CHAPTER IV: TRANSMISSION OF THE PRECIOUS DHARMA

C. DOCTRINE

8. The One-Essence Period of Salvation Through the One Level (Ekayana)

For Buddhist practitioners, there is an extreme difficulty from the acquirement to the complete attainment of the truth. The practitioner has to practice the Prajñà in order to get the Prajñà Intelligence.

The Prajñà Intelligence is inherently the essential nature of Tathagata universally solemn and unique that therefore does not mistake the Buddha form. Otherwise, acquiring the truth and being hastily self-satisfied, admitting the truth as a base of attachment, such a Buddhist practitioner will fall into the mistake of Buddha Form.

The Buddha does not have a form, the True Enlightenment is the Buddha form itself. —T. V.  

                     — Special-Principle Unsurpassable Level Sutra.

The Buddha Path has the great responsibility of salvation for humankind and the Four Species. It is, therefore, guiding humankind and the Four Species to realize the attachment of birth and death, so that they gradually cultivate aiming at liberation from life, being out of the universe, and mastering thousands of Dharmas. Thus, the “Heart Sutra of the Prajñà” is said to help Tao practitioners get the acquirement as follow:

C. DOCTRINE

8.13 The Prajñà Heart Sutra – Sealed Indication 

Seeing with the Bodhisattva self-mastery, that is the Dharma-precept of Bodhisattva self-mastery. The person who has this seeing is not truly a Bodhisattva yet. If a person considers himself to be a Bodhisattva, he has to penetrate deeply in the Prajñàpāramitā for some time. Seeing clear that the Five Aggregates all are empty; only recognizing thousands of Dharmas and Dharma precepts of sufferings, he immediately saves all sufferings.

Sariputra! In place of form, should neither reject nor discriminate emptiness; likewise, In place of emptiness, should not reject form. Because when a form is recognized, its nothingness will be followed; once recognizing righteously, all are the form. The feeling, thought, action and consciousness, all  are in the recognition.

Sariputra! Once recognizing the Dharma, one is readily enlightened about its form even with its present formlessness. In place of the Enlightenment about Form, there is no produce, no extermination, no accumulation, no stillness, no increase, and no decrease, being like in the air. Let enter the form, the feeling-thought-action-consciousness to the eyes-ears-nose-tongue-body-mind; Let enter the form-sound-smell-taste-touch-Dharma: Entering the eyes, which is a precept —don’t be discouraged; entering consciousness, which is also a precept. Keep on entering ignorance, ignorance will be ended — entering ignorance is aiming to reach ignorance at its utmost. With the will to observe old age or death, even though the time for old age or death has not yet reached, one still understands it thoroughly. Entering suffering will knowing the cause of suffering, leading to the cessation of suffering — acquiring the Tao. Entering intelligence, then destroying intelligence; entering acquirement, then dissolving acquirement; entirely all should not be solidly attached. The Bodhisattva has complied with Prajñàpāramitā, his mind is without fear, and nothing could terrorize him (the mind should not be fearful; if being fearful, it immediately has consolidation and is terrorized by thousands of Dharmas). Should abolish imagination about the Nirvana, insanely confusion about the Nirvana essence until righteously recognition: the Dharma precepts are precisely the Nirvana. The Three Postures of the Buddhas have complied with Prajñàpāramitā to acquire the Buddha Fruit.

The Tao practitioners, confidants who have realized Prajñàpāramitā, acquiring the Great Mantra to the Bright Great Mantra, then entering the Supreme Mantra immediately recognize the Equality; this Mantra is able to abolish all sufferings. These are sincere words, not deceiving.

Graciously! Graciously! Maha Prajñàpāramitā Heart Sutra is a confidant, good cause, a precious handbook that righteously guides Tao practitioners, who hold on it to full enlightenment.

Until now I openly show the righteous seeing of the Equality called the Supreme Rank. All Tao practitioners have to base on the Maha Prajñàpāramitā to reach perfect accomplishment. —T. V.

