“The white men should know that for the red people too, it was the will of Wakan-Tanka, the Great Spirit, that an animal turn itself into a two-legged person in order to bring the most holy pipe to His people; and we too were taught that this White Buffalo Cow Woman Who brought our sacred pipe will appear again at the end of this ‘world’ – a coming which we Indians know is now not very far off.”
Today, September 27, is the final day of the initiative, “99 Days of Peace Through Unity,” which the Honorable Chief Phil Lane Jr. (vegan) of the Ihanktonwan Dakota and Chickasaw First-Nations launched on June 21, 2026. Through such global efforts, we’re moving closer to realizing the theme of the event – “Choose Peace. Live Peace. End War.”
How to achieve permanent peace? The legendary Oglala Lakota (Sioux) First-Nation visionary and medicine holy man Black Elk discussed a “three-fold” peace.
“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of men when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the Universe and all its Powers, and when they realize that at the center of the Universe dwells Wakan-Tanka, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us. This is the real Peace, and the others are but reflections of this. The second peace is that which is made between two individuals. And the third is that which is made between two nations. But above all you should understand that there can never be peace between nations until there is first known that true peace which, as I have often said, is within the souls of men.”
In his lifetime, spanning spanning more than eight decades, Black Elk had many spiritual visions pertaining to his own life and mission, the lives of his people, as well as those of the whole world.
At the age of nine, he suddenly fell gravely ill and was in a coma for 12 days. During this time, he had a powerful vision where he met six Grandfathers Who imparted to him sacred teachings. Particularly, the fourth Grandfather showed him two roads: one red and one black.
“[…] He spoke again: ‘Behold the Earth!’ So I looked down and saw it lying yonder like a hoop of peoples, and in the center bloomed the holy stick that was a tree, and where it stood there crossed two roads, a red one and a black. ‘From where the giant lives (the North) to where you always face(the South) the Red Road goes, the road of good,’ the Grandfather said, ‘and on it shall your nation walk. The Black Road goes from where the thunder beings live (the West) to where the sun continually shines (the East), a fearful road, a road of troubles and of war. On this also you shall walk, and from it you shall have the power to destroy a people’s foes. In four ascents you shall walk the Earth with power.’”
From the North to the South is the good Red Road, the spiritual road. According to the Lakota First-Nation-elders, the negative force lies on the left and the positive on the right. We may go left or right sometimes, but we should always come back to the middle and travel “the good Red Road,” representing spiritual balance. This vision taught Black Elk that his mission was to lead his people to walk the Red Road, the road of good.
Another important vision came to Black Elk in 1890 when he participated in the Ghost Dance. Many who took part in the rite at that time reported having the same visions of a Messiah figure, or the Son of the Great Spirit, called Wanekia. Wanekia is a Lakota (Sioux) First-Nation word that means “One who makes live.” When Black Elk was dancing, he found that his spirit left his body.
“And as I touched the ground, twelve men were coming towards me, and they said: ‘Our Father, the two-legged chief, you shall see!’ Then they led me to the center of the circle where once more I saw the holy tree all full of leaves and blooming. But that was not all I saw. Against the tree there was a man standing with arms held wide in front of him. I looked hard at him, and I could not tell what people he came from. He was not a Wasichu [white man] and he was not an Indian. His hair was long and hanging loose, and on the left side of his head he wore an eagle feather. His body was strong and good to see, and it was painted red. I tried to recognize him, but I could not make him out. He was a very fine-looking man. While I was staring hard at him, his body began to change and became very beautiful with all colors of light, and around him there was light. He spoke like singing: ‘My life is such that all Earthly beings and growing things belong to me. Your father, the Great Spirit, has said this. You too must say this.’ Then he went out like a light in a wind. The twelve men who were there spoke: ‘Behold them! Your nation’s life shall be such!’ I saw again how beautiful the day was–the sky all blue and full of yellow light above the greening earth. And I saw that all the people were beautiful and young. There were no old ones there, nor children either– just people of about one age, and beautiful. Then there were twelve women who stood in front of me and spoke: ‘Behold them! Their way of life you shall take back to Earth.’”
Interestingly, in the drawing accompanying this vision by Standing Bear, a close friend of Black Elk, Wanekia was portrayed as wearing a buffalo robe, as if signifying that He is the return of the White Buffalo Woman.
The Savior figure in Black Elk’s vision, Who has long hair and wears a white eagle feather, is not a Westerner, nor a First-Nation-person. This description reminds us of the White Buffalo Woman who appeared in the vision of one of our Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association members (all vegans) in 2024.
