Categories: Cosmic Messengers
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!
Today, we wish to continue our exploration of a special topic for those connected with our spiritual journey: the ‘Universal Representatives.’ In a previous teaching, we discussed the setbacks, discouragement, and sense of collapse that many such individuals feel. Many of you have begun to grasp these ideas, and today we hope to deepen that understanding.
We addressed the question: why do these unique individuals, these Universal Representatives, experience such difficulties? The core message was, and remains, that what you are experiencing is a form of spiritual protection. Everything that is happening is for your ultimate safety. The universe is gently guiding you away from certain things, perhaps from large crowds, or from involvements in social work or politics that could entangle you. You may find yourself isolated, left alone, and perhaps even feeling unaccepted by society. This is a deliberate process of safeguarding your spirit.
Understanding the Declining Era: Why Honesty Feels Challenged
Even if you are an honest, good person, you may find that in today’s world, your efforts to do good are thwarted. This is because society is increasingly driven by narrow, selfish motives. We live in an age where people can be so hardened that they could take another’s life without a second thought. In many places, a truly righteous and fair society is simply not present. You can see this confirmed daily through various media and news reports, which reveal many challenging facets of our current reality.
We cannot expect 100% fairness in this world. This is especially true now, as we are in what can be understood as an era of decline, a time moving towards a form of destruction. In such a period, we cannot expect suddenly positive outcomes. Instead, the trajectory points towards disintegration rather than immediate improvement. The difficulties you face are a form of spiritual protection from this very decline.
The Foundation of Integrity: Your True Spiritual Protection
For those who are new to these teachings, it is important to approach them with an open mind. Some may dismiss these ideas as fantasy, delusion, or nonsense. Such reactions are possible. However, I encourage you to cultivate your own spirituality. As you do, you will gain the capacity to understand these truths for yourself. Do not be confined by a purely materialistic viewpoint.
If you are new here, I suggest you explore our teachings from the beginning, engage in practical meditation, participate in virtuous routines and devotional practices, and study your own mind. Broaden and develop your spiritual self. This is the task for everyone, whether you consider yourself a Universal Representative or not.
In today’s teaching, I want to reassure you. If you are facing mental pressure, deep discouragement, or the hardships of society; if every project you start fails; if your business collapses and yields no profit; if your education or career is stalled; if your family life is fracturing with problems between spouses, children, or parents; if you are facing immense economic hardship, if you feel you are breaking down and have no other path forward, yet you refrain from dishonest or harmful actions to get by, then you are a truly good person.
If you uphold the core ethical principles, in Buddhism, we call this Pañcasīla, the Five Precepts, and avoid causing harm, you are living righteously. The Five Precepts are commitments to abstain from:
- Harming living beings.
- Taking what is not given.
- Sexual misconduct.
- False speech.
- Intoxicants that cloud the mind.
If you avoid businesses that trade in weapons, living beings, meat, intoxicants, or poisons, and stay far away from the destructive acts you see in the news, you are a person of great integrity. Your path provides immense spiritual protection.
The Purity of Your Path vs. The Illusion of Worldly Success
This societal distortion will likely increase, affecting everyone from children to adults. It is a decay, not a progression. If we try to teach spirituality to those caught in this distorted mindset, they often cannot understand. Their minds are entangled with technology and fixated on the purely physical world. They are disconnected from their cultural and spiritual heritage, lacking faith in the teachings of the Buddha and the path of virtue. This can lead the new generation towards great peril, as they are surrounded by such influences.
However, there is a minority, a precious few, especially among the youth, who feel a deep connection to their nation and spiritual traditions, who walk the Buddha’s path. They are few, and we must protect, encourage, and uplift them. Those on the destructive path will not only ruin their own lives but also the lives of their families, their workplaces, and society as a whole.
Therefore, do not be swept away by that wave, no matter your age, nationality, or religion. Be happy with the journey you are on. You may not ‘enjoy life’ in the way others do. This might cause you sadness or a sense of failure. You might see their wealth and feel a sense of lack. But rejoice in the fact that you have not achieved things their way, through injustice. A day will come when they will face regret.
