Photo Courtesy: Hua Zang Si (Community members unite across California to honor the Life Release Day Designated by Buddha, transforming compassion into action through ceremonies, education, and charitable outreach.)
Buddhist communities across California came together on October 29 to honor “The Life Release Day Designated by Buddha,” a global observance dedicated to compassion, the protection of life, and the collective aspiration for peace.
On the morning of October 29, 2025, the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum hosted a life release event at the Marina Del Rey harbor, drawing spiritual leaders and community members from across Southern California. The event was led by Venerable Master Ruzun Ruohui, Abbess of Hua Zang Si Temple and Hongfa Temple.
Participants gathered in unity to chant praises and recite the Great Compassion Mantra of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. Venerable Master Ruzun Ruohui blessed the fish awaiting release with consecrated Dharma water, offering prayers that these sentient beings be freed from suffering and karmic obstructions. Upon release, the fish were returned to the ocean with the hope that they would find safety and live free from harm and predators.
The Life Release Day Designated by Buddha originated on October 29, 2009, when H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III personally led His disciples in a life release ceremony following a significant Buddhist event. He compassionately declared this day as “Life Release Day” to promote the protection of life and the practice of compassion.
The H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum upholds the compassionate teachings of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. The museum urges all sectors of society to transform empathy into action—promoting the safeguarding of life, the cessation of killing, and the daily practices of kindness as a fundamental way of living. Venerable Master Ruzun Ruohui emphasized that life release practices are not confined to specific days or locations. Whenever a life is in danger, we are called to act—to return it to a suitable environment, to grant it freedom, and to relieve it from fear.
On October 29, 2025, San Francisco’s Hua Zang Si Temple also held a life release ceremony at San Rafael. Participants from diverse cultural backgrounds gathered to recite the Heart Sutra and the Great Compassion Mantra before gently releasing fish back to their natural habitat. Organizers emphasized that life release is not only a spiritual practice, but also a call to awaken society’s compassion and deepen our care for the sentient beings.
Photo Courtesy: H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum Venerable Master Ruzun Ruohui blesses fish awaiting release with Dharma water during the Life Release Day ceremony at Marina Del Rey.
Photo Courtesy: H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum Upon release, the fish were returned to the ocean.
To nurture compassion in the next generation, Hua Zang Si Temple held a Buddhist children’s story class on October 19. Through storytelling and interactive learning, the program guided young participants to understand the core values of “equality of all life” and “compassion without harm.” The initiative was warmly received by parents, who expressed deep appreciation for the temple’s commitment to meaningful and values-based education.
On October 26, Macang Monastery in San Francisco held a special “Life Release Day Blessing and Food Donation Ceremony” in honor of the Life Release Day Designated by Buddha. Following collective sutra recitation and prayers by both monastics and lay practitioners, the temple donated food supplies to unhoused individuals and low-income families—embodying the Buddhist spirit of compassion and service to those in need.
This year’s Life Release Day Designated by Buddha brought together Buddhist disciples and compassionate leaders from all walks of life through a range of activities—including life release ceremonies, prayer gatherings, educational outreach, and food donations. Participants were reminded that cultivation is not merely a slogan, but a continuous practice through every kind thought and virtuous deed.
At that moment, I felt as if I were rising from a cold, dark ocean or walking out of a long nightmare tunnel. The light before my eyes was so dazzling that it took me a while to recognize the blurred figures within it. Sitting beside me was my spouse, and standing there smiling was my daughter. As for myself—I was lying on a hospital bed.
My mind was completely blank. It felt as if my memory had been wiped clean; nothing remained but confusion and a faint, awkward sense of unease. I anxiously searched through my thoughts but found only helplessness and fear— until a familiar melody began to echo clearly in my mind — the holy name of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, resonating like a chant from deep within my heart.
Gradually, my terrified heart began to calm. The holy name persisted—unyielding and unwavering—repeating again and again, washing over my pale and fragile memory. I thought to myself, This must be what people call a “near-death experience.”
My spouse and daughter helped piece together the fragments of my missing story.
We live in Shandong. I had come to Shenzhen to help my daughter take care of her child. One day, without any warning, I suddenly collapsed in silence. My family rushed me to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with a cerebral hemorrhage. The surgery was completed successfully. Upon hearing the news, my spouse immediately flew from Shandong to Shenzhen.
They continued to fill in the missing pieces of my story:
I had just taken refuge in May 2016 to become a Buddhist disciple. However, before I could properly begin my Buddhist studies, I went to Shenzhen in June 2017 to help my daughter. Fellow practitioners in Shandong kindly connected me with disciples in Shenzhen and encouraged me not to give up my practice.
Listening to the Dharma Discourses of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III
After arriving in Shenzhen, I actively reached out to my daughter’s neighbors, hoping to introduce them to Buddhism. My daughter and son-in-law supported me wholeheartedly; they even drove me and several neighbors to a Dharma center in Shenzhen to listen to the Dharma discourses of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Because that place was quite far, a Dharma sister later introduced me to another practitioner’s home nearby where I could listen to the teachings. Though we hadn’t known each other before, we grew close through our shared faith—everyone cared deeply about my practice and my health.
When I regained consciousness, I couldn’t remember anything from before. Strangely, the only thing that remained clear and loud in my mind was the sacred name:
Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III.
In the same hospital ward, other patients with similar conditions were not as fortunate. Many were left partially paralyzed, unable to walk steadily or care for themselves. Life had become fragile—so easily shattered.
Phrases like “Life is impermanent” and “Like a dream, like an illusion” surfaced in my mind. I was deeply afraid that I, too, would become disabled and burden my family. But thankfully, although surgery had taken part of my memory, my mind remained clear enough to hold onto that one holy name:
Like a beam of light, that name illuminated the dark and uncertain path ahead.
Miraculously Blessed by Buddha
That single remaining memory gave me unwavering faith. I believed the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were blessing me, allowing me to survive and turn a great disaster into something small.
