The Heavenly Seal is one of the Three Heavenly Treasures that a recipient of Tao of Heaven will receive during the ceremony of transmission of Tao. It is a Heavenly Contract (He Tong) or agreement established between the recipient and Universe or God. It is also to confirm that the recipient becomes a family member of Maitreya Buddha and a disciple of the Heavenly Teacher JiGong. This is explained by Heaven that it is the official registration of our names in the Book of Life in Heaven. It will entitle us to transcend the cycle of birth and death, and eventually attain eternal life. This is mentioned in the Bible (Revelation 20:15),

Those who did not have their names written in the book of the living were thrown into the lake of fire.

This contract thus enables devotees of Tao of Heaven to re-establish their relationships with God and to remind them of the rightful role that they must play in their lives. Let us probe into the meaning of The Heavenly Seal.

On the right hand, there are twelve points which represent the twelve phases of one cycle of Heaven and Earth which is 129,600 years. Each phase is 10,800 years and by going one cycle around the twelve points, the first point is called Zi and the twelfth is called Hai in Chinese. When Hai and Zi are combined together, Hai Zi, it means a child or baby. The message is that to be one with Heaven and Earth, we need to hold an innocent baby in our hand meaning the relationship with God is that of a parent-child relationship which is also mentioned in the Bible (Matthew 18:1-4) that says,

I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The greatest in the kingdom is the one who humbles himself and becomes like this child.

Jesus also said, Blessed are the children for the kingdom of God is theirs. In other words, we must become like children in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven and be with God. This implies that we can see the characteristics of the Godly in a child. If we look around, all entities of natures creation, including all flora and fauna and human beings, are at their purest and the most harmonious state when they are at the embryonic or young age, even the wild animals. In Confucian term, this is known as the heart of a new born baby.

A child or a baby has no greed and hatred, neither are they judgemental or discriminatory. Such is our pure and original nature we must strive to manifest. This is also the significance of the portraits of Goddess of Mercy or Mother Mary carrying a baby in their hands. They serve to be a reminder to our true identity and the way we should treat one another.

We are all brothers and sisters between the four seas according to Confucius. We may differ in color, cultural background, religious belief and faith and language we speak, in fact we are one family in terms of our spirituality. In the realm of Truth, in spite of our superficial differences, we are all one entity in the eyes of Heaven. If we can accept and understand this, then any differences, disputes or conflicts can be easily resolved. We will not be jealous of other peoples success because we view their success as our own. In the same token, we will not insult others for their failure because their failure is also our failure. Such is the essence of Tao and oneness. This is the essence of our Godly nature and the unconditional love that knows no boundaries.

Anyone can come forward to be initiated with The Heavenly Three Treasures regardless of color, faith or race because Tao of Heaven is not a religion. It is the awakening of our inner divine selves and The Heavenly Seal in essence is like holding the entire universe within our hands. It would enable us to be one with the universe and God. This coincides with a quote from the Bible (Revelation 22:13),

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

In the temple of Tao of Heaven, this is what Heaven says about The Three Heavenly Treasures during the transmission:

1] First, the ancient Hand Seal, bestowed as the original proof at the soul mountain is transmitted (Referring to The Heavenly Seal).

2] Second, the Right Portal, the essence of the White Yang Dharma is pointed (Referring to The Third Eye or Divine Eye).

3] Third, the wordless sutra, the mystical spell that reaches Heaven is transmitted (Referring to the Heavenly Mantra).

Author: T.A Chew