CHAPTER IV: TRANSMISSION OF THE PRECIOUS DHARMA
C. DOCTRINE
7. The Seal-Indication III of The Lord’s Teaching: The Assimilation with Human Beings, The Salvation Dharma in The Eastern Salvation Period
7.1 Under the Divergence of Judgment
7.2 Why has the Oracle Scriptures come into being? The Like-the-Truth Judgement
LORD MAITREYA AND LONG HOA
CHAPTER I: Bodhisattva Maitreya's Past Incarnations
CHAPTER II: Where Did I Come From?
CHAPTER III: Appearance as A Layman
CHAPTER IV: Transmission of The Precious Dharma
A. DHARMA PRACTICE IN CONFORMITY WITH THE SUPREME PRINCIPLE OF THE BUDDHAS
B. VIRTUE: Joyful Detachment Is Virtue
C. DOCTRINE
CHAPTER V: A Nation of Peace and Delight
THE SEAL–INDICATION III
7.1 Under the Divergence of Judgment
Discussing about the judgment, most of judgments are disagreeable, self-generating differentiation. Therefore, the similarity leading to bosom friend is very rare. Why are there often such disagreeable judgments? That is because the agreeable judgment only exists in places with the same level and similar circumstances, in which homogeneous classes are born, without distinction. If most human beings were of the same degree or lived together in the same situation and were in concord among them, they would mature in a unique mass. Otherwise, if each of them self-judges, only basing on themselves, then their own judgment belongs to the personal judgment. —T. V.
C. DOCTRINE
1. What Is the Enlightenment about Form?
2. The Salvation Guidance of Reverend Tịnh Vương, Incarnating Lord Supreme Maitreya
3. The Abstract Period: Salvation at The Low Level (Hinayana)
4. The Suchness Truth Period: Salvation at The High Level (Mahayana)
6. Teaching, Screening and Choosing Dharma Protectors, Venerables, and Bodhisattvas
8. The One-Essence Period of Salvation Through The One Level (Ekayana)
9. The Period of Unsurpassable Special-Principle: Salvation at The Supreme Level
An ordinary person often opposes when hearing things different to their idea — their individuality and personal character caused them to react, that is ordinary. Those who have learned to become sacred must know how to be ascendant, and must also know how to lean on thousands of Dharmas to seek for liberation. They must exercise the ready joyful detachment on hearing contrary things, reviewing all rebelliousness generated from their own body to control and dominate it.
If having the same level of seeking for enlightenment, same difficult situations, one must be determinedly joyful and detached to avoid rebelliousness. One then is corresponding to the holy Tao practitioner and immediately assimilating with him; It will be immeasurable beneficial.
Because of such causes there are four types of judgments classified, according to the Buddha Path, which are diverged by different seeds. The first type is the human being intelligence, the second is the Fairy and Deity intelligence, the third is the Bodhisattva intelligence and the fourth is the Buddha intelligence. —T. V.
Because there is the divergence, there are four types of intelligence classified, according to the Buddha Path.
The first type is the human being intelligence, also called the living being intelligence. For living beings, they could only see and know through forms and shapes. Without the form and shape, living beings could not see and know.
The second type is the Fairy and Deity intelligence. Those with the Fairy or Deity intelligence are living by relying on their thoughts, also making use of fixed thoughts to train their supernatural power. They observe the universe and use fixed thoughts to absorb quintessence–energy–spirit to nourish their body for longevity, and keep away from the secular world. That is an error. The Deva intelligence, also including in this category, uses the authority as a way of life; they are usually intelligent.
The third type is the Bodhisattva intelligence. The One of Bodhisattva intelligence is conducting His vow to penetrate deeply to all Dharma precepts, including human being intelligence and Fairy-Deity intelligence, to seek for the great intelligence. By completely salvaging living being natures, He is flexible; His mind is quintessential, knowing how to use thousands of Dharmas, later knowing how to use those miraculously. He therefore thoroughly comprehends the Tathagata Constitution to attain the Buddha intelligence.
As for the Buddha intelligence, only the Buddhas can fully and clearly explain it.
By using [thousands of Dharmas], the Bodhisattva rank lives among the living beings without being polluted. That means not losing the sacred mind among the secular. They also have the great intelligence to accordingly save living beings, with flexibility in the previous minute as well as in the later minute, without being known, neither strictly following the sutra nor leaving it, so they are always right when using their intelligence. The rank of Bodhisattva intelligence always awakens themselves to free their mind from entanglements in situations so that enlightenment appears. That is the only way.
When the One attains the Unsurpassable True Enlightenment becoming a Buddha, every one of His words and His gestures is miraculously used, all of them are the Miraculous Dharma Connecting Flowers of the Buddha Intelligence. By the Buddha intelligence, He entirely manages and examines all over, from the Bodhisattva rank to the Two-Levels (Dviyana) rank of Arahant, Pratyeka, Sravaka, and the Precept-Buddha to the secular humankind. The One of Buddha intelligence could examine from the top to the bottom, from the interior to the exterior, and because He has clearly understood all seeds of natures of living beings and of Bodhisattvas, He therefore attains the Buddha Fruit. He thoroughly knows every stratum of judgment ranks—what are their attachments and what is their true reward or retribution; He is no longer entangled and thus completely liberated. —T. V.
In this Dharma-Ending Age, Bodhisattva Maitreya returned; the Lord attained the Supreme Miraculous Fruit becoming the Buddha. The Lord therefore had to harmoniously use the form and formlessness, belonging to the Dharma of tranquility and disturbance in order to wake up all true disciples’ characters, in the right time of 1975, when the Vietnam society was in chaos and the world was anxious about world war. The Lord, with His Buddha intelligence, examined to see and know that the Tathagata Constitution was also moving chaotically. That was the right time to make use of the formlessness to attain the Buddha Fruit.
With Reverend Sangha Chief, though the Lord was respected and adored by the Four Followers, He gave it up, determining to carry out the abandonment of the self and self-possession. From His words to His affectionate acts with His concubine, all were intended to be revealed to His followers who heard and saw them in generally or particularly. According to their profound or superficial faith, all were making them have no opposition by the fact. Once a true disciple was able to receive this, their flowering Dharma nature became softer, they then immediately understood the liveliness and practicality of “THE MIRACULOUS DHARMA CONNECTING FLOWERS” in life, with no more reciting, praying and supplicating while the eyes were not seeing, and the ears were not hearing Miraculous Dharma Connecting Flowers. The Enlightened One, having the Buddha intelligence, could see the Tathagata Constitution thus transported to open the Miraculous Dharma Connecting Flowers in accord with the times in order to attain the Buddha Fruit.
The Lord meticulously saw with the Tathagata Constitution’s Eyes lighting everywhere, profoundly understanding all Tao practitioners. Some were still interested and joyfully following the Lord, supporting the Lord when the chaotic scenes occurred with Him. Some were ascendant yet kept still; some felt uncomfortable but continued to believe and follow Him; some were discontented, left, and disbelieved; others strongly opposed and considered it as an unethical matter and a characteristic of animals. Thereby, the Lord could identify and profoundly understand all their levels, resulting in the classification: some were allowed to be close to Him, some were able to come only when having Dharma, and while others were forbidden to hear, see, or meet Him. The Lord thoroughly knew all living beings’ precepts, the Sravaka conduct, Pratyeka conduct, Arahant conduct, and the Bodhisattva conduct, up to the Buddha Fruit that is the Miraculous Bodhi Fruit.
Speaking of human beings, the illumination from the inferior to the superior is extremely difficult. They must rely on the virtuous merits of Tathagata. Thanks to those merits, they can gradually observe and be aware of natures, and to gradually dissolve their unconsciousness. Otherwise, they naturally judge and criticize at random, that is called ‘secular criticizing Buddha’s work.’ Because of that the Buddha said: “You should know that human beings could not understand the Fairy and Deity intelligence. Fairies and Deities could not understand those of the Two-Levels (Dviyana) like Arahant, Pratyeka, and Sravaka intelligence. Those of the Two-Levels (Dviyana) could not understand the Bodhisattva intelligence. Bodhisattvas could never understand the Buddhas. Must carry out the conduct and vow to seek for the True Knowledge becoming the Buddha.” —T. V.
Living beings could not understand the work of the Fairy-Deity intelligence. The Fairy and Deity rank could not understand the intelligence of the Two-Levels (Dviyana) like Arahant, Pratyeka, and Sravaka. The Two-Levels (Dviyana) rank could not understand the Bodhisattva intelligence. The Bodhisattva rank could not understand the Buddha intelligence. That is extremely difficult. That is an eternal illness.
