How to follow the Tao to save the world.
Minh Ly Thanh Hoi, the 29th day of the 9th month of the year of the Rooster (November-8-1969) at 6 p.m.
Verse:
Temporarily use this world to cultivate spirit,
One must start to cultivate spirit first to help others.
One must reach the truth to help the world and
To bring peace to humanity.
Master Van Hanh:
I greet all disciples.
I come today to continue to write the prayers.
Before writing the prayers, I would like to bring up some of my personal feelings and experiences of spiritual cultivation to help you in yours. Please be seated.
Dear disciples! The Superior Spirits discussed the use of the Tao to save the world. Think, now, how this could be. All this time, wars are destroying countries, people are being separated in chaotic situations without shelter or a future, science presumes to replace the Creator and materialism seduces people to abandon their souls. What can one do in the face of all this evil to save the world? Can strong armies, excellent commanders, or modern weapons actually end war? Or can money alone, albeit limitless, support the homeless people? If one would use those two solutions, one would never be in cooperation with the Tao and therefore could not save the world. Were not God and the Superior Spirits aware of the disciples' limits of ability when they instructed them to cooperate with the Tao to save the world? Clearly,
if the disciples were unable to realize this given solution, it would have no value.
So, then--when saying “to follow the Tao to save the world,” how did Superior Spirits intend the disciples to do this, knowing their limitations?
O dear disciples! The Superior Spirits knew that the use of armies to control war could be only a temporary solution. After all, wars are like a hot charcoal under the ash which will turn into fire at a certain time. That solution is just like cutting the top of the grass without removing its roots!
If a healer attempts to heals the skin ulcer without treating the underlying infection, it would lead to recurrence or future formation of fistula. Again, this is just like to cut the top of the grass without removing its roots. Conflict, just like the uncut grass or untreated disease, would return again and again.
Similarly, if one only were to provide foods to the hungry without helping them to be employed and independent, they would surely become hungry again and again. And is that not also just like cutting off the top of the grass without removing its roots?
It’s a great act of charity and compassion to help people to recover from their sickness (hunger), but this helps only the physical aspect. It would be a greater accomplishment if one could help people improve their souls.
Often, Quan Am Boddhisattva said: “If you provide food and money to orphans without educating them and making them good citizens, your charitable actions would not be complete, because they may become bad people in the future.”
So, when teaching us to follow the Tao to save the world, the Superior Spirits meant that one should help not only the physical aspect, but also the spiritual one. It would be a more precious accomplishment.
Being a CaoDai disciple, one should follow the Tao to save the world according to one’s capability. A nice and appropriate word could even save the life of a person, or may improve a bad situation in the world. A loving glance could help engender good feelings and success, or could have a great soothing effect on suffering people.
A glance of hatred, however, could even cause death.
The sage has said: “a small spark of fire may burn thousands of acres of woods, and half a bad word may harm a life” and “œperson who does good deeds is like the grass of the spring which, although it does not seem to grow, yet become greener and greener; likewise, a person who creates bad and cruel deeds is like a sharpening stone which although looks like intact and unchanged, yet gets smaller and smaller over time.”
Therefore, CaoDai disciples should evaluate themselves every day so that their words and actions would be appropriate.
“To follow the Tao to save the worl” has deeper meaning in other areas. What I just mentioned is just the many routine daily facts which you can easily see around you and which are very practical.
I will go now and will see you again next time.
Ascension.
How to follow the Tao to save the world.
Minh Ly Thanh Hoi, the 9th day of the 10th month of
the year of the Rooster (November 15, 1969) at 6 p.m.
Verse:
One helps humanity to save the world,
But one should be able to discern the false from the true in life,
And should cultivate one's spirit in this life and become a saint
To return to Nirvana in the end.
Master Van Hanh. I greet all disciples.
I return today to give you my opinion regarding the Tao.
O dear disciples!
Last time I brought up the issue of using the Tao to save the world. Now, I would like to discuss the details.
As I said earlier, to save the world, one should concentrate primarily on the spiritual dimension, and not the physical.
Since humanity was created, God had many times come to save the world. However, He did not use one method alone, but rather effectively tailored his methods to be most effective in our daily lives, according to our various levels of spiritual development, so that He could awaken us and lead us from darkness to light, from crime to honesty, from impurity to purity, from destructive animosity to constructive love.
Dharma is truly an unlimited teaching, yet it is not practical to use any randomly chosen technique for any situation or any spiritual level. Frequently, certain teachings could not be revealed to certain people, not because that God wanted to hide the truth, but because they could not understand. For the same reason, in antiquity, the founders of religions could not express all higher knowledge to the disciples. Unfortunately, the disciples believed that the teachings were secret and should be limited to certain disciples, and thus did not dare publish them widely to the public.
But this is not the way to understand the divine will. God never wished to hide the truth from humans.
Even though the truth has been widely spread to humanity, they have not yet understood it well enough to be able to practice the Tao. Today, you should always try to spread all your knowledge to people so that they can realize the principle, "Teach One's Self and Teach Others."
Before spreading the Tao to others, do not forget your immediate family: your spouse, your children, your siblings, and friends.
You have chosen the Tao for yourself, but you must train the next generation to continue the Tao, because your lifespan is limited. The most practical way to train the next generation is to train your own children, who inherit the good seed from you.
In addressing this issue, you must ensure that this dream is realized. Parents do not take time to educate their children well. You must have a clear procedure, a clear system, and a continuous program for each range of ages. This is a way to use the Tao to save the world.
In a country like Vietnam, where there have been many religions from the East to the West, if each religion has such a procedure for training the next generations, pagans would be transformed into believers.
And as a result, if in social, educational, political, and governmental activities, people with religious background knew how to serve humanity and the country with impartiality, this country would not be far from peace and happiness.
In talking about using the Tao to save the world, one should not forget love, true love without discrimination.
An example is the good physician with a clear conscience: He assists patients with all his capability without discrimination, whether the patient is a good or bad, cruel or gentle, debauched, homeless or belonging to a gang. Otherwise, he would not be a professional physician.
A virtuous person behaves similarly. Love should come spontaneously from the heart without any personal profit. For example, if there is a disciple with bad karma, in addition to accepting the karma courageously, his fellow disciples should love and support him, finding all ways to comfort, to counsel, and to encourage him. This would be true love.
And we must maintain the same regard to others when we wish to convert new people. However, it is more important to maintain the faith of one fellow disciple than converting five or ten new persons .
This true love is not limited to the ones who love us, but extends also to those who hate us, so that we can gently lead them to the right path.
Verse:
Love is for all without discrimination,
Whether rich or poor, high or low;
One should always imitate the examples of the Superior Spirits,
In trying to cultivate one's self.
O Disciples! Duty and love are the same on earth and in Nivana. Remember to follow the Tao in any situation. It is not like a child who refuses to eat when he is angry, for he would be the only one hungry.
I encourage you to faithfully cultivate yourselves. There are two ways on this earth: a bad and a good, a decadent and an enlightening way. Good persons will follow the enlightening way, and bad persons will follow the decadent way. I wish your enlightened cultivation progress every day, to prevent the crimes of humanity. Continue enjoying your self-cultivation, and do not be discouraged by any physical or spiritual challenges.
My teachings, since the previous sessions, are the remedy for all complications in your life of self-cultivation. I wish you joy and will see you at another time.
Ascension.