The distinguished translator Mel Lotsāwa who taught Sachen Kunga Nyingpo many Mahākāla practices also gave Him some spiritually powerful gifts. Another prominent teacher was Lama Zhangton Chobar, who spent eight years orally transmitting the holy Lamdré (the Path with the Result) teachings to Him. When Master Sachen was in His forties, during a retreat, He received a vision and Virupa directly transmitted the Lamdré to Him. Mahasiddha Virupa, is the Lord of Yoga and respected as the source of the Lamdré system in Sakya.Around the same period, Lama Jangchub Sempa Aseng, a lama from Kham, sought the teachings of the Lamdré from Sachen Kunga Nyingpo. Taking this as an auspicious sign that it was the right time, He assented to teaching Lama Aseng. Sachen Kunga Nyingpo also began to write down the “Lamdré Donduma,” or “Condensation of the Lamdré Teaching.” The teachings were done specifically for each disciple, with around 11 commentaries, including “Nyagma” or “Explication of the Treatise for Nyag,” written for Geshe Nyak. Of Master Sachen’s prominent students, some attained the highest Siddhis, or perfections in Sadhana.From the age of 20 to 67, the venerated Sachen Kunga Nyingpo was the head of the Sakya Order. He brought the Lamdré and Mahākāla together into the Sakya Order. He also taught His two sons, Sonam Tsemo and Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen, the teachings of the Lamdré, and they became the second and third founders of the Sakya Order, respectively. Master Sachen had the power to be in multiple places at one time. Master Sachen also possessed clairvoyance.In 1158, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo passed on to higher spiritual realms. People who bid Him farewell heard celestial music, smelled Heavenly fragrances, and saw the sky fill with Light and rainbows. When His holy ashes were deposited into a lake, the mandala of Chakrasamvara, a deity in Tantric Buddhism, appeared, forming the most beautiful work of art. “All of these events were merely a display by which He (the venerated Sachen Kunga Nyingpo) inspired the faithful and set an example to be followed by practitioners of the future.”

The Great Sachen Kunga Nyingpo was a venerated Tibetan spiritual Master. Known as “the Great Sakyapa,” He was the founder of the Sakya Order and first of the five Sakya Patriarchs. He was also the third Sakya Trinzin, or throne-holder of the Sakya Monastery, and was honored as an emanation of the Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. He brought on an incredible luminous era to Tibet with His Holy presence on Earth, and today we begin to trace the footsteps walked in His Saintly life. Sachen Kunga Nyingpo was born in 1092 in Sakya, Tibet. His father was Khön Könchok Gyalpo, and His mother was Sonam Kyid (known as Machig Shangmo). There were auspicious and precursory signs before the birth of this great Saint, one of which was the vision by Namkha’upa Chokyi Gyaltsen, revered as the Lord of Mahasiddhas. He saw a rainbow canopy hanging in the air above Kar Ghong Valley, and Avalokiteśvara Khasarpani was standing right in the center, directly underneath the canopy.Young Saint Sachen was skilled in astrology, Sanskrit, poetry, rhetoric, medicine, gemology, animal-people biology, and psychology, among other things. The future preeminent Master of Tibetan Buddhism exhibited many good qualities. His temperament was charming, calm, disciplined, and very compassionate. Furthermore, people who saw Him were filled with joy; hence He was named Kunga Nyingpo, “Essence of Joy for All.”As a child, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo received from His father the Hevajra initiation and other Dharma teachings, and He was a strict vegetarian. With the passing of His father and under the advice of Bari Lotsawa, He went on an extended retreat, meditating on the Worshipped Manjushri Bodhisattva of Wisdom. The inner connection with Manjushri was one of the first in a series of conjunctions throughout Master Sachen’s life, and empowered and magnified the Sakya Saint’s ability to grasp the real essence of all phenomena. At 12 years old, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo was sent to study Adhidharma with Geshe Drang Ti Dharma Nyingpo, who was the most revered teacher in this subject at the time. Another renowned teacher of Sachen Kunga Nyingpo was Khön Jechuwa Dralhabar. Among many disciples, the swift learner Saint Sachen was the one that Khön Jechuwa Dralhabar appointed to lead the monastery after his worldly departure.

