Today, The Honorable Chief Phil Lane Jr., an internationally recognized leader in human, community, and economic development, will kindly relate to us the significant Native prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman. And why is She called the Calf? Because a calf is pure and innocent and was a sacrificial symbol in that period of time. “I’m bringing with me this sacred pipe, and as long as you respect and use this in a good way, you will live through whatever difficulties and come even beyond this.” The White Buffalo Calf Pipe is also associated with the proper way of prayer. “The White Buffalo Woman showed the people the right way to pray, the right words and the right gestures...” Here we discover that the White Buffalo Calf Woman truly was a manifested enlightened Master, who was able to teach the people how to connect with the spirit world by becoming like a “living prayer.” This reminds us of the way of Divinely empowered prayer or meditation as was taught to us by Supreme Master Ching Hai….

You're also from Iran? Wow! Originally, I wanted to stay in my cave continuously, for one month and three days, I have announced that. And then you still come, and I don't have the heart to not see you. For you, to go through all these troubles to come here, I am also very touched. That's why I came here, especially because of you. "Initiates in Iran have asked us to deliver their respects to You, and tell You that they love You very much. You are very dear in their hearts." Thank you. I just feel like, Iranian people are the most sincere people. They would never have even one iota or one nano portion of doubt in their hearts, once they follow a Master. They are so sincere, so pure. I feel that way. "Iranian people would sacrifice everything they have, wherever they sense God's essence and presence, and we have sensed the essence and the presence of God in You." The Iranian people, the spiritual Iranian people, they are so passionate like that. So passionate! It's the way they feel inside.

Today we continue with the Sefer HaZohar’s chapter entitled “Rabbi Simeon’s Reflections on the Supreme and Its Union with Human Souls.” “Within them are hidden all the great spiritual mysteries and realities that to humanity as at present must remain objects of faith rather than of reason and intellectual perception. Only by the enlightened soul can they become known in its gradual ascension through them on its way to the great and transcendent Being termed The Etermal, The Everlasting One. But this cannot be effected only as it becomes receptive of and imbued with the light and splendor of the Sefirot Binah (Doctrine Intelligence) by which it is brought into union with the Divine and enters into the enjoyment of the Beatific Vision.”

Sariputra and Tu Đạt (Sudatta), the prime minister, went to the Kỳ-đà (Jeta) Prince's garden and measured things. After measuring the land, then they began to build the ashram. They built one special high-level house with the kind of sandalwood, for smelling nice and also avoiding the insects to bite. So, it's for the Buddha, one special house, very high, for Buddha. And then, for the monks, it was a little bit further away, in 20 sections. The king and officials and others all came out with flowers and incense to greet the Buddha. It was so great a number of people. Everybody saw the Buddha and the all prostrated on the ground. And the Buddha came and sat on that dais, and emitting great Light to all directions and to 3,000 great Heavens. At that time the Buddha observed different people, different affinities, and different roots to teach them accordingly, as if a great doctor who knows different patients' sickness and treats them accordingly. So many people gained some benefit, elevated themselves to different positions of spiritual consciousness.

So the king asked Tu Đạt (Sudatta) the prime minister, "Tu Đạt (Sudatta), the disciple of your Master already agreed, promised to come to compete. How come he's not here yet?" So Tu Đạt (Sudatta) said, "Your Majesty, let me go check it out. I'll go home and have a look." Then Sariputra, wearing good clothes and in a dignified manner then walked out very, very distinguishedly and majestically, as if he was a lion king. And when he arrived, the king, the officials, and even the six magic masters and all the citizens looked at him, feeling his composure, powerful composure. They just automatically all stood up to greet him, including the magic masters. And everybody prostrated to him as well. At that time Sariputra, wanting to change the concept of these citizens of this country, so he manifested more magic power. He flew into the sky, he could sit in the open space, he could walk in the open space, he could fly there. The whole assembly from king to citizens, seeing all this, they were very, very respectful, and then they believed in the Buddha's teachings.