Therefore, because of their unconscious error, the inferiors often criticize the work of the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, that is called “secular criticizing Buddha's work.” Being joyfully detached to turn towards Tathagata virtuous merits, no longer having the opposition, overcoming the doubt until the moment of adequacy, one will suddenly intuit, escaping from human being’s intelligence. That is why the Lord opened the way of Enlightened Intelligence to Tao practitioners in the Dharma-Ending Age, but few of them could recognize it. The majority has commented and criticized it, thus could not clearly understand what the practice for liberation is.
The Enlightened One usually knows thoroughly all the basic abilities, levels, and aspirations of humans, Immortals, Gods, and Taoists at different levels in the Six Paths - those who have reached a certain level of achievement. or have not yet achieved it.
The divergence of judgment results from inadequate knowledge; when one’s knowledge is not profound and complete, they are often intransigent and attached. Once the knowledge is profound and truly clear, it is the enlightenment itself. The Enlightened One usually know thoroughly every rooted capability, levels, and aspirations of humans, Fairies, Deities, and Tao practitioners, who have reached a certain level of achievement or have not yet achieved it, in the Six Taos. The One of the Buddha intelligence, miraculously using, could identify clearly as a great physician, who know well the pharmacology of every medicine and every disease of the patients to treat appropriately. Therefore, when this One is present in front of the human beings, Arahants or Fairies, Deities, whatever their rank and degree may be, He could make them free from difference, become peaceful and joyful with equality. Depending the opportunity and according to the will of the living beings’ precepts, His presence through the guestures and words, all are in concord and assimilation with living beings. All that He has done is of Miraculous Use. —T. V.
The Enlightened One broadly observed in this Dharma-Ending Age, until the year of 2539 of the Buddhist calendar: The Patriarchs and Dharma Protectors in the past were all fully gathered in Long-Hoa Association, their rooted-nature of seeking the Tao Dharma was all fervent, therefore testing was needed to classify true and false.
The Lord immediately used contrary acts in a miraculous way; the Four Followers were all astonished, manifesting their manner of practice, which were choosing the noble and abandoning the rough; choosing the clean and discarding the dirty; inclined towards praise and away from criticism and disapproval. Most of them, about ninety percent of the Tao practitioners in Long-Hoa, preferred tranquility to chaos and became permanently isolated in a state of stillness, unable to progress on the Bodhisattva path.
Gradually through His deportment and teaching words, the Lord selected each doubt attachment of the faithful true disciples to open Dharmas for their sake, making their mind awakened so that they could—after recognizing from His opening—develop their Buddhist intelligence, thereby clearly understanding the Knowing-Seeing Buddha; some of them acquired the Buddha's Knowledge-Sight to reach True Enlightenment. The Lord miraculously used contrary acts, causing almost all the inhabitancy of Nha Trang to decry and consider that was the paganism. Only a few of the Lord’s true disciples continued to support and follow Him. They carried out the non-attachment and non-opposition in the presence of chaotic scenes.
The Lord realized the living beings’ level must be like that, it could not be higher. If there were some who could be free from attachment and opposition, they would be like the Patriarchs and Dharma Protectors of the past. But with the level of the human being intelligence, it was difficult to find people with compassion and joyfully detachment like Tao practitioners in the Dharma place.
The divergence of judgment creates a difficult problem for the concordance. It can be said that Tao practitioners have not acquired the Essence of Mind entirely, profoundly, and meticulously. For instance, the time when the Buddha was still in the world, the Bodhisattvas were brought up and guided by the Lord. However, the Bodhisattvas still make mistakes in judging right and wrong, wrong and right. Contemporaneously, Lord Vimalakirti was incarnated as a bourgeois to dissolve their unconscious attachment. How could anyone in this period of Lost Dharma have correct judgments? —T. V.
The Lord came to life in this Lost Dharma Period with the purpose of opening up the Dharma, helping those who practice the Dharma rise higher than human beings. If the nature of Tao practitioners was poisonous, yet they were self-conceited and self-satisfied, they were even inferior to an ordinary good man, how could they detoxify themselves to be better than the human being mind? The Lord had to create Dharmas of contrary acts, showing Tao practitioners to lean on the footprints of Bodhisattvas to be ascendant in presence of real scenes. So that their living-being mind necessarily knew how to correct and control their natures in order to relieve their heavy karma, later they would mature and acquire the Essence of Mind.
Those who have disagreed and opposed the Lord’s miraculous uses made the concord impossible. Therefore, it was extremely difficult for them to be assimilated to advance into the rank of Holy Humans and Divine Saints. The Four Followers, who had been in the past time of the Shakyamuni Buddha, were in the same state of mind of divergence. Therefore, from 1250 of them, only 10 Venerables and a few Bodhisattvas in the existent time were attested.
Because of the divergence and disagreement in the judgment, whatever the Enlightened Ones have said, the erroneous unconscious ones have been never able to understand it. Therefore, the erroneous unconscious ones must practice diligently to develop their virtuous deeds, executing the Six Pāramitās to have effortful deeds in order to partly understand the Buddha's words. Because it is difficult to hear and understand, the Buddha has said, “Living beings have never ever read the sutras”. Such are the above words; on the contrary, living beings of human intelligence have recited and known by heart the sutras, wonderfully! Talking about mishearing, here’s an example: During the time when Venerable Bodhidharma came from Tibet to China, he met King Liang Wu. The King was of human being intelligence, so he recognized himself to be the King. While the Patriarch of Buddha intelligence, who knew well what if the King was seeking for Tao Dharma. The Patriarch thus preached Dharmas to be acquired, according to the level of a receiver, to become a Buddha, Bodhisattva, or Arahant. Because of the two ways of judging, they became divergent and disagreeable. —T. V.
As explained previously, the Patriarch was at the term of emptiness about his action, but he was at the Unique Level (Ekayana) on theory. Therefore, the King who did not understand the Patriarch’s words became disagreeable. When a Tao practitioner, despite their long practice, still becoming opposed in the presence of the contrary, they’re readily in divergence and disagreement, not understanding the Buddha’s works and thus, they remain in unconscious error. They must practice on correcting their natures, developing virtuous deeds, and carrying out the Six Pāramitās until having sufficient effortful deeds and no longer having any opposition, they can then understand some parts of what the Buddha has taught. That is why those who do not practice on correction, having plenty of divergence and opposition, though reading thousands and thousands of sutras, are still considered by the Buddha as never reading sutra at all.
The King then asked the Patriarch: “Do you know who I am?”
“No,” answered the Patriarch. That made the King disbelieve the Patriarch was the Buddha, when not recognizing there was no place for the worship.
Nevertheless, the King continued asking: “Reverend, I have built more than forty-eight thousand (48,000) pagodas and stupas, offering the places for all monks and nuns to practice in my country, was that my virtuous merits?”
“No,” answered the Patriarch. King Liang Wu was discontented; the Patriarch had to be recluse, turning his face to the wall for nine years without spreading the Tao Dharma.
Why did Patriarch Bodhidharma answer that there were no virtuous merits? Because of the Buddha Level (Buddhayana)’s One Principle, we ourself must practice the Dharma, and the virtuous merits must be created by ourself to be called virtuous merits. Otherwise, if we have built pagodas and stupas for others to practice, while we did not practice the Dharma one day by ourself that was not virtuous merits. That was only the practice for the blessed rewards of Divine Humans, so the Patriarch answered “No”. —T. V.
With his existing mind and will, the King believed the Patriarch was the Buddha. But in presence of the sudden teachings’ answer of the Patriarch, the King could not recognize it. Hence in his thought, he disbelieved the Patriarch was the Buddha and thus, he became opposed and divergent. The divergence is present in living beings for all times, especially in those who practice for the blessed rewards of Divine Humans, it will be difficult for them to comprehend the truth of the One Level (Ekayana).
Even for those of the Primary Bodhisattva rank, the miraculous use of the Buddhas is difficult to understand, how could those of the Two-Levels (Dviyana) rank and of human intelligence know it? Therefore, The Founding Master often entered into the True Contemplation; the Lord meticulously knew all levels of Bodhisattvas and faithful followers: what they are thinking, each of them has their own reason, a different judgment. Some judged in such a way and believed themselves to be right, the others judged in this, that, or another way and all of them were right, according to their level of effortful deeds and ability. —T. V.
The Buddha Path has only one level that is the Supreme Level; one Dharma subject that is the Supreme True Enlightenment. However, for the Bodhisattvas as well as Arahants, Precept-Buddhas, Pratyekas, and Sravakas, Fairies, Deities, and strata of living beings, each class, each Tao practitioner has a different judgment, thus a different reason for their practice. The Founding Master knew it meticulously, so depending on each case, the Lord enlighten them with an appropriate means, all of which became the great means of teaching for the Four Followers.
