1. What is the Eternal Divine Living Path?

Today, I will continue the topic of the "Eternal Divine Living Path" that His Holiness Pham-Ho-Phap had continuously lectured on in many nights at the Holy Temple during his earthly life.

The transcripts of his teachings were recorded by the Scribe Board and have been passed down to this day, compiled into a book titled "The Eternal Divine Living Path."

I do not have ambition to speak about the things that are seen and heard in the spiritual realm, but rather, I want to discuss the principles of the two words, "Eternal Living."

You all know that since the Supreme Being created this vast universe, everything changes over time, and nothing remains static in a constant state. You can look up at the sky and see the stars, the sun's light, and the Earth constantly changing positions day and night. Look down at the Earth, and you'll witness all living beings being born, growing, aging, and eventually passing away, with new generations taking their place. The face of the Earth is constantly changing. So, why do we speak of a kind of life called "Eternal Living" within this faith?

Eternal means unchanging, unchanging in what way? That is what I want to discuss with you.

The path of the Eternal Divine Living is the cycle of reincarnation for different spiritual levels. This philosophy has been elucidated in the Buddhist tradition.

Today, within the Cao Dai faith, His Heavenly Supreme Father has granted us the privilege of:

and has also promised that:

This promise is undoubtedly flawless, and His Holiness Pham-Ho-Phap is a witness to it in history. He attained the Dao, achieved the divine teachings, and His divine soul left the earthly body to reunite with the Supreme Being. He learned many profound and essential aspects during this divine sojourn and brought them back to teach humankind by recollecting and explaining these ideas.

At that time, humankind did not possess the spiritual elevation to leave their physical bodies and travel as He did. Some others achieved the Dao, but not many. Fortunately for us, we have the opportunity to experience The Third Epoch of the Universal Redemption, cultivate our inner selves, attain mystical powers, and return to live a life known as "Eternal Divine Living."

Do you fully understand the meaning of Eternal Divine Living now?

Now, let me explain it in a way that is easy for you to understand. Imagine you have a bag, a bag of divine knowledge, a bag of spiritual powers. You gather all your ideas and understandings about the elements of time and space, and you put them into that bag. Tie the bag up, don't let those thoughts mix with your regular thinking. Secure it well and hang it beside your Divine Spirit. Now, look at the life of this physical body.

The image of your body here is made up of a cluster of cells. It has a certain appearance - whether beautiful or not, young or old, to a certain extent. And you continue to nurture it tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, in the years to come, a few decades ahead. Can you imagine whether your body at that time will still be as youthful and vibrant as it is today?

I can assure you that it won't be.

Within your physical body, cells are born, age, and eventually decay, giving way to new cells. Your blood, too, undergoes a similar process. The way you think today is correct, but your thoughts will change tomorrow. Evolution compels it to be that way.

So, where is this Eternal Living, unchanging life?

Even if you were to transcend this physical existence and return to the Divine Realm, your Spiritual Essence would also undergo transformations with time. Therefore, when we talk about life forms in this endless universe or even within the confines of this Earth, the life of all diverse entities doesn't remain static but is constantly changing.

However, when you practice and attain the Dao, your Divine Spirit becomes incredibly enlightened. This profound enlightenment allows you to remember everything you've experienced throughout your lifetimes.

It's as if you have a video of your past lives, recording all your thoughts and actions. Everything you did, everything you thought - it's all documented truthfully. Now, when you watch this video, those images, those sounds, become vivid, just like they were at the time when you were performing those actions or thinking those thoughts.

Therefore, the life of the human spirit, which we call memory, remains unchanged. It captures and records; it's the same as before. It exists eternally, and that's why it's called Eternal Living.

Let me clarify further regarding the nature of change in the form of life.

Today, you are standing at this location, and in a little while or maybe tomorrow, you'll still be at that place. You appear to be remaining in the same position within the confines of this small space, in this house. However, in the larger realm of space, your position has changed significantly. Why is that?

It's because the Earth continually moves around the Sun along its orbit. Every 24 hours, the Earth rotates on its own axis, creating the phenomenon of day and night. While you seem stationary on the Earth's surface, in reality, your position has shifted a lot. Why does this happen?

Because the Earth is always in motion, revolving around itself and moving. As a result, you, too, rotate and move along with it. It's akin to you sitting in a moving car; even though you're stationary inside, the car is traveling at a certain speed along the road. You're still moving, whether you feel it or not.

This is the element of time. As for the element of space, you live with the same physical form, the same face, and similar thoughts today. You're talking with your friends. But tomorrow, when you go on a mountain trek, you're still you, with the same face and similar thoughts, yet your capabilities may have changed.

The person who stood at the base of the mountain, with hands touching the ground, is the same person who will be on top of the mountain, reaching out to the clouds. Two positions, two different potentials, created by the two elements of space.

I use these examples to conclude that the life of human beings constantly changes with time and space.

The essence of the Dao is like this. When we seek refuge in God, we are seeking life in the realm of the Divine, and we will encounter images from our past in the memory of our Divine Spirit.

That's why our ancestors said that everything we do is recorded without any errors. The image of you yesterday at the base of the mountain and the image of you tomorrow or the day after at a different location may change, but when your Divine Spirit recalls, it remembers everything without any mistakes.

The things you've done, the thoughts you've had, where they happened, and how they took place - they are all recorded like a movie. The material aspect of the film fades with time, but the film of the Holy Spirit within your Divine Spirit, placed there by God, doesn't fade. That's why it's called Eternal Life.

This universe is a vast domain, and each of our bodies, including mine and yours, is a small part of it. When we experience life within our small part, we gain an understanding of the mystical nature of the larger whole.

Within our Divine Spirit, there exists a memory called the "Spirit of God" placed by the Divine Supreme. In the broader universe, the original form has a great spirit called the Supreme Spirit, adding "Đấng" (Holy) to show reverence.

This spirit is the memory of the universe. It recalls, records, and preserves everything that all beings and species have expressed along the flow of time and space. This spirit retains the images of life from the creation of Heaven and Earth until now, which are unchanging, however, the progression within the universe is subject to change.

That unchanging essence is called Eternal Life. When we seek to return to that Spiritual Essence, not only do we encounter the images of the past, but we also glimpse the images of the future and how it will unfold. The life of humanity will unfold based on the karmic consequences of their past and present actions, which create interconnected causes and conditions that shape the near future, compelling it to occur exactly as it is destined."

With the element of time and the wise creativity of the human spirit, humanity shapes their own future. The images glimpsed in the spiritual realm of a distant future are determined by the collective karma from the past and present of individuals, combined with the creativity over an upcoming period of time. They live in accordance with the Divine Plan and how they choose to live.

You, all of you, will attain and have the right to attain if you listen to the teachings and guidance of the Divine Supreme and practice as instructed.

We seek to return to God the Father (Đức Chí Tôn) in order to reconnect with the eternal truth of life. I imagine that in the future, when you all gather together in unity, oh, how much happiness it will bring us. I believe that no matter how much wealth, fame, or power one may possess in this world, it cannot compare to that joy.

I am grateful to you for contemplating and following my explanations.