CHAPTER III:   Appearance as A Layman

7. Interpretation of The Reborn Maitreya Sutra

In the Maitreya Sutra, the Buddha taught: 

Later, Bodhisattva Maitreya will be reborn under the name Từ Thị. When He becomes a Buddha, His nation will be an extremely solemn one. All the palaces are made up of Seven Gems. There are limpid lakes and all kinds of fragrant flowers everywhere. The ground is even without thorns and is covered uniquely with soft green grass; people walk on the ground like it is carpet. Those who were born in this world have a good cause and enjoy an extremely tranquil and joyful life without suffering, illness, or sorrow. Their bodies are well-proportioned, imposing, and beautiful. They can live up to ten thousand years with all the tasty, succulent food, and no textiles are needed since some plants produce clothes. At the end of their lives, they go to the forest reserved for those who come there to rest forever.

CHAPTER III:   Appearance as A Layman

The Lord was reborn; this time into the family of Từ. His verse, cited in Chapter II, was the Supreme TỪ THỊ Maitreya Buddha.

One morning, at the wooden loft at 42 Street, Hồng Bàng Nha Trang, Reverend Tịnh Vương, incarnating Lord Maitreya, taught and I heard Him say the following:

Humankind thinks that thanks to His virtue and authority, the nation where Lord Maitreya was born will become beautiful and solemn, without chaos and confusion. The land will be transformed into precious things such as gold, crystal, mother of pearl, agate, and pearls of all kinds, etc. While the sacred thought is that: after complete salvation of all His living beings’ natures, His mind will become a great tranquility. His body will be transformed to be solemn all four periods—through walking, standing, lying, and sitting. The Lord will become the possessor of the Seven Gems in the universe.

From the time of The Founding Master Shakyamuni Buddha to this Inferior-Life time when Lord Maitreya accomplishes the True Fruit of Buddha, there were only these two Buddhas possessing the Seven Gems. Right after His birth, the Crown Prince Siddhartha took seven steps, which sprouted seven lotus flowers, attesting His Seven Gems. Lord Maitreya wrote a poem on the ‘Sword of Seven Gems,’ which the Buddhas only bring out when it is necessary for miraculous use. When coming to heavenly worlds, the Buddhas use it perfectly. Ghost King and Devil King are frightfully afraid of it. The Seven Gems’ Sword is reserved only for the Buddhas, who use it exclusively. When necessary, it can push down bulwarks and bail water out of the sea. The Seven Gems’ Sword is very flexible and never refuses a necessity in any place, aiming to destroy all ignorance.

Everybody has Seven Gems, but when one is erroneously passionate, these Seven Gems are hidden—not appearing. Once the True Fruit of Buddha is accomplished, the Seven Gems immediately appear. Only those who possess great courage, great strength, and great compassion know how to use the Seven Gems adeptly. The Seven Gems’ Sword can destroy the Three Realms and Six Paths. The Seven Gems of the Buddha are Unwavering Mind, Suchness, Buddha Nature, Dharma Body, Tathagata Constitution, Dharma Precept, and Dharma Nature.

There are limpid lakes and all kinds of fragrant flowers everywhere.

Because His mind is tranquil, the Lord can see the clarity everywhere, and His body is complete with its three bodies, thus an incense fragrance is constantly emitted.

The ground is even without thorns and is covered uniquely with soft green grass; people walk on the ground like it is a carpet.

Ordinary people think that when Lord Maitreya returns, the ground will no longer be rough. There will be no hills and valleys, and everything will be on the same level. There will be no more poisoned thorns, and walking everywhere will be like walking on carpet.

For sacred thoughts: from the time of the Lord’s rebirth until the time of His fulfillment of Tao Dharma, everybody could hear sweet words, full of great compassion, without an abnormal change of characteristics like the living beings. There are no more poisoned words, which means that there are no more poisoned thorns. Any living being who meets the Lord will leave as comfortably as walking on a carpet of grass.

Even devilish people, after meeting the Lord, would also comfortably leave. The Lord used His great compassion for salvation equally, turning the evil thoughts into gentle ones.