It was the same in this Period of Return. Reverend Long-Hoa Sangha Chief also knew thoroughly all classes of the Four Followers and living beings. The Lord used all the means to teach them without omission for 37 years. Some of them with a profound rooted capability could receive the truth and carried it out profoundly and successfully. There were also many who left things intact after hearing the teaching, becoming the theory without action. Many others were well spoken in preaching but were defeated in the practice because they were unable to overcome their karma power.
The Lord then said: “You all should know that what you judged today to be righteous, that righteousness belonging to today, may not belong for tomorrow. In some future days, it may remain righteous, but the righteousness for those future days may not be completely right to the Authentic Enlightenment. Therefore, you must practice gradually through many stages, overcoming many obstructions to attain the adequate Buddha intelligence to judge truly and judiciously.” —T. V.
In the time of The Founding Master, the Lord has opened the truth to the Four Followers to apply it in practicing Tao Dharma. Until now, the truth has remained righteous after 2500 years in the Buddhist calendar, but the great means applying to this Period of Return must be renovated. Why? It is because in the period of advanced civilization and science, the Tathagata Constitution has transformed excessively. The Enlightened One like the Supreme Maitreya Buddha with the Tathagata-Constitution’s Eyes could see that this is the essential time to make everyone recognize the flowering Dharma natures chaotically manifesting to become enlightened; and to make everyone able to judge the righteousness of yesterday that might not be righteous for today. Thereby, they could have the intuition, no longer being known to attain the all-embracing knowledge, the complete acquisition to the True Enlightenment.
Therefore, the Lord has reformed to allow the Dharma Constitution monks and nuns to take on the characteristics of a laypeople to correspond with the bloom of the Tathagata Constitution. As laypeople, they often had chaotic family scenes with the bloom of their Dharma-nature flowers, which required them—Tao practitioners—to resolve it. The Lord relied on these facts to guide faithful practitioners towards the Supreme Truth. Those who disbelieved, doubted, and opposed were unable to keep up with the Lord’s forefinger pointing out; they remained still while the Tathagata Constitution transforming and considered as a failure in an examination despite their presence in Long-Hoa Association.
The following story will illustrate how extremely difficult it is to understand a judgment of the Buddha Intelligence – True Enlightenment. It is only by sufficient effortful deeds in practicing Tao Dharma that one could judge its miraculousness and interestingness. Otherwise, one will not understand it by human being intelligence.
There is a Meditation Master attaining the True Enlightenment – Buddha Intelligence who could entirely observe, thoroughly understand, and judiciously judge all ranks of Tao practitioners. He is thinking: it’s very hard to make them all judiciously judge in the same way, to resolve their own mistakes so that they could achieve the True Enlightenment.
At that time, the Meditation Master often tranquilly sits to pacify Dharmas, making a place of the peaceful nourishing nation, waiting for the day of his entering the Eight Masses of Nirvana, since He know well that it is not the time of great salvation. Why? It’s because living beings are living in a peaceful and favorable period, it’s thus hard for them to practice the Tao Dharma, it’s also hard to have a Tao practitioner who could generate their mind to practice for seeking liberation through solving. Waiting until the Eastern Salvation Period when living beings are abundant with thoughts, ambitions and accumulated karma, thousands of Dharmas are flexible, and the Tathagata’s utilization is transforming, it’s able to give birth for the equal salvation. Because of the above reasons, the Meditation Master then fully uses the emptiness as the peaceful nourishing nation. —T. V.
In the confidences of the Meditation Master attaining the True Enlightenment – Buddha Intelligence, he recognized that it would be too difficult to make living beings know what the True Dharma is, so that they could resolve their own mistakes to be free from them. He must wait for the occasion until the Tathagata’s utilization are transformed, the Dharmas are unrestful and chaotic, and living beings are encountering difficult times of life, so generating ambitions — that is the time for capably using the Dharma of equal salvation, making living beings enlightened. Because when living beings were still in a prosperous life and a peaceful society, no one thought of practicing Dharma to seek enlightenment.
One day, a great writer who has studied the sutras, sincerely and earnestly practicing for seeking the truth, paid a homage to visit the Meditation Master. He respectfully asked:
– “Dear Meditation Master, would you please teach me how to reach the Enlightenment about Truth—clearly know the True Enlightenment?” He then kept standing aside.
–The Meditation Master smiled and answered him: “Keep on practicing and seeking, if I say right now, you will immediately curse me.” After saying that, the Meditation Master then tranquilly sat, and the great writer left. Twenty years later, the great writer has practiced in tranquilly sitting; just raising his cup of tea immediately dropped it, the broken cup resounded the Intuition! The great writer then stood up, faced towards the Meditation Master direction, and solemnly bowed down. That is wonderful, and hard to recognize, but once the Intuition is recognized, it is the best of all. —T. V.
“…Keep on practicing and seeking, if I say right now, you will immediately curse me…”
So, what is the characteristic of seeking for True Enlightenment that when taught those who seek enlightenment, they must curse back? In fact, the Enlightened One acts practically for the sake of faithful practitioners so that they could recognize the non-ego and the non-possession.
Speaking of the non-ego: For example, when the Enlightened One expels you from the Dharma practice path, excluding you from the Dharma community, you will be unwilling and curse at Him if you still have your insubstantial self.
About the non-possession: Every ordinary human is fond of three things—material, fame, and love. Everyone is cultivating and protecting these things. If you are practicing Dharma to seek enlightenment with a living being mind, the Good-Intelligent-Awakened One, like a great physician will miraculously use contrary Dharmas to one of these three things. If you are joyful and ascendant, you will be enlightened up to fully enlightened.
If you are seeking for True Enlightenment, the Good-Intellectual-Awakened One will miraculously use the disturbed Dharmas of all three things. Being ascendant, completely helping living being natures, you will attain True Enlightenment, based on the facts, not the theory.
The Meditation Master did not open Dharmas for this great writer because he, first, did not have sufficient TRUST, OBEDIENCE, and RESPECT. Secondly, the great writer was practicing Dharma by learning and studying, not by correcting his nature, so it was impossible to open Dharmas for him. If losing his honor, the great writer would curse against the Master — By not practicing on correcting his nature, it is thus very dangerous to open Dharmas for him. If it was someone else who had the authority, he could even kill the Good-Intelligent-Awakened Enlightened One. In facts, it is only by Sudden Teachings that one will be awakened. The Sudden Teachings give rise to the doubt; in relieving the doubt, one will be awakened.
No doubt is without awakening.
Little doubt creates little awakening.
Great doubt creates great awakening.
A Tao practitioner seeking for enlightenment must endure dishonors, make concessions and be patient to control their living being natures, becoming a great person of control and clearing their living being natures out. The idiots, seeing a true disciple who is practicing for True Enlightenment excluded—because of the Master’s miraculous utilization, are hasty to enjoy and disparage it. These idiots will waste all their labors even through countless lifetimes of practicing Dharma. They are not different with the one, who engages in the Dharma practice but does not apply themselves to practice Dharma and keeps on requesting the Enlightened One to give their DUE, the blessed rewards of Divine Humans to enjoy the happiness.
Because of that, the great writer then had to follow the footprints of the Meditation Master’s disciples. Later, he paid attention to correct his natures, being ‘Self-Nature, Awareness of Nature’, and leaning on thousands of Dharmas to achieve harmony. Once getting plenty of virtuous deeds to offer to Tathagata and having extraordinary effortful deeds, he then intuitively awakened when dropping his cup of tea. That moment was 20 years later! The Meditation Master reached His old age and left the world. The great writer repented because there no longer had the Enlightened One to gratefully prostrate himself before the Lord, he therefore faced towards the Enlightened One’s direction, bowed down and expressed his gratitude for his enlightenment.
If the great writer was not attached to his education—which gave rise to his self-conceit—nor was attracted by the fame and possession, he could readily be awakened by just one teaching word from the Enlightened One and did not need to wait until 20 years later!
DURING THIS DHARMA-ENDING AGE:
All the human beings as well as the Four Species have lost their way of the Dharma practice, losing the orthodoxy of the precious Dharma. That makes them unable to recognize the direction of their practice. Therefore, they are practicing according to their demands and their desires, studying by their human reason along with their brain of insubstantial human intelligence, together with dream and ambition. The more they are willing to seek for the way of liberation through knowing–seeing–solving, the more they are caught in their selves; it’s only because this period of accumulation generates plenty of thoughts that become objectionable reasons and objectionable facts. Therefore, they prefer practicing whichever Dharma subject where there is attainment without cultivation. They’re merely wishing to penetrate the wonderful True Enlightenment without fulfilling and without really practicing Dharma. The Tao practitioners, who base themselves on the True Nature to practice Dharma, are truly rare. Though some are practicing in the True Nature, they are not practicing achieving the Complete Enlightenment. From the Buddhist disciples to the practitioners of the Fairy path, all are attached to the illusory dream and looking for it. Very few of them have leaned on the Miraculous Utilization and Practical Use in order to penetrate Dharma precepts. Therefore, they are putting the Truly Enlightened words of the Buddha teachings in the illusion and confusion of human being intelligence, expecting the Buddha coming to world in accordance with their wishes. —T. V.
