HAI MƯƠI CHÍN THÁNG CHẠP (Năm Kỹ Mão)

Bước tới hùng ca bước tới hoài,

Đạo đời hủy báng mặc tình ai.

Cố chí nhiệm-mầu truyền diệu-pháp,

Bởi vì cốt-nhục cũng hoài thai.

Diệu-vợi xa-xăm nỗi khổ hoài,

Cuộc đời lao-khổ thấy chiều mai.

Chợt ngó xuân sang xuân biết khóc,

Đến thời Thiên định lối bi ai!

Giục-thúc nhơn-sanh kiếm Đạo mầu,

Sao còn hoài tưởng chuyện đâu đâu?

Sự sống người đời, ôi! thấy khổ,

Miệt-mài Đạo-đức vẻ huyền sâu.

Hùng ca chuyển pháp kiếm tôi hiền,

Thiên-địa tuần huờn chẳng vị riêng,

Gian nịnh phản thần, ôi! nhơ-nhuốc,

Gìn lòng trung hiếu sách ghi biên.

Ghi biên những kẻ quá lương hiền,

Một mực trung thành với Phật-Tiên.

Cố tưởng ước-mơ về Tiên cảnh,

Hiếu hạnh gìn lòng chí ư thiên.

Ư thiên Trời Phật chẳng dụng tiền,

Tìm kiếm con lành giải nghiệp-duyên.

Mê-muội ác-hung về địa-ngục,

Hiền lành nhắm mắt thấy non Tiên.

Non Tiên ra sức tháo dây xiềng,

Dân-chúng an nhàn dạ mới yên.

Cám cảnh thương đời, ôi! mê-muội,

Mong-ước ngày kia giải mộng phiền.

Mộng phiền muốn khỏi phải làm sao?

Hung dữ, ác nhơn chớ bước vào.

Gìn tâm nhu-nhược chờ vận đến,

Vậy mới rời xa cảnh máu đào.

Máu đào khắp nước khổ vô cùng,

Nam-Việt dân tình mãi thung dung,

Chẳng lo tu tỉnh cầu Phật Thánh,

Để nước đến chơn mới nhảy đùng.

Nhảy đùng ắt phải lọt ngoài sâu,

Chẳng gặp xuồng ghe chững mới rầu.

Làm sao lo liệu tu cho kịp,

Bập-bẹ nam-mô cũng nhọc cầu.

Nhọc cầu bịnh tật nỗi nào đâu,

Lao-khổ nhơn-sanh cảnh nước Tàu.

Trẻ nhỏ rã-rời xa bố mẹ,

Sao còn tranh-đoạt mảng mồi câu.

Mồi câu danh-lợi chúng dân rầu,

Kim chỉ phải gìn chuyện cạn sâu.

Vinh-hoa phú-quí chòm mây bạc,

Nho-nhã thi-văn nẻo nhiệm-mầu.

Nhiệm-mầu hạnh-đức quá thanh-cao,

Thần, Thánh, Phật, Tiên xuống kêu gào.

Dương-gian mau tỉnh trong tràng mộng,

Tầm kiếm nơi nào đạo siêu cao.

Hòa thôn Hảo cảnh xứ chi ta,

Tạm dắt nhơn sanh khỏi ái hà.

Tạo xác Huỳnh danh thanh sắc trẻ,

Chờ thời Thiên định thiết hùng ca.

KIM ngọc nào tri Phật, Quỉ, Tà,

SƠN đài ra sức dẹp loài ma.

THƯỢNG thọ chúc cầu an bốn biển,

ĐẲNG đẳng dưới trên sớm thuận-hòa.

Mong ước ngày kia đặng khải hoàn,

Địa cầu sanh-chúng được nhàn an.

Bốn biển một nhà Cha: Phật, Thánh,

Thì là dân sự hết tàng ngang.

Năm tàn tháng cuối cảnh buồn teo,

Đón rước bạn xuân lễ quá nghèo.

Thượng cổ gần hồi nên sửa lối,

Theo nhà Phật-Giáo phải như keo.

Dân-chúng chớ nên đốt giấy tiền,

Bởi vì Diêm-chúa chẳng tình riêng.

Phán-quan tả hữu không dùng hối,

Nên phải dạy dân bỏ giấy tiền.

Vàng bạc bởi tay khách trú làm,

Phật, Thần, Tiên, Thánh chẳng dùng ham.

Giấy quần giấy áo không nên đốt,

Nghĩ chuyện dối ma chẳng đáng làm.

Hòa-Hảo, ngày 29 tháng chạp năm Kỷ-Mão

(Chép theo bản chánh do Ông Nguyễn-Chi-Diệp giữ)

Epically I advance and ever advance,

Despite the slander of any parlance.

I strive to spread the great Tao.

It is 'cause of My blood inheritance.

Myriad predicaments always bark,

Earthly ordeal is felt from dawn to dark.

Spring descends and seems to cry,

As predestined, there’ll be a tragic path!

I urge humans to seek the great Tao,

Why do they still muck around?

Human life is woeful. Alas! look up,

Practice hard to work mystery out.

Epical dharma fetches the good noble,

Cosmic cycle is fair and equitable.

Sycophants, traitors,  alas, are louche,

Loyals and filials get history reputable.