Al-Hallaj journeyed as far as India and China, spreading the Truth to many who recognized Him as an enlightened Master. Returning to Iraq, He made a second pilgrimage to Mecca, accompanied by some 400 disciples, and stood in front of the Kaaba for an entire year, hardly eating or drinking at all. He prayed to God, “O Lord. I know and worship none besides You. I am so grateful for the gifts that You have bestowed upon me, and my tongue cannot express my gratitude for them. So please thank Yourself, on my behalf.”In Baghdad, al-Hallaj’s teachings took on an increasingly esoteric tone and inspired a movement for moral and political reform. He now often proclaimed, “I am the Truth,” arousing opposition from civil and religious authorities. In 908, al-Hallaj left Baghdad. However, three years later, He was detained in the caliph’s palace for 11 years.Al-Hallaj’s principal works are all written in Arabic. His best-known is the “Book of al-Tawasin,” written while in detainment, using line diagrams and symbols to help convey the mystical experiences He could not express in words.Al-Hallaj’s followers continued to visit seeking Divine counsel and teachings while corrupt political figures pursued His execution to gain favor with the established religious orthodoxy and people who opposed Him. The caliph agreed to the order, and al-Hallaj was sentenced to be executed. Just prior to His execution, al-Hallaj could be seen in a state of euphoria, dancing in His chains, knowing He would soon be returning to God. “God is real!” al-Hallaj said with every fiber of His being, “I am the reality of that beingness.”In 2006, Supreme Master Ching Hai recounted Master al-Hallaj’s story.To conclude this program, let us be inspired by this piece of al-Hallaj’s poetry: “I do not cease swimming in the seas of love, rising with the wave, then descending; now the wave sustains me, and then I sink beneath it; love bears me away where there is no longer any shore.” We pray that all enlightened Masters be protected from this day forward, and that all of Allah’s true Emissaries be honored and cherished by humanity as the Divine Treasures They are.

Today, we celebrate the extraordinary life of the venerated enlightened Sufi Master, al-Hallaj, a brilliant shining star illuminating the Divine nature within all human beings and all of creation. Even to this day, He remains an inspiration to many souls longing for reunification with God.During a lecture in 2019, Supreme Master Ching Hai spoke of al-Hallaj’s immense sacrifice to help the world: “Some Saint even voluntarily, I read it somewhere before, I forgot His name, voluntarily let people sever His arms, His legs, and even His tongue. And He told the person who executed Him like that, who punished Him like that, that please let the tongue be the last, so that He could praise the Lord, He could utter some blessing, before the tongue be cut off. He did this voluntarily. He did that because He understood at that time, that His blood, His sacrifice would help His disciples, His followers, and the world at large in His time. So, He asked to be punished thus, even though He did nothing wrong. So, we, I mean mortal people, would never be able to accept such a situation and pain without hatred, without revenge, in thought even; at least if not action, then the thought. But none! The Saints are like that.”Al-Hallaj was born in the southwest Iranian province of Fars in 858 AD. In His adolescence, around 874 to 894, Islamic mysticism, or Sufism, was in its formative stages. Drawn to this emerging movement, al-Hallaj met His first teacher, Sahl al-Tustari, who lived an ascetic and solitary life immersed in Divine contemplation. Though al-Hallaj only stayed with Sahl for two years, the influence of Sahl’s teachings stayed with Him throughout His life and formed the foundation of His spiritual understanding and practice. Al-Hallaj’s teachings reflected the belief that the image of God in man (nasut) could be awakened and fulfilled by being in communion with that Divine nature (lahut) from where it came. To Him, the highest state of consciousness was not the trance state of mystical union with God, but the permanent wakeful union with God. A person in this state retains all their faculties and freewill, but are perfected by Divine Grace so that the individual becomes a representative of God’s will.

Several years later and nearing the age of 70, Srila Prabhupada finally had the chance to travel to the West. He set sail on a 35-day trip aboard a cargo ship from Kolkata, India, to New York City, United States. Srila Prabhupada arrived at New York City Harbor on September 17, 1965. With unwavering faith that the mission would be fulfilled, he told a local subway conductor in passing conversation: “I am not a poor man, I am rich. There are temples and books, they are existing, they are there, but time is separating us from them.”Word spread, and Krishna consciousness became popular among the American youth searching for something more than material and mundane life. After a year in the United States, Srila Prabhupada founded The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), and the Hare Krishna movement grew. In London, England, the Hare Krishna movement also attracted the attention of George Harrison, famed musician and lead guitarist of The Beatles.Today, there are over 500 ISKCON centers, temples, schools, farm communities, and associated vegetarian restaurants worldwide. Perhaps Srila Prabhupada’s greatest legacy is his contribution of over 80 volumes on Vedic literature and Krishna Bhakti, providing word-for-word translations, commentaries, and summaries in English. Now translated into 76 more languages, his works have been highly regarded internationally among academics for their depth and clarity. His most well-known publications include his translations of the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana, which are used as study materials in many university courses.Throughout all his efforts and contributions, Srila Prabhupada never took any credit. He wrote: “Personally, I am a nonentity; I have come here on the order of my spiritual Master, and He has kindly sent all you boys (and girls) to assist me. So whatever is being done, there is no credit for me, but all the credit goes to my spiritual Master, because He has arranged everything, and I am simply to abide by His order.”