For Reverend Long-Hoa Sangha Chief, the Supreme True Venerable in this Period of His Return in the Dharma-Ending Age, the Lord thoroughly witnessed that the majority of Tao practitioners have gone astray in practicing the Dharma, not recognizing the correct path, right towards enlightenment. The most popular way to practice is to practice according to the practitioner’s wishes. If there are some, who are willing to practice liberating themselves through knowing, seeing, and solving, they are still caught in their karma of the ego, holding their enormous self.
Even the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas with good will, coming close to them, aiming at reforming them, teaching them to practice the self-correction, could not save them. Everywhere is inclined to the material, form, and sound, praying and supplicating; no one is paying attention to correct their own natures. The Dharma practice, therefore, is becoming that of expectation and illusion in the dreaminess.
The Lord’s Miraculous Utilization has intentively waited for monks and nuns coming, but none of them has arrived. Some of them are waiting for the coming into world of Long-Hoa and of Lord Maitreya according to their own conception while the Lord already appeared right in Nha Trang in His flesh and blood, just like every other living person.
The Founding Master clearly knew that in this Dharma Ending Age, living beings would prophesy with worldly eyes and human intelligence, read the sutras while being attached to words, and rely on their illusory superstition. Because of that, their rooted capability would be deficient and as fragile as a clay casserole, so the Lord said:
“The explanation by following strictly the sutra will make the Buddhas’ Three Postures become a victim of injustice.
By leaving just one word of the sutra, they are explaining as the preaching of Devil.”—T. V.
These two verses imply that the sutra is precisely the True Enlightenment’s words, which is impossible to understand by using the literal form. Only through self-enlightenment and enlightening others, one is able to correctly judge it, or conducting the vow – carrying out the use, one is thus able to perceive it. For that reason, reciting of the sutra by heart, one readily is in the being-known and in difficulty to understand the Buddha intelligence.
The Founding Master Shakyamuni Buddha ordained Lord Maitreya to return to the world in the year of 2500 of the Buddhist calendar to save living beings completely. That meant The Founding Master thoroughly knew in the Period of [His] Return and Dharma-Ending, there would not be true practice and true attainment, but strictly following the sutras through learning and studying then attaching to word by word, and extensively explaining them to be considered as high dignity.
Living beings observe and deduce through their ordinary eyes, only seeing the form and not being able to see the formless. Therefore, the Lord recommended the Bodhisattvas in the Period of Return to lean on living beings’ unconsciousness then gradually detach it — Should not openly point it out, which will make them resent and leave, like a fragile clay casserole that will be broken by a hard touch.
So, what needs to be pointed out openly to get the intuition, no longer strictly following the sutra? Those with knowing and seeing will point out the bad habits, the cruel character of living beings right in their daily life, at their home, at their work where they are in contact with all precepts to relieve their toxicity. One day being completely clean, they will get the intuitive seeing and knowing without error.
As for the intuition, it’s no longer following the sutras exactly; the intuition’s words are the entire collection of sutras through hearing, seeing, and knowing in the secular world, outside the secular world and everywhere in the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds, so it’s not separate from the Buddha’s sutras either. Clarifying everything at the right time, in the perfect right place, that is not separate from the sutra, that is a collection of sutras generated by self-enlightenment; Whether it differs from worldly thinking or acts contrary to the world, it is always correct because it aims to relieve the toxicity of living beings and therefore, it must be so. Those who criticize it will be left far behind.
In His skillful preaching of the Dharma, the Buddha delicately showed living beings and believers the way to understand the Dharma. The Lord loved all Four Species as a mother who loves her three-months-old baby. The Lord analyzed the difference between the practice of self-enlightenment, and that of passive enlightenment. The Lord said that if you were practicing with passive enlightenment even becoming a Buddha you would be a Buddha who results from fixed thoughts of the Buddha form. The Lord then pointed at the sutra’s surface titled “The Great Means of Buddha to Acknowledge the Sutra.” That meant to be the true Buddha, a Tao practitioner must cultivate until attaining the Buddha Intelligence – True Enlightenment. Through reciting the sutra by heart, even becoming a Buddha later, that still bounds to be the Great Means of Buddha to Acknowledge the Sutra. Those are the miraculous utilization’s words in such a meticulous and wonderful manner of the Lord of Supreme Will who has taken meticulous care of all living beings. —T. V.
As mentioned previously, many of the Tao practitioners who are erroneous in using fixed thoughts, believing in their own minds to be a Buddha, will remain countless lives in the Precept-Buddha, which is very hard to detach once they are caught in this attachment. By hearing a verse of sutra or reading the sutra, later being enlightened is called the enlightenment about the sutra. The sutra is the great means passed down by the Buddha to practice the self-enlightenment. If awakened by the sutra, one should acknowledge the sutra as the Buddha. While receiving the teaching of the genuine Buddha, a practitioner will later intuit without being caught in the enlightenment of hypothesis or doctrine.
Hardly! Human beings have lost the Dharma, mistaking the orthodoxy by those who are illusory and greedy for fame, desire, and profit, exploiting the human reasons to propagate the Buddhism through their attitude of immovable sitting and predicting. They are neither sincere nor eager in seeking for the Tao Dharma, not resolving their own unconsciousness, not demolishing attachment, and not leaving their ego in order to attain the Buddha intelligence.
I still remember at the time when The Founding Master becoming the Buddha, the Lord’s appellation is THE FOUNDING MASTER SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA. The Lord is believed and obeyed by the Four Followers through the quality of the Reverend Master, not really the Supreme True Enlightenment Founding Master. Thus, the Buddha says: “You are trusting Me as your Venerable Master, if I have been truly your Venerable Master, you obviously could have been liberated through knowing, seeing, and solving. Why? Because there are thousands and thousands of Venerable Masters in your body, that has prevented you, thus your trust and obedience has not been in the state of wholehearted worship becoming a Buddha.” These teaching words of The Founding Master are enough to allow the faithful followers to understand such things, even in the time of True Dharma with the existent Buddha. The Four Followers in that time still judged wrongly and they judged by the form of the Crown Prince Siddhartha or by their personal habits and view, which were forming their Master just like the common behavior today. —T. V.
As for the truth, one is recognizing it or not. If they could recognize it, their hearing–seeing–knowing would be perfectly communicated with the truth. The Lord often taught: “By just one word, you can know and see the Buddha.” Tao practitioners, just by eliminating invasive externals, would reach a moment of intuition – unwavering mind. If being full of ambitions and desires, Tao practitioners would be caught in the ignorance, though hearing the Lord’s preaching uncountable times in their whole life, still not receiving any of it.
Ambitions and desires are the consciousness karma progressing immeasurably and mastering ourself, causing us to live in ignorance through countless lifetimes with it; truly it is hard to see the ignorance by ourself. Only with sufficient virtuous merits, one could meet a Buddha or a Bodhisattva who could open Dharmas through His seeing to demolish ignorance for us.
In the case of this Period of Return and Lost Dharma, first one is willing to practice for the knowing–seeing and for the liberation through solving, but rapidly becomes discontented and leaves the Dharma practice whenever their individuality and personality are touched; secondly, one is hoping for the apparition of the Buddha in this Dharma-Ending Age. And now the Supreme Maitreya Buddha has appeared in the world under the aspect of Long-Hoa opening Tao Dharma. By that mind-will of individuality and personality, how could this one recognize this event? Therefore, whenever by chance this one could meet the Lord or practice right in the Long-Hoa, how could they recognize Him? While one is unable to recognize, their faith is deficient; being deficient in faith, their effortful deeds decrease too, then how could they achieve seeing and knowing? While one could not see and know the One Essence, one would never attain the enlightenment. —T. V.
Secular people hope for the apparition of Long-Hoa according to their own extraordinary wishes and expectations. If meeting Long-Hoa where they are shown to practice the correction, according to the footprint of the Patriarchs who tread in the past, they soon get tired of it. Because this type of practice differs from the individuality and personality of living beings, they could not recognize the Dharma subject of liberation through knowing, seeing, and solving. Not recognizing the truth, they certainly could not recognize the Supreme Maitreya Buddha who was opening the Tao Dharma for them. Once not seeing and knowing what the path of practice leading to enlightenment is, then in any lifetime it is just the same, even if they meet the next coming Buddha, who will not be able to save them either.