Reputable are the honest-hearted,

Those always faithful to the Holy Spirits.

I dream to return to the Idyllic scape,

My filiality reaches the heavenly zenith.

The Supreme Holiness uses no money,

They fetch those keen to be karma free.

The ignorant thugs fall in Hades,

Those who die virtuous shall see Mt Fairy.

Mt Fairy will unshackle the mass laity,

Till they find peace, I feel not at ease.

What a pity for the ignorant folks!

I wish one day I’ll resolve My worry.

What can you do to be worry free?

Don’t embrace cruelty and atrocity.

Lie low and wait till your time is good,

Then you can avoid your being bloody.

Bloodshed brings national disasters,

Nam-Viet people are still cutting capers.

No one mindfully seeks Buddha’s help,

They won't jump till flooded all over.

Hasty jumpers would land in deep waters,

Sadly they find no boat nor rescuers.

How can they prepare a catch up?

Mumbling Amitabha recital is hard prayers.

Hard prayers by no means heal diseases,

People in China suffer calamities.

Parents and children are separated,

Why do people still vie for bait preys?

Bait preys will lower folks’ spirits,

Carefully weigh losses and profits.

Opulence is nothing but sparse clouds,

Yet, miracles arise from gentleman classics.

Great to see those who live morals out!

The holy spirits all descend and shout.

Earthlings, from a long dream, wake up!

Where the mystical is, seek the Tao.

Hoa Hao is a native village of mine,

I guide humans off their sea of desires.

Huynh is my name in a young body,

Waiting for predestined Epic to realize.

KIM jade knows Buddha, Demon and Evils,

SON highly commands to sweep devils.

THUONG wishes all corners a lasting peace,

DANG soon achieves harmony at all levels.

I wish one day triumph soon arrives,

All livings on Earth enjoy leisure times.

United under one Father: Buddha, Saints,

Where all get rid of amorality and bias.

Months and years end in a desolation,

Greeting Spring, I’ve a very poor celebration.

Near Antiquity’s restoration, improve habits,

As a Buddhist, you must prove your adhesion.

People mustn’t burn votive papers!

‘Cause the Hell King gives no favors,

Left and right judges can't be corrupted,

Thus I urge people to retract this offer.

Votive papers are from settlers on our land,

Not covetted by Buddha, Gods, Fairies, Saints.

No paper clothings should be incinerated,

Doing such evil and faked things is in vain.

Hoa Hao, the 29th of December,

Wood Rabbit (1939)

(Copied from the original kept by Mr. Diep Chi Nguyen)

THE TWENTY NINTH OF DECEMBER (1939)

Master’s determination is unshakable to launch His mission despite all the odds: many among masses did not understand Him, thus they tended to ridicule rather than believing in His teachings and, at the same time, the harassment by colonial authorities which became the more anxious to isolate Him, the greater His influence grew. Part of his rationale for the mission is also His willingness to return His debts to those who had, for His previous lives, provided for Him what was necessary for His self-cultivation, including His kinship.

In His Buddhist perception, not only humans suffer from eight fundamental categories of physical and mental displeasure (dukkha), but also from a host of other stressors, ecosystem degration, climatic change, political turmoil, social upheavals, world wars, economic depression. Even though these external events do not always adversely affect everyone at the same time, they sometimes impact the activities of the whole humankind at different times and places, such as pandemic, as has, in recent months, spread far and wide over the globe and infected over nine millions and killed nearly half a million, and still threaten to go on, a phenomenon which no one had expected would have occurred earlier this year. These external stressors are called ‘Five Impurities’ (vi:Ngũ Trược).

Lord Master stressed the law of causility would not leave anyone alone once they act one way or the other in their life which unavoidably creates a certain kind of karma (negative or positive consequence) for them. Therefore, He encourages people to carefully weigh the consequences of their action, even their thought. They should remember that there is a spiritual realm ever watching over the human world, as it is superior in any aspect of existence. Thus Lord Master always reminds people of the mystical intervention of this realm into human activities, neutrally and impartially arbitrating their disputes. Thus He always refers to the presence of an divine realm, the ideal abode for any human who may qualify by following His teachings that enable them to reach it. Others who don’t trust Him might face the big trouble when a cyclic cataclysm occurs as it has been predestinated.

First, they must diligently follow the warning of the Supreme Holiness, including Buddha, Saints, Fairies and other deities in that they need to repent and do all good things. They must be aware of the obligations of humans to repay the debts of gratitude to their ancestors and country.

He proposes a few ways for humans to avoid this tragedy.

Second, they must learn how to cultivate such virtues as a devout Buddhist, working hard to cut off their worldly clingings. Not only that, they must persistently and thoroughly consider the teachings which He said contain many important points where they could understand how the heavenly machine operates and what they may expect therefrom. In order to be efficient as a Buddhist practicer, they need to wipe out the smog of greed, ignorance, and ire, of their mind, so that they grow in wisdom. They need to distinguish between the faked and truthfull ways of practice so that they won’t waste their lives following the path which the Patriarch Buddha has exerted Himself to seek out for humans.

As in many of His poems, until humanity has one House, one Father, they still suffer a lot from disharmony and discord which would lead to wars and worse sufferings.

By Rang Dong on 27 June 2020

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