9. Ascension

"Chơn Thần", also known as the second spiritual body, is the sacred embodiment of a human being, refined by the divine spiritual realm.

This "Chơn Thần" of those who have attained true enlightenment through spiritual practice (Tinh-Khi-Than) is extraordinarily mystical and indestructible.

The training method for harmonizing Essence, Energy, and Spirit can be summarized as follows:

•  For the physical body: Cultivate its strength and refine it, avoiding indulgence in worldly desires, and aligning with a wise and discerning mind.

•  For vital energy: Cultivate its vitality and purity, avoiding becoming ensnared by emotional distractions, allowing the mind to align with the inner spirit, and flourishing.

•  For the spirit: Attain inner tranquility and harmony, avoiding obscurity caused by sinful emotions, enabling alignment with the divine and manifesting miraculous abilities.

(Excerpt from the teachings of His Holiness Chí Tôn, Divine Constitution and By-Laws - Page 109)

In essence, the human body must consume food, breathe the air, and engage in physical activity to derive life force from the living environment.

This is an ongoing cycle of energy transformation within the human body, naturally receiving and expelling energy.

It is crucial to preserve this energy and prevent excessive depletion, especially when living a life consumed by worldly desires, as it is only through this energy that the physical body can become stronger and more robust.

A strong physical body contributes to a robust life force. The strength of an infant can only lift a milk bottle to its mouth, but as it grows into adulthood, the strength of a young person can lift a heavy stone.

The physical body is "Tinh" (Essence); if it is afflicted with illnesses and weaknesses, the life force, which is the Energy, becomes diminished and feeble. A complete, healthy, and substantial physical form allows the energy to flourish.

Thus, the "Tinh" (Essence) serves as the foundation for the development of Energy. This is a natural transformation process within the human body.

Following this laws of nature set by the Divine Creator, those who practice spiritual cultivation know how to preserve their life force through special techniques called "khắc kỷ tu thân", "tu tâm dưỡng tánh", meditation, purification or Dao cultivation.

Although these practices differ in names and forms, their ultimate goal is to transform Essence into Energy (Tinh hoá Khí).

Not only should one preserve their life force for robust vitality, but they should also strive to refine its nature, making it pure and tranquil.

This involves adjusting the vibrational frequencies of the human energy field, aligning with the inner spirit while restraining the vibrations of negative emotions such as anger, hatred, sorrow, desire, and stimulating the vibrations of positive emotions like love, compassion, and joy.

If the energy field frequently vibrates in harmony with negative emotions like anger, hatred, sorrow and desire, the energy becomes impure, turbid.

Conversely, if it vibrates frequently in harmony with positive emotions like love, compassion, and joy, the energy becomes pure.

•  The manifestation of impure energy is a life filled with lowly and selfish emotional experiences.

•  The manifestation of pure energy is a life marked by noble and forgiving emotional experiences.

Adjusting the vibrational frequency of the human spiritual essence is quite challenging because it is directly related to past karmic consequences.

When embarking on a new incarnation to choose a new form, the soul must carry its prior karmic burdens as a verdict known as Destiny.

Divine justice requires the spiritual entity to choose the starting point of its new life and act according to the law of karma to create a spiritual or energy body, which possesses inherent characteristics, whether positive or negative, in terms of physical appearance, emotions, and intelligence.

The practice of refining one's energy to achieve spiritual purity in cultivation is likened to treating a symptom rather than addressing the root cause. It will yield positive results only when the underlying issue of past karmic consequences has been fully compensated and resolved.

Therefore, when establishing the "Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ" (Third Great Universal Amnesty), His Holiness proclaimed the ultimate principle:

Because virtuous deeds represents goodness, and only goodness can counteract evil. If the karmic burdens within the divine soul have not been eliminated, no matter how advanced one's meditation and spiritual practices, it may lead to a situation of:

or living in a state of spiritual delusion, mistaking it for true spirituality.

In summary, the search for advanced methods of spiritual purification is not difficult in itself, but what can be challenging is how much virtuous deeds one can cultivate to build a strong foundation for their spiritual journey.

The transmutation of "Tinh" (essence) to "Khí" (energy) is a natural process in the transformation of nourishment from food, water, and the air, which the body absorbs from the environment.

When this energy circulates and harmonizes within the body, it promotes good health, meaning that one's energy is strengthened.

Adhering to the ethical guidelines of the practitioner, regardless of the specific religious path followed, has the same effect of minimizing unnecessary expenditure and conserving one's life force.

