Sermons of His Holiness Ho Phap - Vol II

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TABLE OF CONTENT

Holy Letter of His Holiness Thượng Sanh (same as volume I)
Foreword (same as volume I)
Confidence of the Shorthand Board (same as volume I)

01.The Cao Đài religion is the peace restoration remedy (Link)
02.Spring is the revival time for all living beings (Link)
03.His Holiness Hộ Pháp’s teaching after the spring banquet (Link)
04.Power of the Religion (Link)
05.Power of the Religion (cont.) (Link)
06.Abandon all secular thoughts upon entering the Holy See (Link)
07.The relationship between His children and the Supreme Being

(Link)
08.Hộ Pháp performs dharma at every ceremony (Link)
09.The meaning of ‘Hoán Đàn’ (Reverse March) in grand ceremony

(Link)
10.The Tao is inherent in life in the universe (Link)
11.The appearance and characteristics of people on earth (Link)
12.Vietnam wins independence in the French Union (Link)
13.Devote all your Faith to the Mother Buddha (Link)
14.The Celestial Palace of each child of the Supreme Being (Link)
15.Many are called but few come (Link)
16.The current situation of Vietnam (Link)
17.Reclaiming Vietnam’s sovereignty (Link)
18.Explanation of the Divine message: The National Faith becomes

the Great Faith; Vietnam customs will become human customs
(Link)
19.Explanation of the Divine message: The National Faith becomes
the Great Faith; Vietnam customs will become human customs
(Cont.) (Link)

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20.Explanation of the Divine message: The National Faith becomes
the Great Faith; Vietnam customs will become human customs
(Cont.) (Link)

21.Explanation of the Divine message: The National Faith becomes
the Great Faith; Vietnam customs will become human customs
(Cont.) (Link)

22.Preservation of the good customs (Link)
23.Comparison between Vietnam’s customs and others’ (Link)
24.Comparison between Vietnam’s customs and others’ (Cont.)

(Link)
25.Comparison between Vietnam’s customs and others’ (Cont.)

(Link)
26.Organization method of Vietnamese villages (Link)
27.The primary power of the Vietnamese society (Link)
28.The meaning of the “Nhạc Tấu Huân Thiên” (Link)
29.The new Cabinet of Vietnam (Link)
30.The fate of the Vietnam nation (Link)
31.Welcome ceremony for the Chief Ambassador of France (Link)
32.Why His Holiness Hộ Pháp leads the two visible Bodies (Link)
33.The karma of the Vietnamese people (Link)
34.The Supreme Being performed dharma in Kim Biên (Link)
35.Our number one property on earth (Link)
36.The governing law and power of the Universe (Link)
37.Biography of Quan Thánh Đế Quân (Guan Gong) (Link)
38.What is the Sacerdotal Council? (Link)
39.What is the Hiệp Thiên Constitution? What are the laws of the

Three Religions? (Link)
40.Teaching by His Holiness Hộ Pháp (Link)
41.Loyalty, piety, and gratitude (Link)
42.The law of relativity or the reflection of right and wrong (Link)

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43.Teaching at the graduation ceremony of the School of Virtue
(Link)

44.Parents must set good examples for their children (Link)
45.Inauguration ceremony of the Mother Buddha Temple at Qui

Thiện School (Link)
46.The Diêu Trì Festival (Link)
47.Mid-autumn Festival (Link)
48.His Holiness’s trip to Sài Gòn regarding Vietnam’s independence

(Link)
49.Secular people and virtuous people (Link)
50.Vietnam’s independence in the French Union (Link)
51.His Holiness Hộ Pháp’s speech after meeting with the French

ambassador (Link)
52.Universal harmony (Link)
53.Requiem for the deceased soldiers (Link)
54.Papal Day (Link)
55.The Last Cycle ceremony of the Mậu Tý year (Link)
56.His Holiness Hộ Pháp’s speech at the cremation ceremony of the

(deceased) Apostles (Link)
57.Food for the soul (Link)
58.The power of spiritual virtue (Link)
59.Jesus Christ’s Day (Christmas Eve) (Link)
60.Love and Justice (Link)
61.Great courage, strength and compassion (Link)
62.Law and Right (Link)
63.In search of peace and happiness (Link)

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THE HOLY LETTER, FOREWORD, AND NOTICE SECTIONS ARE THE
SAME WITH VOLUME I

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1. THE CAO ĐÀI RELIGION IS THE PEACE RESTORATION
REMEDY

Holy See, Midnight the 1st day of the 1st month Mậu Tý year
(10/02/1948)

Today, in this moment, let us rejoice a little. The year of the Mouse
has come upon us. If my memory serves me right, when the
Supreme Being performed the dharma He let me know that the Faith
would be fully estalished after three years of the Mouse. This year is
the third. We are sure that the Faith will bear fruit as promised by
the Supreme Being to His children. This will also mark the success of
the Vietnam country.

Let us look back on how much suffering we have endured to protect
the children of the Supreme Being in the past 23 years. Are the
current results worth thoe 23 years of suffering? I would like to
assert that since the creation of Heaven and Earth no religion has
developed as rapidly as the Religion created by the Supreme Being
in Vietnam. Let us look back on the past two years when the Faith
had fully been estabished. What do we see? If we have enough
intelligence to decifer the Holy Will of the Supreme Being in the past
22 years, why did the Vietnamese people have to endure suffering
amid mutual killing, destruction and jeopardy? What is its meaning?
The Supreme Being created the experience to let His children see
that cruelty and authoritariannism/ dictatorship cannot triumph
and govern people on earth.

Force! Oh, force! On this earth, the only method or dharma to govern
its people is by human virtue. Cruelty cannot be controlled/
governed by cruelty; only moral virtue can. Why did our country
suffer so much in the past two years? Because we use cruelty to

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control cruelty. Cruelty cannot control cruelty because people’s
cruelty is insurmountable at this time. The Supreme Being gave the
Vietnamese people a valuable and evidence-rich lesson to
contemplate life. He gave us the past two years’ experience. He uses
the power of moral virtue to demonstrate to the world how only
moral virtue can bring happiness to the people. He brightens the
Faith by His moral virtue. We saw that I went though all sorts of
miseries during the five years in exile abroad; life and death were
only a hair’s breadth away for me, but I could still return here. In
laymen’s mind, nobody will intentionally resent or bother the five
years of imprisonment; that is the common way of thinking.
Resentment and irriation are natural, but the common way of
thinking does not have any bearing on us. On the contrary, the body
of Phạm Công Tắc is controled by its master who is Hộ Pháp; the
power of Hộ Pháp is stronger than that of Phạm Công Tắc who is
only a horse to ride. Hộ Pháp is the rider, so the horse cannot
disobey its master. Hộ Pháp is one part, while Phạm Công Tắc is the
other; Phạm Công Tắc is the servant, while Hộ Pháp is the power of
the Supreme Being.

The Vietnamese people are influenced by the Confucianist culture in
four thousand years which teaches us two worthwhile poem lines. If
we had applied them before, Vietnam would not fallinto the current
situation.

"Hành thiện chi nhơn như xuân viên chi thảo, bất kiến kỳ trưởng nhựt
hữu sở tăng. Hành ác chi nhơn như ma đao chi thạch, bất kiến kỳ tổn
nhựt hữu sở khuy".

