9.3 What Are the Ten Titles Divided into the Three Dignities?

The One with the first dignity observes the Tathagata; He instructs all the others to attentively observe the Tathagata. Serving the Tathagata, He instructs all the others to act by relying on the Tathagata through His Indication Seal, completely saving all of them equally from those of small capability to those of great capability. His morality and wisdom are in correspondence.  Offering to the Tathagata is His vow to realize. Acquiring the True Advanced Wisdom, He is together with living beings to save them, seriously saving, realizing the attainment of salvation, widely saving from suffering and from sorrow. Therefore, He is praisefully called: Tathagata - The entire Offering to Tathagata – The True Advanced Wisdom. That is the Dignity of Practical Use. —T. V.

C. DOCTRINE

Observing the Tathagata means observing and considering all in the hearing-seeing-knowing. The Four Species everywhere cannot live without the hearing-seeing-knowing. The Bodhisattva observes the Tathagata, acting without destruction or production toward the hearing-seeing-knowing. The essential point to succeed in the Dharma practice is to lean on the Tathagata utilization in the hearing-seeing-knowing. That is why the Bodhisattva needs to deeply penetrate the Tathagata. He, therefore, saves all living beings according to the cause; He skillfully preaches the Dharma, and skillfully indulges and guides living beings, gradually raising them until they generate their mind to seek liberation through knowing-seeing-solving like the Bodhisattva.

There is a limitless advantage for living beings to meet a Great Bodhisattva of Constructing the Supreme Root Capability. Why? That’s because even their Dharma practice not acquiring the Tao will still bring about a blessed reward of Divine Humans. Therefore, when meeting a Bodhisattva, living beings are taught to become Saints. In the case of failing to be Saints, they still become a human with the Divine Human status. While learning to be a human can never be achieved, because the nature-seeds of Hell, the Animals, the Hunger Ghosts will lead living beings into retribution of paying their mouth’s debt, being reborn as animals with countless sufferings!

For those having the root condition to practice the Dharma by following a Bodhisattva, when acquiring, they immediately are attested by the Bodhisattva directly in order to integrate themselves into the constitution with equality, according as their level of attainment, that is called the attestation of integration into the universe’s constitution. By His True Advanced Wisdom, the Great Bodhisattva rank knows well that there are three ways of preaching the Dharma to save living beings. First is the Sealed Indication of speaking, called the decision to speak openly and to show directly, aiming at the intuition of erroneous passions. Second is the means of speaking, making it possible for Tao practitioners to perceive by beating-around-the-bush so that in the end they can return to practicing Self-Nature to gain intuition. Third is speaking accordingly, because these Tao practitioners are inclined to the form and sound, to the rite in the Dharma practice, so it must satisfy them —The Bodhisattva truly knows that it is impossible to save them by directly speaking, it is better to preserve the Bodhisattva’s morality and wisdom.

The practical use is the dignity of immeasurable value of the Great Bodhisattva. After having full insight of the True Advanced Wisdom that is indispensable to His Dignity of Practical Use.

The One with the second dignity recognizes that all living beings are confusedly sunk in the transmigration of birth and death; He thoroughly knows the going way of erroneous passion and the returning path of True Enlightenment: It is due to individuals’ root natures polluted by habits, by love that matures in the impregnation of birth and death. From birth, one must embrace the body according to the Dharma precepts, which are divided into sections and worlds, not outside the five impurities—evil impurities in the impurity of life, the impurity of sorrow, the impurity of seeing, and the impurity of body. Therefore, this One vows to enlighten living beings, making them know and see. Also with His Sealed Indication, He aims at their intuition so that they could attain the Bodhi Miraculous Fruit. He is, therefore, praisefully called the Perfect Intelligence-Morality, the Supreme Good Vow, and the Secular World Solver. That is the second dignity—the Miraculous Use Dignity. —T. V.

What is the impregnation of birth and death? Living beings are erroneously passionate in Dharma precepts; they must be born according to their character with impregnated acts of living being natures. A Tao practitioner fulfills practical uses until they reach the path of enlightenment, to great enlightenment and full enlightenment. But this path is not complete, it remains in the circle of birth and death. Many ARAHANTS still misunderstand that they are free from the birth and death. They must execute tranquility and disturbance, form and formlessness to see how smooth they are. Through seeing and knowing, if their thoughts are still arising in chaos due to unfavorable actions, the subtlety of birth and death remains, called the impregnation of birth and death.

