“…he [Mahākāśyapa] will hold the Dharma robe worn by Shakyamuni Buddha and offer it to Maitreya Buddha, saying these words: ‘The great teacher Śākyamuni, the Tathāgata, Arhat, Samyak-Saṁbuddha, upon His parinirvāṇa, entrusted me with His Dharma robe and commanded me to offer it to the World-Honored One.’”
As we learned from our last episodes, Shakyamuni Buddha (vegan) prophesied that Maitreya Buddha (vegan) will come at the Dharma-Ending Age to lead beings out of suffering.
To facilitate the official passing of His Dharma lineage to Maitreya Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha predicted that one of His foremost disciples named Mahākāśyapa (vegan) would remain in the world for thousands of years. According to Buddhist sutras, the Venerated Mahākāśyapa would stay in the “Samādhi of Total Halt” until He met Maitreya Buddha in a cave in Jizu (meaning Chicken Foot in Chinese) Mountain, Southern China. It is said that when He meets Maitreya Buddha, He would perform a symbolic ritual as follows:
“Mahākāśyapa will then rise from the Samādhi of Total Halt. He will straighten his robe, bare his right shoulder, kneel on his right knee, and join his palms. Kneeling on both knees, will hold the Dharma robe worn by Shakyamuni Buddha and offer it to Maitreya Buddha, saying these words: ‘The great teacher Śākyamuni, the Tathāgata, Arhat, Samyak-Saṁbuddha, upon His parinirvāṇa, entrusted me with His Dharma robe and commanded me to offer it to the World-Honored One.’”
Thus, with Mahākāśyapa delivering the personal items from Shakyamuni Buddha to Maitreya Buddha, the cycle of passing the direct Dharma lineage is complete. This signals to all the world that Maitreya Buddha, the “World-Honored One,” is incarnated in our world.
In Her messages in July 2024, our Most Wise Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) revealed that She received special gifts from an unexpected individual a few years ago. She recounted the auspicious encounters.
“And according to a Buddhist legend, Mahākāśyapa – the real Mahākāśyapa, the monk, one of the foremost disciples of the Buddha – is still alive today on Earth and meditating in a place, maybe a cave in the mountain, which is named Chicken Foot. […]
And many people went there for pilgrimage and buying souvenir stuff from there. They believe the souvenirs have Blessings from the great Mahākāśyapa. But He Himself, the real monk, is staying in that mountain. Nobody can see Him. Of course, He’s hidden inside a cave within the mountain. But He Himself has just a manifestation body. And that body is in China as a human, just doing what we’re doing as a human.”
“This sister, she brought me some gift, which is in the likeness of Buddha’s śarīra from China. I said, ‘You don’t have to offer me anything. Why? Offer it to the temple because they need it more.’ So she said, ‘No, no. This person met me specially, some circumstance, and He told me that it’s only for You.’
I asked her, ‘How does He know who I am anyway? I never met Him, and He doesn’t know me. He never met me.’ So she said, ‘No, He knows Your name.’ And she told me my name. The name is not one that the worldwide people know.
He knew it. I didn’t ever know Him And He said His name is Mahākāśyapa. Oh, I have goosebumps even now. He said His name is Kāśyapa, and my name is so-and-so. […]
Anyway, it’s not about the relic. It’s a symbol of the Buddha, of His Holiness and Compassion for the world. I took it into my heart already, so I will never lose it. Thank you.”
“I don’t know how to find words to express how much I appreciate it. And Mahākāśyapa also sent me a bowl, like an alms bowl, a begging bowl and some small pieces of yellow cloth. […]
I want to thank herewith Mahākāśyapa for being so kind to me. We were friends in earlier lives, and we were good with each other, compatible. Thank You for the relics of the Buddha. Thank You for the bowl, like the alms bowl, the begging bowl for the monk. And thank You for the pieces of beautiful yellow cloth as well. […]”
“I thank You so much, very, very much. And may the Buddhas in all the directions bless You. May God Almighty bestow on You all the best, and Your loved ones as well. And may You reach whatever noble goal you intend to do.”