I felt truly blessed to have entered the Buddhist path and firmly believed that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas would not abandon me. As long as I kept believing and continued to study diligently, I would recover—because I still had much to do. I wanted to help more people enter the Dharma and listen to the true teachings of the Tathāgata. Holding that faith in my heart, I kept reciting the only words I could still remember: Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III — again and again, without pause. Then, a miracle happened. I gradually recovered. About twenty days later, the doctor told me I could be discharged from the hospital.
The doctor said that in all his years of medical practice, he had never seen such a recovery. Patients with my condition almost always had some form of disability—but I could walk freely, with no trace of impairment.
After returning home to Shandong, I could even ride an electric bike to attend Dharma listening sessions and play ball again. My memory of the Dharma I had learned before also came back, and I rejoined my wonderful spiritual family with deep gratitude.
Awakening to Impermanence Through the Teachings of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III
After going through this life-and-death experience, I truly understood the impermanence of life. Now, whenever I listen to the Dharma discourses on Impermanence from my Buddha Master, I feel their truth penetrate deep into my heart. Every compassionate teaching from the Buddha Master is like nectar—healing medicine that saves lives.
Fellow practitioners, when illness strikes, we can only accept our karma; no matter how anxious our loved ones may be, there is little they can do. Yet when our bodies are healthy, we often waste our precious time in confusion, unaware that the chain of impermanence could seize us at any moment.
Do not waste this rare and precious opportunity to encounter the true Dharma of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III!
Cherish your blessings, study the Dharma diligently, and cultivate sincerely.
Liberation from life and death is attainable in this very lifetime!
This book by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III was released in Chinese in 2014 but is not yet available in English. It is based on a series of very famous discourses given in China in 1992, using the text, meaning, and principles of the Heart Sutra to transmit Dharma. It clearly explains the relationships between mind, Buddha, and living beings. It tells everyone what the absolute truth of Buddha-dharma and liberation is. Several years ago, His Holiness told a number of Western disciples that this is the only book you need to read to understand emptiness and become enlightened. This text is for acquiring prajna or transcendental wisdom, although it also teaches the importance of cultivating character.
To stress how important this holy book is, we must remember that just before the Buddha left this world His Holiness told us that “. . . At all times, we must think about bringing auspiciousness, serenity, happiness, and peace to living beings and to the world, to the extent of giving our all and even our lives. I have already brought true Buddha Dharma to this world. Everyone who practices in accordance with The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation and Expounding the Absolute Truth Through the Heart Sutra will surely attain liberation. That’s all. I wish all living beings happiness.”
Venerable Master Puguan’s Reflection After Listening to Expounding the Absolute Truth Through the Heart Sutra
Below is the heartfelt reflection of Venerable Master Puguan, the abbot of Kaihua Monastery on Mount Wuzhong—the first site of Southern Transmission Buddhism and the thirteenth-generation patriarch of Mount Emei—after listening to the Dharma discourses of Expounding the Absolute Truth Through the Heart Sutra spoken by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
Venerable Master Puguan said:
“No matter what words I use today, they cannot fully express the supreme joy and wonder in my heart. My most magnificent and compassionate Buddha Master, the Great Dharma King Yangwo, once visited Mount Wuzhong in person. At that time, my junior Dharma brother, Dharma Master Guozhang, and I were on the third day of a Zen retreat with the four assemblies of disciples when suddenly the Dharma protector came and told me, ‘The greatest holy being has arrived! He is wearing white clothes. Quickly cancel the Chan session and lead everyone to greet Him with full ceremony!’
Dharma Master Guozhang also received the same message—that the highest Holy One had come. We immediately announced to all disciples that the Zen session was to be stopped, and we prepared the ceremonial welcome with drums and bells. Indeed, about ten minutes later, a group of dozens of people arrived at the foot of the mountain—it was my revered Master, the Great Dharma King Yangwo (H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III).
When I supported my Master while walking toward the Bright Moon Pool, He gently took hold of my hand instead and said, ‘I am younger than you; you should not support me. It is I who should support you, the elder.’
At that moment, I felt deeply ashamed. How could a disciple ever deserve to be supported by his Master, the Great Dharma King?
Now, after listening to Expounding the Absolute Truth Through the Heart Sutra, I finally realize that what my Master said back then was the very expression of ultimate truth! We practitioners must rely on our Master’s steadfast guidance, never letting go of His compassionate hand, until we are led to the pure Buddha-land of ultimate Nirvana. How could we ever imagine supporting our Master?
Having repeatedly listened to this Dharma discourse, I can only say that my Master has explained the very essence of all 600 volumes of the Prajnaparamita Sutras and the two essential provisions of precepts and practice. The Dharma He expounded is so profound that the deep will see its depth and the shallow will see its shallowness—it is wondrous beyond description, extraordinary within the ordinary. In truth, it is the supreme teaching of the ultimate truth since the beginning of time.
After listening to this unparalleled Dharma spoken by my Buddha Master, I was instantly and completely awakened—the bottom of the bucket had fallen out! Unfortunately, my age has deprived me of the condition to attain rainbow-body ascension, but I rejoice that I have realized the state of indestructible flesh body. After my parinirvana, this body can serve as evidence to the world that my Great Dharma King, my Buddha Master, is truly the Dharma King who unites all Buddhas of the ten directions.
When I think back on my earlier misunderstandings, I feel deeply ashamed. I once mistakenly believed that only Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism possessed the Great Dharma that enables enlightenment within one lifetime. Now that I have attained realization, I truly understand that the authentic Dharma of the Tathagata transcends all schools and sects.
In fact, the true Buddha Dharma is a wondrous treasure existing independently of any tradition. It is neither exclusive to nor absent from any particular school—because genuine Dharma is not governed by sects but by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas themselves. Wherever a Buddha or Bodhisattva manifests as a teacher, that school naturally possesses the Great Dharma.
When I recall my past cultivation at the Golden Summit of Mount Emei, I can only remain speechless in humility. Today, immersed in the bliss of Dharma joy, I can only pray:
May all Buddhas bless that the great karmic conditions of the Tathagata ripen soon. May all sentient beings swiftly hear the teachings of my Buddha Master—the Mother of All Buddhas’ Dharmas, Expounding the Absolute Truth Through the Heart Sutra— so that their blessings and wisdom may swiftly and perfectly flourish, attaining Bodhi and liberation in this very life, and achieving freedom from life and death!
