. Upon entering His room and seeing the picture of Guan Gong in the position of an escort, I suddenly remembered my former life and that of the Reverend Lord intuitively. I was astonished to discover that the Lord had been Kong-Ming of the Han dynasty, national chief advisor at the time of Liu Bei (who was also called Liu Xuande) in China.
What a strange thing! I was so astonished to see as far back as around the year 191, observing Liu Bei, Guan Gong, and Zhang Fei in their time: After a discussion, they had arranged for the initiation of their friendship the next day in the peach garden behind Zhang Fei’s house, where they had laid out offerings and celebrated before heaven and earth.
Kong-Ming, at that time, was the incarnation of Bodhisattva Maitreya Himself. In the eyes of the Meditation Master, recognizing sentiment and gratitude became a deep, fundamental cause; in spite of the ever-changing existence of human beings along with the innumerable vicissitudes of life, we are now side by side in this scientific and atomic era of the twentieth century! The following two verses from Reverend Tịnh Vương, who is the incarnation of Lord Maitreya and was also Kong-Ming in the past, remind us of the nonstop rotation of transmigration of human lifetimes and that we could meet each other in bodily form again if we have good sentiments and gratitude for each other!
[5] I being the author, Mahasattva-Bodhisattva Di Như.
From ancient times, we now can meet each other.
Does that mean we had a very deep attachment with each other in our former life? —T. V.
From ancient history up to the present, human civilizations and humankind as a whole have advanced greatly. Lord Kong-Ming, now with the name Tịnh Vương Nhất Tôn,[6] has also changed Himself accordingly. The Lord was successful and was superior to the domain of science and even to this world’s politicians. How wonderful it was!
The Lord appeared in this human world with only a third-grade education, not completing even elementary schooling. Nevertheless, neither so many scientists with doctorate degrees nor impressive scholars who have created many ultramodern inventions could stand against His secret guidance from far and away. Sutra books that were written when the Lord entered into True Contemplation of Samadhi[7] were admired by highly educated people who could not thoroughly understand them. Thus, we see clearly that no level of education can surpass True Enlightenment.
[6] Tịnh Vương means Pure King; one meaning of Nhất Tôn is One Essence. Thus, the name Tịnh Vương Nhất Tôn means The One-Essence Pure-King.
[7] Samadhi is the secret satisfying result (through precept-contemplation) of the Tathagata, precisely is the Secret Seal.
Portrait of Guan Gong, an Invisible Protector, placing on the Dharma Protector altar.
During the time of Reverend Tịnh Vương’s complete salvation for living beings, Guan Gong was at the rank of Deity—an Invisible Dharma Protector who vowed to guard the True Dharma at all times. Guan Gong diligently used his powers as a Deity to come into the communist countries where he was greatly needed. He caused the blockade of temples to be lifted, reopening them for the faithful followers who have come there to worship, admire the Buddha, and practice according to their will.
Thanks to the vow of salvation for living beings made by Guan Gong especially, as well as Devas, Deities, Dharma Protectors, Dragon-Deity Dharma Protectors, etc., Buddhist monks and nuns in communist countries were still allowed to live in the temples and continue practicing and fulfilling Tao Dharma until the reform of the nation. Guan Gong often went to China and Taiwan to help the people of these two countries live in peace; there were many times when the situation was so grave that Guan Gong received orders directly from Reverend Tịnh Vương, the incarnation of Lord Maitreya, going to resolve—It is very difficult to describe all of this. It also was Guan Gong who also personally went to the Soviet Union many times during the periods of tension on the border between the Soviet Union and China to prevent the Communist Soviet Union from pushing their troops into Communist China.
Guan Gong has indeed earned a great merit for his assistance, along with Devas, Deities, Dharma Protectors and Dragon-Deity Dharma Protectors, etc., in promoting peace in the world and in maintaining the True Dharma under the guidance and leadership of Reverend Tịnh Vương. This was a true miracle! It was Kong-Ming of the past, now reincarnated with the name Tịnh Vương, who was truly behind such miraculous activity. Without this intervention, all of the efforts by the West in the field of science, among others, would have failed! Now the Invisible Dharma Protector, Guan Gong, at the level of Deity, has followed Reverend Tịnh Vương to establish his virtuous merit in practicing and fulfilling Tao Dharma. The Five Tigers Team, as well as the courtiers of Liu Bei in the Han dynasty, also has turned their minds toward the practice and fulfilment of Tao Dharma in Dharma Constitution Vietnamese Buddhism, which is also the Long-Hoa Superior Association.
