MAITREYA ERA - B. Virtue

To attain the sacred intelligence and perfectly clear hearing, seeing, and knowing, the true Buddhist disciples should have sincere confidence in MY TEACHING. That way the disciples will enter the sacred intelligence and be able to recognize Me.

As for secular people, continuing to keep their ego and pride, while believing they are always right and they only criticize and doubt, they are not capable of receiving the teaching, they remain in the incessantly proceeding of the Six Taos though they have been practiced Tao Dharma for thousands of lives. —T. V.

–Teacherless Sutra

One day, at the Central Superior Association, in the wooden loft of number 42, Hồng Bàng Street, Nha Trang, Reverend Tịnh Vương, incarnating Lord Maitreya, entered into True Contemplation, thoroughly observing all strata of living beings who are wrongly practicing Tao Dharma. The Lord then formally buttoned the collar of His white traditional shirt,[72] burned seven incense sticks at the main Buddha Altar in the wooden loft, and solemnly sat down. He began teaching and I heard Him say these words:

In the first stage, faithful Tao practitioners make measurable virtuous deeds through offerings such as: buying worship things, including incenses, lights, fruits, and flowers; bowing before and offering incenses on the altars; worshiping with admiration. These virtuous deeds create blessed rewards of Divine Humans. It takes approximately 100 lifetimes of offering and admiration to sufficiently transfer into the second stage of the Dharma-practicing path, but these practitioners are not yet able to hear the doctrine.

In the second stage, faithful Tao practitioners begin to generate their mind to make offerings like building pagodas and stupas for the monks and nuns to practice Dharma, including themselves. They worship, respectfully build rooted goodness, carry out benevolent deeds, and pray to be attested by the Three Postures. It still takes more than 100 lifetimes for these virtuous deeds of offering, yet these practitioners are still unable to hear the doctrine.

In the third stage, faithful Tao practitioners still use their virtuous quality of offering to the Three Postures, which also still takes more than 100 lifetimes. Therefore, a faithful Tao practitioner has to practice (at least) 300 lifetimes in order to be abundant in their measurable virtuous deeds, and thus step toward the immeasurable virtuous deeds. The stage of measurable virtuous deeds can be prolonged if a Tao practitioner is tardy and stingy in their character, not openhearted, and practicing only for the fame of practice. —T. V.

[72] It’s called áo bà ba in Vietnamese.

If the measurable virtuous deeds are not abundant, the immeasurable virtuous deeds will never be formed. The abundant measurable deeds naturally transform the Dharma practice path into the immeasurable virtuous deeds with a strong foundation. A Tao practitioner will then be helped and guided by the Devas, Dragon-Deity Dharma Protectors, and Land Deities to meet a Bodhisattva, a Venerable, or a Dharma Protector to practice for seeking the liberation through knowing, seeing, and solving.

Therefore, many Tao practitioners do not like to listen to the doctrine of the path to liberation because they do not have enough necessary virtuous deeds to practice in order to advance to a higher level. They prefer only to recite the sutra, be a vegetarian and admire the Buddha’s forms. If they listened to the doctrine, they could easily fall asleep, feeling tired, or something happened and obstructed that did not allow them to hear. It is even more difficult to listen to the enlightened one.

For example, when a constructor builds a house, the first thing they must do is to build a strong foundation. The higher the house, the heavier it will be. Therefore, the foundation must be correspondingly firm to sustain the house for a long time strongly. If the foundation is not firm enough, the house will eventually collapse. Tao practitioners, who are seeking for knowing–seeing, liberation through knowing–seeing–solving, or complete enlightenment, also have to fulfill their measurable virtuous deeds abundantly in their present life in order to receive immeasurable virtuous deeds. Depending on each practitioner, with their thin, low, thick, or high virtue, they will fairly receive the precious Dharma from the Good-Intelligent-Awakened One appropriately.

For example, when it’s raining, a person fills up their glass with the rainwater. If they continue to add water, it will overflow and spread on the ground. It is useless to continue catching it. If one uses a small bowl, a big bowl, an urn, ... each will also be filled up; if they continue to catch more water, it will overflow and spread outside. The Good-Intelligent-Awakened One well knows and thoroughly understands the Equality of Nature and Intelligence, He therefore grants each true disciple what according to their own level — it must be like that. The virtue, which is created by the Buddhas, is in immeasurableness and boundlessness.