Namo Amitabha Buddha! Namo Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva!
Note: In 1998, Master Pu Guan passed away while in meditation, having attained mastery over his life and death. Remarkably, even eight years after his passing, his remains rest within a stupa, preserved in the meditation posture without any signs of decay.
The following is the English translation of Venerable Master Pu Guan’s Dharma discourse, rendered into English by Linda Chang. The original Chinese version is provided below.
One recognition certificate from a sect can make the status of a rinpoche, while being recognized as the reincarnation of a Buddha requires confirmation from multiple Dharma kings of all different sects.
Generally, when a rinpoche reaches significant status, they are also recognized by more than one of the eminent monastics. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, who has been recognized by over 100 Dharma kings, regent Dharma kings, great rinpoches, and top leaders of various Buddhist sects, is the first person in Buddhist history to receive this many recognitions.
It is the belief of all of these powerful individuals that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is the true reincarnation of the Primordial Buddha, Dorje Chang Buddha. For over 1,000 years, this system has been used by numerous sects in order to recognize their reincarnated Buddhist practitioners.
Based on Buddhist principles, a “Buddha” has attained the supreme level of wisdom and enlightenment, and there is no one above a Buddha. So it goes without saying that a Buddha is the highest leader in the world when it comes to that religion and culture. That makes H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III the highest leader of Buddhism in today’s world.
Building on the Foundation of Compassion
As H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III works with others and makes his way in the world, he remains unaffected by awards and fame, and by those who would seek to slander him. His goal is only to contribute to the world, and to teach Buddhism to people, so the world can have more peace and happiness in it.
The cultivation of Buddha Dharma is what H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III focuses on, rather than his standing and status as the reincarnation of a Buddha. Buddhist teachings are based on causality, peace, harmony, and compassion, and these are the main tenets that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III lives by. As he shares his compassion with others, he is able to change lives.
At the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III took the lead, donating equipment and materials for personal protection. This equipment for fighting the pandemic was donated to police departments, hospitals, and other public service institutions. His Holiness the Buddha also told people publicly:
“The emergence of the pandemic is a result from causality. Throughout the history of mankind and society, there have been occurrences of many pandemics of different types and forms. The COVID-19 pandemic is a type of contagious plaque, which is just infection through popular contact.
The symptoms would transform based on the changes in one’s physical conditions and the climate and spread to others. But people will also generate antibodies in response. However, this disease is not going to become extinct. Yet vaccines can provide very significant protecting effects to people.
Therefore, all of you should not be under pressure or become worried. Rather, all should follow the exhortation of the government and obey the government regulations.
Have yourself vaccinated. That will protect yourself and also others. Furthermore, the pandemic will not cause a closure to people. In the end, it will be opened up everywhere because our country will not allow closure to happen, and the world will not allow closure to happen.”
Living simply and focusing on humility rather than material rewards, he has never been concerned with his own well-being. He lives for the service and well-being of others, and to teach them the Buddha Dharma that will bring them enlightenment and liberation.
The more people who have this understanding, the more people will continue to show that understanding to others, to help others and to benefit society. This can cause a ripple effect of peace and harmony, which will spread far and wide through his teachings and the information he passes along to people around the globe.
Celebrated as a Scholar, an Artist, and a Healer
From a very early age, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has been seen as extremely talented in a number of areas of life. Even as a child, he had wisdom beyond his years and talents that were strong and unexpected. Documentaries were made about his artistic abilities, and people came from far and wide to learn Buddha Dharma from him.
That occurred even before he was officially recognized as he is today. It is the belief of Buddhists that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III holds supreme knowledge of the universe.
Others have spent their entire lives seeking the wisdom and understanding H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has, but it seems as though he was born with it. His Holiness has taught many Buddhist leaders, holy gurus, Buddhist practitioners, and people from every walk of life who seek out his wisdom.
Whether people have questions about Buddhism, need mental or physical healing, or want a deeper understanding of life, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III will not turn them away. As the sutra said that a Buddha is the king of healing, he helped more than 300 people in one day during his time in China.
Born in China, he was quickly recognized there as having abilities well beyond his years. His artwork was exhibited in Taiwan, and he was named to the presidency of The Chinese Painting Research Association in Beijing in 1987. He has met with dignitaries from all over the world, including many in China before he moved to the United States.
When he visited Taiwan in 1995, it was not just dignitaries and important people he met with, but people from all over the area who lined up at his hotel to seek his help and guidance.
All throughout the day and night, the Buddha helped people without resting. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III does not turn any of them away from the help they were seeking and the guidance they wanted and needed from the Buddha.
He has remained selfless and compassionate, helping those who are distressed, elderly, poor, or sick and infirm, as well as any injured or stray animals he finds during his travels. No one and nothing are turned away from the Buddha’s help.
Subjected to Defamation and Injustice
Throughout his life, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has been subjected to injustice, and had his name defamed and slandered. Two years after he came to the United States, the Guangdong Shenzhen Public Security Bureau in China made a case against him and charged him with defrauding someone during a property sale.
But even the person who was named in the case came forward and said that it had not happened. The Buddha also had no record of ever owning the property, or of anyone else transferring it to him.
The case lingered for years, even going so far as getting INTERPOL involved and asking that they issue Red Notices for the arrest of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. After an investigation in China, thirteen legal experts came together and stated that the case was incorrect and fabricated, and that it was not accurate at all. INTERPOL’s investigation showed the same conclusion.
Eventually, China requested INTERPOL to withdraw the Red Notices against the Buddha, and in November 2009 INTERPOL wrote to His Holiness the Buddha that the Red Notices against him had been canceled. But all through the years when he was being defamed and investigated, he never said a word about it.
He made no public statement about the case, nor did he try to clear his name in any way. When he was asked to show the INTERPOL letter he received, he also chose not to do that.
