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001. The Enlightened Master,
representing Heaven, enters the world and leads us to know the truth.
002. The Enlightened Master is a master of wisdom. Having observed his true nature and
achieve the strength of compassion and Prajna (wisdom) he transmits the Dao to others for
Heaven and delivers all beings. Enlightening himself and others to the Dao, he leads
others to enlightenment.
003. An Enlightened Master is one who tells the secrets hidden by the ancient Buddhas and
lets all sentient beings grasp the truth.
004. The Truth of Heaven is revealed by means of the Enlightened Master. He embodies the
infinite mercy, universal love, and wisdom of God.
005. The Enlightened Master is an illuminated person in possession of the Dao. He can
receive the energy of the universe to dispel the karma of the myriad beings.
006. Other names for the Enlightened Master are "heavenly heart" and
"heavenly will."
007. An Enlightened Master is the one who teaches you how to attain enlightenment. He
helps all beings see their true nature so that all can become Buddhas. Thus, an
Enlightened Master is different from other famous mentors, priests, Daoists high priests,
or high masters.
008. It is rare even for one enlightened person or saint to appear each generation.
Therefore, since time immemorial it has been said with regret that "an Enlightened
Master is hard to come by." However, today He spreads the wisdom of the five great
religions via the true teachings of truth. The Ten Vows of Samantabhadra include:
"Invite Buddhas to live on earth; keep company with Buddha to learn doctrines;
worship and respect Buddhas; praise Buddhas." As we are given the good fortune of
meeting the Enlightened Master, we should treasure this precious chance.
009. The Master represents the divine truth, and every word he speaks conveys the
intelligence of Heaven. When we reach the Kingdom of Buddha in the future, he will live
among us.
010. Heaven gives great power to the Three Buddhas to reveal the glory of the truth.
011. Possessing great virtue, the Dao and the Mandate of Heaven, the Enlightened Master
has the power to alter the world situation and delay calamity.
012. The Enlightened Master is one who conveys the truth of Heaven. He does not have the
power to read your mind, to know what happened to your family or what are you thinking
about. He only helps you attain enlightenment.
013. Proof of the Mandate of Heaven is meaningless to the Master. Verifying the Mandate of
Heaven is simply for the mundane edification of all beings, as upon illumination the
Master has understood his responsibility and mission.
014. An awakened person in any generation will spread the truth in daily life so that all
beings return to the true self through inaction.
015. You are now executing the computer software (karma) of your previous life. At the
same time, in this life you are writing the software (karma) of your next incarnation.
Thus, without experts to help you to revise your software, your karma will remain tainted.
This expert is the Enlightened Master.
016. The true Buddha who comes into this world will reveal himself in physical form. He
can reconcile the truth and mundane matters, expound the Buddhists Sutras and preach the
dharma, and synthesize the truth of the sacred books of the world's five great religions.
He does not use someone's body to create miracles or come to us in a dream to give us
omniscient powers. Pity he whom, so attached to mundane form and substance, without
attention to samsara (the cycle of birth and rebirth) becomes merely a blind follower.
017. The saints who come into this world always shoulder the suffering of the living, and
bear myriad tribulations for the great Dao. Therefore, as disciples of the master, we must
pick ourselves up so that we may help our brothers and sisters from out of the sea of
suffering.
018. Every Buddha who has come into this world has made concessions in order to help all
beings, but has been mistreated by ignorant people. For example, Jesus Christ was
crucified to death. How can we treat God's messengers so cruelly?
019. Proof of the coming of the savior Maitreya is contained in the great works of the
world's five great religions. Careful study will reveal to you the truth of the Messiah's
coming.
020. The saying "The golden rooster crows three times" means that Buddha will
come into this world in human form for the third time to manifest the Dao and impart the
dharma. He will spread the gospel of truth to all beings by means of Enlightened Masters.
021. The eight precepts commanded by the Maitreya Buddha are as follows:
(1)Embrace the wisdom of Heaven.
(2)Embrace the wisdom of our respected
Master.
(3)Be thankful.
(4)Repent.
(5)Abide by the commandments (duty, faith and
responsibility).
(6)Embrace the pure heart.
(7)Do not hinder the self-cultivation of
others.
(8)Be of one mind and one heart; be kind to
others.
