8. Self Refinement  

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Those who enter the cycle of birth and death, taking on this bodily vessel formed from the essence of the father and the blood of the mother, inherit an ancestral debt passed down through generations.

Bound by the needs of the flesh, one must eat to live, and clothe oneself for protection, making it difficult to escape the body's demands for material needs.

This body, shaped by parental essence, finds its wisdom and intellect awakened through the powers of the sacred authority.

The practice of spiritual cultivation thus lies in harmonizing body and mind to allow for the balanced development of the three elements:

• Essence
• Energy
• Spirit

a process known as Self Refinement.

The path of self-refinement, guiding one toward the "Third Path of the Great Way", is a proactive way of living.

Its ultimate goal is to open the portal to the Octogonal Divine Palace within this world, enabling the True Spirit to depart the body freely, connecting with Great and Holy Perfected Beings to attain liberation.

•  This path requires practitioners to consciously reduce and resolve the burdens of past karma through "acts of service to all beings", adhering strictly to moral principles for themselves to avoid creating new negative karma.

•  Additionally, it demands the preservation of the Essence and Energy within, fostering strength, purity, and tranquility, allowing the Divine Light to illuminate their earthly selves, and lead one back to the sacred origin, which is Heaven.

Each step contains hidden mysteries that must be diligently uncovered and deeply understood through continual learning and inquiry, awakening the true light of wisdom.

With daily efforts, one’s enlightened nature gradually absorbs the mystical powers of Creation until one day, the Supreme Father determines that this mortal body has enough spiritual essence and virtues to become a Bodhisattva, Immortal, or Saint. Then, the spiritual cultivation of a lifetime will not be in vain.

Those who truly understand the laws of God, where even the smallest misdeed does not pass unseen, know that achieving the ranks of Spirit, Saint, Immortal, or Buddha is not gained through vague and pessimistic methods, nor by seeking reward without any action.

Life and Dao are just the two sides of the same hand, that is the essence of existence. Whether one lives according to worldly desires or follows the inner spiritual light, it all falls within karmic law of creation and repayment.

The world is a field of examination; for which there must be examiner to distinguish the true heroes and noble scholars from the ordinary.

The difficult duty of the spiritual practitioner is to have the great efforts of serving sentient beings, only thus can old debts and grievances be erased. Then, with even a modest effort in meditation practice, one finds the light.

Enlightenment! Enlightenment! Only the Supreme Being can grant us this divine spiritual essence.

From the stage of struggling in making life living, dealing with life, family, spouse, and children, to the moment Phạm Công Tắc follows the spiritual light leading the way into the Dao, delicating wholeheartedly in serving all living beings.

His Holiness Phạm Công Tắc has created a path to the Dao and deeply pondered the hidden truths in the meditation practices of the ancient religeous, adapting them to suit the psychological nature of human beings, expressing them clearly in written form to prevent the superstition and illusions of a mind full of fantasies from obscuring the truth of Supreme Being.

Therefore, in the path of the Third Great Universal Amnesty, it is only by adhering to the humane philosophy of Confucius passed down that we can interact with one another to make the practice complete.

The practice of refining the:

• The Essence into the Energy
• The Energy into the Spirit
• The Spirit into the Divine
• The Divine merging with Emptiness.

remains a affair revered by the Immortals, a practice to be applied and shared among the faithful.

People often create vague and illusory stories from their own minds, false ideas that result from their own thoughts.

They seek to achieve such ideas through intensive meditation, urging sentient beings to abandon the reality of worldly misery, which torment countless suffering souls. However, this is still a dreamlike method, an unrealistic portrayal.

In reality, humans must eat to live, learn to know and search to understand. The good and clever aspects of life that the spiritual intellectual passed on to make it clear that humans are advancing step by step, both in body and soul evolution.

Unfortunately, these superstitious and delusional concepts, originating from within religious practices, have produced countless misunderstandings, so how can one avoid the blame from the Supreme Divine Father?

