“At Bảo Giang, a Heavenly King rises up Peace attained without fighting wars. People enjoy prosperity The whole world lives in peace and happiness.”
The dragons are mysterious beings, who have existed for almost as long as human history, with many legends and tales associated with them in various cultures around the world. They usually represent qualities of nobility, mystical power, unstoppable force, auspiciousness, honor and success. In Eastern cultures, dragons have particularly been a symbol of a ruler for centuries. Only the ruler had the privilege of using a dragon seal and wearing garments embroidered with dragons.
According to the Eastern Zodiac, a person born in the Year of the Dragon is charismatic, confident, intelligent, and powerful. They are also naturally lucky and gifted, and they commit to doing everything to the very best of their abilities and do things at a high standard.
The people of Âu Lạc (Vietnam) are said to be the descendants of a Dragon King and a Fairy. Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) has shared the legend regarding the origin of this country.
“The legend has it that we have a fairy mother and a dragon father. The dragon’s supposed to live in the water, and the fairy’s supposed to live in Heaven. Then somehow, they met each other and married. And then, the mother gave birth to 100 eggs. And then the 100 eggs hatched into 100 children. And after a while, like many of the marriages, they said, ‘sayonara (goodbye).’ […]
Fifty go with the father, maybe to the plain I guess, because they have more water there. And the mother with the other 50 children, went to the mountain.”
The mystical origin of the Aulacese (Vietnamese) people has been a celebrated theme by various artists. One of the most famous songs is “One Mother, A Hundred Children (Một Mẹ Trăm Con)” by the acclaimed composer Phạm Duy.
“We brothers and sisters are of the same parents Remember the time-honored tale from our legend When the world was still forming When the world was still forming. Once upon a time, Mother gave birth A hundred eggs thus transformed into a hundred children of the Lạc Hồng lineage. a hundred children of the Lạc Hồng lineage.
Fifty children traversed the hills They climbed mountains to open fields, Building highland villages and stilt houses. Building highland villages and stilt houses. Fifty children tread along the Trường Sơn Range From north to south, they traveled, Building Nation amid mountains, rivers, and paddies. Building Nation amid mountains, rivers, and paddies.
Today the forest meets with the clouds Leaves revisit the mountain Hand in hand, we gather here Hand in hand, we gather here. Sing with glee, O indigenous and Aulacese Brothers and sisters on the same land We’re all from the same family We’re all from the same family. Let us sound the cymbals and gongs How they echo above thatched huts Beyond bamboo roofs to the ancient woods Beyond bamboo roofs to the ancient woods. Antelopes and aged monkeys Spirits and herd of deer All enchanted by the gong music All enchanted by the gong music.”
Just as many people in Âu Lạc (Vietnam) are familiar with the songs and stories regarding their dragon lineage, so too are they familiar with the prophetic verses by Trạng Trình Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm.
This distinguished poet, prophet and administrator remains one of the most influential Aulacese (Vietnamese) figures in the country’s history. After passing the Ất Mùi exam in 1535 and becoming a mandarin under the Mạc dynasty, he was given the title “Trình Tuyền hầu,” meaning “Marquis (or Noble Man) of Trình Tuyền.” The words Trình Tuyền in his title referred to the name of the village where he was born. He was then promoted to “Trình Quốc công,” meaning “Duke of Trình.” He also came to be addressed as Trạng Trình, meaning “The First Laureate from Trình village,” signifying his status as a top scholar and honoring his place of origin. He was highly respected for his moral character and his prophetic ability to predict major events and political developments of the country.
This noble seer’s prophecies are also presented as a collection of his oracular poetry, called Sấm Trạng Trình, or The Prophecies of Trạng Trình. These are considered to be the Aulacese (Vietnamese) equivalent of the Nostradamus quatrains and are believed to predict future events, many of which have been confirmed to be accurate and fulfilled. One of the most famous prophecies is included in the verse: “Vietnam is being created.”
In the 16th century when Trạng Trình was alive, the country was called Đại Việt. The official name of “Vietnam” was not adopted until the mid-20th century. Yet Trạng Trình foretold the future national name centuries earlier.
While this prophecy has come to pass, other prophecies are believed to refer to our current period and the coming future.
“At Bảo Giang, a Heavenly King rises up Peace attained without fighting wars.” And also, “People enjoy prosperity The whole world lives in peace and happiness.”
The word “Giang” means river, “Bảo” means precious. Thus, Bảo Giang refers to the Precious River. Thus, according to this prophecy, a Saintly King will emerge at Bảo Giang, and bring a new era of peace and happiness to the whole world without using warfare.
Let’s embark on a journey to discover the identity of this Saintly King prophesized by Trạng Trình Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm. Where is the river “Bảo Giang” in his poem?
In his book “Integration of Eastern and Western Cultures,” Professor Nguyễn Hoàng Phương wrote about a special female Zen practitioner named Trúc Lâm Nương, who founded Hồng Môn Minh Đạo, a small meditation temple in Bình Thạnh District, Âu Lạc (Vietnam). Around the time period of 1996, she was over 90 years old but still looked strong. She was a vegan and regularly abstained from eating food. She is reported to have eaten only three days each month and drank only water for the other 27 days.