022. The manner of the Maitreya Buddha is plain and modest, natural and transcendental.
023. The Lord (Dao) who has neither form nor substance reveals Himself in the Three
Buddhas.
024. Love is endless almsgiving. All the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and the Three Buddhas carry
out the love of Heaven in ways that can be seen.
025. The Three Buddhas--the embodiment of the great love of Heaven-- love all beings. The
Three Buddhas teach us that every being has Buddha-nature. Only when Heaven changes the
karma of all beings can the Kingdom of Buddha be established.
026. The Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng moved the Western Pure Land in the presence of his
disciples. Now our Enlightened Masters also want to transform this world into the Pure
Land and bring the kingdom of heaven to earth.
027. Master Tien-Jen said: "Our Zen Master Jigong is the most pitiful man in the
world. He is my master, and I am devoted to Him for this lifetime. The Master suffered for
all beings, so I share in his suffering and vow to help Him complete the mission of
delivering all beings." Heaven has been touched by the wishes of Master Tien-Jen, who
cultivates Himself hard to help Zen Master Jigong and before long awoke to the truth of
samsara..
028. The Three Buddhas are the destroyers of hell and the builders of the Lotus Kingdom of
the Buddha.
029. Master Tien-Jen attained enlightenment during the current period of false prophets
and heterodoxy. He used the power of truth to preserve wisdom as life for Heaven,
prevented the believers of Dao from joining in the heterodoxy, and maintained the
solemnity of the temple of Dao. This is the salvation work quietly undertaken by Master
Tien-Jen, whose deeds are the moral paradigm of an awakened person!
030. The Master's mind is the mind of Heaven. He embraces Heaven, who desires all His
children to return to the root and restore the true self without delay. He is dedicated to
achieving these aims, and He seeks to help the Maitreya fulfill the goal of setting up the
Kingdom of Buddha.
031. Day and night, Master Tien-Jen worries that the 3,600 saints and 48,000 sages have
not been selected completely. Therefore to manage the mission of the amassment of souls
requires selection of the true saints and sages. Only when you cultivate yourself rapidly
and become a saint or a sage can you really share the Master's concerns and do something
for Him. When you become a saint or sage and help other people become a saint or a sage,
you are truly a good disciple of the Master.
032. An awakened person is unfathomable, so you shall not judge him through your own mind
or through colored glasses. The Platform Sutra says: "People in the Three Vehicles
cannot measure the wisdom of Buddha due to the sickness of judgement."
033. You shall fear the Lord and shall not test the Lord Heaven or the Master. Do not
assume that the Master is merely merciful. As He does Heaven's work, His discipline is
severe.
034. Both you and the Master have one original nature. He said, "I am within your
heart." As Zen Master Yongjia stated: "Every Buddha's spiritual body plunges
into my true nature, and my true nature mingles with every Buddha." So one must not
blaspheme the Master, for slandering our Master is the same as slandering oneself.
035. The Master said: Dao is everywhere and Dao is within His heart. It is common, indeed
very common; it is divine, indeed very divine. He can embrace the divine heart and fear
the Lord Heaven.
036. He who has attained enlightenment can lead people to realize the correct
enlightenment of one's true self, and will not lead you astray into evil. Therefore you
must respect and honor our Master.
037. An awakened person has attained enlightenment and will not withdraw from the truth.
Just as true gold taken from a mine will never return to plain ore.
038. An illuminated person has returned to the Western Pure Land and shares the news of
paradise with all beings.
039. "Keep your heart in one place and anything can be accomplished." This is
last admonishment the Buddha Sakyamuni left to his disciples to ponder before he left his
earthly body. It is also a koan. "Keep your heart in one place" refers to where?
You will know if you soon seek the Enlightened Master who can transmit the Dao to you.
After receiving the Dao, you can also transcend the transmigration of the soul.
040. The heritage of Dao resides in the point initiated by the Enlightened Master. Thus,
outer admonishments, borrowed souls, and miracles do not represent the true heritage of
Dao.
041. Following the point initiated by the Enlightened Master will enlighten your true
heart and restore your true self. When the light of Buddha radiates from your
enlightenment, you shall forever escape calamity.