Once, a powerful, high-ranking Communist official came to see the Lord. He received this visitor mildly. When the Lord utilized insight into the mind of the official, He saw discord, and then immediately allowed the appearance of a Deity, the Deity of the One Mountain, near Number 6 Huỳnh Thúc Kháng Street, Nha Trang. This Deity—dark-skinned, sturdy, with round, open eyes—was sitting there to guard the Lord. Upon seeing this Deity, the visitor was immediately startled and said to his inferiors after leaving, “This Master is of high Tao.” That’s the only thing the visitor knew about the Lord; the visitor did not know who He was. The Lord did not need to discharge the halo, or to heighten Himself. The Lord was very simple, but full of great compassion and great courage. Those close to the Lord believed in Him and followed Him to learn and practice Tao Dharma. If they had enough faith in Him, He often discharged the halo from His body for their seeing.

Those who were born in this world have a good cause and will enjoy an extremely tranquil and joyful life without suffering, illness, or sorrow.

Living beings’ thoughts are that the world where Lord Maitreya was born is to be extremely happy, with no need to practice Tao Dharma.

As for the sacred thoughts: Those living beings who live in the same nation with the Lord when He returns, and who have the great good cause to follow to practice His Dharma subject of liberation through solving: their minds will be tranquil and joyful, and thus there is no more suffering. When there is a situation, resolve it, the mind is thus tranquil and disease is also gradually eliminated.

Their bodies are well-proportioned, imposing, and beautiful. They can live up to ten thousand years.

Living beings think that when they meet the Maitreya Buddha, their ugly bodies will become beautiful and they can live longer.

The sacred thought is that when meeting the Lord, learning how to correct one’s nature, practicing meditation, and studying the Dharma doctrine for a while causes one’s nature to become good nature. Therefore, one’s form must be changed accordingly, for instance: one’s face will be bright, fresh, and beautiful, and one’s way of walking will be imposing, too. Once liberated from the transmigration of birth and death, one will be immortal, and if one moves to heaven, one’s longevity will be ten thousand years.

There are plenty of succulent and tasty foods, and textiles are not needed since some plants produce clothes.

Living beings think that when they meet Lord Maitreya, there will be no more bad, decayed food in the country, clothes will be available everywhere, and they will not have to spend money to own beautiful clothes.

The sacred thought is that when one meets Lord Maitreya, no matter how painful and thorny the situation is, they will be glad to undergo it because it is succulent food for the Bodhisattva vows’ rank. Once you are able to control thousands of natures, meaning thousands of Dharmas, you will have durable and beautiful armor; you will neither have to seek nor work harder for it. Plants produce clothes, which means there is no more hatred, suffering, or fear to invade you. When the mind is tranquil and joyful, the body will become young and beautiful.

At the end of their lives, they go to the forest reserved for those who come there to rest forever.

Living beings think that they will die peacefully in old age.

The sacred thought is that when one has reached tranquility by their Dharma practice, they will leave the world as lightly as silk-cotton at the end of their lives. “Forest” means that tranquility is plentiful everywhere.

The Lord has also taught: “If living beings have good virtuous nature, a generous and sympathetic mind toward the suffering, and frequently help those in misfortune, they transfer their virtuous merits when meeting a holy monk and follow him to practice Dharma and meditation. If they will not be enlightened, they will still receive many blessed consequences. Having this good karma, they will be reborn in a noble and eminent family, with a lot of good luck and high longevity.

“Along with virtuous merits, if one meets a Buddha and practices Dharma and meditation under His guidance, one will enjoy good fruits and blessed consequences in heaven and in royal, noble, and eminent scenarios. If one is enlightened, one will end all sufferings, be clearly aware, not pollute oneself with desires, and have eternal life. If one is completely enlightened, one will be out of the universe, completely liberated from the birth-death transmigration. Though completely liberated from all karmas of sufferings, the sufferings, as well as the desires, still remain completely present because all Dharmas have inherently existed naturally.”