Under the divergence of judgment of the human intelligence towards the Buddha, who did plenty of works of the miraculous utilization; But the more numerous sicknesses of the living beings are, the more prescribed treatments that Buddha must utilize. The Buddha could only cease to make miraculous utilization once living beings got no more sickness. Because of that the Buddha appearing to the world must undergo countless bitterness and hardships in every minute, every second. Especially when the Great Powerful Supreme-Buddha are appearing in this Period of Return and Dharma Ending Age, there will be insufficient papers and inks to describe all that the Lord must sufferably undergo for humankind and the Four Followers. All of that is the result of the wavering, insane confusion, and illusion of Buddhist believers. —T. V.
The living beings often do not understand miraculous utilizations of the Buddhas, often giving rise to disagreement. For each disease of the impregnated habit, the Buddha must have a corresponding miraculous utilization. The Buddha will cease His miraculous utilization once living beings are no longer impregnated and become enlightened.
When living beings are polluted with love, the Buddha must use love to detach, in order to free them from the pollution of love. Therefore, the execution of the formless aiming to help living beings to be free from love is often opposed. The Buddha must undergo countless cruel deeds, receiving the bitterness and curses from the living beings as well as the Buddhist believers in every minute, every second. Living beings and true disciples have such objection due to their insanely confusion and illusion.
For example, the doctor is operating on a child's abscess. Unknowingly, the child keeps on screaming and crying to object the doctor. When recovered from the disease and grown, only then, he recognizes his error. Just like the child, living beings unconsciously oppose the help of the Buddhas with their human wisdom.
The Lord’s miraculous utilization of the formless in Nha Trang have triggered unceasing criticisms and curses from living beings. The purpose of opening the Dharma nature flowers, also called Long-Hoa, has aimed to treat the mind disease, in order to cultivate holy followers. In facts, in this Period of Return, only the Lord, who lived among the fire but still miraculously utilized Dharmas to relieve erroneous passions of living beings.
Currently, Buddhist disciples and faithful believers should acknowledge the truth in the two cases where the Venerable Buddha was reborn but being RECLUSE as follows:
The first case: the Lord renounces the family and become a Most Venerable, a Highly Virtuous One, or a Venerable in a temple.
The second case: the Lord is a layman, living at home with His wife and children among the Four Followers. —T. V.
Should not expect for strange phenomenon, such as the explosion of the Thất Sơn Mountains with the Supreme Maitreya Buddha walking out of it. That does not correspond to nature. Because of the oracle scripture, living beings have understood according to their mistaken reason.
If the Lord renounced the family and became a Most Venerable, a Highly Virtuous One, or a Venerable in a temple in this time, the Lord would still have numerous disciples with different classes, different levels of knowledge, from their narrow to their generous minds. But the problem of criticism and censure, according to the human being intelligence, would still remain: The Lord would be criticized as like this or like that; they would say He should do this way or do that way. The Lord’s followers would expect Him to follow strictly their reasons of human being intelligence, from His way of life to His miraculous utilization, so that they would be satisfied. Otherwise, if being different than their consciousness, they would become doubtful and unconsciously attached. Very few of them would believe and obey fully His instructions to leave their self and self-possession to practice diligently with their whole mind to attain the True Intelligence – Buddha Intelligence. The cause of these scenarios where He must sufferably undergo countless bitterness and hardships is the result of the divergence of judgments. —T. V.
If the Lord wanted to completely save living beings when renouncing the family, He must miraculously utilize the form and formlessness, the Buddhist disciples would certainly still criticize and censure Him due to their unconscious mistake. They would expect Him to speak and act according to their self and self-possession. By miraculous utilizations to completely save living beings, the Lord could not avoid the noises and disturbances of the surrounding people, He therefore must undergo measureless bitterness and hardships in every minute every second because of their incomprehension about the works of salvation by the Buddha.
Otherwise, the Lord could appear as a layman, assimilating with human beings, still having His wife and children, as well as the disciples. Among His numerous disciples with different classes and levels of knowledge, their minds would be varying from the narrowness to the generosity. Nevertheless, the matter of human being intelligence’s criticism and censure would not be any less. They perhaps could say like this: the Lord has done this or done that, He should have acted like this or acted that; they could even more criticize and censure on His behavior and His lifestyle—every single movement could be judged under all formalities of condemnation or compliment. For His part, the Lord would miraculously utilize Dharmas to guide humankind to the union of the Tao and life. That would be hard to speak and explain, only the Lord knows it. The Lord must accept all the attachments of the Four Species and the human beings because that is human reason. —T. V.
The Lord appeared in this life as a layman to teach the Tao Dharma, mainly aiming to assimilate the Tao and Life, bringing about the truth to living beings. The Lord had a wife and six children. His lifestyle was similar to that of other families with all the happiness and sadness, joy and sorrow, love and anger. The Lord’s wife and children were sometimes annoyed and quiet. They also had the same needs as others.
In the Tao community, the Four Followers with distinct levels of understanding decried, opposed, and disdained the Lord, considering His family being as ordinary as other families. Seeing with their secular eyes and hearing with their secular ears, they were all rebellious. The morality is the fruit of Gentle Saints. Everyone likes the elegance, but the chaos in every family sometimes, is natural; every family is in the same manner, without difference. The majority of Tao practitioners did not recognize it; though following on the path of truth, many were still attached to the doubt and gave up the Tao.
Besides His disciples and believers in the Tao community, the Lord still has matters with His wife and children. Because of their naïve demands in dreamy competition, His children often complain like: My father should look after us as this or as that. Actually, it is hard to express completely. Only those who lived in this Period of Return could understand it. If living in peace and prosperity, one could not recognize how children behave towards their fathers and wives towards their husbands in the Dharma-Ending Age. As for His wife, who happened to incline to the family demand, the Lord therefore ought to overcome a lot of excessive obstacles and to undergo everything whenever His wife flew into tantrums by scenes progressing. —T. V.
On the outside, the Four Followers and human beings noticed the unusual differences, giving rise to the disagreement. Inside the family, the Lord’s children required needs and desires according to the times. But building the Tao Dharma for living beings, His income was very limited, providing for the children unsatisfactorily. Thus, He was blamed too. It was hard to tell all the scenes of His family.
As for His wife, with her love toward the children, she wanted them to be as sufficient as the other families, she then took the side of the children, and thus the Lord had to undergo plenty of her tantrums. Additionally, there were also other troubled tantrums caused by her jealousy; Unexpectedly, some Buddhist true disciples of all over who paid the Lord a visit witnessed, seeing strange occurring scenes that readily made them doubtfully attached. They later related these events to their Dharma friends once meeting, then all of them left the Lord without coming back. Only one Bodhisattva and three Venerables remained with the Lord, while all the others left after witnessing the chaotic scenes. A few of them, when the situation was settled, sometimes paid a visit to the Lord. The true disciples in other provinces have never witnessed these events; some could hear about them, nevertheless they have still followed the Dharma practice and now became Dharma Protectors in provincial associations of the Dharma Constitution, also known as Long-Hoa Association.
It is easy to renounce the family and practice Tao Dharma in the temple with peace and tranquility. For this reason, we can see The Founding Master purposely ordained Lord Maitreya to return to the world for equal salvation, opening all classes and levels for living beings and Tao practitioners.
Besides the family situation there are also the fictitious dreamy thoughts of human beings, the difference in judgment about the Buddha path, so there often occurred competitions among the religions, innumerable mutual criticism among different ways of cultivation. Tao practitioners, instead of cultivating in the Self-Nature—where the true Buddha is, practice in insane dreamy thoughts of the Lost Dharma Period. All these things come from the self and self-possession.
As for the three generations of Buddhas, as well as all the Buddhas and each Buddha appearing in the world, all of the Lords’ words are consistent, never contradictory, but on the aspect of fact, there are three different methods, leading to the perfect outcome, and they will become only one. What are the three different methods? First, what the Buddha said is the Sealed Attestation, second is the means, and third is the suitability. —T. V.
This is the Lord’s confidence during His Return journey in this Dharma Ending Age. The Lord witnessed the Dharma practice of all human being intelligence. As for the three generations of Buddhas, every single word of Buddhas is the word of True Enlightenment. However, some Tao practitioners believe absolutely, some believe moderately, and the others still believe, but very easy clinging to the doubt and leaving the Dharma practice. The Buddhas, therefore, have three ways of speaking:
First, what the Buddha said is the Sealed Attestation, meant the straightforward speaking and directly pointing out the erroneous passions of Tao practitioners. The ranks of Great Bodhisattvas, Bodhisattvas, and Saints, once hearing those words, immediately praise and execute the teaching.
Secondly, what the Buddha said is the means, meaning if the Buddha spoke straightforward, directly pointing out the ignorance of a Tao practitioner, that would make them leave. Therefore, the Buddha beat about the bush and later, came straightforward to the point, which applied to the rank of Fairy–Deity intelligence and the living being intelligence.
Lastly, what the Buddha said is the suitability: For those of knowledge are unstable, they neither obey nor execute the instructions of Buddha; the liberal self-practice will give results exactly as they desired. They break up the attachment by themselves, practicing on the unrest without the guidance of the Buddha or Bodhisattva. The Buddha, therefore, spoke according to their personality.
