CHAPTER IV: TRANSMISSION OF THE PRECIOUS DHARMA

C. DOCTRINE

4. The Suchness Truth Period: Salvation at The High Level (Mahayana)

4.10 Explanation of the Compatible Appearance

The compatible appearance is the waiting to be enlightened and to be attested. Moreover, one could not acquire the compatible appearance through illusory thought or frequent imagination. —T. V.

All Tao practitioners with the sincere mind seeking for enlightenment are vowing to bodily meet a Good-Intelligent-Awakened One. The Good-Intelligent-Awakened One will therefore appear bodily to teach them until they become clearly understanding, they will be attested by Him. In the Dharma practice, if not meeting a Good-Intelligent-Awakened One, not having a rightly compatible body, the appearance will not come. One could not reach the destination by quietly sitting, vainly thinking and hoping. Living beings naturally have the self-enlightenment, but it is hardly developed and formed. Because of Devil power, it’s difficult for a Tao practitioner to see, to know, and to develop sufficiently effortful deeds to win over the Devil Power.

C. DOCTRINE

The Six Paths / Taos

Illustrated by longhoahoithuong.org

Those, who have the rooted nature of a Deva, Fairy, Deity, or Saint, being born, compatibly appearing in this world, are subject to live according to the Six Paths like all human beings. —T. V.

The rooted nature of Devas or Fairies comprise noble natures, including the authority of governing the world. The rooted nature of a Deity is righteous and clear-sighted. As for the rooted nature of the holy, they incline towards the importance of respected forms in their walking, standing, lying, and sitting during the four periods, the importance of half-closing the eyes and of the rooted goodness. Those Tao practitioners with the above rooted natures, regardless their degree and duration of practice, still remain in the belt of Dharma precepts and subject to compatibly appear bodily in the birth and death of the six Taos just like all living beings, not being completely enlightened. Though living in the secular world and in the flow of birth and death, not being liberated, but their conduct remains elegant and noble, their gesture is finer and more beautiful than that of living beings.

In facts, they have one problem, they emphasize too much on the forms’ conception, on the appearance of the Buddha body than on the practice of Self-Nature. They are inclined more to worshipping and admiring than to receiving the teachings from the Sangha. Because of being impregnated with and attached to Divine Dharmas, their practice will be difficult to attain the attestation of Bodhisattva conduct and they are only attested as those of the Two-Levels (Dviyana). —T. V.

Most of Tao practitioners renouncing the family and practicing in the temple, hermitage, or on the mountain are too preoccupied with making their form similar to that of the Buddha. But they neither pay enough attention to correct their nature nor sufficiently examine their bad habits to resolve them for clearing. They are instead more inclined to worshipping and praying the Buddha than to deepening the truth. Because of their impregnated rooted nature, they could not enter the flow of the Bodhisattva conduct. The living being natures, once knowing how to be ascendant and joyfully detached, will become the Bodhisattva nature.

For those, who have the rooted nature of a Deva, Fairy, Deity, or Holy, being born, compatibly appearing among the world as mentioned above: When meeting a Buddha, by their clear sight and by looking at the simple deportment of the Tathagata appearing, they become respectful. In hearing the teaching, the entire veins of their body become perfectly clear, and the entire mountains, rivers and continents shaking. They immediately prostrate themselves to receive and praise. They hearing the teaching that they never heard before; they intuitively seeing the True Form that they never saw before. They immediately convert their mind of the multi-form to the Suchness Form, cultivating the Bodhisattva conduct and vow. —T. V.

Devas, Fairies, Deities and Saints once being born in this secular world and impregnated with habits will have this conception: The Buddha must live strangely and differently from the world. If they could have a realistic view, that the lifestyle of the Buddha is simple and plain, neither half-closing the eyes nor continuously mudrā forming with His hands, they will have a practical and copious view. That is the natural life of Tathagata. They immediately recognize the simplicity in life of Lord Maitreya Buddha presently appearing through the body of a layman living in the secular world. They will know how to be lovingly respectful and faithful with an earnest mind. At that time, by just hearing a word of the Buddha, they immediately intuit the practical Dharma and their whole body of the Four Masses receive a new source of life, happily receiving the lively truth right on the spot, not from other eminent places.

Their whole body is moving; the cells are awakened and completely renewed. The illusive erroneous conception suddenly disappears, called the veins of the whole body become perfectly clear. Mountains, rivers and continents that meant the Four Masses’ body of such a Tao practitioner, comprising earth, water, wind and fire, which are also renewed by wiping out the karma; this karma was formed by the unconscious mistaken conception existed since the old time in which they have been conservative and attached to it.

From then on, their body is renewed, compatibly appear to the Suchness Dharma, which was never heard, seen, and known but now, is heard, seen, and known by themselves, becoming the intuition. Such a Tao practitioner is no longer attached to any form and sound in seeking for the Tao Dharma, but rather leaning on thousands of Dharmas right in the secular world, integrating themselves, and vowing to self-practice and self-cultivation. That is the Bodhisattva vow.

During the Period of His Return and Dharma-Ending Age, the Supreme Maitreya Buddha, Reverend Long-Hoa Sangha Chief witnessed, and I heard the Lord say that most Tao practitioners have lost their way of practice, towards to the Fairy, Deva, Deity, or Holy path. As for the path of enlightenment, those who has practiced saving living beings are very rare.

These Tao practitioners often belong to the Divine-Humans’ conduct in the class of Wealthy Followers practicing the Dharma. —T. V.