Coming to this stage, even if a Tao practitioner has far attained the True Rank True Enlightenment, they also have to penetrate deeply in Dharma precepts for many more lifetimes to be able to thoroughly and meticulously understand polluted habits to end their sickness. However, ending sickness does not mean having a good health, they still have to go through a period of recovery. For that reason, it is fairly good for many Tao practitioners attaining the full enlightenment, but to go from the Arahant rank across an eternal strait to the One Level (Ekayana) to enter the flow of Bodhisattva is truly a great problem. That is why it could take countless lifetimes for them to overcome. As soon as, they leave the self and self-possession, they may have the opportunity to shorten the time of embracing the Dharma precept of being self-conceited to capably meet a Great Bodhisattva who enlightens them further.

After being attested by the Buddha and allowed to establish One’s detailed vow, this One has to go throughout regions, in order to deeply penetrate to profoundly understand the five desires, evil roots, sorrows and that His eyes could see full of all forms of Dharma precepts, which cause the body-fate to fall into the subtlety of birth and death. Therefrom, the Great Bodhisattva generates a great vow, making miraculous uses to help living beings to see and know right on the spot their erroneous passion; to see and know the Dharma precept they are currently suffering to embrace it, and later they will get the acquirement.

The Great Bodhisattva who makes miraculous uses broad-mindedly and righteously in a perfect, bright and simple manner is called the Perfect Intelligence-Morality. Despite difficulties, He vows to overcome all good and evil to completely save living beings, in order to thoroughly comprehend the perfect goodness, called the Supreme Good Vow. With miraculous uses of the Samadhi, He mobilizes the Samadhi to get in and out smoothly, shaking the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds without the Fairies’– Deities’– Saints’ knowing, aiming to save living beings on this globe, as well as the Three Thousand Worlds, to be at peace. Completing the salvation of living beings to be at peace, He is called the Secular World Solver. That is the second dignity—the Miraculous Use Dignity.

The One with the third dignity neither recalled the past nor hoped for the future. Knowing and seeing the Buddha just by one word, He makes full use of the present, the essential nature of the present to resolve with the spirit of the Buddha Dharma without leaving the secular world to be enlightened. The living beings’ mistakes, whether they are favorable or unfavorable, are all educated. With great compassion and great wisdom, He constructs for everyone provided their rooted goodness and good will, clearing the wasteland of their ignorance so that they could gain the intuition. Why? That’s because He is in the position of the Enlightenment-about-Form of Suchness, while all other from Devas to Fairies among the Four Species are still in false expectations, embracing their ego of unreal form; they are still recalling the past and hoping for the future in the Three Levels (Triyana), the True Reward in a field of blessed rewards. Because of His Indication Seal in the present reality, He is praisefully named the Master of Devas and Humans, the Great Person of Control, the Unsurpassed Intellectual, the World’s Most Venerable, the Buddha. —T. V.

For true Tao practitioners in the early stage of practice, focusing on the correction of their bad natures and giving up their bad habits is the best way; afterward they can gain the intuition of their own ignorance. In every speech and every act, no matter how small it is, if not recognizing its right or wrong, objection will easily arise, that is the ignorance. Those, who cannot perceive the true Dharma, are susceptible to doubt and attachment, falling into the ignorance, too. Those who do not practice the correction at present but keep holding on to false hopes in far away, are also ignorant. Once revealing the source of unconsciousness in ignorance, entering the Enlightenment-about-Form from the intuition, until reaching the Enlightenment-about-Form of every single one with its adequate karma-seeds, that is called the Enlightenment-about-Form of Suchness. From Devas and Fairies to the living beings among the Four Species, all remain generating thoughts, training and forming fixed thoughts, thereby being caught in precepts; It’s very difficult for them to cultivate practically, so they have no intuition. They therefore receive their ego of unreal form, practicing the Dharma through reason and intelligence, thus falsely expecting.

After completing the correction of the bad habits, must carefully review one’s own good character; for example, being kind, being excessively kind will become foolish, subject to the conspiracy of evil people. Having gained the intuition of good and bad, kindness and evilness, right and the wrong, One can move towards the full Enlightenment-about-Form of Suchness. At that point, One can preach the Tao skillfully, in concordance with root capability of the Four Species; this One also knows how to lean on the appearing mind to comprehend the appearing Dharma precept, to lean on the Enlightenment about Form to know the True Form. Therefore, the Bodhisattva appears in the Most Essential Physical Body of Samadhi, in perfect fit with everything, neither in excess nor in omission, truly in righteousness. He daily gets in and out of the hearing-seeing-knowing perfectly with full majesty and power to enter the Great Bodhisattvahood, waiting for the opportunity to continue another lifetime when He will become a Buddha by just one rebirth, that is, when He profoundly accomplishes the Master of Devas and Humans, the Great Person of Control, the Unsurpassed Intellectual, the World’s Most Venerable, and the Buddha.