Developing virtuous deeds, if being denigrated or blamed by someone, one needs to be joyfully detachable in order to have virtue. Developing virtuous deeds without joyful detachment will lead, at most, to blessed rewards of receiving a happy life . . .

Joyful Detachment is Virtue.

Passing the three above stages, a Tao practitioner has faithfully and successfully formed their Bodhisattva conduct such as charity, keeping precepts, diligence, endurance of dishonors, Buddhist intelligence, and meditation—these are called the Six Pāramitā. This practitioner has also used Compassion-Will-Courage and Precept-Contemplation-Result to practice Reliability-Morality-Vow. In the Dharma practice, both theory and act, all are in the quality of virtue, the moral conduct of Pāramitā offerings. A Tao practitioner must vow to overcome every obstacle that is called the Bodhisattva vow. After attaining True Emptiness, the practitioner has a solid cuirass to practice on the path of deeply acting into Dharma precepts, trying to penetrate to attain the Prajñà Intelligence.

Gaining the Prajñà Intelligence, one’s measurable virtuous deeds naturally become immeasurable virtuous deeds of offering. That is the offering to Tathagata, fully accomplishing the Bodhisattva realm of salvation.

The Lord had paused upon at this point, taking a sip of tea, He then continued His teaching:

If a Tao practitioner forms their virtue, but does not listen much or does not want to listen to the doctrine at all, they will only receive the blessed reward of being a Divine Human, but will not attain the liberation through knowing, seeing, and solving.
If a Tao practitioner believes in the Buddha, often studies sutras, listens to the doctrine, demolishes the hindrance of attachment, and is of empty mind, they will be self-masterly and fearless. But if they do not try to develop their virtue, their wisdom will naturally generate the ego, which leads to the great vigor or unpeaceful state, and they then become pompous.
If a Tao practitioner is diligent in developing fully their virtue and doctrine, but is deficient in meditation efforts, they will not fully accomplish. Why? Being deficient in meditation, they do not know the motion of the Tathagata Constitution, do not know the universe and human those are only one, and are harmonious in communication. They are also doubtful about worlds in the Three Thousand Worlds such as hell, Fairy, Deity... and conceive these do not exist. Being such deficient condition, they will also never be liberated through knowing, seeing, and solving.
It is really in great danger if a Tao practitioner does not know anything about the doctrine, does not develop their virtue, only practices sitting meditation, and believes it to be the Dharma subject of liberation. Why? In the meditation, practitioners usually see progressing scenes and metamorphoses, which evolve in accordance with their Buddhist intelligence and desire. If accepting them to be real, the meditator immediately is attached, they easily fall in the fanaticism. It is only through True Enlightenment that the meditator can get the exactitude.

The meditator's eyes and ears may see and hear the heavenly world, heavenly music and the voices of the Fairies, Deities, and demons much the same way as they see and hear the television. That is only “a mind created scene,” which is unreal, but the meditator wrongly claims themselves achieved in their Dharma practice, becoming a Buddha, a Saint or a Fairy. Consequently, they become insane and nonsense; its danger is really boundless. This is a very valuable lecture for all, indeed. —T. V.

When Reverend Tịnh Vương was still in the world, He taught and transmitted meditation to all His true disciples. In each province, where true disciples of the Dharma Constitution practicing, there was an organization, establishing a Tao place called a Precious Dharma Provincial Association or a Precious Dharma District Association, that was attested by the Lord. The Lord chose His deputies among the Dharma protectors and Venerables to guide faithful followers in their Dharma practice.

As for Dharma Protectors and Venerables’ rank, who were formed by Reverend Sangha Chief Tịnh Vương, they were very faithful and hold their Trust-Obedience-Respect toward the Lord. Any true disciple, who was guided by them in practicing Dharma, always was presented before the Lord at the Centre to be opened the truth and transmitted the Tathagata Meditation. The Lord was strict and thus, neither a Dharma Protector nor a Venerable themselves dared to act other than the principle and objective of liberation through knowing, seeing, and solving. If they did, they would be immediately expelled because they lacked reliability, morality, and vow. The requisition of the practice for enlightenment must be like that. Otherwise, even one hundred lives of practice will not lead to the result. The Dharma practice following one’s own volition has no requisition, but it’s easily dangerous in meditation.