F: Recently, the work of saving the world has been very difficult, which has made me disheartened. One day, when I was meditating in sorrow, suddenly Master (Supreme Master Ching Hai) appeared in the form of an old Native American woman. She wore a very wide and long white cloak and had a few wrinkles on Her forehead. She looked like a human woman of about 60 years old. A three-color headband was tied on Her forehead, a long white feather was tucked into a headband, and an Indigenous necklace with several ancient dark red beads was around Her neck. […]
We flew like eagle-people, and I saw black eagle feathers on my forehead. After flying for a while, we landed on a canoe. Master and I each sat on one end. The canoe was large enough to accommodate two people. With a gentle look on Her face, Master talked to me and untangled many knots in my heart.
Then Master stood up, with Her white cloak hanging on the ground at a beautiful angle. She looked up at the Sun in the distance. It was not a material Sun; it was so bright! Its dazzling white light shone into my Wisdom Eye. The inner Master said, “You can tell them: I am the White Buffalo Goddess.” I knelt down and said, “Yes.”
Though these two visions appeared to two different individuals over a span of 130 years, they seem to have contained the same Sacred figure – Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan), the return of the White Buffalo Woman, Who is also Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of GOD.
In fact, when Black Elk was describing Wanekia in his vision to writer John Neihardt, he said,
“It seemed as though there were wounds in the palms of His hands […] It seems to me on thinking it over that I have seen the Son of the Great Spirit Himself.”
Although it’s difficult for us to verify this claim, we do know that Black Elk’s spiritual journey did not stop at being a First-Nation medicine holy man. In 1904, when he was around 41 years old, he received baptism and took the name “Nicholas.” For the rest of his life, he served as a lay Catholic catechist in his community.
“Black Elk, I think, in a tumultuous time, tried his best to bridge the gap between these two opposing cultures. These two cultures do not have to be in conflict. I think we are at a space where healing can truly occur between two communities that have historically been antagonistic to each other.
The sacred hoop and the flowering tree from Black Elk’s vision, the end of the sacred Red Road, where people arrive, is very much like a vision from the end of the Book of Revelation, where there is a fulfillment, or in the case of the Ghost Dancer, a restoration of a harmony that was there.”
For more information on Black Elk’s life and legacy, please visit rapidcitydiocese.org/docmentary-nbe
How would Black Elk himself interpret his own vision and his beliefs that appear to be contradictory to each other? Perhaps, we can have a glimpse into his thoughts through his statement recorded in the book “The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk’s Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux.”
“We have been told by the white men, or at least by those who are Christian, that God sent to men His Son, Who would restore order and peace upon the Earth; and we have been told that Jesus the Christ was crucified, but that He shall come again at the Last Judgment, the end of this world or cycle. This I understand and know that it is true, but the white men should know that for the red people too, it was the will of Wakan-Tanka, the Great Spirit, that an animal turn itself into a two-legged person in order to bring the most holy pipe to His people; and we too were taught that this White Buffalo Cow Woman Who brought our sacred pipe will appear again at the end of this ‘world’ – a coming which we Indians know is now not very far off.”
This statement reveals that Black Elk had long realized that Wanekia in his vision is the return of a Holy Being foretold in both Christianity and First-Nation traditional belief; and the Worshipped Lord Jesus Christ and the White Buffalo Woman are one and the same.
By making peace between both beliefs in his life, he taught people of both sides how to live in harmony with each other and at the same time deepen their understanding of the Great Spirit or GOD.
“We should understand well that all things are the works of the Great Spirit. We should know that He is within all things: the trees, the grasses, the rivers, the mountains, and all the four-legged animals, and the winged peoples; and even more important, we should understand that He is also above all these things and peoples. When we do understand all this deeply in our hearts, then we will fear, and love, and know the Great Spirit, and then we will be and act and live as He intends.”
Today, we live in a time when Black Elk’s vison has come true – the long-awaited One is walking among us as Supreme Master Ching Hai, Who has devoted Her life to bridging all religions and teaching people how to make peace in their souls.
Master: The real essence of all good religions points to one GOD. I mean, the real teaching. So, in a way, every religion is Taoism, every religion is Buddhism or Christianity. After Buddha died, they called themselves “Buddhists.” After Christ died, they called themselves “Christians.” After the Master who taught the Way died, they called themselves “Wayism” or “Taoism.” You can see that. Since we are all one, we have no need to discuss over terminologies.
There is only one Creator, and we all know that. But there is an essence. The essence of all religions is not written in the scriptures because GOD cannot be written in human language, except just the name G-O-D. And the real essence has to be known by our soul only. That’s why we need the transmission from soul to soul.
In 2017, the Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota, officially opened the case for Black Elk’s canonization. Perhaps it makes no difference to Black Elk whether or not he is called a Saint, but the day when we can see through the cultural or religious divisions and recognize the sainthood in one another, is likely the day we begin to heal as a people. At that time, the sacred tree of life will begin to grow leaves and bloom!