Kabbalah is the ancient mystical school of thought of Judaism. Literally meaning “the received,” Kabbalah is also an esoteric method believed to have been revealed to elect saints and preserved by a certain few since the time of the Garden of Eden. Kabbalah aims to explain the relationship between God – the unchanging and eternal Ein Sof (The Infinite), and God’s creation – the mortal and finite universe. One of the most foundational of the Kabbalistic texts is the Sefer HaZohar, a Kabbalistic commentary on the Torah, which means the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. Said Rabbi Hiya: “Adam was seen on different occasions by the patriarchs, to whom he confessed and acknowledged his sin and showed them the place where he had enjoyed the Divine light and glory from on high and also where his descendants, the righteous, and those who obeyed the Good Law, through their good deeds now live the Diviner life in the Garden of the Celestial Eden. Then they praised the Lord and said, ‘How excellent is Thy loving kindness, oh God, as a result of which the children of men put their trust in the shadow of Thy Wing.’”

And initiation means... another easier way to say, is to open the radio channel for you. You have the radio; you don’t know yet how to open, So I show you how to open. And every day, you open whenever you want and receive the message, listen to the song, the instruction of God. That so-called voice of God-or voice silence, or the Sound of God is our own Buddha Nature, our own vibration, our own wisdom, our own God Nature. If we have found it, then we’ll be wise, happy, peaceful. “Seek you first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.” It’s the same, like what the Bible says. Yes. First, we are enlightened and have peace within ourselves, then the world will become Heaven. There is no other way.

Therefore the king said to them, “If your Buddha doesn’t win against these six magical masters, then the building of the ashram will stop.” To buy the garden, it’s already so difficult, and now, he cannot even build it. Golden all over, gold plated all the garden already, now, cannot build. And then the prime minister Tu Ðạt (Sudatta) was very sad. Next morning Sariputra saw that the prime minister was very sad. So he asked him, “Why are you so sad today? Is there any obstruction about the ashram?” So he said, “Respected Reverend, I don’t know if we could even build an ashram here. That’s why I’m very sad now.” “The six magician masters of the land want to compete in magical power with the Buddha or the Buddha’s disciples. If we win, then they’ll let us free, let us be, if not then there’s no chance. So I don’t even know if any of you respected Reverends can win (over) them, because I know them. They are very highly skilled in magical power. That’s why I’m so afraid, and so unhappy.”

Mencius said: “According to the feelings that come from nature, people will act with goodness. This is what I mean in saying that human nature is good. If someone does evil, it is not the fault of their natural endowment. The feeling of compassion belongs to all men; as does that of shame; and that of reverence and respect; and that of right and wrong. The feeling of compassion implies the principle of benevolence; that of shame implies the principle of righteousness; that of reverence and respect implies the principle of courtesy; and that of right and wrong implies the principle of wisdom. Benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, and wisdom are not infused into us from without. We are certainly furnished with them, but we don’t often think of them. Hence it is said, ‘Seek and you will find them. Neglect and you will lose them.’ … It is said in the Book of Poetry, ‘Heaven gave birth to mankind, and gave each thing its specific laws. People follow the permanent principles and love this admirable virtue.’”

Both of them went through the whole country, and hadn't seen anything, anywhere suitable except the park garden of Prince Kỳ-đà (Jeta). So Sariputra said to the prime minister Tu Đạt (Sudatta), "Oh, this one is good, because there are a lot of trees, a lot of shade, and it's not very near a noisy, dusty city. But it's also not too far. Because if it's too far, then it's very inconvenient for the monks to go begging for alms. If it's too near the city, then it's too noisy. It's difficult for them to concentrate, distracted, so it's very difficult to meditate." So the prime minister went to the prince and said, "Your Royal Highness, I have a lot of lands and gardens, and property, but they are not good enough for an ashram to invite the Buddha to our country to preach, so that all our citizens have benefit. We went everywhere. We saw only your garden is the best, very big, and a lot of trees, and very cool and shady. I would like to buy this garden from you to make an ashram for the Buddha. Will Your Highness agree?"

Considered as the basis of Chinese culture, Confucius’ teachings appealed to many Chinese philosophers after His passing. The most famous Confucian thinker was Mencius, who was regarded as the true transmitter of Confucius’ teachings and was influential in the development of Confucianism, which is still practiced to this day. We now present excerpts from the enlightened wisdom of Confucius, through the teachings of Mencius, known as “The Works of Mencius” or “Mengzi.” “The philosopher Gaozi said, ‘Human nature is like whirling water. Open a passage for it to the east, and it will flow to the east; open a passage for it to the west, and it will flow to the west. Human nature is indifferent to good and evil, just as the water is indifferent to the east and west.’ Mencius replied, ‘Water indeed will flow indifferently to the east or west, but will it flow indifferently up or down? …Now by striking water and causing it to leap up, you may make it go over your head, and, by damming and leading it you may force it up a hill; but are such movements according to the nature of water? It is the force applied which causes them. When men are made to do what is not good, their nature is forced to change in this way.’”