The reason that Shenzhen Public Security Bureau made the case against the Buddha, is because Shenzhen Public Security Bureau illegally took more than 700 paintings from the house the Buddha resided in.
These were paintings that were created by him during past decades. But he never said anything. In order to keep these paintings, the public security agents still tried to slander the Buddha through the internet, and continued to make claims that he was guilty.
If they stated his innocence, they would have to acknowledge their own crimes, including the made-up case and the stolen paintings from the Buddha and his disciple.
Finally, in 2019, due to mounting requests from the Buddhist community and its leaders, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III agreed to make the INTERPOL letter public. The World Buddhism Association Headquarters made the letter public and issued a statement as well.
That allowed those who were faithful to Buddhism all around the world see the truth of the facts in the case, and put their fears and concerns to rest. During the entire time, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III never said anything negative about his accusers.
The Most Dignified Buddha Treats Himself As Humanity’s Servant
Ever since the founding of Buddhism, it has been common practice for Buddhist disciples to make offerings to their teachers and masters. But H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has vowed never to accept offerings, and to do everything out of love and compassion, without any requirements for compensation. He serves people only on a voluntary basis and will never take something in return for his services.
His compassion for the people who have helped him, those who have tried to harm him, and the world in general, seems to be unwavering. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is committed to his teachings, and understands that the care and compassion he displays to the world is what matters.
From the art he creates to the people who come to him for healing, everything and everyone is treated with care. This is the way it has been done for more than 2,500 years, and H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III carries on the tradition.
By focusing on the situations of other people, instead of his own, the Buddha is able to show that he values the world and everyone in it, and that other people should do the same. It is only through serving others and having compassion for them that people can truly reach an enlightened state of joy and happiness.
While not necessarily easy to do in modern society, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has been focused on the value of this accomplishment since he came to this world, and remains committed to it today.
During his life in China, and now that he lives in the United States, he has frequently been offered millions and even tens of millions of dollars in offerings.
He has never taken even a dollar of it, and has always turned it away. Some disciples have written about how they have wanted to give offerings, but that the Buddha would not accept them. Although he is always modest and says that he is humanity’s servant, we know that he is the most dignified Buddha in the world.
On the evening of May 31, 2013, an ordinary family outing turned into a life-changing experience that revealed to me the power of karma, faith, and divine protection.
That spring, my two daughters had just returned home from their colleges on the East Coast for summer vacation. We were all joyful to be reunited as a family. After dinner that evening, my husband, Yiao-Tee, and our daughters decided to take a short walk to the nearby Walmart in Pleasanton, California, to buy a watch battery.
It was around 9 p.m. when we stepped out of the store. My husband and daughters walked a few meters ahead, while I followed behind them on the pedestrian walkway. Suddenly, a police car pulled out of a parking space.
The officer inside noticed my daughters walking past his vehicle and, focusing on them, momentarily forgot that he was still driving. In that instant, he failed to see me. By the time he realized I was there, it was too late— the police car struck me squarely. Screams broke out around us as I was thrown into the air and landed heavily on the ground.
When the officer got out of his vehicle, his first reaction was to blame me, claiming I had suddenly stepped in front of his car. My husband and daughters immediately refuted this. They knew I would never rush recklessly in front of a moving vehicle.
Eyewitnesses later confirmed that the impact had lifted me several feet into the air. Yet, against all odds, I was conscious and could move. An ambulance soon arrived and rushed me to the emergency room.
After thorough examinations and X-rays, the doctor and nurses were astonished. They told me, almost in unison, that my survival was nothing short of a miracle.
There were no broken bones, no internal injuries, not even minor scrapes. Only a light swelling and redness on my left thigh showed any sign of trauma. The next day, I received acupuncture and laser treatment—and even went to work as usual. My daily life was completely unaffected.
When I reflect on that night, I recall no sensation of pain or impact. My mind had gone blank. Yet, very subtly, I felt as though someone had caught me and gently placed me back on the ground.
That feeling was profound and beyond words.
I have always worn the Vajra Thread given to me by my master when I took Refuge. I believe wholeheartedly that the compassionate empowerment of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and the blessings of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas protected me from harm.
While I was physically unharmed, the aftermath was not easy. The police department initially refused to accept responsibility. They attempted to shift the blame to Walmart, claiming the store had not provided adequate pedestrian markings. As a result, they also refused to cover the nearly ten thousand dollars in ambulance and medical expenses.
It was only through Walmart’s surveillance footage, which captured the entire incident, that the truth could be verified.
I reported the situation to my master, explaining how I had been struck by a car yet walked away without injury.
Then, three months later, a call came from the police department’s insurance representative: they would cover all the expenses in full.
In that moment, my heart overflowed with gratitude—to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for their protection, and to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III for His compassion and empowerment.
This experience deepened my faith and strengthened my resolve to cultivate diligently. Our whole family now listens to the Buddha Dharma of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and practices accordingly.
Through continued study and sincere cultivation, we have found that every aspect of our lives—career, health, and even our children’s educational paths—has been smooth and filled with blessings.
Inspired by this miracle, our family established a Dharma Listening Center to share the authentic Buddha Dharma of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, so that others may also receive the same blessings of wisdom and protection.
From the bottom of my heart, I express my deepest gratitude to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, the Pope of Buddhism, for expounding the supreme and authentic Buddha Dharma.
I also bow in reverence to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for their compassionate protection. This experience reminded me of an unshakable truth: the law of cause and effect never errs.
This accident was no coincidence—it was the ripening of past karmic causes. Yet, through sincere cultivation and the accumulation of merits, even serious calamities can be transformed.
This event has forever affirmed my faith in the Buddha’s teachings. If we believe in the law of cause and effect, remain steadfast in our cultivation, and dedicate ourselves to doing good and spreading the true Dharma, every bit of merit will bring us peace and blessings.
When one lives in alignment with the Buddha Dharma, miracles are not extraordinary—they are the natural expression of divine compassion.