The first sentence means that those who do good are like spring
grass gardens; they do not grow big but keep thickening everyday.

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The latter sentence means that those who do wrong are like
grindstones; they do not ‘wane’ visibly, but wear away day by day.
We should use humanity to treat the cruel, and use love to erase
resentment. It is Buddha’s heart; only truly Holy souls can do such. I
can do such, and what do I do that for? It is to raise the loftiness of
the Cao Đài religion as per the Supreme Being’s will.
One way is to use cruelty to destroy cruelty like normal people do; it
will satisfy the secular mind and bring joy to Phạm Công Tắc.
However, as Hộ Pháp knows it will harm the future of the country,
He holds the sword of wisdom using love to respond to hatred
mainly to serve mankind. He proves that the true doctrine of the
Cao Đài religion is the “Peace restoration” remedy for mankind.
Only when the Vietnamese people achieve it can the world achieve
it. Anyone that can holds the sword of wisdom will be able to save
their country like the Vietnamese people save theirs.

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2. SPRING IS THE REVIVAL TIME FOR ALL LIVING BEINGS
Holy See, Night of the 2nd day of the 1st month Mậu Tý year
(11/02/1948)

It is impossible for Bần Đạo to visit each of the houses of the Divine
Dignitaries and Male and Female Disciples in three Spring days. Bần
Đạo would like to multiply my body, but just cannot.

So Bần Đạo would like to say a few words to the brothers and sisters
and young ones in this ceremony that my mind is always with each
of you all the time.

There is one thing Bần Đạo wish for the most, i.e. one day Bần Đạo
will enjoy leisure and the hobby of visiting each of your houses for a
little while every day. When Bần Đạo attain such leisure, there is
perhaps no greater happiness. If this person can live with you
through good times and bad to understand each other’s suffering
and sorrow, Bần Đạo am fortunate to share that with you. No glory
or riches in my entire life on earth can compare with the chance to
even taste a grain of salt or eat a grain of rice with you.

All come to visit Bần Đạo, but Bần Đạo cannot visit you in return.
According to religious rules, it is impropriety. Please understand the
situation and forgive me.

On spring days, we speak spring words or the words of life; living
beings are full of life on these days of revival. I wish that all your
souls will be revived after a year of exhaustion, like the trees being
revived with new leaves and flowers during spring days.

Our physical body shares life with living beings; if living beings are
revived, so are the bodies of ours, both male and female. Our souls
went through a year of tiredness, suffering and hardship in the mid

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of the tragic world. As spring comes, you come to the house of the
Great Merciful Father or the Eternal Spring of your soul. I sincerely
pray for the Great Merciful Father’s blessings so you are revived in
His Holy virtue.
All will surely achieve happiness either in this time or when you
grow old, because the Supreme Being has blessed your old age. You
will have leisure in both your body and soul on earth. May all be
revived soon in the Holy virtue of the Supreme Being.

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3. HIS HOLINESS HỘ PHÁP’S TEACHING AFTER THE SPRING
BANQUET

Divine Alliance Palace, 21pm the 3rd day of the 1st month Mậu Tý
year (12/02/1948)

On the New Year’s Day, there is no need for ceremonial speech.
Today, I will use normal words to talk about life matters.

People often say: “Thực nhơn tài phải cứu nhơn tài.” (If we receive
food from others, we must help them). Although I am poor, I hold this
very special banquet. Furthermore, I invite you special gentlemen
who all are key religious authorities; no one is outsider. I do not lie
in saying that my house is only one because my house is the entire
world.

After you enjoy the banquet, I would like to ask you Gentlemen for a
favour: I have a Holy Father or Shèng Fù (圣父) who grants me the
right of compassion to love the entire world; and also have a Lord or
Zìrán Sǐwáng (自然死亡). My Shèng Fù assigns me the task of
steering the Prajna boat; My Zìrán Sǐwáng the task of driving the
“vehicle of letters” from South to North, from East to West. My
brothers are many, but most sit high above while few row (the
boat).

Last year, you kind Gentlemen helped row and push (the boat);
please also do this year. Please help push and row to the destination.
It will be a great favour.

Gentlemen, please help me fulfill our religious duties.

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4. THE POWER OF THE RELIGION

Holy See, Midnight the 3rd day of the 1st month Mậu Tý year
(12/02/1948)

In the three days of spring, I wish the Holy Water of the Supreme
Being would be sprinkled to purify and revive your souls.

Today, I will preach about the power of the Religion.

As we can observe, both mankind and animals must live together in
societies to survive. We see that many animals like bees and ants
exist thanks to social organisation. Even animals unite into groups,
i.e. they have social spirit. Mankind must rely on society for survival.
Moreover, if we study the truth from Buddhism, we learn that the
Supreme Being has trusted mankind to be lord of all living beings.
He gives mankind a lofty spirit, i.e. great divinity and significance,
which is enough to fulfill our duties towards all living beings. In this
way, He designates us as lord of all living beings’ society.

As we carry out the duty, we feel emotions which give rise to love.
Love is the natural law of the Supreme Being. Love has two main
types; in the earthly world, it lies in rules and regulations which
constitute social laws; in the Divine Realm, there are also specific
powers which necessitate Divine laws. There are many Buddhas
who hold the power of reward and punishment, called the law of
karma; good deeds shall be rewarded while bad ones must be
compensated; the law is just and righteous.

The laws are instated by the power of the Supreme Being; without
them, the ferocious would be the same as the virtuous, the kind
would be the same as the cruel; the Divine spirit would fall into
chaos; there would be no moderation, basics and roots at all.

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Therefore, the Faith essentially nurtures the love and feelings of
mankind so that we know we are part of the society and we must do
good for society.

Family is a small part of society; if we would like to preserve the
honour and respect the name of our parents, we will renounce and
expel from the family any member that disobeys the family rules
and cause troubles for the family. In case of such misfortune, a
model family may punish the bad member even more seriously than
strangers.

The universe is a great family; so is the Faith, and society. We are a
family with parents and relatives like a lineage.

Above a family is a nation – a large family – which is the
combination of families under the law and power of Religion or the
Great Family. We go gradually towards the unity of all mankind into
a Great family.

Born as humans, we must know our responsibilities both within the
micro family and the great family. Members in a family only call
themselves ‘son/ daughter’, which is why Jesus Christ only called
Himself Son of Man (le fils de l'homme).

Oh! Since we only have to be human to be ‘rén’, how valuable it is!
Confucian civilizations understand it is very hard to achieve such
value. It is hard to justify, as goes the saying: “It is hard to be rén; it is
hard to be rén. It is very very hard to be rén.”