Tao practitioners of the Deva, Fairy, Deity and Holy path, after intuitively practicing Dharma by following the way of enlightenment, often are wealthy people, practicing the conduct of Wealthy Followers.

The ranks of Dharma Protectors, Wealthy Followers, Attendants and Tao Believers, called the Four Followers practicing around the Buddha, are all enlightened.

The Buddha coming into the world could not exploit the rooted karma of living beings. When once a living being is holding precepts—being attached to their rooted karma and creating the form of Two-Levels (Dviyana) of Attested Practice; or receiving their rooted karma in the Fairy, Deity, Holy Tao or in the hungry ghost, animal path, or in hell—even the Buddha must give way to them. It is only those who determinedly save themselves through resolving with their whole mind that could be free from their own rooted karma. Those are the true words. Therefore, there is a saying: “The Buddha could neither save those with no-condition nor fixed-karma.” —T. V.

Those living beings, who are holding attachments, creating fixed root-karma and clinging, become Tao practitioners with incompatible nature and form; they are those of the Two-Levels (Dviyana) of Attested Practice or receiving the karma in the Fairy, Deity, or Holy path. If having a great condition, they would meet the Buddha who would open them to be able to intuitively hear, see, and know. But if they were unable to receive it, not conscious by themselves, and neither determined nor persevered in resolving thousands of Dharmas, even the Buddha must give way to them.

At the time when living beings were living in prosperity, but their rooted nature sinking in the desire and false hope, illusorily thinking for a luxurious life, the Buddha therefore advised them to renounce the family to practice the Divine Level (Devayana) conduct, aiming at renunciation of the unreal reputation’s form, utilizing the word “emptiness”. That way would help to control the desire and overcome the ambition, returning to the Suchness—being enlightened. —T. V.

During the time of The Founding Master, the material life of living beings was very simple, but they were passionately attached to the high and noble class. Those belonging to the upper class were well served everywhere they went and lived; they were dictatorial toward their inferior beings. The Buddha knew well that must be resolved; the Lord allowed His disciples to renounce their families, making them no longer sinking in the fictitious temporary reputation. Choosing to be homeless, living in a monastery, a Dharma place to practice until attaining the word “emptiness”; and going to beg for food, living frugally day after day, all were aiming to control their rooted natures, giving up fictitious reputation, without ego and possession, and yet being innocently successful among thousands of Dharmas, naturally releasing Dharma attachments, achieving the tranquil mind up to True Enlightenment.

At the time when living beings are poor and miserable, using all their abilities to make their living in material, and with the faculty of education and the civilization in substance, it could not apply the way of emptiness to guide them on the Knowing-Seeing path. Therefore, when the Buddha appearing in the world, He must harmonize with living beings, making use of the “fullness” way to guide them. For the “fullness” way, there are countless manners of evolution. Once the mind is not impregnated, the enlightenment still restores to the true essence. —T. V.

During this Period of Return and Degenerate Life, living beings’ condition is poor and miserable, they must make use of their labor to earn their living everyday by all kinds of occupations in the world. Science has invented all new and strange things with full of attraction and curiousness. Reverend Tịnh Vương, incarnating Lord Maitreya entirely knew well the breaking out of the Tathagata Constitution that has been vigorously progressing: If continuously allowing the faithful Tao practitioners to renounce their family to practice Dharma in the temples or hermitages as they did 2500 years ago, not engaging in careers, education and science, they would be behind the times. They would not know well the evolution of the Return Period, still concentrating on the learning and studying of sutras, and giving sermons without seeing and knowing the movement of thousands of Dharmas in the reality.

Therefore, the Lord must make use of the Dharma practice right at the family so that faithful Tao practitoners would be able to judge and cultivate the Tathagata Constitution’s utilization. When a Tao practitioner has a family with their spouse, children, and relatives to take care of, naturally, thousands of Dharmas will evolve without omission of the unpeaceful and peaceful. Once a practitioner leaning on the unpeaceful – peaceful with the mind not being attached and clinging, they will certainly have comprehensive understanding at present — it’s really wonderful. What a reformed and practical way to cultivating Dharma right in the family, but still assuring the goal of Authentic Enlightenment!

JOY, ANGER, LOVE, SMEARINESS, PERMANENCE, PEACE, SELF and TRANQUILITY are the wonderfully used Dharma subject of the Buddha. Depending on rooted natures, the Buddha must manifest accordingly to guide the Bodhisattva who attached to seeds of natures. That is not the fixed field strengthening the place of the Buddha’s attainment. —T. V.

When a Tao practitioner having many sad insurmountable situations, the Buddha must use joy for the solution, helping them overcome and put an end to their sorrow pollution. For a Tao practitioner who still believes in the Buddha in practicing Dharma, but does not obey the Buddha’s words in conducting the vow, the Buddha must get angry in order to convert them to the practice. For a Tao practitioner who likes to be spoiled, the Buddha must use love to help them to gradual advance. For a Tao practitioner who is in isolated stillness, laying deeply in the Dharma precept, the Buddha must use smeariness that is the formless and unpeaceful to make them carry out their vows adequately to real enlightenment. For a Tao practitioner with insane chaotic thinking, the Buddha must make use of the permanence, peace, self and tranquility in order to make them fully enlightened.

The wonderful utilization of the Buddha to save living beings is beyond thought or discussion. For the sake of living beings and depending on their sickness, the Buddha has manifested accordingly to help them, but the Lord has never been polluted.