The venerated Mahākāśyapa was highly praised by Shakyamuni Buddha for His enlightenment, ascetic practice, and compassion. He was the leader of the monastic disciples after Buddha’s ascension, and is recognized as the First Patriarch of Zen Buddhism. Once He even exchanged His nice robe with the Buddha’s tattered one.
In Zen Buddhism, there is a tradition of passing the robe and alms bowl from a Master to the chosen successor as a symbol of passing the authentic Dharma lineage. In Chinese, the word passing the authentic Dharma lineage “傳衣鉢” literally means passing on the robe and the bowl. Hence, we can appreciate the profound symbolic gesture behind Mahākāśyapa’s action of passing a bowl and a piece of cloth from Shakyamuni Buddha to Supreme Master Ching Hai, together with Buddha’s śarīra. We believe this means that Mahākāśyapa recognized Master as the Maitreya Buddha.
Śarīras are rare pear-like beads left behind by cremated true Saints. The relics that Mahākāśyapa dedicated to Supreme Master Ching Hai are the śarīra of Shakyamuni Buddha. A clairvoyant person can see the relics radiating many layers of light, and Buddhas flying to Heaven from within.
In an inner vision, one of our Association members witnessed this sacred event of passing Dharma lineage from Shakyamuni Buddha to Maitreya Buddha taking place on the spiritual realm.
“When I read the passage, ‘2600 years ago, the Venerable Mahākāśyapa held the Buddha’s robe and alms bowl, worshipped all the Buddhist pagodas, walked to Jizu Mountain, sat in lotus position, and made a vow: “May this body and the robe and bowl I hold not be destroyed until Maitreya Buddha arrives,”’ my body was instantly filled with a huge blessing force, and goosebumps appeared all over my body. I knew that there was going to be a Divine revelation, so I quickly meditated and looked inward.
In my spiritual vision, I saw the majestic appearance of Venerable Kāśyapa, who had a lean body with golden brown skin. This seemed to be His immortal body hidden in Jizu Mountain, but I also saw that He is manifesting several physical bodies on Earth at the same time.
The elder, who presented Master with the Buddha’s relics as mentioned in Master’s message on July 7, is just one of the physical bodies of Venerable Kāśyapa on Earth. In this life, this elder clearly knows that He is Mahākāśyapa.
In my inner vision, I understood that Venerable Kāśyapa revealed to me the cause and origin of a major Buddhist event. I saw Venerable Kāśyapa taking out the ‘Buddha’s red gold checkered cassock’ that He had lovingly kept safe in the immaterial realm, waving and scattering it into the void with His right hand. The cassock instantly spread out and stretched out infinitely, covering countless worlds, and Earth was also covered in it. When covered by this cassock, the painful wails of all sentient beings paused. This inner image represents that the Buddha’s cassock protects all living beings in the numerous worlds and on Earth! All places are blessed by the Buddha. The ancient saying ‘The whole universe is the King’s land’ actually means that the great Power and great Kindness of the Buddha are far-reaching and boundless.
I saw Venerable Kāśyapa taking out many Buddha’s śarīras of various colors, each one round and dazzling, and put them all into the Buddha’s purple-gold bowl. Then He stood up and held the bowl respectfully with both hands, and raised it high above His head.
At this time, Maitreya Buddha descended from mid-air, and I heard the Heavenly beings around me respectfully calling Him ‘Maitreya Buddha.’ The Dharma body of Maitreya Buddha was very, very huge, much larger than that of Venerable Kāśyapa. He sat solemnly on the lotus platform, spinning continuously in mid-air, and after a moment He settled in the East! It implies that He auspiciously arose from the East of the Earth in this life.