It is very hard to be a worthy member of the family, but if we can be
the one to shoulder the family, we will be lord of the family. If we
can shoulder the fate of the nation, we are lord of the nation. Let us
ask ourselves how a religion which unites the minds of mankind

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stands above the great family. It is hard to be a worthy man of a
family; it is harder to be a worthy leader of the nation; and it is not
easy to be leader of a religion. If we are worthy leaders, according to
the law of karma we are creating cause without bad karma. Those
who devote all of themselves to be leader of the family are no longer
themselves; they are seniors. Those who deserve to be leader of a
nation are Saints; those who deserve to be leader of a religion are
Buddhas.
Therefore, when we would like to observe if a religion deserves to
be called a true one, the religion must have all the essentials to
create a leader who guides the members to an adequate level of
virtue and power. They must be more lofty than normal and walk
steadily on the eternal path so as to deserve to be leaders of the
Great Family of the universe. If they use non-righteous power to
reach the leadership position, it is not a true religion. What have we
seen? Is the Cao Đài religion a true one? Let us think it over and
confirm the positive answer. Anyone that tries to follow that path
will become leader of the religion established by the Supreme Being,
one with standards, norms, and laws for them to attain positions.

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5. POWER OF THE RELIGION (CONT.)

Holy See, the 4th day of the 1st month Mậu Tý year (13/02/1948)

Last night, the light went out, and we did not conclude the exoteric
dharma. Today, I will preach quite long; please excuse me if you feel
tired.

Last night, I have guided you, friends, brothers and the young ones,
on the path of studying philosophies of a Religion. The entire
mankind learns to be lord of our great family; leader of a micro
family or a family lineage is a Sage on earth; leader of a great family
or a Nation is a Saint; leader of a group of Nations like Washington
of the United States of America is an Immortal; leader of the
supreme family, i.e. the world or a religion, is a Buddha. The Cao Đài
religion’s exoteric dharma consists of frameworks which guide
mankind towards such goals through the laws of a true religion.

Now, I would like to preach about esoteric dharma. The Supreme
Being gives life to us as humans, grants us human life, the divine
light and our individual image. He determines His most critical duty
and hope that we will fulfill it, i.e. to be lord of all living beings in His
place. As He assigns us the duty, He defines laws, and determines
who goes where on His behalf, carries what duty and plans how to
fulfill it. Part of His plan/ agenda is the method of manners, i.e. the
laws by which the Supreme Being obliges mankind to have due
virtues to be lord of living beings; He instates the invisible laws or
Divine laws. Divine laws are rules, while the dharma refers to the
power of reward and punishment in relation to karma. It is common
knowledge that if humans do not act, there is neither success nor
failure; but if we take on duties, we will either succeed or fail.
Human success and failure are uncertainties on earth. When we

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carry the physical body, our spirit is subject to confusion; we only
know that we must understand our duties, and that we do not live to
enjoy. Upon birth by our mother, we already bear worldly debt. The
debt must be paid off, but to whom? We start to pay back to our
family. It is already hard to fulfill our familial duties; there are many
obstacles and also the karma from our previous lives. The repetitive
loan and payment render us no different than the trader. There are
many difficulties in our study to become lord of living beings.

Unless I control and suppress this animal, I would live like an animal
and forget who I am. There is no denying that mankind is in the mid
of loan and payment (vicious karma) like traders who cheat and fail
to earn good money; it is a matter of humanity. If they can buy low
and sell high on another trading trip, they will earn profits. Profit
and loss are the concerns of the secular traders. As soon as we do
not trade for our own profit but for the company owner, we will no
longer worry about profit and loss. It is the same with karma; as
soon as we are no longer individuals but members of our family, as
soon as we live for mankind, we will be liberated.

If we do not borrow and only lend, we will surely get rich. When we
are no longer responsible for profit and loss and only live for our
profession, we will not lose to or gain from anybody. Likewise, when
the children of the Supreme Being are pious to Him and provide
both spiritual and material support to mankind, we will attain the
mechanism of liberation. We lend but do not owe: it is self-
liberation.

Let us ask ourselves if the esoteric dharma of the Cao Đài religion is
like that. Certainly, it is. The Nine Divine Planes, which the Supreme
Being has laid out in this world, are equivalent to the Nine ranks of

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Divine Beings and cannot be refuted. Who can walk the entire path
will be liberated. Is the Papal throne only a name or real? Our Eldest
Brother made it. Can anyone else reach it? We surely can. Anyone
that uses their family as an excuse for not carrying out religious
missions is irrational. The Religion is a school for us to build a
great family; the Religion is an examination for us to reach
Divine positions. Why cannot we achieve positions? Because we
are lazy! We learn and practice. Success and failure depend on
ourselves, not the Supreme Being or the Faith. Religions which
cannot help us achieve the Nine Divine Ranks on earth will not
enable us to achieve positions in the Nine Divine Realms. Therefore,
regarding esoteric dharma, the Cao Đài religion is obviously a true
religion of the Supreme Being.

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6. ABANDON ALL SECULAR THOUGHTS UPON ENTERING THE
HOLY SEE

Holy See, the 29th day of the 1st month Mậu Tý year (1948)

Today, I am here to preach and explain because Truyền Trạng Ngọ
(Investigator Ngọ) presented that while he assumed the
responsibility of the Tiếp Lễ Nhạc Quân (Lord of Rites and Music),
he stood on high and saw your manners and mentality which are not
mature and in accordance with the laws of the Sacerdotal Council.
However, that is only appearance; the most important is the secret
mystery of the Holy See which compels me to preach about.

Do you know that the future of this Faith of yours is to create a great
family for a race called New Race of the Supreme Being on this earth,
i.e. Thần Thông Nhơn (Race Lucide). You should seek to understand
the word “Thần Thông” (Lucid); even if you do not understand
thoroughly, you know what the word means.

In order to elevate the mind to the point of Thần Thông for the New
Race of the Supreme Being, as the New Race will originate from you,
they will not exist unless you seek the seed of Thần Thông. If you
cannot envision the mysterious dharma which the Supreme Being
employs to create the Race Lucide, how can you achieve it?

You will be Parents of the Race Lucide; without the seed, how can
you mould them? As the Hộ Pháp, I used to forget the procedures
when standing on my throne during the beginning of the Faith. Even
if it is difficult for you, you must not forget now that the Faith has
been formed for 22 years.

You cannot see (the mystery) when entering the Holy See; as it is
called the Holy See, you must understand its significance. On my

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throne, I gather all your thoughts and prayers, and offer them to the
Supreme Being. The offering is not a normal one; it is Divine
Anthem. After He receives it, He returns to you the Divine mind.
Only in that way will this planet be tranquil and peaceful. Dear
young brothers and sisters! If you pray in a crude and discordant
voice, how can we hope to enjoy the tranquil music of the universe?

From my throne, I see that if you focus your mind, there will be a
steady halo emanating from Nê Hoàn Cung (Pineal Eye/ Crown
Chakra); everyone has such halo. There is a Buddha who gathers the
entire halo and brings it to the Bát Quái Đài to unite with the halo of
the Globe; He then brings it back to envelop your seats, which you
cannot see. Therefore, when you attend the rituals and know how to
receive the Divine grace, your mind will be peaceful and happy. It is
like someone gives you food when you are hungry; if you do not
receive the food, you will not be full, you will be hungry.