“Bảo Giang” also appeared in the Reverend Hồng Tâm Trúc Lâm Nương’s Zen poems, such as the following verses:
“Can you tell where Bảo Giang gate is? Which is the Holy Land appointed by God. Shining jewels illuminate the world, Where the Immortals, Saints and Buddhas emerge. Golden body of the Buddha, comes and goes Departing from the East, roaming the West.”
While the last two lines hint that the Buddha emerged at the gate of this Precious River in a Holy Land, it is also suggested that although the Buddha emerges in the East, He/She will travel all over the West. In the following verses, she gives us clearer clues about the time and the country the Buddha, or the Enlightened King, is to be born.
“The Divine path still awaits the chosen, The Enlightened King, His throne is reserved. Emerging in the Year of the Dragon, playing with mountains and rivers, Appearing in Vietnam, a good race of people.”
More details about the location where the Enlightened King emerged are revealed in the following verses:
“As the Lạc Hồng shines forth in Royal courts Vietnam now is known to have Bảo Hà (Precious River or Precious Lotus). Holy Child was born, bringing peace to all His Light shine brightly near and far.”
The term “Lạc Hồng” is often used by the Aulacese (Vietnamese) people to refer to their ancestor “Lạc Long Quân” and “Hồng Bàng,” the first dynasty of Âu Lạc. The Aulacese (Vietnamese) consider themselves as descendants of the Dragon and Fairy, or Lạc Hồng race, and thus Âu Lạc (Vietnam) is considered a Dragon country.
These writings lead us to the conclusion that the Saintly King would be born in the Year of the Dragon, in the Dragon country (Âu Lạc), and would emerge from a place where there is a Precious River. These prophecies match the life of our Most Beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) who was born in the year of the Dragon, and recently, July 7, 2024, the year of the Dragon, was revealed as Maitreya Buddha, also known as the powerful Dharma-Wheel Turning King, in the Dragon country Âu Lạc (Vietnam).
She started Her Mission in Taiwan, also known as Formosa, before traveling to the West to give spiritual lectures and teach the Quan Yin Method of Meditation. Wherever She goes, She brings enlightenment, peace, harmony and understanding among people.
“I have hoped to awaken people’s consciousness for world peace. Only enlightenment can destroy ignorance. Only God’s Love can nullify hatred. Only real brotherhood can dissolve the different conflicts and opinions among our brothers and sisters. So if you and I don’t want World War III, you help me. You bring God’s Love into this planet. You help me to pray together in silence to know God, to bring Hiers Love and Heavenly Kingdom to this planet.”
“After the wisdom has been reclaimed, we become wiser each day, we become more loving each day, and we might automatically want to help whomever comes to us. We will feel the pain of others as our own, and we will want to bring happiness to everyone that we are in contact with. In the same spirit, we have come here to serve you and to share with you the good news, and this is all unconditional. We do not expect, or ask or ever think of anything in return.”
“Knowing God is not only to elevate ourselves: it will elevate the world; it will bless the world’s atmosphere; it will have more peace, more love, more abundance to everyone around us. Because we will become the living pole of transmission of the Love from Heaven, of the Blessing from Heaven, and then it will emit from our being to the surroundings.”
Supreme Master Ching Hai first entered Her physical body to manifest Herself to the world in 1952, a Year of the Dragon, according to the Eastern Zodiac. She revealed the secret of Her birth during a gathering with our Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association members in 2007.
“I came down not on the 12th of May. That was just a physical birth of this body. But I’m not telling you the date. Forget it, never mind. Because if I tell you, you will celebrate, and then everybody will know.
I’m just telling you the year, the month, the date, is not real. It’s just the body, just the body. So, if you see my so-called small picture, it looks very different from after a while. The two years old and four years old look different.
I came when this body was already two years something. That body was dead at that time. Well, if you don't believe me, you can ask my parents. It’s like... it was already cold and stiff – dead, finito! So, I just came. But He was... that body was a Saint who came down to prepare a body for me. But even then, the maya also wanted to kill Him, to harm Him a lot. So, OK, two years, gone! Prepared the body. And so I came down then. […] Because the body has affinity. The family also has affinity. It’s easier to go through, to work with. We agreed with each other. Everything worked out fine. So, I came down.”
This year (2024) is a Year of the Dragon. Supreme Master Ching Hai took the opportunity to express Her best wishes to all who are born in the Year of the Dragon.
“And by the way, before I forget again, thank you all who wished me happy birthday in the last weeks. I just couldn’t reply to all of you personally, though I was thinking how to. Then I got too busy, neglected it. We Dragon (Eastern zodiac sign) people are also forgetful and too over-engaging as well. And as you know me so well: I am this kind of Dragon. So, forgive me, please. You reminded me that it is the Year of the Dragon, my birth year, so you specially wished me the best. Thank you and thank you. Well, I wish all of you who were born in the Lunar Dragon year also a fantastic time and all the best as well!”
