“When the activity of Heaven and Earth is to end, I Myself will change destiny. At the time, I will screen and choose the good. You must not flee from home. Be upright and keep your virtues, I will recognize you.”
Today, we return to understand more about the wisdom of the ancient Chinese philosopher and enlightened Saint, Master Lao Tzu, the author of Tao Te Ching.
Master Lao Tzu mentioned He had undergone many incarnations as a ‘teacher,’ or as we call such beings, an enlightened Master. The physical form of the Master is a manifestation of the Master Power as decreed by God, to help lead longing souls Home through liberation. The Master Power has been here since the beginning and will be here until the end. Every era has an incarnated Master who fulfills this role. In Taoism, Master Lao Tzu is regarded as the incarnation of the eternal Master Power, as evident in this excerpt from “Seven Taoist Books in a Cabinet.”
“Lao Tzu is Lord Lao. He is the ‘body’ of Tao, the ancestor of the primordial Chi and the root origin of Heaven and Earth.”
This infers that Master Lao Tzu existed before the time of any physical manifestation, and He is the One who creates and transforms the entire universe – in other words, He is the manifested Essence of God, the enlightened Master of that time.
“Born in nothingness, He existed before the time of any existence... He is the One Who creates and transforms the universe.”
The Master Power incarnates into this world again and again to reveal the Tao – or oneness – of Heaven, Earth, and humanity. Thus, in Taoism, it is widely believed that at the end of the world cycle, Master Lao Tzu will reappear to bring clarity, comfort, and salvation, as a new era of great joy is born. This is confirmed in the Scripture of the Transformations of Master Lao Tzu, where the Master Himself reveals that when the world is to end, He will come and save those who are upright and virtuous.
“When the activity of Heaven and Earth is to end, I Myself will change destiny. At the time, I will screen and choose the good. You must not flee from home. Be upright and keep your virtues, I will recognize you.”
This stark prophecy – is in line with that of many Saints and Sages of the far and near past. The reference to the end of the world– all signs of which we are witnessing in extreme forms at this exact time – will herald the return of Lao Tzu, the return of the Tao manifested, to select and rescue the chosen ones. The chosen ones, as the Holy Bible says in the Book of Matthew 5:5, “Shall be known by their fruits.” Biblical scripture also states, “Not all those who say, ‘You are with our Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do what my Father in Heaven wants.”
As prophesied by Master Lao Tzu Himself, He will return to the world to save the good souls at the end times. Has the Great Lao Tzu already returned? One of our Association members described their spiritual journey to the Tusita Palace of Master Lao Tzu in Heaven.
“([...] At that moment, our Supreme Master Ching Hai appeared, becoming one with Lao Tzu in the Light. The two images overlapped each other to show me that Lao-Tzu was one of Master’s previous incarnations. [...])”
The inner spiritual experience of another Association member revealed that she was the reincarnation of Yin Xi, also known as Wen Shi, who learned the practice of Tao with Master Lao Tzu in Hangu Pass and transcribed the Tao Te Ching as dictated by Lao Tzu. Yin Xi is reputed as the first disciple of Master Lao Tzu and the author of “Authentic Classic of Wen Shi.”
“(During meditation, the inner Master [Supreme Master Ching Hai] instructed me to go to ‘Mangshan’ in China to find my old memories and kept urging me to hurry up. According to legend, Lao Tzu once made alchemy here in ‘Mangshan.’ I tried to go to ‘Mangshan’ and saw a pine tree in front of a cave, and there were tables and chairs made of stone under the tree.
The transformation-body of Master was holding a cane, with white hair, white beard, and looked very old. He sat on the stone chair, looked at me with a smile, pointed to the stone table and said, ‘This is where we used to play chess, did you forget?’ I said, ‘It looks familiar, but I can’t remember.’
Master then showed me a video of me playing chess with Him in the past. At that time, I was a middle-aged man in blue shirt, with a beard and a square hat on my head, talking and laughing with Lao Tzu. The name of the person who was waiting for Lao Tzu’s arrival at Hangu Pass and sincerely seeking Tao was Yin Xi.
The transformation-body of Master said, “I am Lao Tzu, because you helped me to write down the Tao Te Ching [dictated by Lao Tzu, written down by Yin Xi], and became my disciple and friend. That’s why you have such a literary talent in this life.”
Master then said, ‘You had initiation, then practiced with me and finally attained Tao.’ I asked Master, ‘Have I followed Master through all my lifetimes?’
Master said, ‘Of course, because you have to come to help me, and bear the karma of the world. This is your job.’)”
This account of the special connection between Master Lao Tzu and Yin Xi, also known as Wen Shi, is also affirmed in a story shared by Supreme Master Ching Hai during a Europe gathering in 2008.
“Wen Shi honored Lao Tzu with a feast. After the banquet, he prostrated himself before the sage and formally asked to be accepted as a disciple. Lao Tzu stayed in the border town for a hundred days and taught Wen Shi the art of the Path. When it was time for his teacher to leave, Wen Shi declared, ‘I would like to accompany you on your journey and serve you.’
So, Lao Tzu refused, saying, ‘You have a good understanding of the teachings, but you are still lacking in experience. When you can merge with the natural Way, go to Sichuan and look for a blue ox.’ He then dictated a book of 5,000 words to his student. This book was the Tao Te Ching. So Wen Shi built a tower at Hangu Pass, and devoted himself to practicing what he had learned from Lao Tzu.
And one day as he was having a rest on the roadside, he saw a young cowherd walking down the hillside, leading a blue ox. So he ran, he ran to the boy and said, ‘Can you please tell me who the owner of this ox is?’ So, the cowherd replied, ‘My lady has a child who loves this ox. The ox ran away 2 days ago; since then my young master has not stopped crying.’
So, when Wen Shi stepped into the mansion, the child was transformed into Lao Tzu. Thousands of rays of golden light emanated from His body, and a purple aura glowed around His head. A canopy emerged from the ground and inside the pavilion was a seat surrounded by lotus flowers.
So the old man, meaning Lao Tzu, walked to the chair, sat down, and said to Wen Shi, ‘When I left you, you were but a novice who aspired to cultivate the Tao. Today, I see a man with an air of an immortal. Your spirit has journeyed to the purple chamber of the Celestial Palace. You have merged with the North Star, and your name has been entered into the roster of the immortals.’
When Lao Tzu finished speaking, the room was suddenly filled with celestial messengers and immortals. Wen Shi stepped onto a cloud and was escorted into the immortal realm by the personal attendants of the highest Lords of Heaven.”