So, he was so hurried. In the middle of the night he wanted to go out to see the Buddha. “Go, follower, go! Do not retreat. Do not feel worried. Even if you have the whole treasures of all this planet put together for you, it's still not comparable to walking one step toward where the Buddha stays and visiting Him. Even then the merits are even more than that, that I cannot compare and count for you.” The Tu Đạt (Sudatta) prime minister heard that. Oh, happy, happy. At that time, the Buddha then preached to him the four Wonderful Methods of Liberation, etc. The Tu Đạt (Sudatta) prime minister, after he heard that, he attained like one of the middle ranks of spiritual level of consciousness. So the Tu Đạt (Sudatta) saind to Him, “Obeisance to the World Honored One. I will invite You to the Xá Vệ (Sravasti) country. So all the country citizens will cut off the wrong concept, the wrong belief, and follow You.” So He called Sariputra and said, “Sariputra, Tu Đạt (Sudatta) wants to make an ashram to propagate the Buddha Dharma, to lead all beings there to turn to the right path in the Xá Vệ (Sravasti) country, so that he can invite me there to preach for Dharma. But he doesn't know how to do it. So you go there and help him to build the ashram.”

After becoming a renunciate in 1945, Master Nguyễn Thành Nam was always diligent in His meditation. He said: “You need to meditate every day to open your wisdom quickly. Practicing as such, you will gradually progress, and will also have the opportunity to meet an enlightened Master who will guide you.” With deep respect for the peaceful way of living, Master Nguyễn Thành Nam insisted that people be vegan, lead a virtuous life, and love one another. Master Nguyễn Thành Nam predicted that a Buddha will come to Earth to save the world and its citizens. Master Nguyễn Thành Nam also made the prediction that the world would enter a Golden Age after a Buddha is born in the country of Âu Lạc. Based on His disciples’ words, before leaving this world, Master Nguyễn Thành Nam again instructed all His devotees to be vegan in order to avoid destruction. He left them with these words: “…You should practice spiritually without any delay Otherwise, when the end comes, do not complain why Heaven hears not your prayer. It is because you do not believe to practice Or you practice spiritually, but do not keep the vegan diet.”

Lucky for him, he had a son who wanted to marry. Otherwise he had no chance to know the Buddha. So he said, “Vice (Deputy) Minister, who is the Buddha?” Hô Di, the buddy-in-law to be, said to him, “The Buddha was a prince. And then even when He was born, He walked seven steps. Because He observed that humans have four sufferings, like birth, old age, sickness, and death, so He left home. He had been an ascetic for six years. And then later, at the end He became a Buddha. His Light brightens many corners, even brightens the whole Three Worlds. That’s why we call Him Buddha.” “But Vice (Deputy) Minister, why is it called Sangha?” So the vice (deputy) minister told him, “After He became Buddha, the Brahma king came down and requested Him to impart teaching to all beings. And after the Buddha accepted that invitation, He went to the Deer park in Ba La Nại country. And then He stayed there and preached the four marvelous ways to deliver yourself and others from suffering. …All of them, 500 persons, all liberated. And then these people became meritorious enough, and they had enough power to be able to liberate other beings as well. That’s why we call them Sangha, meaning the assembly of saints.”

India – the home of many great spiritual Masters, one such great figure is the spiritual master, yogi, philosopher, poet and politician Sri Aurobindo, who graced our planet from 1872 to 1950. Sri Aurobindo’s time in political career was dedicated to achieving India’s independence. However, after inner reflection, Sri Aurobindo retired from politics and service to his country. His aspirations turned instead toward the liberation of all humanity. Through the inner knowledge revealed to him during his spiritual practice, Sri Aurobindo began publishing writings full of wisdom. Today, we present to you selected poems from “On Quantitative Meter” is in Part Seven of “Collected Poems,” written by Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry between 1927 and 1947. “O Spirit immortal, Away from the turning Wheel, breaking the magical Circle. Ascend, single and deathless: Care no more for the whispers and the shoutings in the darkness, Pass from the sphere of the grey and the little, Leaving the cry and the struggle, Into the Silence for ever.”

