CHAPTER II: Where Did I Come From?
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The Lunar Year of Dragon 1976.
—On the porch of a tranquil house, 42 Hồng Bàng, Nha Trang.
At the CENTRAL SUPERIOR-ASSOCIATION,
Number 6, Huỳnh Thúc Kháng Street, Nha-Trang, Vietnam (1991).
4. Places Where Reverend Tịnh Vương Nhất Tôn, Incarnating Lord Maitreya, Returned and Fulfilled Tao Dharma
In this rebirth, Lord Maitreya adopted the appellation of Tịnh Vương Nhất Tôn and opened Tao Dharma at number 42, Hồng Bàng Street, Nha Trang, Vietnam. In the last years of His life, the Lord moved to number 6, Huỳnh Thúc Kháng Street of the same city. Today, the moment coming when, recording this rare and historical event, I wish for human beings and true disciples who realize that life is an infinite ocean of suffering and is fleeting to courageously generate your minds to seek the Tao of enlightenment, gaining liberation from the birth-death transmigration. Even if the wealth you possess could fully fill this whole world, when you pass away, you will leave all behind and become empty-handed; in addition, not knowing where you will go is an immeasurable suffering!
1. The Social Background of the World After the Second World War
2. The Social Background of Vietnam
3. Who Was Reverend Tịnh Vương Nhất Tôn? What Did the Lord Do for Humankind?
4. Places Where Reverend Tịnh Vương Nhất Tôn, Incarnating Lord Maitreya, Returned and Fulfilled Tao Dharma
4.1 Bình Định, the place where Lord Maitreya was born
4.2 Nha Trang, city of Khánh Hoà province, where Lord Maitreya fulfilled Tao Dharma
4.1 Bình Định, the place where Lord Maitreya was born
One day at the end of winter in 1969, in the wooden loft of number 42, Hồng Bàng Street Nha Trang, at 8 o'clock in the morning, Reverend Tịnh Vương Nhất Tôn taught, and I heard the Lord say the following:
From Tusita Heaven, the Lord wore a long, wide, beautiful sky-blue robe. At His sides were Devas, Dragon-Deity Dharma Protectors, Bodhisattva Dharma Protectors, and Bodhisattvas solemnly seeing Him off. The Lord came down to this human world; upon approaching the bordering atmosphere, the Devas and Dragon-Deity Dharma Protectors saw how the red secular dust full of dirty substances densely covered everything. They all stopped, respectfully bowed to the Lord, and dared not follow Him.
Painting of the leaf-house in Bình Định, where the Lord was born.
The Lord’s father Từ Như Ý
He was originally Chinese.
This portrait was on the altar.
The Lord’s mother Nguyễn Thị Phụng
She was Vietnamese. This portrait was on the altar.
The Lord went straight to the province of Bình Định in Central Vietnam alone. He stood in front of the house’s door, waiting for a mother called Nguyễn Thị Phụng, who was about to deliver. As soon as she gave birth to a son, the Lord leaned and lightly stepped into the baby's body. It was about 9 o'clock a.m. on the 24th day of the 12th month of the Lunar year of the Goat (1918), which was the 2462nd year of the Buddhist calendar. This date was the first day when the weather was changing to the beginning of spring.
His father's name was Từ Như Ý, and he named the Lord Từ Thế Thọ. Every year, on the 24th day of the 12th month of the Lunar year, all of the Dharma Constitution’s Four Followers,[14] who were His true disciples, gathered at the Lord’s residence to celebrate His birthday—the Tao Dharma Birthday. On this same day of the Pig Lunar year, the 8th of February 1972, the Lord once again advised the secular world and His true disciples that Lord Maitreya was incarnate through a poem the Lord wrote and also typed Himself. Its translated version is shown as follows:
[14] The Four (Kinds of) Followers: Tao Believers, Wealthy Followers, Dharma Protectors, and Attendants.
LOVE POEM OF REBIRTH
In memory of the Lunar Year of the Goat (1918)
In a beautiful day, with blue sky and sweet sunshine,
Small boats with white sails travel far, far away.
Nha-Trang’s seashore is elegant and tranquil this evening
As I recount stories of the past.
That year, winter had just passed as spring drew near.
Fields were abundant with crops throughout the countryside.
People were rejoicing during the first three days of the Lunar New Year Festival,
Letting go of their worries and fears.
Fifty-four years passed... How is the Lunar New Year Festival?
Every house painted by white lime, with a bamboo pole setup,
With red scrolls at both sides of the door
And splendid firecrackers yearning to be attested.
In that moment, people go to and fro,
Buying items to worship the gods,
Having miracles all over the country.