The symbolic Picture of The Five Tigers Team
The Lord allowed it to be hung at the Central Superior Association, Number 6, Huỳnh Thúc Kháng Street in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
The kings and mandarins of the Vietnamese dynasties of Đinh-Lê-Lý-Trần were also reborn and followed the Lord to practice Tao Dharma in new bodies and under new names in this lifetime. Nothing is strange because the groundwork for it had already been laid beforehand. We can see from recorded history that these dynasties were devoted to Buddhism. They are now seeking for liberation through knowing, seeing, and solving, they therefore meet again in this lifetime.
During this time, Liu Bei and his courtiers in the past were reborn as humans and followed the Lord to practice Tao Dharma on the path of enlightenment.
Guan Gong, also called Quan Vân Trường in Vietnamese, was not reborn as a man but still remained at the Invisible Deity rank, and has been guarding the True Dharma. He often went to the US and other places in the free world. The former Zhang Fei later became President Chiang Kai-Shek of Taiwan. Close to the day when He entered into the Eight Masses of Nirvana, Reverend Tịnh Vương attested that Guan Gong was a Dharma Protector and further advised me, “Later, you should inform those in the temples to worship Guan Gong because he has helped the temples open for living beings practicing and fulfilling Tao Dharma!”
It is truly a miracle how the Dharma nature proceeded in the time of Lord Kong-Ming; it is now happening exactly as it did in the past. Today The Five Tigers Team is also in the central ministry operating throughout the Lord’s Tao-executing path to enable living beings to practice and fulfill Tao Dharma. The Lord’s true disciples are numerous; especially, among them are quite many descendants of Devadatta who have also practiced Tao Dharma. These tend to be nuisances, however; their hearts are full of jealousy and suspicion.
Lord Tịnh Vương also ordered the inscription of three verses expressing the filial piety of Guan Gong:
To be ungrateful to one’s parents will bring about serious disasters,
Such as severe corporal punishment, incurable diseases,
Excessive penalty, and continuous accidents.
—Guan Gong
Scientists did not accept explanations about the mystical spirit as seen in the eyes of a Meditation Master; they wanted concrete experiments demonstrated on tangible things. Even if these explanations were concretely demonstrated, they would not bring themselves to accept it, as they lacked the eyes of contemplative meditation and the knowledge of a Meditation Master.
When Reverend Tịnh Vương was truly enlightened, the Lord remembered His former lives in the past. Many lives that spanned hundreds of thousands of years could be seen. The future of humanity on this planet and the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds were visible to the Lord.[8] Explaining this to some would only give rise to arguments and would not help them open their eyes.
A few years ago, the news reported on seven planets appearing at the same time in the sky. The vast majority of world did not know that this phenomenon was carried out by Lord Maitreya. Even if they knew Lord Maitreya Himself did it, they would not be satisfied. Only if they went to Vietnam to do research, learn from the East, and discover for themselves, right in their own body-mind, would that hopefully be enough to satisfy them and help them become mutually empathetic with and assimilated into the Universe and God. Just as in the Proclamation for Attestation, the Lord affirmed the presence of the invisible worlds, and there are innumerable amounts of them existing in the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds. Meanwhile, scientists have discovered that there are countless planets, but they cannot find out anything about the lives of living beings on these planets, which can be seen only by the eye of the Meditation Master.
Why? It is because the Meditation Master is always ascending, basing their consciousness on carrying out the control of their nature and characteristics in life. As a result, they become almost super-human, a sacred philosopher who can truly realize everything. As long as individuality still exists and uses traditional education for its seeking, it is difficult to see the truth.
[8] There are countless living species in our world, each having its own way of living in an appropriate environment called a sub-world. One thousand sub-worlds form a Small Thousand Worlds. One thousand Small Thousand Worlds form a Middle Thousand Worlds. One thousand Middle Thousand Worlds form a Great Thousand Worlds.
Here, the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds means: that Great Thousand Worlds are formed by the Three Thousand—thousand sub-worlds, thousand Small Thousand Worlds, and thousand Middle Thousand Worlds. Inside our globe, there are Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds, and outside is the immense Universe, with countless other Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds.
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