Seeing a Dharma precept, a Tao practitioner with the level of Transforming Intelligence immediately recognizes the characteristic of that precept. Therefore, they know how to speak, how to apply a suitable manner without any hesitance to be able to understand it thoroughly and clearly, that is called the seeing with self-mastery. But self-mastery is a self-mastery Dharma precept, and a self-mastery Dharma precept is not a Bodhisattva.

To become a Bodhisattva according to the true path of the Buddhas, a Tao practitioner must willingly penetrate deeply millions of times in Dharma precepts, aiming at offering to the Tathagata, until he becomes righteous. Only then will he truly gain self-mastery. At that time, whatever Dharma precept he uses, he always does it correctly. This is necessary for him to know well the Dharma Body without attachment nor opposition to Dharma precepts, and to understand well his own salvation and that of others. He then has clear thoughts to see that the Five Aggregates—the Form, Feeling, Thought, Action, and Consciousness—all inherently belong to emptiness.

These Five Aggregates are just the two Dharmas of body and mind, which are inherently permanent, but living beings must undergo sufferings, nothingness and impermanence because of their chaotic thought and erroneous passion. It is like a bubble of water, which is formed by the wind, existing and then soon disappearing — it’s insubstantial. The same goes for the joy and sorrow, happiness and suffering, gain and loss, possession and nothingness of living beings. All of them are chimerical tricks, immaterial, lying in the deep chasm of the Dharma precept: the scenery induces sentiments. Once penetrating deeply in Dharma precepts, understanding thoroughly the emptiness of the Five Aggregates, one could recognize that the Form, the Feeling, the Thought, the Action and the Consciousness are all generated from suitable combinations, becoming countless Dharmas and making living beings undergo suffering. Intuitively knowing and seeing that it is always progressing in such the way in all time, the mind immediately is relieved from suffering, reaching to the end of suffering, and being able  to save all misery.

Sariputra! In nothingness, due to suitable combination, form is created. Once created, it immediately has its lifespan, whether long or short, then returns to nothingness. Thousands of Dharmas naturally combine and transform, constantly evolving from nothingness to existence and from existence to nothingness.

Therefore, in place of form, should neither be attached to it nor reject nothingness; likewise, in place of nothingness, should not reject form. A form, created from suitable combination, inherently belongs to nothingness; likewise, nothingness inherently belongs to form. It is necessary to know how to resolve correctly with suitable sentiment and reason called righteousness. That precisely is the Dharma of equality, immediately acquiring the Supreme Rank, and thus there has no place for attachment to nothingness. The Dharma of Supreme Rank is capable to naturally transport the universe and humankind inherently from nothingness to existence through suitable combinations. The same goes for the Feeling – Thought – Action – Consciousness. Righteously resolving Dharma precepts is precisely enlightenment about form even in the face of formlessness.  Once acquiring the Enlightenment about Form, one immediately neither generates nor destroys Dharmas; needlessly using the limited eyes to see, and yet without form one could still see —In the place of Enlightenment-about-Form, there is neither impurity nor tranquility, neither increase nor decrease. Just come in Dharma precepts to clearly understand them, don't be discouraged! Although having the sense about thousands of Dharmas, that is only the Dharma precept of consciousness, still not solving the birth and death.

Just come in ignorance to clearly know ignorance, ignorance will be ended. Continuously come deeper in ignorance, such as the formless belonging to the unrestful Dharma, in order to fully comprehend ignorance to clear ignorance out. Need to have a solid will to know how to live in the golden years and the death, though not yet getting old or dying, but still knowing well about them. Therefore, for those with intelligence, need to penetrate deeply into thousands of Dharmas, going from the clear comprehension to the profound understanding, then to the profound wisdom — Don’t be self-conceived to consider oneself too high, need to penetrate more and more deeply in Dharma precepts, even acquiring the Dharma, should not be attached to the acquirement either. Don't be attached to any Dharma precept; otherwise, one will cling to it and be halted. Don't be fearful in the presence of Dharma precepts that are difficult to resolve, must find a procedure to resolve righteously in order to be clear and to overcome the difficult obstacle. If one is timid and fearful, they will be caught in the fright and become consolidated. Once halting, clinging, and entrenching oneself, one immediately be terrorized by Dharmas, the difficulties will increase, and one will be unable to overcome and get out of Dharma precepts.

