The Call of His Majesty Tran Hung Dao
O leaders of this Way, strive on!
Heaven has entrusted you with a mission — keep your hearts steadfast.
The sacred torch lights the path to guide the people of this world,
Shoulder the Way, and repay it as is fitting.
O worthy ones! Time presses on, and the work of spreading the teaching still calls for great effort and virtue from each of you. You must clearly recognize the mission that Heaven has placed upon each one’s shoulders.
Minh Ly came into being with a solemn mission: to continue and complete the work of salvation begun by the sages of old. Since the mission differs, the manner of carrying it out cannot be the same — let this not be misunderstood, lest the work be spoiled. Because of conflict, discord, clashing ideals, and divided faiths, a “new teaching” had to arise — arising to bring unity to humankind, to put an end to hatred and division, and to resolve the many troubles of humanity through a life of love and truth among people.
The duty of this newly arisen teaching is nothing other than to distill the teachings and doctrines of East and West, ancient and modern, into a single path for self-cultivation and self-salvation, so as to guide humankind; to serve as support for the one future common to the whole world, and to prepare the way for a Perfect Sovereign of the Dharma who is to come.
Hold firm and trust that behind you, before you, above your head, and within your heart there is a Spirit of Truth watching over you so that you may fulfill your duty.
To know what the guiding principles of Minh Ly are, and what each person’s program of practice should be, look deeply into the chapters of explanation that follow.
TRAN HUNG DAO
(Excerpt from the Foreword — Minh Ly Yeu Giai)