Hoa Hao Buddhism: Prophet HUYNH PHU SO

Prophet HUYNH PHU SO, the founder of Hoa Hao Buddhism was born in 1919 at Hoa Hao village, in the south of Vietnamese province of Chau Doc, close to the Cambodian border.

The eldest son of The Venerable Huynh Cong Bo and Le Thi Nham, a well to do family known for honesty and altruism, He left school at 15 due to persistent illness affecting Him until He was 21. Then in 1939, while on a pilmigrage visit to the sacred mountains of That Son and Ta Lon, He became enlightened. The 18th day of the 5th month of the year of the Hare (1939) was when He began His evangelical mission.

He achieved his first conversions by reputedly curing incurable diseases with simple means such as green leaves, pure water, to the astonishment of physician s as well as witch doctors.

At the same time He preached eloquently everywhere, and attracted large audiences including known writers, essayists and lawyers who gradually acknowledged His supernatural talents.

From 1939 on, the Prophet gave to the world a great number of oracles in which he foretold the expansion of war as well as the spread of sufferings, exhorted mankind to renounce vice and come back to virtue, to observe the Four Debts of Gratitude and improve oneself through contemplation so as to become ``good individual in the society and progress on the path of deliverance.

In His salvation mission, Prophet Huynh cured thousands of reputedly diseases, preached thousands of times to large audiences, published six Books of Oracle, as well as hundreds of sublime poems, essays and folk litanies. His writing, not requiring any draft, presented popular overtones but proved extremely soul stirring and impressive.