The promulgation the Proclamation Attesting the Universe has stabilized living beings, bringing them peace and safety. The Supreme Venerable Maitreya still handed down the source of Tao Dharma through the promulgation the Proclamation of the Mahasattva Bodhisattva to the One, who has been received and has held it in the present and in the future. This One will enlighten the succeeding Patriarchs to continue handing down the source of Tao Dharma for the next 5000 years, following the supreme principle of The World’s Most Venerable MAITREYA. The Lord thus accomplished His conduct of the WORLD’S MOST VENERABLE.

It is truly difficult to meet and to know the One who has realized the Ten Titles. Why? It is because this One appears corresponding to the original vow of the Three Postures. From the speech to the action, He is not different from human beings. Therefore, even the Holy Monk, Bodhisattva cannot know Him, how can those of lesser capability and inferior intelligence know the practical use of the Tathagata nature, the miraculous uses maturing into the Tathagata miraculous uses?

Because everything that belongs to Him is selfless, great self that develops equally with the Three Postures to carry out the practical uses and miraculous uses. Only the Bodhisattva, conducting the vow of the Prajñà Intelligence, can recognize some part of them by making use of his Enlightenment-about-Form. That’s why it is called ‘difficult to meet.’

Even the intimate relatives living together with Him or close to Him, can’t know Him. How can human beings or ordinary people realize Him? Except for Tao practitioners who have trust and obedience, seeking the Dharma practice in reality: Due to the result of their Dharma practice that is profound or shallow with a lot of penetrations or a few penetrations, they therefore love and respect His preaching, but not loving, respecting, and believing toward the Supreme One. —T. V.                                                                              

Like the Lord’s wife, a true Buddhist disciple living with and close to Him, could not know whether His miraculous uses are truly correct. Only those who have attained the degree of realizing the conduct–vow of the Prajñà Intelligence and profound gaining the Enlightenment-about-Form could somewhat recognize it. Therefore, human beings and those who are not at the level of Mahasattva Bodhisattva could not understand Him at all. The Lord lived a very simple life, also going downtown when needed and going out for a walk, without a fussy gesture. Though living a simple life, the Lord was full of great compassion and was loved and respected by all the true Buddhist disciples. When teaching, the Lord was very solemn.

Perhaps, Tao practitioners of the Bodhisattva rank, Tao practitioners practicing the Bodhisattva conduct, or Bodhisattvas who have attained understanding might realize that their Master, this Good-Intelligent-Awakened One is truly the Supreme Venerable, but they still doubted about His miraculous uses. So, they must continue the practice till the degree of attainment through seeing; at that time everything has already passed, the construction period of the Unsurpassed Intellectual has accomplished the entire Eight Masses. How can they realize with the unwavering mind, suchness form, complete enlightenment, and the Supreme Truth? —T. V.

Even if there was a Tao practitioner in the hall attested as a Bodhisattva, who only knew very little about the Lord’s miraculous uses. This practitioner still believed that the Lord is the Buddha of Supreme Rank, but they only return to the Supreme Truth after the Lord has entered the Eight Masses. At that time, recalling the Lord’s previous words and previous acts, they are now able to understand thoroughly. However, when their mind could understand, could realize who the Lord was, He has already integrated Himself into the Eight Masses. This practitioner could only rely on the Tathagata to make use of Samadhi to see the Lord and the Buddhas of Ten Directions. How difficult it is!

The Buddhist practice path, seeking for liberation through knowing-seeing-solving, is very difficult. It is not because the Buddhist truth is difficult or Buddhism itself is difficult. Only because Buddhist practitioners have shortcomings do they find it difficult. For the reason that they practice wrongly, increasing or decreasing, even rightly but not rightly in the spirit of the TRUE ESSENCE, giving rise to symbols of too many aspects with different orientations. In addition, their aspirations in the Dharma practice are oriented towards form and shape; their beliefs are on many different levels and far apart from each other. Buddhist practitioners, whether renouncing the family or staying in the family, both have their own mind with different conceptions about brightness and achievement, their own Amitaha natures with its different misconceptions that cannot be fully described.