Dharma Master Qing Ding was originally named Zheng QuanShan. He was born in 1903 from a well-known large family that had the Buddhist faith for many generations. He started to read and chant Buddhist sutras at the age of 7 and received basic knowledge about Buddhism from his father.
In 1939, when Zheng Quan Shan was 36, he was the major-general director of the Advanced Party, Government, and Military Training Corp of China’s Nationalist Government. While working in Chongqing, he often spent his leisure time to go to Ciyun Temple nearby to listen to Dharma Master Cheng Yi’s expositions of Buddhist sutras and Buddha-dharma.
Under the introduction and guidance of Dharma Master Cheng Yi, Zheng Quanshan was ordained as a monk in 1941 at Ciyun Temple in Chongqing and received his dharma name “Qing Ding.” During the same year, Dharma Master Qing Ding received the complete set of monastic precepts at Zhaojue Temple in Chengdu.
Dharma Master Qing Ding（Disciple of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III)
Zhaojue Temple in Chengdu
Following Dharma Master Neng Hai and Attaining Lineage
Dharma Master Neng Hai
After receiving the precepts, Dharma Master Qing Ding also became a disciple of Dharma Master Neng Hai, who was a famous eminent monk in modern Chinese history. He learned the Yidam dharma of Yamantaka Vajra from Dharma Master Neng Hai.
After Dharma Master Neng Hai had entered nirvana, Dharma master Qing Ding succeeded Dharma Master Neng Hai’s lineage and became a dharma king and leader of the Gelug Sect of esoteric Buddhism. Dharma Master Qing Ding’s dharma power and virtue majestically astounded the world. He once manifested great supernormal powers at a demon-subduing dharma assembly and changed his own appearance into that of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
The Supreme Encounter
However, at the high age of 90, he paid homage to acknowledge a young tremendous holy virtuous person as his master. Who is this young tremendous holy virtuous person? Why did Dharma Master Qing Ding acknowledge Him as his master?
This young tremendous holy virtuous person is His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III. Dharma Master Qing Ding observed from his state of realization that this young person is the genuine incarnation of Dorje Chang Buddha the primordial Sambhogakaya of the dharma sphere. He seized this magnificent karmic condition that is difficult to encounter in millions of eons.
Acknowledging H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III as His Master
Dharma Master Qing Ding acknowledged H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III as his master and beseeched for Buddha-dharma.
A Dharma brother supported Dharma Master Qing Ding and said to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, “Master, Great Monk Qing Ding of zhaojue Temple came today to pay homage to become your disciple and beseech for Buddha-dharma.”
H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III: “Okay, go ahead. You can just do four prostrations according to the four refuges. Monk Qing Ding, your are my disciple from now on. Since you are my disciple, you should act in accord with my conduct, and cultivate yourself earnestly according to my method. Sit on the seating cushion.”
(Sitting at the side was Yang Wen who worked at Chengdu No. 2 Hospital and came with Dharma Master Qing Ding. Helping Dharma Master Qing Ding from behind was the lead attendant of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.)
H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III: “I will transmit my Buddha-dharma to Great Monk Qing Ding. I hope that you will definitely abide by the religious policies, continue your advancement, and be a good monk.”
Receiving the Inner-Tantric Initiation
Master Qing Ding acknowledged H.H. Dorje Chang buddha III as his master and beseeched for Buddha-dharma. He beseeched H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III to confer make-up inner- tantric initiation of the Yidam dharma of Yamantaka Vajra.
It turned out that when Dharma Master Qing Ding beseeched and learned the Yidam dharma of Yamantaka Vajra from Dharma Master Neng Hai, he did not receive an inner- tantric initiation. This was because although Dharma Master Neng Hai had received an inner- tantric initiation himself, he did not have the ability to confer an inner- tantric initiation to his disciple, Dharma Master Qing Ding.
The Profound Importance of Inner-Tantric Initiation
Why is an inner- tantric initiation so important? The effect of an inner-tantric initiation is that the master transmitting the dharma invites the Yidam of the dharma to be transmitted to come to the site. The Yidam will then accept the disciple in person. Therefore, as long as the disciple engages in self- cultivation in accord with the dharma, liberation from birth and death is guaranteed with a one- hundred- percent certainty.
H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III conferred an inner- tantric initiation of the Yidam dharma of Yamantaka Vajra to Dharma Master Qing Ding. That made up what Dharma Master Qing Ding lacked and fulfilled the wish that he cherished for many years.
Nowadays, some heretical individuals on the internet are spreading slander. They are fabricating lies such as claiming to be a living Buddha in order to exploit followers. Many people may begin to wonder: Is H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III truly a Buddha?
The Purpose of a Buddha’s Appearance in the World
In reality, when a Buddha comes into this world, it is to let sentient beings hear the true dharma. The purpose is to liberate from samsara and attain great accomplishment — not to prove that they are a Buddha! If you believe in Him, He is a Buddha; if you do not believe in Him, He is still a Buddha. This is just like the ignorant people who sought evidence that Namo ShakyamuniBuddha was a Buddha — they spent their whole lives doubting. Meanwhile, Namo Shakyamuni Buddha’s disciples focused on listening to the teachings. They were practicing according to them. Each attained great supernatural powers and liberation. Those burdened with doubts, even until death, were still questioning, “Was He truly a Buddha?”
Since coming into this world, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has manifested unparalleled Buddha wisdom. Even though H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III knew that He was indeed Dorje Chang Buddha III, He always described Himself as a humble and ashamed person. He never once declared that He was a Buddha. This is evident from the many dharma discourses and audio teachings He has given and spread worldwide over the years. Only after He was formally recognized by the “Three Masters and Ten Witnesses” with written certifications and congratulatory endorsements did H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III acknowledge this identity.
H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s Teachings Are No Different from Shakyamuni Buddha’s Dharma
The teachings of Namo Shakyamuni Buddha and the teachings of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III are no different. They are in complete interpenetration without obstruction. Just as Namo Shakyamuni Buddha’s disciples in ancient times attained supernatural powers and great accomplishment, the holy achievements of disciples under H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III are likewise numerous and undeniable.