Before you enter the Main Hall, you cross the Hiệp Thiên Đài which
is all red and such color belongs to the physical; after you cross it,
you must purify your mind. I will not say whom because we all wash
ourselves before the rituals. In the Main Hall, even if your body is
dirty, stinky, or inflicted with leprosy but your soul is pure, it is
innocent soul. However sinful anyone is, when they enter the Holy
See they have to learn to purify themselves and relinquish secular
thoughts so as to focus their mind on the prayers and receive the
blessing. You bring your sinless body into the Holy See to offer to the
Supreme Being. If you attend the rituals in the Holy See but do not
pray in your heart and mind, what good does it bring? During the
rituals, the most important thing is the heart/ spirit; the mysterious
dharma is performed at the Cửu Trùng Đài (the Nine Divine Planes)
and the Bát Quái Đài (the Eight-trigram Palace), which is related to

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the spirit and where the spirit occurs. Only when you have feelings
will there be response and blessing. If you are not blessed, it is
because you do not have due and sincere respect.
Sometimes I will explain the esoteric dharma of having Hộ Pháp
stand on His throne. You deserve criticism for not seeing that. From
now on, I would like you to remember that when you enter the Holy
See, you have to relinquish secular thoughts; you will have great
happiness. Otherwise, do not attend the rituals; in this way, you not
only will not receive blessing but also commit sins.

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7. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIS CHILDREN AND THE
SUPREME BEING

Holy See, Night of the 1st day of the 2nd month Mậu Tý year (1948)

I promise to continue preaching about the throne and
responsibilities of Hộ Pháp, but I think it is not necessary for you all
to know about. The most critical matter is the relationship between
His children and the Supreme Being.

I see that all His children follow His call and come here because of
your love for Him; your souls have responded to Him and regard the
Divine Spirit Creator as the Father. His calling us children already
signifies love; and so the love of all male and female disciples for
Him is limitless. I know that well and must confess that on my
return to the Divine Realm, in the Eight-trigram Palace of
Judgement, I will testify with surety the passionate love of mankind
for the Supreme Being. However, there is this imperfection: if only
His children offered such love to each other – the love that you
offered to the Supreme Being – so that we can all receive love in this
world. On the contrary: You don’t!

As such imperfection has crossed its limit, I am obliged to explain to
you thoroughly. I wish that the children of the Supreme Being loved
each other even more passionately than you love Him.

Everybody! Do not think that you joined the Faith by chance. I would
like to assert that it is not by chance; I would like to testify with
surety that His children are all in His lap; from plants to human we
have had a close and passionate relationship, and boundless love.
We all should know that. To tell the truth, souls in this world have

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been though sufferings together over countless lives before we meet
now in the lap of the Supreme Being.

In the 24 Prajna Boats (Wisdom Boats) which brought souls to the
earth, you were among the passengers. Now, the Supreme Being has
come to fulfill His promise. What did we promise to Him? We
promised: “We reincarnated for You to cultivate the spirits of living
beings, and guide both evolutionary and original souls back to their
old positions; we build the image of the Tao because we love You.”
Now that the end is coming, the Master comes with the purpose and
hope to unite His children with Him.

Alas! If you ever knew; we have endured sufferings together for
thousands of lives. There are those of us who were fathers,
grandfathers, sisters, and mothers of each other during our
reincarnations on earth to sow love among all mankind. You hardly
know it; you only know the superficial but not the profound. As we
have the same blood, we should love each other. Who knows among
our fellow disciples there are those who were once our father,
mother, grandfather, or grandmother without us knowing? When
our beloved ones pass away, our love for them fades away too fast.
As Hộ Pháp, if I say anything to cheat mankind, I will bear the blame
one day at the Ngọc Hư Cung (The Heavenly Council of Divine Law/
The Court of God).

Oh! How long does our physical life on earth last? Our life and death
comes quickly after days and nights; our physical life is but real. The
real world is not here; it is in another world. Why don’t we look for
it in the eternal realm; why do we keep chasing the shadows?

I wish all of you knew that substantial secret and love each other;
let’s love each other blindly and one day we will know if we are ever

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mistaken. I can assert that with the Hộ Pháp’s seal in my hand my
words are never mistaken. I wish all the children of the Supreme
Being would not discriminate between male and female due to your
physical body. Who knows some of the females may have been your
father or brother. Do not attach importance to this unreal world;
you should understand this and follow the truth; do not dream of
falsehood. This is my highest wish and dream.

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8. HỘ PHÁP PERFORMS DHARMA AT EACH CEREMONY

Holy See, Night of the 14th day of the 2nd month Mậu Tý year
(24/03/1948)

Today Bần Đạo (this poor monk) will not preach; Bần Đạo will only
have a talk. As promised, Bần Đạo will talk about what Hộ Pháp does
at every ceremony.

Bần Đạo talk about that topic so that all know how important it is
and strictly follow the rituals and facilitate my performance of the
dharma. Bần Đạo talk about the topic today so that I will have time
to preach about more essential and important matters tomorrow
evening.

Every time we perform the rituals, everyone enters the temple after
the bell chimes and drum rolls; everyone does so leisurely while Bần
Đạo is confused. I mount the throne, prepare to perform dharma,
draw the charm and chant the mantra. The mantra we often hear
during submission of the petition is: “TAM CHÂU BÁT BỘ HỘ PHÁP
THIÊN TÔN.” (HỘ PHÁP THE DIVINE GOD OF THE THREE
ETHEREAL CONTINENTS); it actually should be “TAM THIÊN THẾ
GIÁI HỘ PHÁP GIÁNG LÂM.” (HỘ PHÁP DESCENDS UPON THE
THREE THOUSAND WORLDS). Our senior brothers have always
chanted the former mantra, so it cannot be changed; it must be kept
intact.

After the ceremonial rituals, all of you chant the prayers while Bần
Đạo meditate and chant the mantra. You can chant each prayer
easily because you only need to remember them. Bần Đạo
particularly have to chant the secret mantra, and dedicate all its
meaning to the Supreme Being and the Divine Beings. The most

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complicated thing is when everyone finishes chanting prayers to the
Supreme Being or the Three Religion prayers; when Bần Đạo see
you all go silent, I muster my entire spirit and offer the prayers to
the Eight-trigram Palace. When we chant the five pledges, Bần Đạo
also concentrate and turn all our faith into bright light of wisdom;
Bần Đạo bring the light into the Eight-trigram Palace and wait for
reply from therein. When light comes back out from the Palace, I
bowed and prayed for all.

Regarding the offering of the Three Treasures, Bần Đạo understand
all its meaning. Flower offering means we offer the physical bodies
of all the children of the Supreme Being, i.e. His Holy Body; we offer
the entire Holy Body as a means for Him to save the world. That is
flower offering.

Regarding wine offering, when everyone finishes praying and go
into silence, Bần Đạo muster my mind and soul to offer all our faith
to the Eight-trigram Palace.

Tea offering means offering all our souls to the Supreme Being. Bần
Đạo muster my entire soul and offer the souls of all the children of
the Supreme Being to Him.

When you pray, you only pray as the rituals go. For Bần Đạo, I have
to muster all my soul and offer those prayers to the Supreme Being
and Divine Beings.

When the Supreme Being taught Bần Đạo that dharma, Bần Đạo
thought that it followed the ancient Buddhist dharma, especially
that of Zen Buddhism, wherein a monk is always invited to every
vegetarian banquet, charity, requiem or periodical chanting of
salvation prayers. It is nothing other than the esoteric dharma of the

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Supreme Being to focus on the spirit. Bần Đạo am sure that no one
understands it; they only chant like singing, and no one focuses their
entire mind on the prayers. As a result, it does not do any good to
have the monks perform gong and prayer rituals. The most
important thing is how the senior monk performs the esoteric
dharma, but I do not know if they understand and go through the
ritual properly. If they enact that substantial point, they will be
complying with the esoteric dharma. Such is the rule for the Minor
Ceremony.

