Have you ever wondered what it would be like to stand in the presence of true, living divine power? To witness a ritual where the boundaries between the mundane world and the heavenly realms completely dissolve?
While fire offerings (Homa) are celebrated throughout Tibetan and Indian Buddhist traditions for their power to eliminate disasters, eradicate obstacles, and increase blessings, there is a legendary form of this ritual that belongs almost entirely to history. It is called the Sublime Fire Offering (Holy Sunyan Homa).
For over eighty years, this ultimate rite had not been successfully manifested anywhere on Earth. But on September 19, 2018, at the Holy Miracles Temple, history was remade. Led by a Highest Holy Guru , an assembly gathered to witness an event that can only be described as a modern-day spiritual miracle.
To understand the magnitude of what transpired, one must understand the difference between a conventional fire offering and a true Sublime Fire Offering. Ruohui Ruzun, a holy virtue who was present, describes the difference as “the distance between a single step and ten thousand miles.”
- Conventional Fire Offerings: Wood is stacked high, and prayers are chanted. However, when it comes time to light the fire, it is always done by human hands using ordinary lighters or matches.
- The Sublime Fire Offering: Human hands cannot touch the flame. It requires the invocation of nine Tathagatas (Buddhas), the Vajra Matrika (Vajra Mother), the Prajna Mother, and holy dharma protectors to physically descend from the void. The fire must be ignited directly by the Holy Vajra Mother from the sky.
Many great masters and Dharma Kings over the last century have attempted this rite, only for it to function as an ordinary fire offering because they lacked the profound realization and spiritual power to invoke the Holy Manifestations.
The Defying of Reality: The Day the Vajra Mother Ignited the Flame
On that historic September day, devotees stood closely inside the Grand Main Hall, watching every movement with absolute focus.
The offering altar was a newly crafted, pure copper brazier placed upon a simple flat table. It contained no electrical components, hidden mechanisms, or flammables. A team of over ten volunteers had meticulously scrubbed it top to bottom in front of everyone.
The Highest Holy Guru sat on the Dharma throne about 50 meters away. A holy virtue holding the rank of One Gold Button, Bodi Wentu Ruzun, served as the “Guarding Officer of the Fire.” He dipped a ceremonial fire-token into ghee, took a step with every mantra, and stopped about six meters away from the altar.
Suddenly, instead of stepping closer to light it manually, he looked up into the vast sky and called out:
“This Sublime Fire Offering is presided over by the Namo Highest Holy Guru. I request the Holy Vajra Mother to ignite the fire! If the Vajra Mother does not ignite it, then disciple Bodi Wentu will!”
He bowed deeply. From the distance, the Highest Holy Guru called out in a resonant voice: “We request the Holy Vajra Mother to ignite the Homa fire to eliminate obstacles and increase blessings for all living beings!”
The moment the words left His lips, a brilliant flash of blue light cut through the air. The Holy Vajra Mother appeared in the void, pointed her finger, and shot a beam of lightning into the cold brazier.
Instantly, without any human intervention or spark, a roaring, magnificent fire erupted from the copper furnace. The sudden, immense power of the flame sent Rincpoche Bodi Wentu leaping back in awe before falling to the ground in prostration. The entire crowd fell to their knees, weeping and bowing in absolute ecstasy, as the sacred Homa ritual officially began.
As the offering continued, another extraordinary event unfolded. A Buddhist practitioner turned a heavy Vajra Demon-Banquishing Bowl upside down onto a small table. According to Dharma text, this bowl naturally draws in and traps the negative karma, demonic obstacles, and enmity of everyone present at the assembly.
As the negative energies tried to break free, the heavy bowl began to violently vibrate under their immense pressure. At that critical, hair-raising moment, a loud “BOOM!” echoed through the hall.
A bolt of lightning from the Vajra Mother struck the bowl, instantly pulverizing the dark karma and demonic entities into dust. Their consciousnesses were subsequently delivered by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to the Buddha Lands for strict cultivation and guidance.
Following this, the Highest Holy Guru—who had remained at a distance and never approached any of the ceremonial tables—performed the great Dharma of “Secretly Dispatching the Bodhisattva’s Petition.” With a thunderous sound, a flash of lightning swirled around the rim of the upside-down bowl and vanished. When the assembly flipped the bowl over, the petition paper inside had completely vanished into thin air under the watchful eyes of the crowd, confirming the absolute perfection of the ritual.
The transcendence of the Buddha Dharma manifested not only in grand lightning and fire, but also in the most subtle, undeniable details.
As the sacred wood burned, thick, dense clouds of Homa smoke billowed upward, filling the upper atmosphere of the grand hall. Under normal circumstances, lighting even half a cigarette in that hall would instantly trigger the ultra-sensitive smoke detectors, sounding alarms and unleashing the water sprinkler system.
Yet, throughout the entire sacred assembly, the smoke detectors remained completely silent. The spiritual energy of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas perfectly governed the environment, leaving the technology untouched while filling the hearts of the devotees with boundless peace.
Witnessing this Sublime Fire Offering left everyone with a profound realization. As one of the great holy virtues remarked: “Compared to a Sublime Fire Offering, a conventional fire offering is like a single hair from nine oxen—mere child’s play.” The merit generated by a flame ignited directly from the void by the Vajra Mother is thousands of times greater than any fire lit by human hands.
For over eighty years, the world had only heard the theories of such spiritual milestones. This assembly proved that the supreme, true Buddha Dharma is alive, real, and accessible today.
The sacred brazier, offering table, and holy instruments used during this historic assembly are now permanently enshrined at the Holy Miracles Temple, welcoming pilgrims from all over the world to gaze upon them, pay respects, and connect with the profound blessings of that miraculous day.
(This article is adapted from an interview with Venerable Abbess Ruo Hui. For the core teachings of Buddhism, please always refer to the original recorded discourses and published books of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.)
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Peace LiLy 