In this Lost Dharma Period, when Reverend Long-Hoa Sangha Chief came to the world, there were also some Tao practitioners practicing by their own volition even right in Long-Hoa Association. The Lord accordingly indulged them. It would be very dangerous for the one, who did not acquire the truth but engaging in the formless by themselves. Why? It’s because they were still polluted and encircled in the Six Paths. By self-practicing without obeying the Lord’s instruction, they simply believed in the Buddha, but did not know anything about the Lord’s miraculous utilization. The Lord never attested the achievement of the doctrinal theory only. The Lord has taught: “the attestation meant that it was attested without a tiny fraction of error.”
When attesting and directly pointing out, the Buddha’s words are as followed:
“You should know that I have already become the Buddha, you are the Buddha-will-be. From the Bodhisattvas to the Great Bodhisattvas, all have recognized that the Buddha’s words are very true.” When the Bodhisattva profoundly acquiring through diligently practicing the Dharma, they therefore said these four verses:
“Truly practicing will bringing the true fruit,
Without practice, the attainment will not come,
The permanent characteristic is already clear,
Human beings all have the Buddha nature.”
The Buddha has attested and directly pointed out erroneous passions of living beings, who are as Blind-Deaf-Lisp-Dumb-Paralytic. The Lord said: “You should know that from this lifetime to the posterity, whenever you meet a Bodhisattva coming into the world or a Buddha appearing to this world, the blind could see, the deaf could hear, and the lisp and dumb could speak, the paralytic could walk.” The Lord has directly pointed out that all human beings are Dumb-Deaf-Lisp-Blind-Paralytic persons. If they were not blind, why couldn’t they see the Buddha? If not deaf, why couldn’t they hear the Buddha's teaching? If not dumb, why couldn’t they preach the Dharma? If not paralytic, why couldn’t their intelligence be clear, and why couldn’t they enter the True Contemplation to travel to the millions of worlds? The above words are sincere and intuitive while the human intelligence, by their illusory thoughts, is waiting for a Buddha who is coming into the world or a Bodhisattva who is manifesting to cure all the blind, deaf, lisp, dumb, paralytic illnesses. Therefore, according to the reason and expectation of humankind, they consider the Buddha and Bodhisattva to be neither more nor less than a magician. That is precisely the words of Buddha speaking, which could be divergent to the secular minds. —T. V.
Because of their false hope, Tao practitioners are waiting for Long-Hoa through oracle scriptures, such as the explosion of the Thất Sơn Mountains—that story is not natural—and expecting Lord Maitreya to act like a magician. Even if the Lord manifested His supernatural power, that would not bring True Enlightenment to them.
When using the means, the Lord said: “I have looked into the insane illusory thoughts of living beings and into the wishful ambitions of the faithful believers. If I leaved them intact, they would be whatever they are and they would be reborn into the worlds of the Fairy and Deity.” Therefore, the Buddha must use the means to speak about the precept scenes, the Fairy-Deity worlds, as well as the Tranquility-for-Salvation World and the Salvaged Nation – Buddha Nation, that would make them enthusiastic and generating their mind of practicing the Dharma to achieve the fruit of Buddha intelligence, the liberation through solving. —T. V.
Secular people always dream of the Fairy–Deity world, considering it a happy one. In fact, the beings of these worlds are still subjected to the cycle of birth and death; the longevity is limited, and the death still follows after old age. Only the Buddhas’ path, resolving the transmigration of birth and death, is immortal. That is the most tranquil place.
The Buddha also spoke accordingly. The Lord’s accordance would not neither harm to Buddhism nor destroy the meritorious deeds and virtuous deeds of Tao practitioners. For example, if there were some Buddhist practitioners—who have renounced their family to become the ranks of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis[89], or who have practiced at home in the ranks of Upasaka and Upasaki, through a long or short time of practice with sufficient or insufficient Buddhist intelligence, but because of their unstable character and being unable to preserve the morality, they violated many precepts, causing many criticisms from the Four Followers. In the meantime, the Buddha correspondingly said: “you should not criticize this practitioner or that practitioner. They all have diligently practiced their vowed conduct. Some have appeared to diligently practice for their vow of delivering the animality, some have carried out their vow of delivering the hungry ghost, some have diligently practiced for their vow of delivering the hell, and others have carried out their vows of being Yaksa Demons or Devils, thus because of their conducting vow that they have acted in such a way.” It is precisely the skillful words that the Buddha said about the consequences, which happened so. In this period, the faithful Tao practitioners are practicing by breaking attachment, or they are using this way to practice in the unrestful way, according to the ardent desires. All of that is the result of the dreamy ambition of human intelligence on the theory. —T. V.
Among the Four Followers of the Dharma Constitution, there were true disciples with deficient effortful deeds and virtuous deeds. They still believed in the Lord, but not followed His teachings due to lack of obedience. Knowing well the strong holding characteristics of each true disciple, the Lord miraculously utilized Dharmas, causing them all to adorably revere Him. Hundreds of disobedient disciples liberally self-practicing did not realize that. The Lord knew their contaminated habits, which were impossible to improve, He therefore would rather make them cling to it and enjoy than otherwise. Consequently, each of them also felt loved by the Lord the most. With their level of knowledge, they could not understand whatsoever the Buddha accordingly spoke of.
Among His disciples, one practitioner took pride in himself, terming himself a Buddha, namely Hoan Lạc[90]. The Lord accordingly made him enjoyable, but determined not to formally attest him even in the rank of Dharma Protectors.
For the Venerable rank, according to their effortful deeds and virtuous deeds, the Lord entrusted them to help the rank of Dharma Protectors. By the Lord’s order, the Bodhisattva rank managed the source of Tao Dharma seriously. For the practitioner terming himself a Buddha, the Lord miraculously applied to keep him away as the outside circle and he was isolated in the Tao community, not being given any responsibilities, because of his undetachable egoism.
Once meeting a Buddha coming into the world, one could evaluate their Dharma practice in order to attain the truth, that is indeed very difficult. Just a minimal negligence would make a failure because one needed to be highly self-conscious in order to be close to the Lord, guided by Him meticulously and sufficiently. Due to the practitioner’s unstable practice in the past, being contaminated, their Dharma nature could not be changed during this Period of Return and Dharma-Ending Age. What a waste of a lifetime to meet a Truly Enlightened Buddha!
For the Buddhas of the three periods (the past, the present, and the future) as well as other Buddhas, when the Buddha is appearing to attest and completely save the living beings, first of all, the Lord has to base on the period of times, such as the Superior-Life Period, the Middle-Life Period[91], or the Inferior-Life Period, to make His appearance accordingly. Also, the Lord must base on the living beings’ rooted capability and their wishfulness to make practical utilizations until the living beings are able to recognize the truth, with either a little or a lot, before the Lord could make miraculous utilizations in order to salvage them to reach the liberation through knowing, seeing, and solving. —T. V.
The Founding Master Shakyamuni Buddha opened the Tao Dharma in the Middle-Life Period. At that time, the society had not yet developed modern scientific civilization, so the personalities of living beings easily perceived the Buddha Dharma.
In this Period of [His] Return and Dharma-Ending Age, Reverend Long-Hoa Sangha Chief saw clearly that society has developed excessively with the modern science and the living beings’ level has also advanced accordingly. The Lord, therefore, miraculously utilized the formless, mainly guiding living beings to penetrate deeper into the truth, just in time to catch up with the modern society and to demolish the doubt attachment and the clinging immobility Thereby, the living beings could recognize the suitable metamorphoses of thousands of Dharmas of the Tathagata Constitution—which is moving. If following in time, they could acquire the Tathagata Constitution’s Eyes, then attain the intuition to awakeningly enter the path of liberation through knowing, seeing, and solving.
[89] A Bhikkhu is a Buddhist monk and a Bhikkhuni is a Buddhist nun, who has renounced their family, living in a temple and observing 250 precepts for monks, 348 or 364 precepts for nuns.
[90] Hoan Lạc means Blissful Joy.
[91] The Middle-Life Period is also called the Gentle-Life Period.
As for the Buddha’s wisdom, the Lord often illuminates in all three periods of times and resolves them into one. That is, the Lord completely manages all things that the Buddhas executed in the past, and today the Lord is the present Buddha, who must fulfill, including the explicit teachings to the Bodhisattvas to fulfill as well. The Lord also clearly interprets for the present period to be clear, including resolving the Four-Followers’ attachments and fears, making them overcome each stratum of doubt attachments and develop their Buddhist intelligence so that they are clearly aware of one’s nature and acquire the Intuition. The Lord applies the Sudden Teaching and Gradual Teaching in a parallel manner according to each level, making all the Four Followers possess the corresponding Buddhist intelligence and morality in accordance with their rooted capability to attain the Buddha intelligence. —T. V.