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, or Srila Prabhupada, is considered a foremost Vedic translator and scholar of modern times. He was a Sri Guru of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, and the founder-acharya of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), also known as the Hare Krishna movement.His Divine Grace spread a message of spiritual living, love for God, and humble service to humankind. Within 12 years, he had circled the globe 14 times to preach the teachings of Lord Krishna, and together with his followers established 108 temples in major cities around the world, a vegetarian food relief program, the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, and more…Srila Prabhupada was born on September 1, 1896, in Kolkata, the capital of India’s West Bengal state, into a Hindu-practicing family. Srila Prabhupada received a European-led education at the Scottish Church College in Kolkata and majored in English, philosophy, and economics. In 1932, Srila Prabhupada received initiation in the Gaudiya Math in Allahabad, and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami accepted him as His formal disciple.In 1944, he single-handedly began “Back to Godhead” publications, an English fortnightly magazine. His devotion was recognized by members of the Gaudiya Math monastic order, and Srila Prabhupada was awarded the honorary title “Bhaktivedanta,” meaning “one who has realized that devotional service to the Supreme Lord is the end of all knowledge.”In 1959, Srila Prabhupada received formal sannyasa initiation and was given the name A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada always preached that to attain Krishna consciousness, or to act in complete harmony with God’s will, one must wholeheartedly follow the instructions of a spiritual guide – a representative of the Lord.

The Blessed Saint Mary is the Patron Saint of Mexico and Patroness of the Americas. She and Her miraculous image are venerated as a religious treasure and a symbol of national identity in Mexico. The Holy Mother is credited for giving people freedom from idolatry and creating a common faith for the Spanish and native people of Mexico. The Heavenly Queen represents ultimate and unconditional goodness. From 1736 to 1737, Mexico City was struck by a fatal viral hemorrhagic fever epidemic. The Holy Mother was believed to have put an end to the deadly pandemic.The revered image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is considered a celestial gift with profound symbolism, especially for the indigenous peoples of Mexico and the residents of the Americas. It enabled the natives to understand how the Blessed Saint Mary served as a Divine bridge between the people and Her son, Lord Jesus Christ.Beginning from the top of the picture, the Blessed Saint Mary’s eyes are looking down, which is a sign of humility. Her face exudes great compassion and femininity, for She is the Mother of Mercy. Akin to the indigenous peoples, the Holy Mother in the image has dark skin and hair. Her hands are also positioned in an indigenous style of offering, meaning that something will be given by Saint Mary. She wears a maternity band around Her waist, which signifies to the indigenous people that someone is going to come. The primarily turquoise mantle worn by the Blessed Saint Mary is in a color reserved for the Aztec diety Omecihuatl, the source of unity for all existence. The Holy Mother’s mantle consists of stars, which signifies a new era is beginning. In the image, the sun emits rays of light around Our Lady of Guadalupe.Approximately eight million Mexicans adopted the Christian faith within seven years of the miraculous event in which the Blessed Saint Mary’s image appeared on Saint Juan Diego’s cloak. The tilma continues to amaze academic scholars, medical experts, and scientists even today. Although the cloak was made from cactus fiber that normally would have disintegrated within a couple of decades, it remains intact almost 500 years later. What is even more remarkable is that paint cannot be found on the tilma.

The Marian visions of Our Lady of Guadalupe were miraculous events involving a series of apparitions of the Blessed Saint Mary in 1531. Her revered image on Saint Juan Diego’s cloak can be seen on display at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Mexico. According to Catholic tradition, the Blessed Saint Mary appeared four times to Saint Juan Diego…