Holy Accomplishments of Disciples Under H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III
This is also why leaders of many sects have sought profound dharmas from H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, thereby attaining great accomplishment. To name a few well-known accomplished figures:
Elder Puguan of Kaihua Temple at Misty Mountain, the first station of Southern Transmission Buddhism in China, and 13th-generation Patriarch of Golden Summit, Mount Emei — his holy body remained incorrupt.
Elder Zhang Wangtingguo — attained accomplishment of freedom in life and death at age 109; eleven days after parinirvana, fresh blood still flowed from his body like that of a living person.
Elder Yinhai — after passing away, his holy body transformed into a vajra body as hard as stone, an unprecedented holy manifestation in Buddhist history.
Great Master Desi Rinpoche of the Sherpa lineage — attained rainbow body accomplishment.
Dharma Master Tonghui — accomplished the state of Golden Arhat, his holy body remaining incorrupt, now enshrined in gold.
Dharma Master Yongding — possessed vast supernatural powers, traversing freely through the Three Realms.
Elder Wuming — worldly spiritual leader of exoteric Buddhism — holy body remained incorrupt.
Elder Yizhao of Hong Kong’s Zhulin Chan Temple, Dharma heir of the Venerable Master Hsu Yun — also attained great accomplishment.
Additionally, Lobsang Zhenzhu, who mastered the Tripitaka and was champion of the entire Buddhist debate system, achieving the highest Lharampa Geshe degree, also studied dharma under H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
In conclusion, no amount of slander or doubt can obscure the truth. The dharma teachings of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, together with the undeniable holy accomplishments of His disciples, stand as living testimony to the authenticity of the Buddha-dharma. Just as Namo Shakyamuni Buddha was not confined to any sect but was the Buddha of all Buddhism, so too is H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III universally recognized by Dharma Kings, Regent Dharma Kings, and eminent Rinpoches from every major sect. His Holiness has never sought to prove His own Buddhahood. Instead, He has selflessly devoted His life to guiding sentient beings toward liberation and accomplishment. For those with faith, the truth is luminous and undeniable: H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is indeed a true Buddha, manifesting in this world to bring sentient beings onto the path of liberation and enlightenment.
Over the past ten years I have been indeed fortunate to receive so many empowerments and initiations from H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. I have practiced the dharma of self-cultivation taught me by my Buddha Master so that I do have a modest degree of realization. My life has been dedicated to helping others learn and practice as well. I have seen many miraculous states including seeing my Buddha Master and other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the heavens and watching a vajra pill fly out of my hand in a dazzling red light. I was also able to awaken another vajra pill and hear and see others sing and dance.
But were these signs that I was a holy being? His Holiness had said that I was, but would ordinary people be able to see the transformation? My real concern was, would I be able to help liberate other living beings? Would they believe me and follow the teachings that I had learned from my Buddha Master?
I learned of another magnificent Buddha-dharma from The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation that can enable one to actually demonstrate that they have the body of a saint or holy being. It is known as the Tien Jie Mandala Ni-Wan Dao-guo Fa or Heavenly Realm Mandala Mud Pill Lamdre Dharma. “Ni-wan” translates literally as “mud pill.” Lamdre is a Tibetan term for “the path and its fruit.” Through this dharma, the “gate to heaven” on the crown of the head can truly be opened. The “mud pill” is also found in the meditative techniques of inner alchemy in Daoism. The Mud Pill crown opening was what was sought to become an immortal. Ancient emperors of China would have given their kingdoms and fortunes to be able to receive this dharma. Ni-wan is also a Daoist term for the place where the consciousness or spirit enters and leaves the body of an immortal. It literally means a point on the top of the head that when open feels like soft mud. A newborn’s brain is like this, which is the reason one has to protect the head of a baby until these openings or fontanelles can grow shut. This point is also known in acupuncture as the Bai Hui or the hundredth meeting point and is connected to the hypothalamus, pineal and pituitary glands—all parts of our anatomy that modern science does not fully understand or appreciate. This is also the Hindu Yogic equivalent of the Crown Chakra. The “ni-wan” also refers to the upper Cinnabar Field in Daoism or the center for intellect and spirituality. In Daoism, one refines one’s essence (jing) into vital energy (qi), refines one’s vital energy into spirit (shen), and refines one’s spirit into emptiness. One unites one’s primordial spirit to become form (an immortal) and dissipates that spirit to become formless vital energy. One is then neither empty nor substantial. That is what is called “non-doing.” In Daoism you are said to also be able to receive cosmic energy through this point as well.
Lest there be confusion, I want to make something perfectly clear. The Mud Pill of Daoism is the place on the crown of the head through which one leaves the body to ascend to heaven. Buddhism also recognizes that the Mud Pill is the place through which one leaves the body to become a celestial being or immortal, which is one type of living being among all of the living beings in the six realms. However, what I am writing about is the Buddha-dharma and not Daoism or any other form of religion. When Buddhism came to China, the Daoists adopted many aspects of Buddhism. Still, Buddhism leads one to become a Buddha or Bodhisattva, and Daoism leads one to become an immortal. People who misunderstand what I am saying might question why I talk of a Daoist practice. This is a result of simply not understanding the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha clearly stated in the sutras that there are six realms into which living beings can reincarnate and that the highest realm is the realm of the immortals. The ten types of immortals are described in general terms in the Surangama Sutra and elsewhere, but they can generally be grouped into three classes: earth bound immortals who continue to live amongst us, heavenly immortals who will go to the heavenly realms only after they leave this earth, and the divine immortals who can go to the heavenly realms now with their earthly bodies as well as after they leave this world. What the Surangama Sutra does not say, but the Buddha explains in other texts, is the fact that those who cultivate themselves according to the teachings of the Buddha can continue their practice in these heavenly realms and go on to become Bodhisattvas. The translation that I have of the Surangama Sutra is not clear on this point and appears to be discussing primarily the earth-bound immortals and not their higher forms.