Must carry out the resolution of Dharma precepts until clearing. Don't stop, don’t think, and don’t harbor illusions; otherwise, one will become insanely chaotic and believe that one’s own knowledge is the essential Dharma of Nirvana. Comprehending fully and profoundly the permanent characteristics of Dharma precepts, the permanence precisely is the Nirvana.

The Three Postures of the Ten Directions’ Buddhas have realized Prajñàpāramitā like that way without error so that the Lords have profoundly attained the True Advanced Wisdom and accomplished the Supreme True Rank True Enlightenment. Tao practitioners realizing the Prajñà in such a way are, at all times, able to communicate with the Buddha power as the accomplishment, being intimates of the Buddhas.

It's incredibly difficult, only one out of 100 Tao practitioners, who have acquired the truth, could fulfill righteously, accomplishing the truth successfully, called the Miraculous Fruit of Buddha. Usually, most of these 100 practitioners, not penetrating profoundly the truth, hastily term themselves the Buddha, called the false claim of the Buddha form, easily in mistake.

After acquiring the truth, if a Tao practitioner continues to fulfill to produce abundantly effortful merits and virtuous merits, every one of his thoughts, speech, breaths, and small gestures is generating itself the Miraculous Dharma called the Great Mantra. That is the achievement of the High Level (Mahayana), able to dissolve ignorance. When reaching the Bright Great Mantra that is the achievement of the One Level (Ekayana), he will fully comprehend ignorance; and when reaching the Supreme Mantra that is the achievement of the Supreme Level, unceasingly aiming to eliminate all sufferings with the most practical way.   This miraculous voice is miraculous in the complete salvation of living beings; it is unthinkable and very sincere.

Wonderfully! The Maha Prajñàpāramitā Heart Sutra is a great cause with intimate goodness, acting as a judicious magnetic compass-needle, absolutely necessary for all Tao practitioners to fulfill and manage their practice without neglect to reach the complete enlightenment. The Truly Enlightened One must lean on thousands of Dharmas to resolve righteously through countless strata in order to accomplish completely the True Fruit.

HIGHLY VIRTUOUS ONE: Here is what I heard Reverend Long-Hoa Sangha Chief teaching at the Central Superior Association at number 6, Huỳnh Thúc Kháng street, Nha Trang: “A Tao practitioner with sufficient effortful merits could intuitively see and know thousands of Dharmas in four periods. With highly virtuous merits of always joyfully detaching; in the presence of difficult situations, resolving obstacles with an ascendant will and mind; basing on the Self-Nature to save themself and others; With such a generous mind and will, the Tao practitioner is praised to be Highly Virtuous.

MOST VENERABLE: That is a Tao practitioner who could harmonize from the reason to the mind, never separated from the essence of nature, no longer having the self nor self-possession. This practitioner knows by themself how to lean on the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas to guide all faithful followers to practice and reach the enlightenment. If there is a disciple who seeks for the complete enlightenment, the Most Venerable must know how to apply from the practical to the miraculous uses of form and formlessness perfectly, aiming to completely save the faithful disciple to the perfect goodness – perfect truth. The Most Venerable must be the one who could save the high virtuous quality through adding effortful deeds and virtuous deeds increasingly in every day.

The levels of achievement in the High Level (Mahayana) are from enlightenment, great enlightenment, to full enlightenment, which is the highest level. Those who acquired this truth are often the Patriarchs with the capability of intuiting the evolving consciousness karma of living beings, guiding and saving living beings with the sincere sentiment of eternity, making them thoroughly comprehend and recognize the truth; they become enlightened therefrom.