When Master Ngô Minh Chiêu was 43 years old, He fully committed to spiritual practice under the guidance of the Supreme Being Cao Đài. In 1924, after three years of diligence and perseverance in His spiritual practice, Master Chiêu was praised by His Divine Master in a poem: “Three years of perseverance and diligence Enduring all hardships to attain the Tao.” Master Chiêu rarely gave discourses but did mention that Cao Đài is omnipresent and the Macro-Divine Light, which is God Almighty. He explained that each sentient being is a Micro-Divine Light sent forth from the Macro-Divine Light that gradually sinks into the physical realm. The further the Micro-Divine Light sinks, the more karma it creates, and in turn, it becomes bound even more by physical desires and by the endless cycle of reincarnation. To liberate ourselves from this cycle, we must avoid creating new karma by keeping the Five Precepts and practicing spiritually. Only then can our soul become lighter and purer and be able to return to its origin. Although very much loved and respected by His disciples, Master Ngô Minh Chiêu did not allow them to kowtow to Him. As for those who came to ask for initiation, He would tell them to kneel in front of the altar of God to promise to keep the precepts before He initiated them into the Method. He reminded the disciples: “The soul came to Earth to learn Rely on vegetables and fruits to live Rich or poor, exalted or lowly, pay no attention Attain the Tao, and one will find true happiness.” In 2010, Supreme Master Ching Hai answered a question related to Cao Đài-ism’s scripture. “(In Cao Đài-ism, a religion of Âu Lạc (Vietnam), the scripture mentions that whoever couldn’t make it through this filtering period has to go into a bleak dimension and stay there until the plants and rocks on this planet Earth become human; only then they are allowed to come back here to join and continue to evolve. Is this why we must try with all our might to awaken people before it’s too late? ) Yes. It’s better now than later. That’s right. Many people do not know this and are harming themselves by acting without love, against the principle of love, yes? We are all from love: we must be love and we must act in love. Anything we do, not in tune with our nature, which is love, will ruin our chance of a faster and higher evolution.”

Cao Đài-ism was founded in Âu Lạc (Vietnam) more than 95 years ago and has quickly grown to become the third-largest religion in the country. The term “Cao Đài” literally means “Supreme Palace,” referring to the place where God reigns over the Universe, and was also the name which God used to impart Hiers Divine instructions in the creation of Cao Đài. Cao Đài followers believe that God chose the venerated Master Ngô Minh Chiêu and directly transmitted the teachings and method of spiritual practice to Him until He attained the ultimate self-realization and founded Cao Đài-ism. Master Ngô Minh Chiêu was born in 1878 in Bình Tây village, Chợ Lớn province, Âu Lạc (Vietnam). Being very filial, Master Ngô Minh Chiêu took loving care of His parents. In 1920, Master Ngô Minh Chiêu was appointed as the district chief of Phú Quốc. During a session in February 1921, God, assuming the name “Supreme Being Cao Đài,” told Master Ngô Minh Chiêu to become vegetarian (vegan) in order to receive Hiers teaching. He painted a picture of what He saw, and the Divine Eye became the symbol of God in all Cao Đài’s holy temples. His Master then transmitted an esoteric method of spiritual practice and told Him to keep it a secret until He attained complete enlightenment. Master Ngô Minh Chiêu led a remarkably simple and modest life. Performing His duties as a judge, Master Ngô Minh Chiêu worked tirelessly, investigating and gathering evidence to ensure that citizens were judged fairly. Upholding honesty and righteousness, Master Ngô Minh Chiêu strictly adhered to the principle “never stealing even one-tenth of a penny if it’s not ours.” He also taught His disciples, “Do good deeds often but discreetly, and don’t expect anything in return.” In 2009, Supreme Master Ching Hai mentioned the Cao Đài religion. “(Followers, teachers…the teachers must be life-long vegetarians. The Cao Đài religion followed and preached the messages from God, so the Cao Đài religion is God’s religion.) And I knew that the Master of Cao Đài in the past was an enlightened Master. Therefore, anything He taught was correct, just like Buddha or Jesus, I put it all on TV. I told them to find religions that are similar, have similar teachings, so that those religions won’t fight anymore, won’t misunderstand each other anymore, won’t despise each other anymore; and they must respect and help each other. That was the objective.”

At the end of 150 days, the ark rested upon the mountains of present-day Turkey. It is believed that the ark landed either on Mount Ararat or Mount Judi. The Holy Quran cites that Noah then prayed to Allah: “O my Lord! enable me to disembark with Your Blessings, for You are the Best of all to enable us to disembark.” According to the Book of Genesis, God told Noah, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done. While the Earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” God made a rainbow as a promise that Hes would never destroy the Earth by flood again. In 1990, Supreme Master Ching Hai mentioned Noah’s family after the flood. "In the Bible there is a story about different languages, some of you know. After Noah's flood, Noah's family grew into many different families and grew into different big nations, but they were very harmonious, because they spoke the same language. And because God has promised that Hes wouldn't destroy the Earth again, and blessed them, Noah's family, due to Hiers love for Noah, the most beloved, faithful, pleased disciples. Now you understand why one person enlightened and favored by God, five, six, seven generations are liberated." In 2008, Supreme Master Ching Hai explained how we can only find true protection in the God within each of us. "So, I do hope that in any of the emergency situations, we can all act like Noah here, and that God will always be our comforter and refuge; because nothing else is really that safe for us. As I told you already, maybe the water rises from the sea, we may think the mountain is safer, but who knows? If the water rises too high, the mountain gives in also, yes? and erodes. Too much raining, the mountain will also run away, damaged, ruined. Or, too much water and all the Earth becomes a different shape and broken, or earthquake, everything; and who knows, fire will come out from the Earth; some hidden volcanoes might be opened. Anything can happen. You never can say that mountains are safer than the sea, or the land is safer than the sea. If you have to die in whatever way, you have to, right? Except you take refuge in the spiritual power, in the God within you, nothing else is really safe."

“Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time.’” – Genesis, Holy Bible Noah was chosen by God to be the father of a new humankind at a time when the world became so wicked that it led to the Great Flood. Heeding Divine instructions, He built a giant ark that would protect Him, His family, and representatives from all species of animal-people during the disaster. During His time, Noah was the only man who loved God and worshipped Hirm. In the Book of Genesis, it was stated that Noah was “righteous and blameless in His generations and walked with God.” During a 1992 lecture in Japan, Supreme Master Ching Hai expounded on the world’s situation during Noah’s time. “In the Bible, it describes clearly that because of the world's backward situation, people were depending entirely on material things and lacking morals, so God created the flood to clean up the Earth.” When people started noticing Noah building the ark, they were curious and gathered around Him. Noah explained God’s commands and urged them to pray to God. In 2008, Supreme Master Ching Hai mentioned Noah’s story through Master Rumi’s poetry. “When the flood happened, Noah had already built an ark, and put a pair of animal-people, each, in His ark already, and all His family members, and belongings, and necessities, and supplies for a while already in the ark. And He came in, but His son did not come in and did not want to. who wouldn't get in the ark in the time of emergency like that, and still rebelled against a good intention. Maybe he hates his father, but by doing this, he goes not against only his father, but he goes against his life, right? The flood is there, so the son also feels like, it hurts his pride, his ego, that his father is even right, because all this time he has never believed in his father.” As the Book of Genesis explains: “For forty days the flood kept coming on the Earth, and as the waters increased, they lifted the ark high above the Earth. The waters rose and increased greatly on the Earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. Every living thing on the face of the Earth was wiped out; people and animals… were wiped from the Earth. Only Noah was left, and those with Him in the ark. The waters flooded the Earth for a hundred and fifty days.”

In 1989, during a lecture in Hsihu, Taiwan, also known as Formosa, Supreme Master Ching Hai spoke of Mahavatar Babaji’s spiritual vibration. “Yogananda’s Grandmaster wanted to visit Yogananda’s Master. But because the Master was too excited, when He returned, He couldn’t find the Grandmaster, Babaji. Babaji hid in the sunlight. His vibrations were very subtle. Yogananda’s Master was too excited, so the inner vision was obstructed. He did that to Himself. Understand? Babaji was in the sunlight, and you couldn’t see Him. He was masked by the sunlight.” Paramahansa Yogananda’s own encounter with Babaji upon the eve of His sacred mission in the West is touchingly described within its pages. At the time, Sri Yogananda was sincerely praying to God for blessing and assurance on His journey ahead. Then, Mahavatar Babaji appeared at His door in the form of a young man. Babaji explained: “Kriya Yoga, the scientific technique of God-realization, will ultimately spread in all lands, and aid in harmonizing the nations through man’s personal, transcendental perception of the Infinite Father.” In 2005, while speaking with one of our Association members, Supreme Master Ching Hai shared important information about Mahavatar Babaji. “Babaji was one of the disciples of one of my Councils. (Oh!) There are 50 Councils, remember I told you? (Yes.) The 16th Council was here, was on earth before. No, no, I mean on a planet earth, some other earth, not this planet. And He was one of His chief disciples. And He attained 120-degree enlightenment instead of 100. Like Fifth Level, He got 120 when He left the planet. And He now resides in the Astral region. So, He can materialize any time into the physical body, any time, and He can stay as long as He wants, because He is in charge of taking care of the Astral and the physical region right now. He is the chief. So, He can appear and disappear, of course. His whole group is in the Astral! He can live in both worlds because He’s in the special mission.”