Their own minds will bring them discontent, a form of deep mental anguish we call citta-pīḍā. When their bodies weaken, or at the moment of death, this inner torment will arise. But you? You will not have to face such a thing. Because no matter how helpless you felt, you never acted against your society, your nation, or your spiritual path. Your heart is pure. You are an honest person.
Embracing Setbacks as Blessings in Disguise
Whatever happens in your life, however many times you fail, think: ‘Everything that happens, happens for my good.’ This is an old saying with a powerful, positive core. Even if you are battling economic troubles, family strife, or professional setbacks; even if friends abandon you and you feel utterly alone in the world, hold this thought. Everything is happening for your good.
Look around you. You may see people who are very successful. But if you observe closely and subtly, you will often find that their success is built on deceit or injustice. There is almost always some dishonesty involved. Do not be envious of them. If someone has succeeded through honest means, bless them and wish them further success.
But for those who have risen through falsehood and cheating, understand that this is their path, not yours. The thought to cheat and deceive like them probably doesn’t even arise in you. That is your strength, your integrity, your habit from countless past lives, your innate spiritual protection.
The Ultimate Refuge: Virtue and Practice in a Changing World
Those who live dishonestly may seem to be on top, but as I mentioned, a day of inner torment will come. Nature itself ensures that these debts are paid. We are in a destructive era, so do not expect to rise to great material heights. Sometimes, suffering is part of the process. Live righteously, always. This way of living will support you throughout your journey through lifetimes, all the way until you attain final liberation, which we call Nibbāna. It is your greatest help. So do not be discouraged.
You might not even have a vehicle, while the dishonest person has many cars and great wealth. But as I said, study them subtly, and you will understand how they got there. Never fall to that level. Be content with the level at which you live. Remember, everything is happening for your good, and one day, things will change. A new era will come.
Until then, remain quiet. Uphold the Five Precepts, or any higher virtue you practice. Meditate, developing both tranquility (samatha) and insight (vipassanā). Continue your devotional practices, both material (āmisa) and practical (paṭipatti). Carry on with your righteous life. Because if a great destruction comes, it is not your money, your vehicles, or your status that will save you. Your true spiritual protection is the virtue you are cultivating right now.
If you remember this and act accordingly, that protection will surely be yours. This is how you allow benevolent forces, what we might call right-viewing deities, spirits, or even the forces of nature itself, to protect you. It is your virtue that makes it easy for them to provide you with spiritual protection.
Patience, Equanimity, and Living in the Present Moment
So, no matter how much injustice you face, always remember: ‘Everything is happening for my good.’ Cultivate patience, or khanti. With patience, look upon these events with equanimity, or upekkhā, a balanced, non-reactive mind. Try this, and many things will become clear to you. You will remember and realize truths, and your journey forward will be a good one.
The only hint we can give about the future is this: if a good era is to begin, it will happen because the collective goodness, or merit, of all beings has increased. Then, everyone will be able to experience happiness and develop spiritually. But what happens before such a time? If you study our history, you will see that a new beginning often emerges from some form of destruction.
Remember this, but do not anxiously await a disaster or a new age. Do not make it a pressure or a stress in your mind. There is no need to think about it over and over. What is most important is to live correctly in the present moment. That is all that is ever required of us.
I have shared these necessary points with you in a short time today. We will continue to offer more spiritual teachings, including more on this topic of Universal Representatives. For now, I will conclude this teaching. May the power of the Triple Gem, the Buddha, the Dhamma (His teachings), and the Sangha (the community of noble ones), bless you with the strength to understand these matters well and to act accordingly.
We invite you to walk this path with us. Read our teachings, and most importantly, apply them practically in your own life. as you practice, questions will naturally arise. Please feel free to share your experiences and questions in the comments below, via email or contact form. I will do my best to offer guidance in future talks based on your progress. For now, begin this practice with an open heart and a mind free from expectation. Cultivate it correctly, and may you find the clarity and peace you seek.
Thank you for joining us. We hope this blog will be of great benefit to your spiritual journey.
May you all be well and happy.
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!.