The three periods of times are the Superior-Life Period, Middle-Life Period, and the Inferior-Life Period that the Lord entirely illuminated in all to help the Four Followers practicing until reaching the enlightenment. It’s impossible to resolve the attachments and fears by purely sitting and speaking; in this period, the Lord must miraculously utilize the formless to make true disciples caught in their attachments and fears. Later, owing to their sufficient joyful detachment, they could suddenly intuit, eliminating all attachments and fears. According to the levels of the Four Followers, the Lord made use of Sudden Teachings to make them awakened, then made use of Gradual Teachings to establish the morality in corresponding level to attain the True Enlightenment.
How extremely difficult it is, if self-practicing the Dharma, a Tao practitioner could never eliminate completely attachments and fears, and thus never achieve the intuition to gain the Buddhist intelligence and gradually approach towards the Bodhisattva intelligence.
The Buddha also clearly showed to His Four Followers what the practice is for receiving the True Reward, and what the practice is for receiving the retribution. The Lord meticulously recommended and passed down it to the futurity, of which, the Tao practitioners of the posterity could avoid mistakes. That became the Three Constitutions of Sutras of today.
The Buddha made the Sealed Attestation to ordain the Great Bodhisattva, who would become a Buddha by just one rebirth, to unify the three periods of times entirely, completely, and naturally—that is called the non-dualistic form. The Buddha often said that the Buddha’s miraculous utilization is only known by the Buddha. So at the time when the Buddha teaching the Four Followers, the Lord miraculously utilized the three methods of His speaking in order to help human beings perceive it. In fact, the Buddha absolutely determined only one method of teaching the Dharma, not three. The Buddha intelligence is illuminating over the three periods of time and has only one resolution and just one period of ordination, not three as mentioned above. —T. V.
The practice for the True Reward is the practice of correction, having the ‘Self-Nature, Awareness of Nature’, and transporting thousands of Dharmas. Perfect harmony attains the True Reward.
The practice for the receiving retribution is the practice without correcting one’s own nature, practicing within one’s own wishes and cultivating by fixed thoughts about the form of Buddha, that results in the Fairy–Deity path. The practice without seeing and knowing the ignorance easily leads to the three paths of evils, resulting in the Asura, Hungry Ghost, Animal and Hell.
It is not easy to recognize and relieve the ignorance. Only the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas clearly point out the ignorance. Getting insight of the ignorance deeply or superficially depends upon the effortful deeds and virtuous deeds. In this Period of Return and Dharma-Ending Age, many Tao practitioners could not see even one Dharma of ignorance in their whole life, while their ignorance is as numerous as the trees in a forest! Speaking well and writing well but not recognizing the ignorance’s permanent characteristics is a waste of time practicing. What does one study well the Buddha Dharma for? Only by recognizing the ignorance and destroying the ignorance, one could be free from living being natures and wait for the Enlightened One to open their intuition, from which one day one could become enlightened.
Therefore, when The Founding Master Shakyamuni Buddha made the sealed attestation to ordain the Supreme Maitreya Buddha becoming a Buddha, at the time people attending in the assembly hall, all recognized through the dualistic forms, acknowledging through the three periods of times (the past, the future, and the present) that Lord Maitreya would become the Buddha. Immediately after that, Lord Vimalakirti who was an ancient Buddha recognized the wrong perception of the Four Followers in the assembly hall, which could be harmful to the golden words of the Lord of Supreme Will. He then asked Bodhisattva Maitreya:
– “Reverend Maitreya, The World’s Most Venerable ordained You to attain the fruit of Supreme True Rank True Enlightenment becoming a Buddha in just one lifetime, which one were you ordained? The lifetime in the past? The lifetime in the future? The lifetime in the present?”
The past lifetime already passed, the future is not yet coming, and the present is unceasingly continuing. The question of Vimalakirti implied the unification of the three periods of ordination with the non-dualistic form, the three methods of Buddha’s words—all were taught to acquire the Buddha intelligence. —T. V.
When The Founding Master Shakyamuni Buddha decided to ordain the Supreme Maitreya Buddha, at that time in the assembly hall, the Four Followers perceived it through the two forms of birth and death. Though meeting the Truly Enlightened Buddha but being not enlightened yet, Tao practitioners judged about the Supreme Maitreya Buddha through the three periods of times of the past, the future, and the present by the relative form that all are the erroneous.
The ancient Buddha Vimalakirti knew the wrong perception of the Four Followers, who did not understand that wonderful ordination, which has clearly shown the No-Birth Dharma of the Three Levels (Triyana[92]). Lord Vimalakirti immediately asked Maitreya Bodhisattva to explain this Constitution’s Enigma:
The past period already passed, the future is not yet coming, and the present is unceasingly continuing. So, which period has Bodhisattva Maitreya attained the fruit of Supreme True Rank True Enlightenment?
Now in this Period of [His] Return and Dharma-Ending Age, Lord Maitreya explained the Constitution’s Enigma as follows: The unification of the three periods means that, from the without beginning and without end, the Supreme Fruit of Buddha has already existed in all living beings. Because not having sufficient effortful deeds and virtuous deeds in the Dharma practice, it is not intuitively appeared and it does not need to wait for the duration of 2500 ensuing years to be attained. When intuiting, one immediately perceives the teaching of The Founding Master: The Buddha’s Fruit always exists in all the three periods. It always is the One Form, never the dualistic one, and is the true mind, tranquility, perfect harmony, all-embracing without beginning and without end, eternally and invariably.
The 24th day of the 12th month of the lunar calendar of the year of the Monkey, which was the year of 1992, on behalf of the Dharma Constitution’s Four Followers, I organized the Great Ceremony of the 75th Tao Dharma Birthday (the Lord’s Birthday). It was also the memorial ceremony of the exceptional Rebirth of the Supreme Venerable Long-Hoa Sangha Chief.
Rebirth meant that the Truly Enlightened One like the Lord, who has completely achieved the partition of His body of the Four Masses. Thenceforth, wishing to remain in the world or while having entered into the Eight Masses of Nirvana and wishing to incarnate Himself in any place, all will be in conformity with His wish; by making use of the Samadhi body, He will appear as same as when He was still alive in the world.
The Lord made use of the great means, even entering into the completely destroying contemplation to completely save living beings profoundly, miraculously and discreetly without being known by anyone of the human being intelligence as well as the Four Followers in Long-Hoa. The Lord recalled The Founding Master’s words: “In the Inferior-Life Period, you have to appear in neurological disease to completely save living beings before the Rebirth.”
[92] Triyana is also known as the Three Vehicles.
After the Great Ceremony, the Ancient Buddha Vimalakirti immediately appeared to meet the Supreme Venerable Maitreya at His residence in Nha Trang.
– It is said that you have attained the Supreme Fruit, where do you put it? Asked Lord Vimalakirti.
– I put it there, answered Lord Maitreya.
Lord Vimalakirti laughed and said: – Well, well, that's very wonderful! Your reputation is well merited. Lord Vimalakirti then walked out of the residence, laughing.
“...put it there,” this Constitution secret could not be solved by anybody in the Long-Hoa Association. Except, only Bodhisattva Moggallana executing the Mahasatva could completely solve it for, even Sariputta, Venerables and Dharma Protectors in the circle of the Centre. They all were pleased and happy to say that they had never heard before and now, were able to hear that explanation.
The divergence of judgement has existed from the old time, not only in this Dharma-Ending Age. From the human intelligence to the Buddha intelligence, which is inherent in the unconscious and awakening. When the intelligence is unconscious, there can be no hope of achieving awakened intelligence. When the intelligence is awakened, it cannot be expected to become an unconscious intelligence. A Tao practitioner, only through the Dharma practice overcoming all the precepts’ intelligence, could attain the complete Enlightenment of the truth and become a Buddha. —T. V.
In reality, it is extremely hard for a Tao practitioner to overcome precepts. In this Period of Return and Dharma-Ending Age, with the presence of all the Patriarchs in the past, indicating that none of them had entered into the precepts then emerged from those precepts by themselves. They could, at most, have practiced the ‘Self Nature, Awareness of Nature’. When being clearly aware of precepts, one still needs to dissolve them; Rare are those who could transport Dharmas to be released from precepts. That belongs to the fruit of the attainment and is so hard! Only those faithful Tao practitioners with the sincere and fervent mind and with sufficient Buddhist intelligence, supportably following the Lord’s footprints in His way to the True Fruit, could have the opportunity to be taught, guided and relieved from the Dharma precepts.
It is still noted in the Lord’s sutra:
Superior-Birth was from the Tusita Gate.
Returning as The Supreme Venerable.