“All the Saints, since time immemorial, whether or not They incarnate on the planet in the human body or are invisible, or They live forever, for example, like Babaji in the Himalayas, whether or not They live forever in the physical body or in the invisible manifestation, They’re always thinking of us and wanting to help us. That’s the only thing They do: helping all sentient beings. It’s just that sentient beings cannot always perceive it or receive it fully because of obstruction of karma, ignorance or all kinds of false conception or thinking.” “My nature is Love; for it is Love alone that can change this world.” – Mahavatar Babaji (vegetarian) Mahavatar Babaji refers to the great Spiritual Being frequently appearing physically on this Earth, in various forms, for several hundreds of years. In 1946, Paramahansa Yogananda first revealed the existence of the Mahavatar Babaji to the world at large. He can manifest a body for as long as is necessary to perform the required spiritual assistance, either to those who yearn for His Divine intercession or to those in dire need. Many of Babaji’s appearances, for instance, have been in the form of famous Heavenly personalities. Mahavatar Babaji is in fact the leader of a team of similar Beings, all residing on the astral level, sometimes materializing together as a formidable Group. Several of these encounters are memorably recounted in “Autobiography of a Yogi.” Mahavatar Babaji is a Spiritual Being who can intercede when required in order to lessen or completely nullify the karma of an individual, or even a group of souls, in accordance with His Divine mandate of assisting in the spiritual ascension of humanity. Paramahansa Yogananda describes His ever-watchful presence throughout His life, patiently monitoring Him through a mundane existence, before awakening Him to the truth of His real spiritual self. Speaking of His eternal Love for His disciple, Mahavatar Babaji said this of leading Him back home: “Though You lost sight of me, never did I lose sight of You…. Through gloom, storm, upheaval, and light, I followed You, like a mother bird guarding her young.” In 1991, Supreme Master Ching Hai also mentioned this wonderful story of how Lahiri Mahasaya received initiation into Kriya Yoga meditation from Mahavatar Babaji.

Biographies of Saint Wenceslas have had a powerful influence on the concept and image of a monarch whose power stems from his great piety. Immediately after his death, he was honored by the Bohemian people as a martyr and Saint. One preacher, Cosmas of Prague, stated, “But his deeds I think you know better than I could tell you; for, as is read in his ‘Passion,’ no one doubts that, rising every night from his noble bed, with bare feet and only one chamberlain, he went around to God’s churches and gave alms generously to widows, orphans, those in prison and afflicted by every difficulty, so much so that he was considered not a prince, but the father of all the wretched.” During a lecture given in France in 2007, Supreme Master Ching Hai further explained how such qualities of humility are a sign of a good leader. “When you don’t care about position and power of a kingdom, then you can be the best king. Because you don’t do it for position, for gain, for respect from your subjects, but you’re doing it to take care of your people, to discharge your duty, as predestined before you’re born.” Pope Benedict XVI called Saint Wenceslas “a martyr for Christ” during his 2009 visit to the Czech Republic. The pope stated that the Saint “had the courage to prefer the kingdom of Heaven to the enticement of worldly power.” To close our program, we have a beautiful rendition of “Good King Wenceslas,” recorded in 1952 by the renowned choir Robert Shaw Chorale. These verses of the Christmas carol recount the journey of Saint Wenceslas and an assistant delivering food and pine logs to a peasant’s home on Saint Stephen’s Day. Through the freezing cold trek, the page fears that he may collapse in the snow. Saint Wenceslas tells his page to follow in his footsteps, which miraculously warm the page’s freezing feet. May we, too, follow in the saintly footsteps of the good King Wenceslas, with his deep faith and great propensity for forgiveness, remembering God and showing kindness and compassion to all beings.

