The Heritage of Tao (3) … continued

By the time Hui-neng became the Sixth Patriarch, the minds of the

Buddhist monks had changed.  Some were jealous of not being

chosen to be the next Patriarch and intended to take insignia away

from Hui-neng.  Hui-neng had to leave the temple and hide among

a group of hunters for fifteen years.  He stopped the tradition of

passing the insignia as instructed by the Fifth Patriarch Hong-ren. 

He transmitted the essence of Tao to two secular devotees of Tao,

Patriarchs Bai Yu-Chan and Ma Duan-yang, who together held the

Seventh Patriarchate of Tao.  Without the Patriarchate of Tao,

Buddhism separated into two mainstreams of the North and the

South in China.  Unknown to all, the Heritage of Tao was carried

on by secular devotees of Tao.

Although these secular devotees of Tao continued the mission of

spreading Tao, they were all commoners and were not noticed by

the public.  Hence, there wasn’t any record on their lives and works. 

After the Seventh Patriarchs, there were the Eighth Patriarch Luo

Wei-Qun, the Ninth Patriarch Huang De-Hui, the Tenth Patriarch

Wu Zi-Xiang, the 11th Patriarch He Liao-Ku, the 12th Patriarch

Yuan Tui-An, the 13th Patriarchs Xu Huan-Wu and Yang Huan-Xu,

the 14th Patriarch Yao He-Tien, the 15th Patriarch Wang Jue-I, and

the 16th Patriarch Liu Hua-Pu.

By the time Patriarch Liu Hua-Pu received Tien-Ming,¹ it was near

the end of the Wu Phase and the Red Yang Period.³¹  When Patriarch

Lu Zhong-I³² received Tien-Ming, it was the beginning of the transition

from the Red Yang Period to the White Yang Period.  The essence of

Tao, which had been secretly passed among the Patriarchs with great

difficulties, was made available to everyone.  It is time in this Cycle

of Heaven and Earth that mankind must return to God’s kingdom. 

The Eighteenth Patriarchs Zhang Tien-Ran and Sun Hui-Min³³ were

given the mission by God to transmit Tien-Tao to all souls in this

world, and those in Qi-tien^9,12 and in Hell.  For mankind, this is

“the Final Judgment”.  All religions must return to Tao.  That is

why the true essence of Tao is kept with secular devotees of Tao. 

That is God’s will and is not the work of any human being.  These

eighteen generations of Patriarchate are called the Last Eighteen

Patriarchs of Tao in the East.

This is a short introduction of how the generations of Saints,

by carrying on the previous generations and inspiring the later

generations so that the Heritage is continued, passed on the

Heritage of Tao.  As we can see, these Saints came to this world

as kings, scholars and commoners to fulfill their missions.  In the

Green Yang Period (before Zhou Dynasty), rulers could lead people

by God’s will, so the Saints descended as kings and emperors to carry

on the Heritage of Tao.  In the Red Yang Period (beginning from Zhou

Dynasty), rulers could not lead people anymore, so Saints descended

as scholars to carry on the Heritage of Tao.  As the influences of

religions weakened, the Saints descended as secular devotees of

Tao to maintain the Heritage of Tao.  Now that the Last Catastrophe

of the White Yang Period is drawing near, ethics and morality has

deteriorated to extremity.  As a result, many catastrophes have

occurred and in order to save all souls, Tao is made available to all. 

After one receives Tien-Tao, he has the chance to become a Buddha

after the Final Catastrophe of the White Yang Period.