I looked carefully and saw that Maitreya Buddha manifested a female face. This face was the beautiful face of Supreme Master Ching Hai. In other words, Supreme Master Ching Hai is the incarnation of Maitreya Buddha, just appearing in a different form in the Sahā (mundane) world.
Venerable Kāśyapa knelt down on one knee respectfully to Supreme Master Ching Hai’s true form, Maitreya Buddha, and held up His hands to present the Buddha’s purple-golden bowl and many bone śarīras of the Buddha.
At this time, Maitreya Buddha spoke loudly from mid-air to the residents of Earth, ‘I am Shakyamuni Buddha, and Shakyamuni Buddha is me! If you are looking for Shakyamuni Buddha, why wait for 2,600 years? I’ve always been here, but you don’t recognize me!’ ‘For many lifetimes, I have taken on different forms to bless you and love you! However, you are still begging desperately for Maitreya Buddha to come to this world, and waiting desperately for Jesus to come again. In fact, I have never left you! I’ve always been by your side, transforming into various Masters to protect you, love you, and guide you.’ ‘Must I look exactly like the body of Shakyamuni Buddha in every life when I am born? It is also impossible for me to have the face of Jesus forever.’ ‘But I can always appear in a radiant form inside! This is only known and understood by those whose Heavenly Eye is open.’
‘Now it’s the last moment. I must let you know that I am the return of Maitreya Buddha, I am also the return of Shakyamuni Buddha!’ ‘I have taken on the name of so many Buddhas that I can no longer remember them all! All Buddhas are united in one!’
After speaking, Supreme Master Ching Hai, in the form of Maitreya Buddha, stretched out Her white jade-like hands and took the Buddha’s purple-golden bowl and Buddha’s śarīras presented by the Venerable Kāśyapa. Previously in the material world, through one of His physical bodies, Venerable Kāśyapa had presented many visible Buddha’s śarīras to Supreme Master Ching Hai. This time, in the immaterial realm, He once again presented to Supreme Master Ching Hai Buddha’s śarīras that are invisible to physical eyes. This solemn ceremony is equivalent to Venerable Kāśyapa’s double recognitions that Supreme Master Ching Hai is the Maitreya Buddha and Shakyamuni Buddha He has been waiting for.
After Venerable Kāśyapa completed His mission, He bowed his head to Supreme Master Ching Hai / Maitreya Buddha, withdrew and disappeared. During this time, Maitreya Buddha was still suspended in mid-air, and countless Heavenly beings and sentient beings in all Buddha worlds kowtowed and worshipped Master.
A very distant and loud voice of Venerable Kāśyapa rang out in the sky: ‘Maitreya Buddha has come to the world, and He will save all living beings. I, Venerable Kāśyapa, have returned the Buddha’s mantle and bowl, and revealed the hidden secret of the Terma (Sacred teachings).’ ‘Because sentient beings cannot tell the truth from falsehood, we have to use this method to let all sentient beings recognize that Supreme Master Ching Hai is indeed the return of Maitreya Buddha! Now my mission is complete and I am going to Nirvana. If there are people in the future who have knowledge of this, they can pass down this special affinity through the ages! My children on Earth, I have tried my best to save you, but if you are unwilling to follow, I have to respect your free choice. Now I am going to Nirvana! All things of mine on Earth will be withdrawn to the Buddha Land.’
Then, melodious Heavenly Music sounded all around, and many Heavenly maidens came to scatter flowers, and all kinds of aromatic fragrances floated around to make offerings to Master. They used this to worship Maitreya Buddha – Supreme Master Ching Hai. The scene was so grand and beyond words!”
We are immensely grateful to the venerated Mahākāśyapa for taking on the noble task and fulfilling His mission of passing the worshipped Shakyamuni Buddha’s precious relics to Supreme Master Ching Hai. This Divine gesture clearly indicates that She is the Maitreya Buddha prophesied thousands of years ago. We are now entering the new era with Maitreya Buddha! In our next episode, we will explore more prophecies by Shakyamuni Buddha on the powerful Buddha of the future.