The Major Ceremony is even more confusing to Hộ Pháp, because
there are three mudras, including the Upper, Middle and Last Cycles.
Aren’t they to be performed by Hộ Pháp? When Bần Đạo stand on
the throne and form the Hộ Pháp mudra, I gather all the three Divine
cosmic regions, i.e. the vital energy we see pervading everywhere.
Next, I focus my spirit on wrapping it around the earth like a circle
around a tree, while putting a stalk on its top and offering it for the
presiding of the Supreme Being. During the flower offering, I form
the Thượng Ngươn (Upper Cycle) mudra, standing upon the Ngưu
Đẩu star. My hand raises the Gián Ma Xử (Evil Bannishing Staff) to
unite with the ‘Qi’ calligraphy and spread the ‘Qi’ across the entire
universe. The Upper Cycle mudra controls the ‘Qi’ by using it to
gather all the vital energy and cover the entire universe with such
energy.

Moving on to the Trung Nguơn (Middle Cycle), I form the Hiệp
Chưởng mudra of transformation. The Gián Ma Xử (Evil Banishing
Staff) is placed horizontally with its end on the Temporal side and
its handle on the Spiritual side to signify that the Faith holds the
handle to correct Temporal life. I form the Hiệp Chưởng mudra to

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control the life creation dharma with the purpose of preserving life
from competition and self-destruction.

Regarding the Hạ Nguơn (Last Cycle), the left hand belonging to the
Yang is placed above, while the right hand belonging to the Yin is
placed below. The Gián Ma Xử (Evil Banishing Staff) is placed head
down, and the spirit is mustered to unite all living beings in the
universe. When performing the three mudras, we have to muster
our spirit so the dharma is abided by. In the early days when the
Supreme Being just assigned the task to Bần Đạo in Từ Lâm pagoda,
the challenge was that My mind kept worrying due to unfamiliarity.
I was not a shaman, and could not perform them correctly no matter
how much I tried to learn. For this reason, devils ran wild at Từ Lâm
pagoda at that time. Didn't the other mudras of Hộ Pháp work? Why
did the devils run wild? It is Divine Mechanism. Even if the Supreme
Being set loose the Thirty Six Caverns, would they be able to
sabotage His Plan? Would they be able to destroy the True Religion?
He lets mankind experiment to take over His limitless power. At that
time, due to the rush, we could not get used to the duty. Either
because we did not have time to refine or because it was not very
important, such oversight occurred. That is the Holy will of the
Supreme Being.

Bần Đạo have told many times that during a prayer session the most
important moment is when we offer the Three Treaures. Although
our mind may have intermittent worries during the session, Bần
Đạo advise you all to muster your spirit and chant the mantra while
offering the three important treasures to the Supreme Being. You
will help Bần Đạo perform the dharma with a little ease.

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9. THE MEANING OF ‘ĐI HOÁN ĐÀN’ (Reverse Ceremonial
March)(*)

Holy See, Night of the 15th day of the 2nd month Mậu Tý year
(25/03/1948)

THÁI THƯỢNG CEREMONY

(*):“Đi Hoán Đàn” is part of the Major Ceremonial rituals which is
performed by all male and female Dignitaries and Disciples. It is an
esoteric dharma in the Cao Đài religion, and is similar to practices in
other religions to signify the Wheel of Dharma.

Today Bần Đạo was going to continue preaching, but you were not
allowed into the Temple due to Hoán Đàn (Reverse March).
Therefore, Bần Đạo have to explain clearly why. Please do not mind
if you are tired from standing for a long time.

There is nothing meaningless that the Supreme Being includes in His
Dharma-dhatu in this Faith. If we do not know (the meaning of)
anything, at least we have to study them; for example, why the
monks run during a ritual. We have to seek their rationale so as to
understand the Dharma-dhatu of the Supreme Being, and why the
exoteric rituals look so bizarre. We have to ask if we do not
understand. Everyone should know that there is nothing
meaningless in this Religion.

Why do we have to ‘hoán đàn’? It signifies the constant wheel of
dharma. Why does the Supreme Being leave the wheel of dharma on
earth? What is it for? Now that the Last Cycle of the third
manvantara has ended and the Upper Cycle of the fourth
manvantara has started, the new Cycle necessitates the turning of
the wheel of dharma.

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We have known that the unity of Ante-creation and Post-creation
energy brings about enlightenment. Everyone knows that the Cửu
Trùng Đài (Palace of Nine Divine Planes) stands for the Cửu Thiên
Khai Hóa (Nine Heavens of Creation), and the Cung Đạo (Palace of
the Tao) is up there. For always, everyone has been looking for the
Tao, but fails to see it even though the Supreme Being places it right
in front of their eyes. We walk through the Nine Divine Planes so
that the soul reaches all the levels of Angels, Saints, Immortals and
Buddhas, i.e. Buddha incarnate, and then returns to Buddhahood.
The dharma names it enlightenment. Why don’t you seek to
understand it, and refuse to take part? You are afraid of tired legs, so
you wait for others to finish in here before entering for the praying/
worship session.
Without the ‘hoán đàn’, the exoteric ritual is incomplete according to
the Dharma-dhatu of the Supreme Being. Therefore, the dharma
master has the responsibility not to let you in, so as to avoid
damaging the order of the Tao.

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10. THE TAO IS INHERENT IN LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE

Holy See, Midnight of the 9th day of the 1st month Mậu Tý year
(19/02/1948) – THE SUPREME BEING’S DAY

Dear Male and Female Divine Dignitaries, Disciples, and Male and
Female children! The first spring ceremony is one for the Supreme
Being. It has been 23 years since the Supreme Being came to His
children; mankind is blessed by the happiness of universal salvation
by the Supreme Being. When mankind hears about this, they must
follow the Supreme Being’s spiritual footsteps. Why is it that
mankind still has not enjoyed the blessings bestowed by the
Supreme Being on this earth?

