CHAPTER IV: TRANSMISSION OF THE PRECIOUS DHARMA

C. DOCTRINE

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

8.14 The Teaching on Entering Enlightenment: The Four Forms of Liberation

At that time, I have entered the True Meditation to observe acquirements of Tao practitioners, who have received the Precious Dharma unequally. Therefore, their knowledges are divided into different levels with varying degrees of superficiality or profundity, often in regression.

I am now declaring the teaching on entering enlightenment for the Four Followers' deficiency, so that the Four Followers, according to their abilities, their conduct, and vow, may try to overcome on seeking for the liberation through knowing, seeing, and solving.

What is the teaching on entering enlightenment through the four forms of liberation?

C. DOCTRINE

One day at Long-Hoa Superior Association, I heard the Supreme Maitreya Buddha teach as follows: Tao practitioners, who are from the rank of ordinary humans, Fairies-Deities, to Arahants, have heard the teaching of the Truly Enlightened One. Even though having entered enlightenment, they presently gain the tranquility, not deeply entering the Bodhisattva’s Great Tranquil Ocean of Living Beings. Each level of tranquility never has the same level as the other; it depends on the superficial or profound penetration into Dharma.

What is the Bodhisattva’s Great Tranquil Ocean of Living Beings?

The Bodhisattvas are clearly enlightened by receiving Dharma precepts of living beings. The Mahasattva rank understands thoroughly all Dharma precepts of living beings without omission; they come in and out of Dharma precepts for deep penetration, living together with every stratum of humans in the agreeable and the disagreeable, the form and the formless, the tranquil and the unrestful to acquire the great tranquility. Their acquisition, therefore, is called the Bodhisattva’s Great Tranquil Ocean of Living Beings.

The Lord continued: The Bodhisattvas on hearing the teaching of entering enlightenment, immediately intuit, being liberated from each Dharma, each level. The Bodhisattvas have also to penetrate deeply into Dharma precepts, absorbing, sacrificing, and exchanging Dharma precepts to gradually comprehend them thoroughly. Reaching to the stage in which the Bodhisattvas have to lean on Tathagata Dharmas to practice diligently Prajñà, aiming to please the Tathagata, offering to the Tathagata in order to accomplish the Mahasattva in entering the Tathagata Great Ocean.  A Mahasattva Bodhisattva has also to cultivate for the resolution and meticulous transportation of Dharma precepts, saving living beings completely and smoothly, not being caught with any Dharma precept in order to be re-born just one life to wait for the transformation of His body becoming a Buddha.

For that reason, a Mahasattva Bodhisattva often dwells in the Samadhi at the rank of Great Bodhisattva, not quite becoming a Buddha perfectly. He still has to make a great vow to offer all His body, brain, ears, tongue... to the Tathagata, wishing to achieve the Tathagata Constitution’s Eyes in order to be clear-sighted and free from erroneous passion. Therefrom, the Great Bodhisattva uses useful esoteric words helping living beings completely, distributing all over His great compassion to achieve the Buddha form. That is truly the Bodhisattva realizing adequately the Tathagata and waiting for the day accomplishing the Buddha’s Fruit.

If a Bodhisattva pleasantly clings to the place of entering enlightenment, not continuing to carry out virtuous deeds to offer to the Tathagata, not exchanging the material, fame, and love, which are the surrounding Dharma precepts, he could not come to the Mahasattva—the stage where he is able to self-give birth to himself, completely escaping the cycle of birth and death. Not knowing how to exchange his body, brain, ears, tongue, … even the Bodhisattva could enter enlightenment with thousands of Dharmas of Samadhi Supernatural Powers, he cannot accomplish perfectly the Mahasattva. Without perfection, how can he reach the goal of being ordained by the Buddhas? That is the most truthful itinerary of practicing and cultivating.

In the place of entering enlightenment, resulting from the teaching, there are varying levels; Just like when cultivating and fertilizing which seed, it will produce flowers and fruits of that seed. Therefore, when the Buddha enlightens the Bodhisattvas, Arahants, Fairies, Deities, and living beings, who will enter into different enlightenments according to their effortful merits and virtuous merits so that each will receive the Precious Dharma equally but unequally. It depends on the right or wrong thought of each disciple receiving; Each disciple believes that he or she has been correctly enlightened by the Buddha’s teaching, but unexpectedly, receiving enlightenment depends on the level achieved by each disciple.

For the truth, there is only one; for the Truly Enlightened Buddha’s teachings, there are not two, but entering enlightenment of disciples is divided into varying ranks and classes because it is appropriate to their level, effortful merit, as well as their degree of will-courage in terms of how earnestly they practice the Dharma. The Buddha, therefore, gave the Sealed Indication:

There is only the Buddha Level (Buddhayana), not the Three Levels (Triyana), which results from the true disciples’ varying effortful merits and self-possession. So, there is diversity in entering enlightenment. —T. V.        

Having wisdom of resolving doubt attachments leads to entering enlightenment eruditely, but with inferior acts not corresponding to one’s wisdom, such a Tao practitioner cannot be equal to the same rank with Bodhisattvas. A Tao practitioner with wisdom acquires the truth of Dharma Body but their corresponding body does not attain to the truth. On the contrary, for Tao practitioners who consolidates their moral conduct of practice, they are in the state of the Corresponding Body acquiring the truth but not in the Dharma Body acquiring the truth. Many Tao practitioners misunderstand on entering enlightenment, not knowing their own inadequate present outcome. That is the significant concern in this Dharma-Ending Age.

Tao practitioners during this Dharma-Ending Age need to enter these four forms of the teaching on entering enlightenment to get adequate Corresponding Body as well as Dharma Body acquiring the truth, so that their attainment reaches the perfect completion. In the Gentle Life Period, when The Founding Master appeared in the world, the Lord taught:

Having the corresponding level of wisdom and morality in the Dharma practice, a Tao practitioner reaches the accomplishment.

Once a Tao practitioner acquires the truth, their True Reward immediately comes at present. At that time, they frequently enter the True Meditation of Samadhi to meet the Fairies and Deities, and they all communicate with each other according to their level of practice. In the Period of Inferior-Life and Return, people live in misery, and Tao practitioners practice by themselves according to their generating reason rather than to the Buddha’s words in the sutras. Though many of them are practicing the Dharma based on studying the sutra, but the practice through reason is guided by the consciousness-karma, thus deviating from the Buddha principle, diverging from the True Reward of the truth. Consequently, in spite of a great number of Tao practitioners nowadays, the results they achieve in the Dharma practice with true attestation are too rare.

There is only one path to practice the Dharma, so the Mahasattva Bodhisattvas must look at the footprints of the Buddhas, who have walked before, to conduct their vow and rely on it to complete their vow. Once the Bodhisattva makes up his mind to realize what is difficult to realize, to hear what is hard to hear, and to practice in a critical period when the Dharma practice is contravened, he can then hope for success.

Following are the verses commemorating the Dharma-Ending Age of this 20th century; despite countless excessive difficulties, miseries, and bitterness, the Lord appeared in Nha Trang City of Khánh Hòa province with His great compassion, great will and great courage to completely save living beings.

I'm trying to row in the deep river,

Passing high mountains and deep forests.

From the Bodhisattva to the Buddha,

We are on the same path, following the same route.

Despite numerous ways and countless directions,

With the instinct of intuition, the immortal truth – enlightenment about the truth appears. —T. V.