The famous indigenous prophecy of the Reunion of the Condor and the Eagle, but in another interpretation, the Eagle and Condor represent the two different paths that the human race has taken over history: The Eagle represents the path of the mind, of the industrial, of science and technology; whereas the Condor represents the path of the heart, intuition, and connection with nature. The time has come for the Condor and Eagle to join to create a new offspring: a higher human consciousness that balances heart and mind. Chief Phil Lane Jr. elaborates on the importance of this balance: "They're spiritual solutions." "To love and have compassion" is humanity's purpose now, and as Chief Lane tells us, this must be extended to our diet and treatment toward animals. "Our prophecies are very clear that as we spiritually unfold and transformation evolves in this next stage of our human growth and development, that we will leave behind the eating of meat."

Now it's Buddha story. In Xá Vệ (Sravasti) country at that time, there was a big official, probably a prime minister. His name is Tu Ðạt (Sudatta). He’s a very rich person, but he is very compassionate. He often gives away his properties, his wealth, to share with other people. It’s not like he’s rich and the prime minister and he’s very arrogant. No. He’s a good, good, good person as well. He often gives things to people who are lonely, or have no one, or are in trouble, or poor. So they called him Cấp Cô Dộc (Anathapindika). Meaning, giving to the vulnerable, the lonesome, to whoever is lonesome, or like widows, and orphans, and elderly who have no one to care for (them). He had seven sons, and six of them were already married. The seventh also was very moral, morally fit and a distinguished person. He was beautiful looking, also. The last one was his favorite. And now one of the Brahman's good friends came one day. "I would like to ask you a favor. Please go and check really thoroughly to see which is a really good family's daughter. Almost equal in status, and good, good, good behavior, good moral standards, truly a virtuous girl. Also have to be clean and pure, and beautiful looking. And then, ask if they'd marry my son for me…."

Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhi Rūmī, known simply as Mawlana in Persian and around the world as Rumi, was a poetic genius, a theologian, and an enlightened Master who graced our planet eight centuries ago. The deep and diverse influence of His legacy still remains and continues to awaken the hearts of many beyond all cultures and boundaries. Rumi was heir to the rich literary and cultural heritage of Persia, or ancient Iran, and composed His great mystical poems in the Persian language. "Whoever labors for the glory of God, though both their eyes are sealed, their labor is not lost. Even an atom’s weight of good is not lost. Though all within is dark and veiled, and they do not see how far they have progressed, still in the end they will know. ‘This world is the seed plot of the world to come.’ Whatever they sow here, they will reap in the next world."

In the Buddha's time, there was a person named Vimalakirti. He was a layperson, a lay disciple of the Buddha. But his wisdom was so high, He was a great bodhisattva. Many people were delivered because of him, liberated because of him. Sometimes the bodhisattvas are not born to be monks. But to be a layperson, so that... It's doing a different job. Like Quan Yin Bodhisattva, She/He manifested in different appearances, sometimes as a princess, things like that, for different affinity with beings on this planet. So you laypeople also don't feel despair. Just different choices. If you have an enlightened way, a method, then you will also reach the high level. Depends on sincerity. I'm reading you of a layperson who made an offering of an ashram to the Buddha. I love all of you. And you can always count on me in any time of need, all the time, all the time, 24/7. All your life, and the next life, and the next life, I will always be with you. It doesn't matter who and what level you are.

Master Nguyễn Thành Nam was born in 1909 in Bến Tre City to a well-to-do household. In 1945, with His family’s permission, He renounced world life. In 1950, Master Nguyễn Thành Nam went to Phước Thạnh Commune and constructed the Eight-Trigrams Tower that was about 14 meters (46feet) high. Every night, Master Nguyễn Thành Nam sat and meditated at the top of the tower. He lived on fruits and drank coconut juice. In 1964, He went to Cồn Phụng Island in Bến Tre Province and built the Âu Lạc Buddha Temple where Coconut Buddhism first began. He always advised people to be vegetarian, do good deeds, and pray for world peace.