Bần Đạo have preached in previous sessions that to become a True
Religion, a Religion must have its own esoteric and exoteric
physiognomy. Today is to commemorate the day the Supreme Being
came to us; this memory is indelible. Bần Đạo have preached why
mankind has been always searching for the Tao since the creation of
Heaven and Earth. We have known well that mankind on earth has
changed many times, but we still survive. The True dharma states
that it has been three times of 36 thousand years. So it has been 108
thousand years since mankind appeared on earth. During the 108
thousand years of innumerable changes, mankind could have
forgotten the Supreme Being. Why do we still always remember
Him? Because it is impossible to forget Him. Why is it impossible to
forget Him? Mankind is searching and longing for His name. Nations
are searching because they regard Him as the creator of the
Universe. Who taught, guided or obliged them? How do they know
what the truth is to follow? Everyone has always been searching for

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the truth. Not only mankind but also inanimate and animate beings
have always been searching for Him. (*)

We see clearly that inanimate matters like rock and metal which
have no sound, but only shape already have a certain level of sense.
Who are they looking for when the rocks lie one on top of another to
form mountains? They are looking for their source of life. Among
living beings, we see that the young rice plants slant to one side, but
stand up straight when they grow. Who are they looking for? They
are looking for the Creator. When overshadowed, trees in the woods
or the garden slant and grow branches. Who are they looking for?
They are looking for the Creator.(*)

Those are inanimate beings. Regarding humans, why can’t we forget
Him? If we can’t forget Him, we have to keep looking, i.e. looking for
the Tao. The Tao is the secret mechanism which unites God and
humans in the life of the Universe. As humans keep looking for
the source of life, we are looking for the Tao. (*)

When we are still babies and do not have the intelligence to reason,
what do we see? We see in front of us innumerable living beings
who are our co-living friends. When we grow to be three or five, the
bond between living beings and our life begins to awaken us. The
connection is strong between living beings and humans; although
they may be cruel to man, the bond is still strong. Tigers, leopards,
crocodiles, and bears give us fear; their cruelty can end our life and
thus causes us to fear them. Apart from them, all living beings have a
close bond with us, as the saying goes, “Khuyển thủ dạ, kê tư thần,
tầm thổ tư, phong nhưỡng mật." (Dogs love; chickens tell hours;
silkworms produce thread; and bees store honey.) Living beings
evoke strong feelings in us, because they share our life; for example,

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kids love beautiful butterflies upon seeing them, and search to catch
them, but fear the bees when stung by them. These feelings awaken
and inspire us to search for the source of life. It is the beginning of
the search for the Tao.

As we grow a little more, we know the mutual love in our family or
society, as well as the relative roles. It is the responsibility of
religious followers to maintain the mutual life of the society, i.e. to
seek the source of mutual life which is the result of creation
mechanism. Regarding our role in relation to the society, how do we
think the society is treating us, and how do we have to behave
towards the society? We are actually seeking ways to worship our
mutual life. Since the life of living beings and mankind comes from
the Creator or the Supreme Being, the Tao is just as closely related
to us as It is to the Supreme Being. Therefore, He comes to awaken
us (to the Tao). As the Creator of life, He comes to restore life and
annihilate cruelty. He brings life in front of mankind, perhaps to
remind them to worship each other’s life. If they worship, they will
acknowledge that the Creator gives us life and divine wisdom;
thanks to such wisdom, we can discern between kindness and
cruelty, good and bad. Such discernment is a manifestation of the
awakened ones who seek the truth(s) of life, and helps decide
whether to follow the (moral) Sages or to live cruelly like animals.
Life of the Sages is essentially life given by the Supreme Being; it is
the treasure inside of us, and is not demeaning.

The Supreme Being now comes to earth in order to render mankind
respectful of life in the limits He designates, and unites human
minds into one of universal love and fraternity. Such is the True
Dharma which the Supreme Being has brought to us for 23 years. If
we carry His name but do not create examples to convince mankind

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that the Cao Đài religion is a True Religion, how can we provide the
mental model for all mankind? If so, we will be very much impious
to the Supreme Being.
Additional note: At the end of paragraphs marked (*), we took the
liberty to break into a new paragraph for better comprehension the
readers. The original version does not break in these places.
Respectfully yours.

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11. THE APPEARANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF EARTHLY
GUESTS

Holy See, Night of the 15th day of the 1st month Mậu Tý year
(24/02/1948)

Today, Bần Đạo will preach about different types of earthly guests as
well as their appearance and characteristics, mainly to guide you all
to observe the entire Faith.

It will be a good guide for us to observe each type of earthly guests,
the most important of whom is the Holy Body of the Supreme Being
or the Sacerdotal Council. Moreover, living beings, especially
mankind, each has their own Divine rank which depends on the
evolution of their spirit. Their particular characteristics and
appearance also depend on the evolution of their spirit. Regarding
their appearance, we see that ancient people’s approach to telling
characteristics and fortune through physiognomy also follows the
same line.

If we only talk about the rank and evolution of earthly guests, Bần
Đạo can say with certainty that among the 2,700 million people on
this planet – this figure was recorded during pre-war period and the
death toll is unknown – there are 2,700 million characteristics
which we cannot predict; however, we can classify earthly guests
into different types:

The first type is the fruit receiver, i.e. those in debt. Who are
debtors? They are those who have incurred a lot of bad karma. The
law of karma turns them into the most miserable of souls.

The second type is the fruit giver, i.e. those who lend.

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The third type is the student, i.e. those who come to earth to learn
because they have shortcoming(s); they come to make up for those
shortcomings and gain more wisdom to evolve their spirit.

The fourth type is the traveller who comes and goes; these are very
few. If they do come, most will die young.

Another type is the Divine Missionary, i.e. highly evolved souls who
have attained lofty ordination. They come to carry out orders by the
Ngọc Hư cung (the Court of God) or the Lôi Âm Tự (the Temple of
Thunder).

Now Bần Đạo will describe clearly the fruit receiver or those in
debt. Bần Đạo would like to assert that we can recognize them
immediately upon seeing them. No matter how much they try, their
misery and lowliness can always be seen; their characteristics show
themselves as being ugly even in the way they dress. They are afraid
of debt, but unfortunately they can have neither peace of mind nor
happiness despite all their worries and hardships in earning their
living. If the lender reincarnates at the same time so they can pay off
the debt, it is good luck for them; otherwise, they have to
reincarnate over and over again to find the lender, and toil for them
to pay off. This method is what souls are most afraid of. It is typical
of them to only care for their own benefits, but they do not know
how much is enough; so much so that they want to build up their
riches and save them for debt settlement. They are afraid that they
will not be able to settle it when they want to; their spirit urges
them that way. They are very economical; they do not love anyone in
the world, but if they meet the lender, they will love, respect, indulge
and give them all the riches they have. If they do not have riches,
they will offer their life to pay off. The debtors are particularly

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selfish, stingy, and inconsiderate; when the lender comes, they offer
their entire fortune to them; whether they want it or not, or know it
or not, it is the lender who squander all their fortune. They are
found to be typically bad-tempered, restless, and unnecessarily
worried; they especially look miserable, are always sick and often
bear lowly fate. These are karma-burdened souls.

The lenders have a particular characteristic of being carefree and
aimless; they are sure people are in debt to them although they do
not know whom. They do not care about anything, but only go with
the tide and stay happy go lucky. They do not harm anyone, but do
not do anyone any good. When we tell them about religion, they
know the direction and listen with the expectation that they will
benefit from the divine. They go to the pagodas and shrines mainly
to pray for reputation; if they hear of any holy place, they will bring
along worship materials to pray for riches and benefits. They look
aimless but always stay egoistic; as the lender, they are rich no
matter how large the loan is. And above all, there is no concern
about wasting money. They are afraid of sins and bad karma, but do
not preserve themselves; they believe in what they hear, but do not
believe in morality; they only believe in the divine so they can pray
for benefits. They are also silly; they are willing to give all their
money to whoever says nice words to them. Sometimes they shout
at the receivers, because they do not give out of sincerity. These are
the characteristics of lenders.

