By definition, Thiên Cơ is literally translated as a heavenly machine. In fact, it is to a layperson a mystery known only to Heaven (archaic) / inscrutable twist of fate/ top secret. It is hardly communicable to the average person, with the exception of supernatural beings.
In religious teachings, the concept of Heaven’s Secret or Machine is similar to what has been prearranged or predetermined by the Almighty God, the beginning and the end of the Cosmic Cycle, and the evolution of the participants, sentient, and non-sentient beings, during the movement of the Universe, in an orderly manner, or a universal Law.
Lord Master Huynh the Founder of Hoa Hao Buddhism, through his Oracles and Poems, often mentioned ‘Heavenly Machine’, and ‘Predestiny’. His concept has special characteristics as follows:
Heavenly secrets change every minute and have a significant impact on human society:
The Heavenly Machine turns every minute.
Vicissitudes change as though flying arrows.
(Madman’s Ode, Vol. II lines 13-14)
Lord Master received a revelation of Heavenly Secrets from Lord the Buddha Master of the Western Peace, and the orders from the Jade Emperor and Buddhas to carry out an evangelical mission. Because he is one of the Buddhas, Senior Fairies, or Bodhisattvas, who descended on Earth in the Lower Age, he has understood the impending apocalypse of the world. With immense compassion, he has chosen Vietnam as the place of his mission, and also to return the graces of his supporters in his previous lives on whom he leaned to practice. He talked about the Heavenly Secrets as some kind of mystic, impenetrable but miraculous if the sentient being knows the right path to go.
The Lord pointed out that, even though the Heavenly Machine is secret, His followers, however illiterate they were, could learn about it from their Master’s exhortation so that they strengthen their faith. If they want to be salvaged by the Supreme, they only focus on doing all good things and renouncing all bad ones. Only if they can do this in a hurry, they can meet up with the Supreme, fast-tracking self-enlightenment. Most importantly, through his teachings, people seek to improve themselves with the Heavenly Movement, right on the Middle Way, and sooner or later, they will be able to fulfill their goal.
All the globe implements a radical change,
With miracles to reset the Golden Age.
I have fully explained Heaven’s Secrets,
To warn the folks about their jailing prospects.
(Oracle Vol II, lines 244 -248)
The Heavently Secret is also the Heavenly Tao, therefore, those who seek to learn the latter, need to learn about the Tao of Humans. Lord Master taught, that whoever accomplishes the Tao of Humans can get on with the Tao of Fairies. On the scientific plane, the Heavenly Law is the Law of Nature, as Lao Zi maintained that those who walk the natural path should not interfere with the movement of heaven and earth to satisfy their own desires. In short, Nature is also the Tao through which the human being lives harmoniously with Nature by not interfering with the activities of the populace, and if the latter does so, their society shall be well-governed and stable, otherwise, it shall be punished by Nature. In this sense, the Heavenly Tao is similar to the Tao of Nature, forming the basis of Human Law, Nowadays, the impact of the climatic change has worsened every day showing the irresponsibility of humans for ecological sustainability. The developed and developing worlds should be more aware of the pertinence of the responsibility and the need for immediate action.
Heavenly Machine’s changes are hasty,
To cultivate yourself, you must hurry.
(Oracle V. II, lines 457 – 458)
The other side of the equation of the Heavenly Machine is the Law of Causality, one of the principal Buddhist principles. As this cosmic cycle never lets anyone go out of its boundaries, so does it mean Natural Justice, where all human acts, good or bad, will eventually have their rewards or prices to pay. ‘Which cause, which effect’ is the maxim of practicers who must follow the Eightfold Noble Truth to prevent negative consequences that their actions and thoughts might generate. Thus, the concept of Heavenly Machine, in Buddhism, eventuates in Doomsday, Judgement Day, Investiture, the Dragon and Flower Gathering, you can name it, depending on each religion. In the Oracles, Lord Master predicted that, at the Lower Age, over the world, there would happen abnormal climatic or geographical transformations, and that human beings would be less moral than their ancestors, thus making themselves prone to war breakouts. Once the planet Earth is going to an end, the Upper Age takes over. This is the day when everyone will go through the final assessment process, with the just and fair Supreme, as Lord Master taught:
By then all the sky will be enshrouded in a net,
And you will know Justice has been heavenly set.
If the earthlings take an early penitence,
And behave well, they will receive no sentence.
(Oracle Vol II, line 73-76)