Turbulence caused by emotional and physical excesses can lead to a wasteful depletion of vital energy, clouding one's rationality and spiritual clarity, which is highly discouraged in the practice of spiritual cultivation.

Once you place yourself within the principle of increasing spiritual take-in and reducing the expenditure of life force, the naturally occurring result is the flourishing of the stored life force.

Cultivating virtue and restraining impure emotions, while nurturing noble feelings, through self-discipline leads to purified character, and this brings about spiritual clarity.

When the body is nourished by the circulation and harmonization of pure spiritual energy, the senses and faculties of a person align with the natural order, and their spiritual consciousness attains tranquility and clarity.

Thus, a robust and purified life force serves as the foundation for the development of one's spiritual consciousness.

This is the practice of "Khí" (Energy) to "Thần" (Spirit) (Spiritual Transmutation), a process that occurs naturally in the life of any individual.

Those whose physical lives are filled with earthly desires and lowly habits, frequent emotional turbulence, often find their thoughts lacking in nobility, meaning they lack spiritual illumination in their life journey.

The correct practice of the divine path of the Supreme Being requires the refinement of spiritual energy, which means gradually adjusting the vibrational frequency of the spiritual essence within a person, corresponding to the vibrations of the Divine Essence in the Heavens and Earth following the law:

this process leads to a state of spiritual resonance between the living and the world of the Divine Spirits.

Food ingested in the spleen transforms into blood, and well-regulated blood circulation enhances brain function, making a person wiser and more insightful; this is a common occurrence in human life.

However, refining the ethereal body and sensitizing the sensory organs to the higher vibrations of the Divine World is the initial step in the transformation of the spiritual consciousness in accordance with the Divine Will.

This is a particularly challenging phase because the issue of Spiritual Essence in both space and within a person is intricate, abstract, subtle, and complex.

This is the principle behind the phenomenon of transmuting Energy into Spirit. Accelerating this phenomenon is very risky if the body lacks the necessary conditions.

If virtue is not fully developed, and one rushes to accelerate the process while impurities still exist, it may lead to a dangerous state, described as:

causing crises that disrupt the nervous system, endangering one's health and life.

These restraining forces are due to the fact that one's prior karmic burdens have not been completely dissolved. This means that past negative actions still linger within the Divine Soul in latent form.

The Spiritual Essence is not yet pure, and the vibrations of negative emotions such as anger, hatred, sorrow, and desire, though restrained, have not settled fully.

So when one encounters adverse situations in life, these emotions can erupt intensely, as they have been suppressed and pent up for a long time, resembling a coiled spring.

This is also the sacred and just law of Divine Justice; if one is not worthy of facing the Divine, they should not pretend to be so.

Although the path of spiritual cultivation becomes more challenging as it ascends, the process of transmuting impure energy into pure energy nurtures the Divine within over time, leading to a tranquil and harmonious spiritual state.

When thoughts become accustomed to directing themselves towards the sublime and the virtuous, the depth of spiritual communion between humans and the Divine becomes more profound.

The invisible doors to the spiritual world gradually open, leading closer to unity with the Divine. At that moment, human life is in harmony with the will of Heaven, and the Divine is manifested in the earthly realm.

This path is not dictated by mere desire but is rather a result of exceptionally radiant virtue. It requires immense spiritual vitality to attract the elevated divine assistance of enlightened teachers.

Through this, the Divine Soul gradually becomes illuminated, enabling it to easily move in and out of the physical body and remain connected with the Divine World.

"Thần" (the soul) has returned to the realm of the Divine Spirit. This state is referred to as "huờn hư".

When "Chơn Thần" (the second body) merges into the luminous spiritual realm of the Divine, it must continue to serve all living beings to stimulate the spiritual transformation of humanity with the physical body that has been purified and the power of the divine essence as its alchemical tool.

The process of spiritual transformation within the "Càn Khôn Vũ Trụ" (boundless cosmic universe) is an uninterrupted continuum.

The path of returning to the original Divine Nature, transmuting energy into spirit, and evolving from spirit to a higher level of spirituality is also uninterrupted.

In summary, the formless must have a tangible foundation, and only when the foundation is sound can the higher aspects truly become stable.

His Holiness Chí Tôn taught:

Therefore, we understand that those who passionately follow the mystical path, if their physical form remains impure, and if "Chơn Thần" the second body lacks the the nature of holiness, then their activities in higher realms will remain enigmatic and unreal.

This means that the cycle of earthly suffering has not yet been completed.