Although this Buddha-dharma can be transmitted to non-Buddhists as well as Buddhists and help sincere practitioners of other religions to achieve their goals of heavenly rebirth, its purpose for a Buddhist is quite different. Buddhists are also able to take rebirth in the Heavenly Realm and enjoy this paradise, but they do so in order to continue their cultivation and practice of the dharma and be able to eventually become Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. In the Sutra on Loving-Kindness (Metta Sutta), Shakyamuni Buddha tells us that although a non-Buddhist may enjoy a life-span in these heavens, when that life-span ends he must return to the lower realms to repay his karmic debts due to the law of cause and effect. However, one who follows the way of the Buddha can enjoy the pleasures of these realms and also gain liberation through the practice of Buddha-dharma while in these realms, eventually attaining the… “complete extinction of lust, hate and delusion in that same kind of heavenly existence.” But there is another aspect of this dharma that also makes it important. When one becomes accomplished in or achieves the fruit of this dharma, one’s structural body actually changes. One’s bones become different than those of an ordinary being to enable one’s consciousness to ascend to the heavenly realms. In this way one becomes a true holy being or saint.
Why is this important? Only holy beings or saints can liberate other living beings, and our work here as Buddhists is to help others seek liberation from the unhappiness, pain, and suffering of samsara or worldly existence. So, how do we know that someone is a holy being? There are many who claim such status and their disciples support them by calling their master a holy being, but are those who make such a claim really able to demonstrate their holiness?
There are two aspects of holy beings that distinguish them from ordinary beings. The first is that they manifest the Great Compassionate Bodhisattva State. This is a type of mind or level of accomplishment whereby everything they do is done for living beings. No matter what they do, say, or think, it is to help living beings become accomplished in the dharma or liberated. This is the aspect of virtuous conduct. However, this alone is not enough to be designated a holy being, because, generally speaking, it cannot be seen or understood by ordinary people.
The second aspect of a holy being is that their physical body type is different from that of ordinary people and there are ways that this can be demonstrated. This is seen through miraculous events that actually change the structure of the body. The Mud Pill Holy Dharma is a Highest Form of Inner-Tantric State-Practice Initiation contained in The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation. The Mud Pill Holy Dharma can accomplish this change in the structure of the body, as can accomplishment in the practice of Tummo Dharma that goes beyond the second stage. It is one way to prove that someone actually has the true Buddha-dharma and can help liberate other living beings. The process for becoming a saint in Catholicism is quite similar. A person has to have exhibited a pure, moral, and kind life and demonstrate some sort of miracle. The opening of the crown in the skull without any visible means on the surface of the skull is such a miracle! But scientific tests show that there indeed is such an opening!
As I mentioned earlier, the Mud Pill dharma from The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation is unique in that such dharma can be practiced by the practitioner of any religion. Although one needs to be a good person with deep roots of kindness, one does not need become a Buddhist to practice it. However, one must be careful in applying this dharma. It can be used to have the consciousness leave and return to the body, and it can be useful at the time of leaving this earth. But if your crown has been so opened, you must strictly abide by the Mud Pill Path Fruit Precepts. If you violate any of those precepts, you must repent that same day. If you repent a day later, your crown will close and you will not attain liberation. But if you abide by the precepts, you will be able to go immediately to the heaven or paradise of your choice after death. You do not need to pass through the bardo. A Christian’s soul would go the Christian Heaven to be with Jesus, while a Hindu would have his consciousness merge with Universal Consciousness (Supreme Cosmic Spirit) in the formless realms or go to the Brahman Heavens of the Form Realm, and so on. In an oral discourse on the dharma, the Buddha Master expounded that our crowns must be opened for us to go to any of the higher realms. What we call consciousness and others refer to as the soul or “spirit” exits the body at the time of death. The means by which it exits determines the next life. The Buddhist sutras also state that if the exit is through the souls of the feet or Yong-Quan gate, one goes to the hell realms; the lower orifices, one becomes an animal; or the navel, one becomes a hungry ghost. The part of the body that determines where the consciousness/soul/spirit of the person goes will remain warm after the rest of the body becomes cold. If one’s heart is warm and the rest of the body is cold, one is reborn to the human realm to be a human. If the throat or the throat gate is hot and the rest of the body is cold, one becomes an Asura. If one’s body is cold and the Mud Pill gate, or fontanelle, is hot, one becomes a deva or a heavenly being. When one is liberated and/or is reborn into a Buddha land, the exit place will be at the Da-Le gate, i.e. the top gate right in the middle of the skull. I remember Dr. Mitchell Levy at Zion, Illinois reporting that after the Sixteenth Karmapa departed this world, to his and the rest of the hospital staff’s amazement, the area around his heart remained warm for a very long time, which would imply that he would be reborn as a human.
The “Mud Pill” dharma does not enable one to become a Bodhisattva. It only enables one to become an immortal and go to the heavenly realms. It can demonstrate that one’s physical body has the qualities of a holy being. However, there are many kinds of holy beings. It does not mean that as long as you have your crown opened it can be said that you are a great holy being. This is true no matter what type of crown opening you receive—either from the Ni-wan Dharma or the Vajra Substitute Body Meditation Dharma. These crown openings belong to the initial stage of a holy being. They are not great holy beings who truly attain the level of perfect liberation. His Holiness has made it very clear that even for the dharma of Vajra Substitute Body Meditation, the opening of the crown should reveal a hole as big as an egg. Moreover, there should be a deep hole in the brain. It does not count if one just has an opening of the scalp or scull bone. His Holiness taught us that using scientific exams alone is not enough to determine the success of a crown opening. In front of the watchful eyes of many people, testing and verification of the crown opening must take place based on Buddha-dharma rules. There is 100% proof that the crown opening was successful when three peacock feathers hanging over the crown of the person tested move about as a result of his consciousness leaving his body or his energy leaving his crown.
MRI scans of those who have received the Mud Pill empowerment show a small opening at the crown. However, the concentration powers of a small portion of those practitioners are not strong. For the sake of their safety, it is best that their openings are closed. At the time of their death, their crowns will naturally open again. There is no need to close the openings of those whose concentration powers are strong. Still, such people must strictly abide by the Mud Pill Path Fruit Precepts. I know of a devout Tibetan whose skull had many such openings from empowerments he had received from various rinpoches. His skull was retrieved from the sky burial field and kept for veneration at a local temple because the lamas knew that he was a true holy being.