The Founding Master ordained the Supreme Maitreya Buddha in His Return Period, under the Nagarjuna tree to attain the Supreme True Rank True Enlightenment, opening the LONG-HOA Association, saving Fairies and Deities, completely helping living beings, and becoming the Buddha. The Oracle Scripture, on the other hand, said:
Thất-Sơn is the seven long mountains’ range,
Whenever it explodes resoundingly, the King Calyx blooms flowers.
Relying on the golden words of the Buddha in the Sutras, and on the Oracle Scriptures, which is using the thoughts generated and combined, all have made Tao practitioners trying to diligently practice and waiting for the day of opening the Association. How noble it is! How lovely it is! Buddhist disciples, who have determined on seeking the Tao Dharma, have spent countless labors and wealth in view of that. But unfortunately for them! Though seeking the Tao Dharma from the bottom of their heart, they are always using human intelligence and the expecting way with the Dualistic Form to practice. Culvating for the Tao of True Enlightenment has to seeking for True Nature to practice, overcoming the opposed obstacles with the mind of no-fear, acquiring the Tranquil Eyes and Clear Ears in order to recognize Lord Maitreya appearing right in Vietnam. —T. V.
As mentioned previously, the Nagarjuna tree meant the one incarnated lifetime of Lord Maitreya. Seeking for the Nagarjuna tree through human intelligence and Fairy-Deity intelligence, could that tree make the Lord enlightened?
Now the Dharma Ending-Age has come, the Lord has returned for practicing and executing the Tao Dharma, overcoming so many challenges, uncountable bitterness with His wife and children as well as the secular people.
“Thất-Sơn is the seven long mountains’ range” meant the Lord’s wife and His six children added amount to seven enormous Volcanoes.
“Whenever it explodes resoundingly, the King Calyx blooms flowers.” When the Lord had a concubine, utilizing the formless—that is the unrestful Dharma, His wife and six children flew into a tantrum and caused the disturbances. People, both in the Tao community and in the secular world, whoever saw those scenes, considered that it was not the enlightened path of Lord Maitreya. Most of them could not recognize Long-Hoa, due to how so strange it was; it’s different from all kinds of Dharma practice in everywhere. Only a very few of them did not oppose and continue to follow the Lord to be opened the precious Dharma. At this time, all flowers of Dharma natures bloomed intensively. This event was called the resounding explosion. That was the occasion to practice for the domination, resolution, and transportation to be stable, having the tranquil mind up to achieving the Supreme Tao.
Meanwhile, the human intelligence and Fairy-Deity intelligence have been still waiting for the explosion of the Thất-Sơn mountains in Châu Đốc Province according to the Oracle Scriptures, creating a barrier preventing those who have waited for Long-Hoa from meeting Lord Maitreya.
They all have been using thoughts to expect Long-Hoa. The thought is the form of birth and death. This dualistic form of practicing with wishes are sinking in the long unconsciousness of birth and death. Whereas only the Patriarchs, the Dharma Protectors, and the Bodhisattvas in the past, who have cultivated according to the True Nature, could recognize that it was the Lord, who opened the Long-Hoa Association in Nha Trang city of Vietnam.
Why? It is because Vietnamese people are the race of Fairy-Dragon. The udumbara flower blooming in Vietnam is called the One Form Long-Hoa. In the country of Vietnam, there are all Tao practitioners of the Fairy path, Deity path, and the Holy path and the Buddha path, forming LONG-HOA, THE COMPLETE SALVATION. On hearing these sincere words of the non-dualistic form, Tao practitioners should resolve their doubt attachment and judge through Self-Nature, True Nature in order to clearly understand the words of the non-dualism; Should not, because of hearing these words, develop ego in an explosive way, taking it as an argument to rebel, wasting your whole life when you encounter a rare opportunity of [His] Return. Having rebellion and hesitance, that may not result from your ego, but from a lack of diligent practice and thus incapacity to perceive; sometimes being able to perceive but interfered with Duratama Mara,[93] which makes you difficult to meet. —T. V.
In 1976 when there were chaotic scenes in His family, the Lord dominated and endured all. The Lord advised Tao practitioners in Long-Hoa and the outsiders to look at these scenes with joyful detachment; should not have any doubt attachment causing the practice to stop. If any, should resolve it because that was Long-Hoa, which would lead a Tao practitioner to the True Rank True Enlightenment.
Should not judge by the two forms of birth and death of the Fairy-Deity intelligence and human intelligence to defame; if you did that, you wasted your whole life practicing the Dharma — it’s very difficult to be able to meet the appearance of Long-Hoa in the world. The Supreme Venerable Maitreya has vowed to release all the flowering Dharma natures for the living beings who would no longer have any attached barrier.
When Long-Hoa was opening unrestful Dharmas, there were some Tao practitioners without attachment or objection. But Duratama Mara in their body-fate made them isolated, being unable to approach the Lord in the right moments of necessarily hearing, necessarily seeing chaotic scenes, so they did not know how to deeply detach the flowering Dharma natures at all.
Once being able to recognize that Vietnam is symbol of the Fairy-Dragon, the udumbara flowers have bloomed in Vietnam, and the Buddha has come into being in Vietnam, that is called THE ONE FORM LONG-HOA VIETNAM. All religions and Tao practitioners of all ranks are present in this land without omission, solemnly assembling in a salvaged nation; there is thus no more doubt. Only one should blame themselves for not having full confidence, so they could not attain the perfect enlightenment.
When judging that the Nagarjuna tree is the same form as the Supreme-Buddha Maitreya, that is the judgement of the one form, not very different from the Long-Hoa – Vietnam. Otherwise, if it were judged that there are two forms, one of the Nagarjuna tree and the other of the Maitreya Supreme-Buddha: has the Nagarjuna tree brought the Lord the Supreme True Rank True Enlightenment? As for the Lord, has the Lord attested and pointed out the Nagarjuna tree to be the True Enlightenment? The Buddha path is the Intuition of the One Supreme Truth, not the dualistic form to be enlightened. Those are exactly the words of the Orthodoxy – One Principle. —T. V.
The Supreme Maitreya Buddha came into the world and opened the Tao Dharma in Khánh Hòa province, Vietnam. At that time, all other religions had their representatives cultivating with the Buddhism Dharma Constitution, which is Long-Hoa. They were not strangers but those who followed The Founding Master in the past, 2539 years ago according to the Buddhist calendar. Reborn in this lifetime, they already had the rooted capability and the levels of attainment as Faires, Deities, Sravakas, Pratyekas, Arahants, Precept-Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The difference is that today the Divine Level’s Conduct (the renunciation of family) has been replaced by the Divine-Human Conduct (the characteristics of a layperson). The Lord purposely made the wonderful applications for all of them have chances to see and hear unrestful, disturbing Dharmas. Once they did not oppose, could overcome hesitance and fear, and are no longer hesitant and fearful, they would acquire the self-mastery, great compassion, and liberation through knowing, seeing, and solving.
For His part, the Lord fulfilled the One Form Solemn Salvaged-Nation. That is the only way of practicing the Dharma — the intuition without the two forms of birth and death, of darkness and brightness, to be returned the Supreme Truth.
[93] Duratama Mara is a powerful Demon.
To evaluate the Oracle Scripture, it can be said as follow: The Oracle Scripture is often absorbed with DUALISM, with the life that is based on relative ideal, frequent thoughts and fixed thoughts, so there are many guessing reasons combining and giving rise to the acceptation. Such a life is just a life following the smoke of cigarette. When the smoke is ascending, those without knowledge will run after it to guessingly reason; while those of knowledge, knowing how to find out the practical reason of life with its solid principles, will base on the smoke to find out the rooted true nature of the cigarette along with its fire of tobacco. As for the dualism, relative fixed thoughts and acceptance through guessing reasons is an insane chaotic life and unrealistic. —T. V.
Most of Tao practitioners with the Fairy-Deity intelligence and human intelligence, believe in the Oracle Scriptures according to their personal judgement. The dualism is the two forms of fullness and emptiness, increase and decrease, right and wrong, that is the two forms of birth and death. Relative judgment is due to the preference for pursuing ideals, often having thoughts based on personal wishes and desires called the fixed thoughts. These guessing reasons about Long-Hoa, Lord Maitreya coming to the world have run after the rumor, the expectation — It’s not the true essence of nature of the Enlightened Truth.
Otherwise, those knowing how to base on the Oracle Scriptures to recognize the seeing scenes that the wife and six children causing chaotic circumstances with tantrums are precisely the explosions of the Thất Sơn Mountains, they would then live in reality according to the True Nature without living in insanely chaotic expectation. Thereof, they would be able to recognize that: the Supreme Maitreya Buddha is walking, carrying out His vows of completely saving the living being natures and they themselves, for thousands of years until now, are just able in Long-Hoa, cultivating to seek the Complete Enlightenment.