Saint Wenceslas, Duke of Bohemia, is well known from the popular 1853 Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslas.” The carol was written to celebrate Saint Stephen’s Day, or “Boxing Day,” traditionally a day for charity and benevolence following Christmas Day. The duke’s martyrdom and life story gave rise to his reputation for heroic virtue that resulted in his elevation to sainthood. He was posthumously declared to be a king and the patron Saint of the Czech Republic. Born in 907 in Prague, Saint Wenceslas was also known as Vyacheslav. He was a descendant of the Přemysl family, who reigned from 800 to 1306 and were the first house to rule Bohemia and its lands. In 925 Saint Wenceslas took control of the kingdom and ruled justly and wisely at the young age of 18. He assigned a considerable amount of territory to his brother Boleslaus. Being a peace-loving and well-educated man with sound knowledge of Latin and Greek, Saint Wenceslas showed great concern for the Christian enlightenment of his people. He helped to build churches, including a magnificent one in the name of Saint Vitus in Prague, the Czech capital. Saint Wenceslas was charitable to the poor, feeding and clothing them. He was hospitable to travelers and loved all his people without discrimination. He recalled priests from exile and welcomed missionaries.During a lecture in 2007, Supreme Master Ching Hai explained how the quality of a country’s leadership is sometimes destined by Heaven. “The day before, I told you that, sometimes it is God’s will that the king or government leader of a certain country is good or bad. Understand? If they are good, it is because the citizens there have blessings. If they are bad, the citizens there have to check themselves. Practice introspection to see whether their country has done anything harmful to others. Is their legal system a fair one? Have they bullied the weak or small? All citizens need to check themselves. The government there also needs to check itself. If they have checked themselves, repented, and rectified themselves, then the bad king or leader definitely will not stay there for long. Naturally they will be replaced by someone else. Otherwise, they will have to continue to suffer. So, if the leader or king of a certain country is bad, it is not his fault alone; it is God’s will. The people themselves have to be good; try to be good people; fulfill their obligations, and help others, and live a noble life. If they can do that, very soon God will send a good king or good leader to them. All right! So, we spiritual practitioners are truly very helpful to our country. The more spiritual practitioners we have in a country, the better the government will be. It is really like that.”

In Bodhgaya, while exhibiting some of the exceptional signs of His realization, the Guru was challenged by an old lady to show proof of His teacher and lineage. When He answered that He had no teacher and there wasn’t a need for one, He was ridiculed. After this incident, for the sake of showing latter generations the indispensability of having a Master, the all-knowing, fully enlightened Padmasambhava pretended to be a spiritual aspirant, seeking out India’s accomplished Masters to gain the full and complete teachings of Secret Mantra. Padmasambhava learned from various great Masters. From Prabhahasti, while ordained under the name of Shakya Senge, He studied the scriptures of Yoga Tantra, instantaneously comprehending the teachings as they were revealed. His spiritual search took Him next to the nun Kungamo and was given the secret name of Loden Choksé, meaning “Super Knowledge Holder.” Here is some food for thought from the teachings of the Venerated Guru Padmasambhava: “If you want to know your past life, look at your present condition. If you want to know your future life, look at your present actions.”During His time on Earth, Guru Padmasambhava has had many adventures requiring Him to perform miraculous feats. Records from various biographies state that on four or more occasions, Guru Padmasambhava survived attempts to burn Him at the stake. Despite the huge bonfire that was lit, Guru Padmasambhava stood amidst the flames and transformed them into water. Soon, a lake formed around Him. He sat in the center of this wondrous lake upon a beautiful lotus flower. The king could not believe his eyes and fell to the ground, prostrating before Guru Padmasambhava, earnestly requesting His teachings. Mandarava and the nuns were released, and Guru Padmasambhava brought the entire Oddiyana kingdom to embrace the Buddhadharma. By the same means in another manifestation, He was again captured to be burnt by the violent King Ashoka, who Guru Padmasambhava then converted into the most peaceful Buddhist king of his time. Today, pilgrims and tourists from all over the world go to the Himalayan regions of India, Nepal, and Tibet to visit Guru Padmasambhava’s many sacred practice sites and caves where He meditated. Some still hold Guru Padmasambhava’s foot, hand, and body imprints. His sacred terma teachings, concealed in secret locations and unveiled at opportune moments, continue to be revealed to the benefit of unborn generations, even to this day.

Venerated Guru Padmasambhava, popularly known as Guru Rinpoche (the Precious One), was an 8th-century tantric Master. Hailed as the second Buddha in the Himalayas, He established the Nyingma School of Buddhism, the first major school in Tibet. A fully enlightened Being who descended as the “Lotus One,” Guru Padmasambhava was not born and does not die. Wanting to do more to benefit all beings, the immaculately groomed and learned Prince decided to leave the palace. He was banished to a place called Cool Grove, a charnel ground where bodies are left to decompose above the ground. Known as the eight charnel grounds and deemed to be sacred, these burial grounds are extremely efficacious for spiritual advancement and also account for Guru Padmasambhava’s eight emanations, or manifestations. In the charnel grounds, Guru Padmasambhava was able to live freely in bliss, carrying out His yogic practices uninterrupted. He sustained and dressed His physical body with the food offerings and cloth from the deceased bodies. In 1994, Supreme Master Ching Hai explained how Guru Padmasambhava provided sustenance to His physical body during that time. “According to a lot of stories, the first Master of Tibetan Buddhism is Padmasambhava. It means ‘born from the lotus.’ He is supposed to live always in the cemetery before He came to Tibet. And he is supposed to always transform the food in the cemetery – you know, anything – He’d transform it and then eat it. And there are many other stories, if you read the book of Madame Alexandra David-Néel. They can make bread out of air and things like that. Actually, this is nothing mystical or unbelievable because everything is made from the universal Substance. It's very… it could be scientific, it is believable. Some of the old Masters, they know something called ‘Alchemy,’ yes, yes, they can transform things.” Magnetizing the eight classes of spirits, He unified them towards the path of bodhicitta, a state of loving-kindness, compassion, and wisdom. Guru Padmasambhava realized the people needed a spiritual teacher, and that He was to set an example and guide them. While visiting the Vajra Seat, the “diamond seat” under the bodhi tree where Buddha Shakyamuni had attained enlightenment, Guru Padmasambhava openly demonstrated His magical power. He transformed Himself into hundreds of monks, and at other times into hundreds of yogis, performing spiritual practices at the shrine.