The Buddhist practitioners are very great in numbers, but those who understand the True Essence Dharma are rare and much rarer are those who acquire it. Statistically, out of ten thousand Buddhist practitioners, only one practitioner attains the True Essence Dharma, knowing the way of Buddhism, practicing the Buddha path. From one Buddhist practitioner to ten thousand Buddhist practitioners, who know how to practice the Buddha path, attaining the way of Buddhism, there remains only one who acquires the truth. From one Buddhist practitioner acquiring the truth to hundreds of millions of Buddhist practitioners acquiring the truth, there remains only One of True Reliability becoming a Buddha. —T. V.

Because a Tao practitioner hastily becomes self-satisfied and self-pride soon after acquiring, their progress is stopped by clinging to achievement. Because of the deficiency in their Reliability-Morality-Vow along with their attachment of being a holy practitioner, they neglect the conducting vow, thereby stopping by clinging to achievement. Due to not mastering the Precept-Contemplation-Result while hastily believing that they have already acquired it, their progress is stopped by clinging to achievement, by the seed of self-satisfied nature. Because the Four Dharma Integrations have not been adequately practiced and the Six Para[110] is not absorbed through coorperation, the Mita[111] is not completed, their progress, therefore, is stopped by clinging to achievement. By not completing the No-Birth Dharma of Endurance smoothly, even attaining tranquility, that is the isolated tranquility, not the tranquility of enlightenment. The fearless self-mastery in the desire is called the seeing desire. The disturbance, illegality and the formless following the desire also cause the progress of Tao practitioners to stop due to their clinging to achievement.

There are actually countless ‘sicknesses’ of stopping by clinging to achievements. The Reverend Long-Hoa Sangha Chief, Supreme Maitreya Buddha had to record to remind that: even though hundreds of millions of Tao practitioners have acquire the truth, it finally remains, only One of True Reliability becoming the Buddha!

The best thing for an acquired Tao practitioner to do is to leave the self and self-possession to follow the footprints of The Founding Master Shakyamuni Buddha, and now succeeded by the Supreme Maitreya Buddha, so that their progress is not stopped by clinging to achievements.

[110] Those are the charity, keeping precepts, diligence, endurance of dishonors, Buddhist intelligence, and meditation.

[111] The secret of the Universe.

Regarding Buddhism in the Period of Return:  Buddhist practitioners have poor spiritual capacity, their Buddhist practice path has degenerated and diversified. Buddhist practitioners are often attached, self-satisfied, intellectually opposed, and lazy. Those who willingly exchange in the practice for seeking liberation are rare, so it is difficult for them to believe in liberation. Only practicing for escaping life from one precept scene to another precept scene, for the blessed rewards of Divine humans, how can they believe toward the One of True Reliability–Complete liberation?

Talking about the True Reliability in Buddhism: there are incalculable and unbounded virtuous merits of liberation; there are incalculable, countless, and unlimited precept-scenes of liberation; there are incalculable, unbounded, and endless Dharma precepts of liberation; there are receiving fully countless achievements, gaining fully countless comprehensions of liberation; there are incalculable and endless birth-death, death-birth of liberation. Why? Because of vowing to learn the boundless Buddha Dharmas, not clinging just to one Dharma, but profoundly understanding thousands of Dharmas, that is the liberation. Realizing the vow of serving the boundless Tathagata completely, meeting the Tathagata, that is the liberation. —T. V.                                                             

A Tao practitioner, who cultivates in the right way of True Reliability, does not cling to their achievement. Whenever they are liberated from one Dharma, they also are liberated from incalculable, unbounded, endless other Dharmas. Following the footprints of the appearing Buddha, a practitioner will gradually find out easier. Otherwise, if not meeting the Buddha, not knowing the footprints of the Buddha, it is truly difficult. Because of vowing to learn the boundless Buddha Dharmas, each one with insufficient True Reliability will cling to their own achievements without fully understanding the liberation from thousands of other Dharmas. Most of them escape life from one precept scene but have to enter into another precept scene; they are still caught with precepts and scenes and unable to get out of the belt of the Dharma precepts.

