A Call from Duc Tran Hung Dao Dai Vuong
O this Guide of the Way! Take courage and press on!
Heaven has entrusted you with a mission — let your heart remain steadfast.
The sacred torch lights the steps that guide the people of this world,
Shoulder the burden of the Way, and repay it as is fitting.
O worthy ones! Time presses close, and the great work of spreading the doctrine still demands much strength and virtue of heart from you all. You should carefully recognize the mission that Heaven has placed upon each one’s shoulders.
Minh Ly came into being bearing a weighty mission: to continue and complete the work of salvation begun by the religious teachers who came before. Since the mission differs, the work cannot be identical — let this not be misunderstood, lest it spoil the undertaking. It was because of contention, disagreement, conflicting ideals, and divided faiths that this “new religious foundation” had to come into being — to come into being so as to bring unity to humankind, to put an end to hatred and division, and to resolve the many perplexities of humanity through a life of love and truth among people.
The duty of this newly arisen doctrine is to establish no method other than to crystallize the teachings and doctrines of East and West, ancient and modern, into a single program by which to cultivate oneself, liberate oneself, and thereby guide and liberate humankind; to serve as the foundation for the singular future work of the whole world, and to prepare the way for a perfectly virtuous Being of Authority who is yet to come.
You worthy ones must trust, and trust firmly, that behind you, before you, above your head, and within your heart, there is a Spirit of Truth watching over you and ensuring that you fulfill your duty.
If you wish to know what the guiding principles of Minh Ly are, and what each person’s program of life and practice should be, delve deeply into the chapters of explanation that follow, and all will become clear.
TRAN HUNG DAO
(Excerpted from the Foreword — Minh Ly Yeu Giai)