042. Master Tien-Jen is the reincarnation of the Jigong Buddha who comes into this world
again. Therefore the point initiated by the Enlightened Master is the best way to subdue
distracting thoughts and daydreams.
043. It is not enough to receive the point initiated by the Enlightened Master, for the
Enlightened Master must still teach you how to cultivate your inner true self. This is
achieved by concentrating your spirits on the Heavenly Portal and stilling fancy. When
this is achieved, the Last Salvation can be fulfilled.
044. The Master uses all his powers so that all beings retreat to the essence of
brightness to receive goodness and restore the origin.
045. The true Master teaches you to adhere your mind to the Heavenly Portal and return to
nothingness, while the false master asks you to persist in the surroundings caused by the
Six Roots and the Six Gunas. The differences must be clearly distinguished, for it is a
matter of life and death. Choose your path carefully!
046. He who conveys the truth and the true dharma to you has delivered one of the five
mercies--the mercy of the saint--upon you.
047. Disciples must honor the Master and respect his teaching. The Platform Sutra says:
"Since the object of ceremony is to curb arrogance, why did you fail to bow your
head?" Thus, how can a proud, vain man attain enlightenment if he is attached to his
knowledge and looks down upon everyone and everything?
048. Our Master is the Tien-Jen (Bhutatathata--the permanent reality underlying all
phenomena, pure and unchanging) living Buddha. We must also return to a state of innocent
purity in order to achieve complete union with the heart of our Master.
049. The Heritage of Dao is not exhausting transmission, but the true delivery of the
essence of truth. External toiling is not the heritage of the true Dao, for the Heritage
of Dao points directly to the heart (the seat of wisdom) to bring about realization of
true nothingness and enlightenment.
050. Many believers pray to Master to have mercy on them and bring them peace. Master
tells them, "The best way to receive blessing and peace is to cultivate yourself and
practice Dao according to the point initiated by the Enlightened Master."
051. Parents are guardians of our bodies but the Master watches over the growth of our
souls.
052. The Master shares bliss and adversity alike with all beings. He wishes for all to
find themselves and live a happy life.
053. The Master Tien-Jen does not seek fame and profit for himself. He only asks that
everyone return to the Western Pure Land. Therefore, let us accept our fate and practice
the Dao.
054. This world will become a cultivated kingdom of truth, replacing the struggle for fame
and fortune in the coming future. The Master will use the Mandate of Heaven and his wisdom
to unify all the world's religions under the truth.
055. If the Master shrinks from assuming the mission of Buddha, this world will face
everlasting darkness.
056. The Master is working hard for the great mission of amassing souls, the enlightenment
of the true heart and true self of all beings, escape by all beings from the
transmigration of the soul, and to build an earthly utopia. Knowing his mission is
sufficient, thus you need not ask who is he or from where he comes.
057. At this stage the Master is managing "The Last Salvation"--the amassment of
souls, and enlightenment of all beings. He seeks to spread the gospel of truth all over
the world. Having obtained the Dao, you are like Noah who was commanded to build the ark
(the dharma ship), and shall be saved when you board the ark. If you choose not to board
the ark, you shall be destroyed.
058. The Master directs all his resources to contribute to the life-wisdom of all beings.
He only desires to see everyone attain enlightenment. A stone thrown in the water makes
ripples, and a voice sounded into a valley echoes. The Master receives no rewards for
spreading the gospel of truth. Can you allow the Master to endure the loneliness of
journeying on the path of enlightenment without you?
059. The Fifteenth Patriarch said: "Every practitioner of the Dao should realize the
essence of the relationship between the master and disciple. The five mercies--heaven,
earth, lord, parents and master--are equally important. Thus, officials defer to their
king, children obey their father, and disciples accede to their master. An official who
struggles for power with his king is a treasonous official, the children who challenge
their father's authority are unfilial; disciples who struggle for authority with their
master are traitors."
060. The Master's heart is my heart, the Master's will is my will. Obey this guiding
principle and never forget it during your lifetime.
061. Does a devil teach you to illuminate your heart and escape from calamity? As a
righteous man, Noah obeyed God's commandment to gather people to the ark, and his family
was saved. Today, the Enlightened Master is before you. Do not hesitate to seize this
opportunity to obtain salvation through the great Dao, and your family shall also be
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