Regarding the students, they usually want to learn everything; they
are eager to read books and scriptures, but only skim over them.
They are fond of studying, highly curious, and want to study or
know everything. If they only know something vaguely, they will
give up. There are many of them, but strangely most are faithless. No

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matter how learned they are, they know nothing about virtues and
spirituality; they keep seeking the truth. They themselves do not
know who they are, but are also very egoistic. They make up their
mind that no one is superior to them; with such thinking, they put
on airs more than anyone else. Their faces always look up, which is
why people call them ‘upstage boys’. This type is the majority.

The traveller can be recognized immediately; they do not affect or
say much about anyone; their life or death is also insignificant to
them. They often live in temples or alone in the mountains in
serenity. For outings, they will go to the mountains. We see them
alone in temples beating the tocsin and constantly chanting the
sutras. If these travellers are not happy with their life on earth, they
will withdraw from it or die.

Now the type you would like to learn about most is the Divine
Missionary. They are those who do not work for their own benefits,
but only offer to benefit the world; they do not respect their own
body, but only the world. Because the Divine Missionaries mainly
aim to seek direction and guide the world spiritually; it is a means of
salvation and protection of mankind. Like the Lục Tổ (Huìnéng - 惠
能), they have the characteristics of being calm, non-secularized,
desireless and uncontaminated. Many of them who come before the
mission starts sound nonsensical and almost crazy. That is before
they become enlightened; people call them the unruly. Once they are
enlightened and determined to save the world on behalf of the
Supreme Being, they follow the Supreme Being's order to befriend
with mankind and propagate His Religion so that His children are
united into one. This type can be found among the Holy Body of the
Supreme Being.

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If you encounter crazy people, you must be sure that they are still
waiting for the right time, and the time has not come.

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12. VIETNAM WINS INDEPENDENCE IN THE FRENCH UNION

Holy See, Night of the 26th day of the 1st month Mậu Tý year
(06/03/1948)

As there is good news today, Bần Đạo am here to explain it to you.

Recently there was a telecast informing that the former Bảo Đại King
has brought independence and union to our country because France
has announced their agreement to the world; we only have to sign
the treaty with France to complete it. Independence in the French
Union means French culture has been spread around where there
are French people. France has many colonies on earth, and French
culture has influenced countries which are not among its colonies.
Thus, those countries which are not part of its colonies can also
unite with France. The United Nations of France means the union of
countries to strengthen and protect their mutual wellbeing;
therefore, each country in the French Union has equal sovereignty
and rights. Although France initiated it, it is only part of it. It is truly
so.

Bần Đạo essentially would like to speak to your heart and mind
about the followings. After the five years in exile, Bần Đạo was
determined to bring the former Bảo Đại King back home so he
would speak up for the independence of the country. What happens
today is definitely not coincidence. Bần Đạo would like to say that
Bần Đạo already knew the preceding events and their consequence
back in 1927.

Bần Đạo essentially remind the children of the Supreme Being so
you keep in mind that: "The Supreme Being never goes back on His
words or breaks promises with His children; His words will

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eventually be reality." If His children are wise enough and take time
to read each part and each word of His Divine Messages, you will
immediately understand that none of them turn out otherwise.

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13. DEVOTE ALL YOUR FAITH TO THE MOTHER BUDDHA

The Temple of Gratitude, Noon of the 15th day of the 2nd month
Mậu Tý year (1948)

Let us discuss an essential issue together: we strongly believe that
the Mother Buddha is the Birth Mother of ours and living beings. If
we believe and know that with certainty, we have to place all our
faith in Her. In my opinion, all physical matters are created by the
Mother Buddha.

The Great Merciful Father is the father only of our spirit; likewise
between our earthly parents, our father only produces the sperm,
while all our blood and vitality come from our mother. The Supreme
Being only gives us our spirit, while our mind and body are created
by the Mother Buddha; the two powers are very lofty. If we are wise,
there is no one better to pray to for salvation of our soul than the
Supreme Being; but if we suffer physically, it is best to always pray
to our Mother.

Aren't there many things we can only ask from our Mother, but not
our Father? Female disciples particularly must submit yourselves
spiritually more to the Mother Buddha. If you would like to have
healthy kids, good health or strong faith, why don’t you go ask the
Mother Buddha? Only the Mother has the power to grant your wish.
As for the young ones, if you are already married, you should serve
the Mother Buddha to pray for good kids so that all Beings who
come to your door are supreme souls. That is wisdom; if we strongly
believe in it, it will be real.

Bần Đạo see that the female are still very lukewarm about it.

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14. THE CELESTIAL PALACE OF EACH CHILD OF THE SUPREME
BEING

Holy See, Midnight of the 19th day of the 2nd month Mậu Tý year
(29/03/1948)

Today I will preach about the Celestial Palace of each child of the
Supreme Being. The Supreme Being has said about the Celestial
Palace, "Your fortune has been put in place by Me." Such fortune is the
Celestial Palace.

Bần Đạo remember that previously the Supreme Being called on the
Divine Dignitaries, especially His first Disciples in the Cửu Trùng Đài
(the Nine-Divine-Plane Body) who we thus consider the Apostles of
the Cao Đài Religion. They are Trung, Trang, Tương, Thơ, Nương and
Ca who joined at the very beginning of the Religion. The Supreme
Being said: "You children have to build your lineage," i.e. to build our
Celestial Palace on earth. Unfortunately, they did not hold on to the
blessing granted by the Supreme Being, and so lost their religious
endeavor.

The Celestial Palace which the Great Merciful Father calls the
fortune He saves for us is only given to others when we give up on it.
What is that Celestial Palace? It is the original souls of the
Supreme Being, and is the creation mechanism of the Universe. His
Holiness Nguyệt Tâm Chơn Nhơn (translator's note: Victor Hugo)
said that the Supreme Being once had His own Celestial Palace; He
parted with it all, and came to a place where there was nothing.
Then, He transformed the Yang energy and bestowed a spirit on
each living being which is called Monad in Sanskrit, and we call
'nhứt điểm linh' (Divine spirit). The Divine spirit evolves endlessly
from matter to Buddhahood. Humans go through many lives and

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build close relationships so as to create a family lineage. We are
born in this century together with our grandparents, parents,
siblings, friends, spouses, and children. All the visible fortune we
build on earth will become our fortune in the invisible realm which
constitutes our Celestial Palace. So what is the Celestial Palace? If we
call it the invisible lineage, we should rather call it a society, because
it comes from our foundational fortune. If we recall the words of His
Holiness Nguyệt Tâm Chơn Nhơn, the Supreme Being also follows
the same law. He attains the Dharma and the limitless secret to
create His own Universe. It is just like the way of the visible world –
we observe how our father builds his fortune and follow him. What
the Supreme Being has done will be replicated by us, or has already
been in the invisible realm. The Supreme Being may have saved it
for us without us knowing; we only know this moment. Only when
we leave this physical body and return to the invisible realm will we
know if we have a fortune.

For that reason, during our lifetime, we bustle to feed the animal, i.e.
our physical body, to the point that we forget the grand fortune.
There is no worse tragedy than one where we forget such danger,
and the Supreme Being pains to see us indulging ourselves in
earthly life. Let us imagine parents who keep the grand fortune for
their child; the fortune is very great. In his young age, he study
overseas and can barely make ends meet. He cannot benefit from
the fortune, and no one helps; so he relies on his abilities to work for
others and earn a living. It is fine if he can live on his true ability and
profession. But if he cannot live like a man (jun zi) and lower himself
to steal, rob, sell sex, deceive or adopt other sinful means of a mean
person, how painful will his parents feel?