A Tao practitioner being in a good faith with a smooth mind, is still liberated. With a steadfast will is liberation. With a non-regressive courage is liberation. Based on thousands of Dharmas, practicing the Prajñà and completing the Prajñà Intelligence is liberation. Not being impregnated by the scene and not becoming resentful by love is liberation. Not clinging to love, not having lust, not having impregnated habits is liberation. Not being bored with death and birth is liberation. Neither decrying a fact, nor clinging to a reason is liberation. Being liberated from a small point to all over of unbounded, endless vastness that is the liberation. Should not choose and select with measure chaotically and insanely, wishing for major things and neglecting minor ones. Stopping and clinging is never liberation. —T. V.

For a Tao practitioner practicing the Buddha Level (Buddhayana), their every step, every word, and every thought is integrated into the constitution of liberation completely and smoothly, right in the present daily life, without impregnated habits. Their compassion-will-courage is liberation; their non-regression is liberation. They are conscious in each initial point, each small Dharma to be liberated from it, then all over of endlessness and unboundedness are also their liberation.

For a Tao practitioner practicing the Supreme Level, He thoroughly understands that living beings are abnormal with their changeable character and often attached by words and gestures; even a minor Dharma entering their mind can break out as an extremely big fire. Their actions are also abnormal: when embarking, they generate a generous mind like the living beings and the Tathagata–Buddha seem to be one; but when carrying out the work, they become so stingy and petty that all seem to be nothing. For that reason, they are subject to doubt attachment, thereby stopping and clinging; they must resolve the doubt to be liberated from it, until reaching the Supreme Rank True Enlightenment.

Speaking about FORM and MIND, the form has already been liberated for a long time while the mind was not. When attaining the Supreme True Enlightenment, The World’s Most Venerable said: “How strange it is! The form has been liberated for a long time, but I am just only liberated today.” —T. V.

The form appears accordingly to the transformation of its combination; it is rather harmonious without hindrance. While the mind is not willing in concord, with the blame and the praise, the good and the bad, the kind and the evil...; it remains in relativity without concord. Therefore, the mind is caught with the Divine self, human self, the self of fictitious form, becoming the living being precepts; It, therefore, has weight and limit. Each individual creates karma-seeds by itself. With the karma-seeds, the formation of all the worlds, the precept scenes are established, those are not outside the Superior Birth and the Inferior Life, the True Reward and the retribution, unceasing from life to life.

According to the combination of birth precept, a Tao practitioner resolves entanglements in their mind, carrying out the Four Dharma Integrations, absorbing thousands of conducts to return to the One Conduct. The Bodhisattva willingly dissolves Dharma precepts through his practical uses, to no longer be the living being precepts, escaping his life from Dharma precepts to enter the Supreme Level, that is, the Mahasattva Bodhisattva—who completely save living beings through miraculous uses with His perfect conduct-precept, profound attainment, and complete accomplishment of True Enlightenment.

When cultivating, a Tao practitioner knows that the Dharma practice is the way of construction and metamorphosis before the rebirth. Not knowing how to practice the Dharma in correction and in construction, the hatred, dispute, and quarrel are the way of destruction, bad devastation; all are metamorphosed, with added karma, and fall in the destruction before being reborn in the Inferior Life or animals. Why? Because the equality of living beings, the Four Species are given births by egg, fetus, humidity, and metamorphosis, the births from the inferior, the destruction, and the degeneration are ignoble humans and animals. —T. V.

The One of Supreme Rank, who enters in the Supreme Level, meticulously knows the equality of the Superior Birth and Inferior Life of living beings. If they act badly causing destruction, they will be reborn as animals, unable to return as human beings. Because they receive what they created, nobody forced them to do that, nor could someone help them go to the heaven.

It is difficult to explain all of that; the only thing to do for the living beings and Tao practitioners, those who have dedicated their whole lives to the Tao, seeking for the Miraculous Fruit, is with will and courage to generate the mind of great compassion, great vow, and vow to great success. Ought to have comparable efforts, comparable strength, and comparable metamorphosis with the Buddha in order to develop into the comparable rank of the Supreme Rank True Enlightenment.

Those of Meditated Intelligence are far inferior to those of Enlightened Intelligence.  Those of Enlightened Intelligence are too far inferior, unable to have the Buddha Eyes like the One of the Supreme Rank, who is in the equality of enlightenment, completely pure in True Enlightenment. Those with divine eyes and divine ears should not stop and cling — still have to penetrate deeply into precepts to its utmost, completing precepts with true reliability, called the profound Prajñà Precept.