Receiving, Cultivating, Practicing and Achieving Tao

By Henry Chu

Introduction

• This is the big picture…or an attempt at a bigger picture

• Most of us have received Tao, some of us have began to cultivate Tao, few of us are practicing Tao, and certainly none of us has achieved Tao

• Never the less, this lecture aims to provide a bigger picture of the journey of Tao so we will have a sense of where we are in the journey

Introduction

• With the bigger picture, we hope to share a higher perspective and a greater understanding of our spiritual journey

• Hopefully, we can inspire members to set higher goals and accomplish greater achievements

• The ultimate goal is to assist the Great Buddha in his great mission of Heaven on Earth

Receiving Tao

• Most of us received Tao with very little efforts of our own (evening though Chinese members called this Seeking or Beseeching Tao)

• This is due to the fact that receiving Tao is universally ordained—it is the Will of God, facilitated by the Holy Spirits of Maitreya Buddha and executed by the members of the Tao community

Receiving Tao

• Here is what happened behind the scene in order for a person to receive Tao:– the name of the new member appears on the

Column of Heaven – the Holy Spirit of the Mission then finds person in

this world – the spirit will find a member of the temple to

connect with the person (to be his or her sponsor)– the person receives Tao

Receiving Tao

• The receiving of Tao signified that God wants this person to be in the process of Ascension

• Some people may have began this process many life times ago but others may have just begun (it takes 10 life time of cultivations)

• The receiving of Tao does not guaranteed that this person will achieve Tao in this life, it only signified that the person is on the path

Cultivating Tao

• Cultivating Tao refers to the internal cultivations (it is the internal spiritual practice that has to be accomplished in order for a person to ascend out of this world)

• There are three stages to Cultivating Tao:– Debt Resolution– Sin Resolution– Ego Resolution

Cultivating Tao

• Debt Resolution:– This is referring to the negative Karma we have

gathered throughout our existence in this world– All the negative transgressions we had committed

while we were in our spiritual ignorance– We must paid off every single bid of negative

Karma we have in order to transcend – The only way to pay off negative Karma is by

generate positive or good Karma (helping others)

Cultivating Tao

• Sin Resolution:– Sin is referring to the spiritual elements that can

cause negative Karma and they are Greed, Hatred and Attachment

– Greed can be released with Contribution (giving of wealth and material resources)

– Hatred can be released with Service (putting other’s needs before our own)

– Attachment can be released with Teaching (sharing of truth and proper perspectives)

Cultivating Tao

• Ego Resolution:– Ego is the sense of Self (detachment from God)– Ego is very difficult to release because it is

fundamentally tied to our sense of identity– Only by being humble and cultivate deeply within

ourselves can we hope to penetrate the veil of Ego and reach our true self, which is our Soul

– The moment of Soul Seeing is the moment of Enlightenment

Practicing Tao

• Practicing Tao is the External cultivation– During the Dharma Meeting, we have all been

introduced to the Six Great Vows• Value Heavenly over Earthly• Contribution of Wealth and Dharma• Buddhist Vegetarianism• Self Sacrifice for Tao• Establishing Temple• Pioneering Tao

Practicing Tao

• Valuing Heavenly over Earthly– This is the practice of service– When there are temple activities, we will always

volunteer our service– This also means we are officially a part of the

divine mission of Maitreya Buddha– We are expected to learn everything about temple

activities and rituals (so we can be of service and so we can teach newer members)

Practicing Tao

• Contribution of Wealth and Dharma– This means we will act according to capacity with

our donations to the temple– This also means we will begin to learn the

teaching of Tao and share them with newer members

– Great merits are being accomplished with these two types of contributions and practices

Practicing Tao

• Buddhist Vegetarianism:– This is a vow of perpetual merit– Everyday we are sparing the lives of the animals

that we would have otherwise eaten– Great compassion and mercy are granted to the

animals and God in turn will grant great compassion and mercy upon us

– Great spiritual transformation happens 90 days after initiating this practice

Practicing Tao

• Self Sacrifice for Tao:– This means taking on the responsibilities of the

temple community– One may start with small responsibilities (such as

morning or evening prayer) – Eventually, one can take on the greater

responsibility and be in charge of the entire community

– This practice is excellent for Enlightenment

Practicing Tao

• Establishing Temple:– This is another practice of perpetual Merit– By establishing a temple, we are offering a

sanctuary for the holy spirits in this world– We are also summoning the holy spirits into this

world by having Three Treasures ritual as well as temple activities such as Dharma Meeting

– The more activities we have the more frequent the spirits will visit and greater divine energy gets infused into this world (resolving world Karma)

Practice Tao

• Pioneering Tao:– This is the ultimate practice by which a person

comes to a new place and establishes a new temple community

– Boundless merits are established by this practice because the community will endure the entire reign of Maitreya Buddha (10,800 years)

– All the subsequent Merits established by the community is shared by the Pioneer

Achieving Tao

• Achieving Tao means the achievement of a Divine Rank

• When we set our goal to a particular level of practice, and carry this out to the end of this life, then God will bestow us a divine rank befitting to our accomplishment

• The four general ranks are: Arahan (or Immortal), Pratheka Buddha (or Great Immortal), Bodhisattva (Lord or Holy Lord), and Buddha

Achieving Tao

• The practice of the first three of the Six Great vows will guaranteed a place in Maitreya Buddha’s Heaven (Doe-Shuai Heaven)

• These practices does not warrant great accomplishment but will ensure a place in Maitreya Buddha’s world

• Maitreya Buddha’s heaven is considered one of the most magnificent place in the universe with great comfort and luxury

Achieving Tao

• The accomplishment of the fourth vow varies depend on the level of responsibility

• The small responsibilities may achieve the level of an Immortal but the great responsibility may achieve the Great Immortal

• The difference is in the Spiritual Authorities and responsibilities, which God will grant (they become God’s managers for this world)

Achieving Tao

• The practice of the Fifth Vow warrants the divine rank of Bodhisattva (or Lord)

• Depend on the level temple achievement, God will bestowed different level of Bodhisattva or Lordship

• Bodhisattva and Lord will begin to have their own spiritual space, by which they can begin to create a world of their own

Achieving Tao

• Finally, when a person pioneers Tao and establishes a Temple Community, then he or she can be a candidate for a Buddha

• The success of the community has far reaching effect in this world and great abundance of merits are established

• A great vast spiritual space is granted to the Buddha, by which the Buddha became the representative of God in that world

Conclusion

• This is a critical time in the universe because of the transition from the Red Sun to the White Sun

• It is the time of unprecedented opportunity and great Merits can be established by a person because of the manifestation of Tao

• We are fortunate to be a part of this opportunity and hopefully, we will cherish this time to accomplish great good for the world

Question