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Actually, the Supreme Being is also similar; to us mankind, He has
said that for each child He keeps a grand fortune which is not
granted by Him, but created by ourselves and forgotten. We let
ourselves become low, tormented, and miserable, while being
unable to preserve our fortune. If we do not wake up in the face of
such life and seek decent means of living, or if we seek devil means
of living, how painful will the Supreme Being be? He has said: "Your
fortune will never be given to anyone else, unless you disown it." If we
are jobless and cannot inherit the fortune from our parents which is
built by us, it is because we forget ourselves and abandon it. What
meaning does our life of a hundred years have? Whenever a funeral
passes by, it seems that the deceased remind us of one thing. The
deceased says to us: "I am leaving for the real world; you stay here in
the unreal world!" We must be wise to tell the real from the unreal
so as to well preserve the divine cause; remember that secular life is
a sea of suffering!

When will mankind wake up from their cruel dream and seek lofty
virtuous life? Despite hardship, misery, trials, and asceticism, our
mind seems to rejoice even more; why is that? Because we know
that the physical trials can hardly affect our great cause; it can only
be a shadow at most. Without its effect, we know we can preserve
our divine cause from being lost.

If you all follow that endless truth of the eternal divine realm, it is
better to preserve that real world than life in this illusory world. You
should be afraid of only one Being and no one on earth. Any
powerful person can only kill our physical body. You brothers,
sisters and young ones must be afraid of that Being who can not only
kill your physical body, but also condemn you forever to the secular
world, and dispose of your cause. He is the Great Merciful Father.

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15. MANY ARE CALLED, BUT FEW COME

Holy See, Midnight of the 21st day of the 2nd month Mậu Tý year
(31/02/1948)

The phrase 'filial piety' means so much that Confucianism can not
capture it all. There is a saying that "Quạt nồng ấp lạnh", i.e. when
our parents feel hot, we should use a fan; when they feel cold, we
should cover them with a blanket. It is a saying to depict filial piety
only in a trivial sense. To the Mother Buddha, there is nothing we
can do to compensate for the upbringing by our parents and be
considered pious, because we can never compensate for it. That is
why Confucianism cannot capture it all.

Having said that, being pious is to serve our parents by all means we
can. Some say they are pious, but do not care about their parents.
They may not even visit them for several months or an entire year.
They only return for the funeral when their parents pass away.
Their live their own life, and disregard the life of their parents.

If someone says the father has a bad cold or flu and why they do not
visit, they say "I am also freezing cold; my house is far away; he is cold
but is at home, while I am on the road and am even more seriously
sick." It is not enough even if we take care of them through our
entire life; the more hardship and suffering we face, the more
precious our piety is.

Our piety to the Supreme Being is also the same. Last night, only a
few attended the praying session; it is a weak heart which changes
with the weather. You then use fear of trivial sickness as an excuse.
If the Supreme Being is cold, nobody will visit Him. He probably

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does not feel cold, so He does not ask us to. Only, we do not receive
the blessing, and may suffer after death.
In Christian scriptures, there is a story; here is how it goes: Jesus
Christ said, "Many are called, but few come" (Il y a beaucoup
d'appelés mais peu de venus). He means that the children of the
Supreme Being are many, but few of them attain liberation. An
intellectual replied out of annoyance, "The Messiah came to save us
and all of us; how come people do not come? Did the Divine Message
really say so?" He seemed very displeased.
On Christmas Eve, it was snowing and freezing; he held an
important position in the Holy Temple. When it was time for the
ceremony, the Temple was empty. The Priest called him over,
laughed and said, "This is how many are called but only a few come."
He recalled his previous question and felt ashamed.
If the Religion of the Supreme Being depends on the hot and cold of
weather, Bần Đạo envision that the continual rain will put an end to
the Cao Đài religion, won't it?

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16. THE CURRENT SITUATION OF VIETNAM

Holy See, Night of the 23rd day of the 2nd month Mậu Tý year
(2/3/1948)

Today, Bần Đạo will go to the city again, because the future and fate
of Vietnam has reached a complicated dilemma.

Bần Đạo have to seek a solution to restore peace and save the
Vietnamese race; otherwise, the bloodshed in front of us will
continue to destroy living beings. When Bần Đạo returned from the
overseas exile (in Madagascar), I saw the situation was complicated
and the country was in an impossible dilemma. Thanks to the
unwavering faith in the Supreme Being, Bần Đạo could find a
solution to resolve the dilemma, and change the situation so they
could win. However, they somehow get themselves into another
dilemma this time. This time, it is very hard to resolve, but thanks to
the strong faith, Bần Đạo is seeking a solution to experiment.
Whether it is successful depends on how diligently you pray back
here. Let us focus and unite our minds to pray for Bần Đạo to
succeed.

Bần Đạo will describe the complicated situation in a figurative way.
Try to seek and understand. In a family, the father has kept a loan
paper for a long time but cannot demand payment. The family is
poor; the children and grandchildren are sad. A debt collector called
Hồ or Nhẫn comes and coaxes that he has the ability to claim the
money back. He then brings the loan paper away with him. The
family head is thinking of giving him such an authority and then
goes away. The collector can hardly claim the money back, while the
family loses their hard-earned money. When the family head plans

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to come back, the collector cajoles the family into his scheme. He
says to the family head, "Just ask your entire family; if they
acknowledge your authority, I will return it." But to the family, he
says, "Watch out! He may come back and claim it for his own." Now,
we have to make the debtor pay, and help the family head reclaim
the loan paper. Bần Đạo have to resolve those two issues during this
trip.

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17. RECLAIMING THE SOVEREIGNTY OF VIETNAM

Holy See, Night of the 15th day of the 3rd month Mậu Tý year
(1948)

After Bần Đạo complete the duty towards the Vietnam country and
the Vietnamese race in accordance with the previous Holy Will of
the Supreme Being, Bần Đạo would like to thank all His children,
including the Divine Dignitaries in the Holy Body of the Supreme
Being and all the Male and Female Disciples.

All have helped Hộ Pháp in an indescribably mysterious way. The
future of the country and the race will definitely result from the
minds of the Holy Body of the Supreme Being and all His children.
There is one strange matter which Bần Đạo cannot rationalize.
When Bần Đạo went to the city with the new solution, Bần Đạo
thought I would encounter many insurmountable difficulties with
the French governor. On the contrary, Bần Đạo witnessed the
obvious spirit of an impartial race. They know clearly what they are
doing, and are waiting for us to state what we are doing; but we do
not. We do not help them understand. It is not strange in light of the
country status; they have overthrown monarchy to establish
democracy before all other countries. Thanks to the (French)
Constitution, all the French people hold democracy in high regard;
whether they want it or not, they are obligated by the Constitution
to respect and follow it. It is also natural for other countries to
watch their moves. It is a polished forte; they would like to come
here and protect (democracy) without being criticized. Justice of the
French governor has always been apparent; we only repeat it. The
Vietnam fortune has been taken by the French from the king; they
have to return it to the king and not anyone else. In order for them

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