Real or unreal, it depends on the perception of peace.
On the same perfectly bright twenty-fourth day
Of the twelfth month of the lunar year,
I was alone on the clouds in the sky.
The Incarnation-Return was corresponding to this Inferior-Life Period.
If I speak, my words will be in excess.
Today is a natural day of leisure.
They are complete in the Degenerate-Life Period
As arranged by Tathagata[15] to play a scene.
The good, true disciples are my consolation.
We are now warmed by this Dharma Constitution
Provided that under one roof of temple
Everyone joyful of restored enlightenment is what I long for.
–TỊNH VƯƠNG NHẤT TÔN
The Tao Dharma Birthday: December 24th
Lunar Year of the Pig (February 8, 1972)
[15] Như Lai, which means Returning Suchness in Vietnamese.
“Letting go of their worries and fears.”
The First World War (1914-1918) had ended. Humankind, especially those in third-world countries, endured through the Second World War (1939-1945). With the Geneva Convention of 1954, many were in fear of wars’ invasions. In the harsh background of 1918, signaling an increasingly chaotic situation, the Lord came into being and was one year old.
“Having miracles all over the country.”
While the people go about shopping for Vietnamese New Year items, the entire invisible group of Dragon Deities, Land Deities, Four Teams of Deities, and Supreme Deities around the Lord’s dwelling place are accomplishing miracles all over to protect Him.
“Real or unreal, it depends on the perception of peace.”
Perceived peace enables the citizens to joyfully shop for the Vietnamese New Year. However, from a broader perspective, the seeds of a Third World War were already planted, and the peace is therefore both real and unreal.
“On the same perfectly bright twenty-fourth day”
The perfectly bright twenty-fourth day was a special day, as it rarely occurred on this date. Why? Because this date of that Lunar year of the Goat (1918), according to the Chinese calendar, was the first day of spring, the ending of winter. The weather was changing to a bright spring.
“I was alone on the clouds in the sky.
The Incarnation-Return was corresponding to this Inferior-Life Period.”
From Tusita Heaven, the Lord penetrated the atmosphere and layers of clouds and stepped into the human world. The Incarnation-Return: For a long time, the Buddhist sutra used these words to signal the wait for Lord Maitreya. Now, the Lord wrote them down in order to remind the human world that it is now the Inferior Life, a very appropriate time for Him to save the world.
“If I speak, my words will be in excess.
Today is a natural day of leisure.”
The Lord knew how true His words were. The Lord spoke the truth in superfluous words in this period because living beings were insanely chaotic and could not believe them. As for the Lord, He remained calm, just as He had vowed to do.
“They are complete in the Degenerate-Life Period
As arranged by Tathagata to play a scene.”
In the Degenerate-Life Period, humankind has freely created harmful poisons. As for the Lord, He already knew that this was a play arranged by Tathagata to proceed toward the Superior-Life Period.
“The good, true disciples are my consolation.
... Everyone joyful of restored enlightenment is what I long for.”
Although the human world is proceeding freely in making harmful poisons, the Lord is still joyful that a number of true disciples seeking enlightenment are following Him. The Long-Hoa expected by most Tao practitioners is:
DHARMA CONSTITUTION VIETNAMESE BUDDHISM
And Lord Maitreya of the past is now hidden under the appellation TỊNH VƯƠNG NHẤT TÔN, being the leader of the Dharma Constitution and the Master of the original Tao Dharma. The Lord claimed the title of SANGHA CHIEF NHẤT TÔN. [16]
When the Lord was born, He had a beautiful body with good and bright features, but His parents were very poor. Their house in the countryside was made of bamboo walls caulked with clay and hay and had a thatch roof. The Invisible Dragon-Deity Dharma Protector saw such a house and thus pretended to appear as a terrifying devil. Seeing that terrifying devil, His mother was frightened; she held her baby and ran to the cleaner, taller house of a relative. As the Lord was only three days old at the time, His eyes were hurt by the sunshine, and His right eye was severely damaged.
This was an omen of Tathagata, the root capability of living beings in the Degenerate-Life Period, meaning that the Buddha was incarnate, but they could not see Him. It is only by the Patriarchs’ virtuous merits, an empty mind, and a mind practicing Tao Dharma toward enlightenment that the great conditions to come to Him could be attained.
The Lord continued teaching: “It is very easy for me to make use of my supernatural power to have the 32 ideal body features of the Buddhas. But in this Dharma-Ending Age, the living beings favor color, form, and sound. If I were to appear that way, they would only come to worship Me and not practice correcting their bad characteristics, which would be useless.”
[16] SANGHA means a community of monks and nuns.
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