In the end, philosophy is a path, guiding the spirit, and if one cannot shine brightly enough, how can one lead anyone else? That inner spiritual light can only be obtained through diligent practice, not through idle dreaming.

Meditation practice, to be effective, must be infused with virtuous deeds to dispel the illusions. It must purify the spiritual essence, free from the turbidity of worldly emotions, so that the mind can become clear and be called the divine illumination of the spiritual essence.

The spirit of Cao Đài is a sacred seat of divine conscience, a radiant spiritual light, a purity of essence that merges into the holy divine light of the Supreme Father.

This is the light that guides and opens pathways for all souls to progress. Only with this spirit can one call it True Meditation; without it, meditation becomes merely a superficial display, lacking the true inner essence.

A practitioner must amass merit in performing virtuous deeds, whether quietly in silence or openly, showing forth righteous and virtuous conduct, with a heart as boundless as the ocean’s waves. Only then can one’s meditation be truly genuine.

A Guardian of the Dharma within the Cao Đài Caodaism, His Holiness Phạm Công Tắc, originally a follower of the Catholic faith, was a compassionate figure who renounced secular life in pursuit of spiritual liberation.

For over 34 dedicated years, he actively engaged in the mission of spreading the teachings, continually reflecting upon the four sufferings of the Supreme Being’s children, tirelessly seeking ways to alleviate their distress, adapting his methods to the ever-changing circumstances of the world.

His noble works attest that his actions resonated with boundless love for all sentient beings, shining the spiritual light to guide countless lost souls onto the path of enlightenment.

Incorporating the philosophies of both ancient and contemporary religions, he inscribed on paper profound yet simple instructions on the method of self-cultivation, allowing one to attain enlightment even within this lifetime.

These teachings applied to everyone, starting from the moment they sought the path of righteousness. No matter how turbulent the human mind, the light of the spiritual essence shone there, offering guidance and illumination.

This is a method of meditation that renovates the title, replacing the concept of the Three Great Religions ("Tam giáo") with the Cao Dai term.

Firmly establishing faith in the singular power of the Supreme Being, the Holy Mother, and revering righteousness as the means of harmonizing the spiritual realm with the path of the Dharma.

Through this practice, one can break free from the prison of the physical self and live a life of eternal happiness.

This method is preserved in the following words:

•  Method of Self cultivation on the third path of the Great Way

  LI2|Be intimate with all beings, seeking the source of the Myriad of Souls and the Supreme Soul. LI2|Be compassionate and merciful. LI2|Be serene, avoiding self-interest. LI2|Staying calm means not being affected by misfortune or good fortune, sadness or joy (cultivate a state of inner neutrality, rejoice when there is joy, grieve when there is sorrow, yet do not let these emotions penetrate your true essence). LI2|Be moderate, tolerant and forgiving. LI2|Be cheerful, balanced, self-possessed, and decisive. LI2|Maintain the purity of spiritual heart, showing filial devotion to the Supreme Being and the Holy Mother.

•  Method of Controlling the Mind, as the Mind is the Image of the Divine Virtue

  LI2|Faith and wisdom are precious treasures; all else is of no value. LI2|Holding grudges against one's enemies makes it difficult to maintain a just and pure heart. LI2|One who abandons hatred conquers enmity within and around oneself. LI2|Hatred is humanity’s greatest source of suffering, and thus the wise are free of it, either renouncing or overcoming all malice. LI2|Holding back one's anger prevents causing anger in others. LI2|Embrace goodness and reject evil. Use compassion and righteousness to quell cruelty. Cultivate generosity to expand a narrow mind. Use truth to dispel falsehood. This is the path of loving - kindness and compassion.

•  Cultivating body and Mind

  LI2|Maintain purity in diet. LI2|Cultivate purity in thought. LI2|Maintain a strong faith in the Supreme Being and the Holy Mother. LI2|This is the key to unlocking the Eightfold Trigram Palace|31,1 on Earth.