In Sri Yukteswar’s younger days, His health was rather frail. One day, while recovering from an illness, His Guru, Sri Lahiri Mahasaya, commented that his wellness was a matter of will, explaining: “Thought is a force, even as electricity or gravitation. The human mind is a spark of the almighty consciousness of God. I could show you that whatever your powerful mind believes very intensely would instantly come to pass.” Sri Yukteswar taught that a vegetarian diet is beneficial to spiritual growth and mental and physical well-being, improving the mind, intellect, will, temperament, and overall disposition. A variety of grains, fruits, roots, juices, and pure water are generally the best natural food, congenial to the human digestive system and assimilation. During His last days with His Guru, Yogananda’s longing for His Master’s enduring love was finally assuaged when Sri Yukteswar said: “During my married life I often yearned for a son, to train in the yogic path. But when You came into my life, I was content; in You I have found My son. Yogananda, I love you always.” During a lecture in 2012, Supreme Master Ching Hai recounted this touching encounter between Sri Yukteswar and His beloved disciple. “His teacher, His Master Sri Yukteswar scolded Him, made Him feel, almost like belittling Him all the time. Yes. But He lost no respect or love for His Master. One day He even asked Him whether He really loved Him, asked the Master. So the Master said yes. Then He was happy. And then after He died, after the Master died, He appeared to Yogananda as a live person, from the astral world, He crossed the border, came back to see His beloved disciple and He hugged Him and all that.” “So now, the Master said… The first time ever, He said sorry to His disciple. He said, ‘I’m sorry, Yogananda. When I was alive, I was too strict with You and I scolded You all the time. Are You still angry with Me, or are You…?’ Something like that, ‘You forgive me?’ And Yogananda was so crying and happy and said, ‘Oh Master, I wish You could come back and scold Me again, again, and again all the time.’ Because He was gone already. Even if He wanted Him to scold, He could not anymore.”

Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri was born Priya Nath Karar on May 10, 1855, in Serampore, West Bengal, India. His father was a wealthy landowner. Sri Yukteswar was fairly young when He inherited and shouldered the burden of managing His family’s land holdings upon His father’s passing. It was through a friendship with a local maharaj that Sri Yukteswar met His own Guru, Lahiri Mahasaya, a disciple of Immortal Saint, Mahavatar Babaji. Sri Yukteswar was a frequent guest of Guru Lahiri Mahasaya in Benares, spending long hours in His company. Due to His absolute zeal and devotion to His Guru, His unrelenting practice of discipline (tapas) and self-study (svadhyaya), and His observance of a vegetarian diet, Sri Yukteswar made rapid spiritual progress. Kriya Yoga is the yogic science by which human evolution can be quickened. The ancient Yogic text “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali” describes Kriya Yoga in the second chapter. Kriya Yoga, the origin of God-communion taught by Lord Jesus Christ and Lord Sri Krishna, frees the mind from sensory obstacles for meditation purposes. Mahavatar Babaji is known for manifesting a majestic palace to initiate Lahiri Mahasaya into Kriya Yoga. The three Kriya Lineage Masters to spread this ancient spiritual science are Sri Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar, and Paramahansa Yogananda. Babaji avowed, “The Kriya Yoga that I am giving to the world through you in this 19th century is a revival of the same science that Krishna gave millenniums ago to Arjuna, and that was later known to Patanjali and Christ, and to St. John, St. Paul, and other disciples.” At the behest of Babaji and with the blessings of Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar Giri busied Himself with research and began writing. Having foreseen that the upcoming century was to be an expedient series of both inner and outer evolutions of change, He knew the timing was ripe for the book. In 1894, He published “The Holy Science,” a guiding light on the pathway to spiritual revelations.