LONG HOA HIGHNESS ASSEMBLY, SECOND PERIOD

According to the Great Collection Sutra, the era after Lord Sakyamuni attained Great Eight Pari Nirvana, 2539 years up to the present¹⁹⁹⁵, was divided into FIVE PERIODS.

• The First Period was the first 500 years of the liberation through wisdom. During this period, true Buddhist disciples who consented to practice dharma in conformity with the main ideas, corrected their nature, cleared their mind, gave up bad habits, and followed Buddha's teachings. They also meditated and gained intelligence. All these actions were collectively known as the liberation through wisdom.

• The Second Period was the second 500 years belonging to the meditation period. In this period, most of the true disciples practiced with diligence, obtained purified mind, and trained in meditation in conformity with Buddha's teaching. They were able to attain the ‘stained’ of ‘small career vehicle’ (Hinayana) or the ‘stainless’ of ‘great career vehicle’ (Mahayana), according to their abilities and merits.

• The Third Period was the third 500 years, belonging to the learned period. In this period, the true disciples strictly observed the (12) twelve sets of the sutras to practice, study and discuss exoteric, esoteric immediate and gradual ways. The way of true enlightenment and natural enlightened nature becomes more and more neglected.

• The Fourth Period was the fourth 500 years, belonging to the temple period. During this period, the majority of the faithful believers completely neglected the way of true enlightenment, used natural enlightened nature, and practice without wishing to be liberated and being fond of stain merits. By training in that way, they enjoyed the blessed reward of man and devas after their death.

• The Fifth Period was the fifth 500 years. In this period, the disciples completely lost their true nature, usually competed against each other, displayed hatred, envy, and mistrust and disgraced one another other. Especially, they adhered to their knowledge of the Buddhist sutra and presumed themselves to be right while disputing and disgracing each other to usurp fame and wealth.

These five periods lasted over 2500 years, according to the Buddhist calendar. The society of Vietnam and all the present chaos around the world falls into the Dharma Ending Age, which is why many scholars believe that it is the return period of Lord Supreme Maitreya.

As previously mentioned the powerful Lord Supreme Maitreya Buddha came into the world in 1918 and attained Great Eight Pari Nirvana in 1993. During his 37 years of practicing dharma on the earth, He has used the body named Nagarjuna to guide the dharma not only in the human world but also in the fairyland, divine land and throughout the Three Thousand Worlds of Great Heaven. From time to time, He has emerged from the right meditation to reach every place to preach the dharma and bring freedom to all Four Species.

He has vowed to take on every dharma so that all people could be free to practice just the same as faithful disciples. Through his proclamation for attesting the Universe, He has completely released all the defilement in the world so that the present and future generations could practice dharma and gradually enjoy the peace. He has vowed to use all the present precious dharma to offer salvation to living creatures in the Final Law Period and helped them practice the dharma subject: SIGHT, SOUND, ODOR, TASTE, TOUCH, and DHARMA without pollution in order to be fearless and self-satisfied, attained the Dharani liberation through wisdom.