Prelude: The Vow Crosses the Mountains
Centuries passed. The name of Ashoka remained in the memory of India, while the wheel of history continued to turn.
Kingdoms rose. Kingdoms fell. And the ancient vow of the Guardian moved with the current of reincarnation.
This time, the journey led him north. Beyond the mountains and distant borders lay another vast civilization—China.
The Central Plains had endured centuries of division. Dynasties had replaced one another, wars had reshaped the land, and the traditions of an ancient people had gradually faded beneath years of upheaval.
Then, in the closing years of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, a child was born. His name was Yang Jian. No one looking upon the infant could have known that the soul within him had once been the Guardian King of India—nor that another glorious chapter of the ancient covenant was about to begin.
The Child Born Beneath the Light
Yang Jian was born within the sacred precincts of Banya Temple. From the moment of his birth, extraordinary signs illuminated the world:
❖ A radiant, divine light filled the delivery chamber, casting away the shadows of the night; ❖ At times, the infant revealed a celestial form far beyond an ordinary human—marked by the majestic characteristics of a dragon, complete with divine horns and scales;
❖ A holy Buddhist nun named Sister Zhixian, living within the temple, possessed the supernatural ability to perceive past lives and future eons.
Recognizing the child’s true origin, the nun knew he was no ordinary mortal. She saw that he would one day sit upon the Dragon Throne as a Holy Ruler, and more importantly, that he carried a divine mission: to rescue the Buddha Fa from total suppression and restore the spiritual roots of a damaged civilization.
With the permission of his parents, the nun took personal charge of the boy. She bestowed upon him the sacred childhood name Narayana (Na-la-diên)—the Sanskrit epithet for the indestructible, diamond-like warrior who shields the Law.
For more than a decade, young Yang Jian grew up within the quiet sanctuary of the temple: ❖ He maintained a pure vegetarian lifestyle and listened daily to the recitation of sacred scriptures;
❖ He learned the discipline, filial piety, and reverence of a life shaped by faith;
❖ Outside the temple walls, the world was torn by war and chaotic turmoil, but inside, the young boy was being prepared for a destiny far greater than human minds could comprehend.
The Prophecy of the Divine Covenant
When Yang Jian reached seven or eight years of age, Sister Zhixian looked upon him with deep compassion and spoke words that would remain engraved upon his heart forever:
“You are a great, noble being who has come down from the Eastern Heavenly Kingdom. In the years ahead, the Buddha Fa will suffer a catastrophic decline, and you shall be the one destined to restore the sacred teachings to the mortal plane.”
To an ordinary child, these words might have sounded like a strange fairytale. But the nun was not merely predicting a future political event—she was recognizing an ancient vow made before the Creator in the highest heavens:
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❖ A vow carried across mountain ranges and civilizations—from ancient India to China;
❖ A covenant transferred from one imperial crown to another;
❖ The Guardian had not forgotten his promise; he simply had not yet fully awakened.
When the Fa Was Suppressed
More than twenty years passed, and the tragic prophecy began to unfold. Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty launched a violent, systematic campaign against Buddhism:
❖ Monasteries were dismantled, priceless scriptures were burned, and sacred statues were reduced to rubble;
❖ Hundreds of thousands of monks and nuns were forcibly defrocked and driven back into worldly life;
❖ The spiritual culture of the Han people, already weakened by centuries of barbarian invasions and continuous warfare, faced total destruction.
Yang Jian watched the devastation of his homeland with profound sorrow. Yet, deep within his Primordial Spirit, an unyielding determination took root: he would restore what had been lost, bring order to the fractured Central Plains, and revive the sacred traditions of his people.
The child raised within Banya Temple was now stepping forth to fulfill the destiny prepared for him by Heaven.
The Emperor Rises and the Kaihuang Era
Eventually, the appointed hour arrived. Yang Jian gathered military strength, swept away corruption, brought the divided northern and southern territories under a unified banner, and founded the Great Sui Dynasty. China was whole once more.
Yet physical unification was only the beginning. Upon ascending the Dragon Throne, Emperor Wen of Sui launched a grand cultural restoration:
❖ He reformed state institutions, strengthened education, and established rule through benevolence and law;
❖ He governed with tireless devotion, creating the prosperous Kaihuang Era, where the people enjoyed peace, stability, and abundance after centuries of suffering.
The Guardian King of India had returned—ruling under a new name, wearing the imperial robes of China, yet carrying the exact same ancient purpose.
The Sacred Relics and the Revival of the Fa
True to the ancient prophecy, Emperor Wen immediately issued imperial decrees to revive the Buddha Fa across the Middle Kingdom:
❖ Thousands of ruined monasteries were rebuilt, new pagodas touched the clouds, and monastics were once again honored throughout the empire;
❖ Even before ascending the throne, Yang Jian had received a small pouch containing divine Buddha relics from a wandering monk, who foretold his rise to power;
❖ Upon becoming Emperor, Yang Jian distributed these sacred relics to thirty distinct provinces, ordering the construction of stupas for their veneration so that divine radiance might cleanse the nation.
Within the imperial palace, Emperor Wen and his consort devoted themselves to cultivation, transforming the court into a center of spiritual reverence.
The Two Saints and the Eternal Connection
The Guardian did not walk this arduous path alone. The female Deity who had descended alongside him in celestial realms returned in this lifetime as Empress Dugu:
❖ She stood by Yang Jian’s side, offering wisdom and strength in governing the state;
❖ Together, their harmonious rule was so revered that the people honored them as the Two Saints (Nhị Thánh);
❖ What the imperial court saw as a powerful emperor and empress, the heavens recognized as two divine beings continuing a covenant forged before entering the mortal world.
Furthermore, the sacred connection with the nun who had raised him crossed lifetimes—she returned later in his life as his beloved grandmother, continuing to guide him in loyalty, righteousness, and propriety.
The Guardian’s Second Kingdom
The restoration of Buddhism and culture under Emperor Wen of Sui laid the essential foundation for the glorious flourishing of the Tang Dynasty that followed.
The Guardian had prepared the spiritual soil of India as Ashoka; now he had done the same for China as Yang Jian:
❖ Different civilizations, different dynasties, different names;
❖ Yet the exact same unyielding, eternal vow.
He had not returned merely to wear another crown, but to ensure that the bridge connecting humanity to the divine remained open through the dark ages of history.
The Conclusion: The Dragon’s Vow Fulfilled
A dragon born beneath the light,
Restores the Fa through dark of night.
Across the realms, the vow holds true,
To build a fallen realm anew.
The Dragon Throne serves Truth divine,
An endless light across all time.
(To be continued...)