In fact, a meditation practitioner essentially needs a Good-Intelligent-Awakened One. Otherwise, they are just like an idiot who cooks the stones in hopes of getting the rice. This is immeasurably disastrous. The Lord guided all faithful disciples accordingly to their virtuous deeds and Buddhist Intelligence, to the liberation through knowing, seeing, and solving. None were allowed to train for supernatural powers in their Dharma practice.

One day, a monk master in Nha Trang, came to visit Reverend Tịnh Vương at His residence. As they were laying side by side, the monk asked the Lord:

“Could Master transmit me meditation?”

“I will transmit you meditation, if you have the Reliability-Morality-Vow” replied the Lord.

The monk neither bowed nor paid homage to the Lord in order to receive the Dharma. Therefore, if the Lord had transmitted meditation to the monk, he would have lost the way in the future, so the Lord kept silent.

In all periods, from ancient times to the advanced civilization, Lord Maitreya always strictly observes the supreme principle of the Buddhas of Ten Directions and of Three Generations in executing the Tao Dharma and in teaching His disciples.

Meditation, on the other hand, is immeasurably beneficial for Tao practitioners who have already known the truth of Buddhist Dharma. It helps Tao practitioners intuit thousands of Dharmas, situations and circumstances no matter how complicated they face in their daily life; it helps the mind to understand and self-solve things adequately and appropriately that must astonish living beings. It is very suitable in the family, the office, the school, and the careers ...

Meditation helps to calm the human, gradually clearing all false expectations and unreal thoughts, not being influenced by surroundings, no longer being erroneously passionate, and returning to the One Form so that the practitioner is liberated through knowing, seeing, and solving.

The Dharma Constitution One-Essence is always grateful to the Three Postures of Buddha, respectfully requesting the three generations of Buddhas to attest completely the quality of virtuous deeds and effortful deeds of true disciples in their Dharma practice in the period of Eastern Salvation, which is fulfilling the result of liberation through knowing, seeing, and solving. Reverend Sangha Chief Tịnh Vương Nhất Tôn represents the Three Postures of Buddha in the Period of Return and Equal Salvation, guiding the Dharma practice in all four levels completely: the Low Level (Hinayana), the High Level (Mahayana), the One Level (Ekayana), and the Supreme Level. Therefore,

The Supreme Founding Master Shakyamuni

The Eastern-Salvation Buddha Medicine-Master Lapis-Lazuli-Light Tathagata

The Dharma Constitution Bhikkhu Amitabha Buddha

THE WORSHIP: the Eastern-Salvation Buddha Medicine-Master Lapis-Lazuli-Light Tathagata, representing the Appearing Enlightenment.

THE DOCTRINE SYMBOL: The Dharma Constitution Bhikkhu Amitabha Buddha, representing the Unique Supremacy.

THE DOCTRINE: The Supreme Founding Master Shakyamuni Buddha.

For this reason, Tao practitioners must have trust, obedience, and respect toward the Truly Enlightened One, to be guided completely by the three factors: Virtue, Doctrine, and Meditation, in order for them to practice on the road of liberation through knowing, seeing, and solving. In the beginning, Tao practitioners must be diligent in regular sitting meditation, disengage attachments, correct bad habits and character, and be always joyfully detached to develop virtue. This is the way to eliminate ignorance. Besides listening to the Good-Intelligent-Awakened One, who has been enlightened and who is teaching Buddhist Dharma doctrine, or reading the Buddha sutras, Tao practitioners must have fully the three above factors, neither emphasizing nor neglecting any of them. Being regular, harmonious and open-minded adequately, Tao practitioners will be liberated through knowing, seeing, and solving, then complete liberation will be reached.

The religion of the DHARMA CONSTITUTION strictly follows the supreme principle of the three generations of Buddhas. As for doctrine, it completely explains all the SUTRAS–PRECEPTS–COMMENTARY, aiming to clarify Tao Dharma, releasing attachments, and eliminating erroneous passion. It makes the body–speech–thought ascended. Its practice reaches liberation through knowing, seeing, and solving.

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