So, although I was encouraged to continue my dharm a practice and seek higher states of realization, my Master wanted me to have this empowerment. At the time of my Mud Pill Path Fruit Crown Opening, I wrote a vow of truth that stated the following: “FACING WHAT IS TRUE—Becoming accomplished through the Mud Pill Path-Fruit of The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation does not require the Master to touch the crown of the head or pour water onto the crown from a precious vase. The Master was on one side of the garden, and I was on the other side. The Buddha Master never came close to the crown of my head. His Holiness used His mind to accomplish this transmission. Right then and there His Holiness caused the Emperor of Heaven to descend and open the crown of my head. I clearly saw a wondrous state appear before me. It was extremely clear. Nobody would believe me. How could this be? I was worried it might have been an illusion, so I had it evaluated by a scientific instrument. That evaluation proved that what had happened was real. This fact proves that I have the qualifications of an immortal. If what I have just stated is false, I will surely descend into hell. Sincerely spoken by Zhaxi Zhuoma.”
I hope that virtuous non-Buddhists with deep roots of kindness will also receive this empowerment.
My own experience in receiving and practicing the Mud Pill Dharma of The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation was incredible. I find it difficult to describe in any way that can explain what happened in a believable way. Fortunately, I have the MRI photos that can show the success or fruit of my efforts. I truly believe that these pictures are “worth a thousand words” as far as demonstrating the results, but let me try and tell as much as I can about how they came about. As I have mentioned elsewhere, one does not usually talk about the empowerments and holy inner-tantric initiations one has received. In fact, we are prohibited from doing so according to the dharma. This is an inviolable rule especially with respect to State Practice Initiations. However, I will describe what I am permitted to describe in order to provide non-Chinese speaking people with more specific information about the magnificence of the true Buddha-dharma.
First, it was a beautiful, balmy day. The sun was shining brightly with a slight breeze, providing ideal weather. I sat under a large orange tree next to a calm pool. My assistant sat behind me and was some distance away from me. She faced the opposite direction since she could not witness the ceremony. Of course, I cannot give the particulars of the ceremony itself, but what I can tell you is that my magnificent Master was not in any way near me. His Holiness never touched me or my head before, during or after the ceremony. In fact, my Master was on one side of the yard and I on the other during the ceremony. His Holiness used His mind to accomplish this transmission of the Buddha-dharma to me. His Holiness continued to pray for me while I practiced the dharma. His Holiness prayed that I be a most kindhearted person, that I always benefit all living beings, that I always wish my country and its people be at peace, that I always wish all living beings be free from disasters and hardships, and that I always wish all sentient beings be eternally happy. After I received this dharma, I sat and chanted a certain mantra silently. When I experienced a bright, distinct holy state, I began chanting the same mantra loudly to thank the Emperor of Heaven—also known as the Jade Emperor— for receiving me. My place in the celestial realms as an immortal had been insured. Right then and there my practice of the dharma caused the Emperor of Heaven to descend and open the crown of my head. The wondrous state that appeared before me was extremely clear. There was no doubt that something supernatural had happened!
After the ceremony my Master still did not touch my crown, including the entire time from when I received the dharma until year of 2010 at a medical center where I went to have a MRI image made of my head. Even if the Buddha Master had opened the “Gate of Heaven” on my crown by touching my head, such a power would have exceeded that of all of the Buddhist patriarchs throughout the generations. Even without touching my head, the Buddha Master enabled me to experience the supernatural state through mind transmission alone. I still wondered, “Could this just be an illusion?” It was, after all, an incredible accomplishment. I knew that in ancient times many great sages had devoted their entire lives and resources to achieving this to no avail. Why was I able to realize it?
As soon as I returned from the MRI center, I put the CD of the procedure on a computer. I knew from personally witnessing the beautiful holy state that the ceremony had been a success, but what would the MRI scans show? Would modern medical science be able to see this crown opening? Would the photos record that which is not visible to the naked eye? We were not disappointed. The results were phenomenal! The MRI image showed exactly what should appear according to a discourse given by my Master on this subject—that the Emperor of Heaven connected with me and opened my crown with a hole that was at least an inch wide. The bone around the opening even curved downward to allow for the opening. It was as if the bone had been transformed to a soft wax that could easily be shaped into a different form. Some of the images showed the opening from different angles. It was amazing! Who could believe it? Yet when I looked in the mirror, there was no sign of any change on my crown. No scars, no marks, nothing was visible to the ordinary eye. However, the sophisticated scientific instruments at the MRI center clearly showed a large opening in my crown. It went all the way through the bone into the soft tissue of my brain. It was so amazing. To the average person, this was a miracle! To a holy being, this was supernormal! I now had the body of a holy being and could prove it!
After the image was recorded, I deeply understood that my powers were not yet mature enough. Therefore, I decided to temporarily close my crown to prevent my consciousness from leaving my body and not returning or riding the clouds to heaven before my time has come. That way, I can remain in this world for a while longer. If I abide by the Mud Pill Dharma precepts, I will be received by the Emperor of Heaven and the other celestial beings and be able to continue my study and practice of the Buddha-dharma in paradise. If I become accomplished in the Buddha-dharma in this lifetime, my Da-Le gate will automatically open and I will be able to go to the Buddha-lands. Should I be able to go to the Buddha-lands, the celestial beings will come to escort me there. My Buddha Master is magnificent. I sincerely pray that all living beings have the opportunity to receive this blessed dharma. My gratitude to my Buddha Master is without limits.
The International Buddhism Sangha Association (IBSA) published the following concerning a question about the Mud-Pill Fruit Dharma:
“Some people may ask the following question. Since the goal of a cultivator learning Buddhism is for ascending to the Buddha-Land, why should one seek to reincarnate in the heaven realm? There is something that this person did not understand. Although the Mud-Pill Fruit of Accomplishment is truly a dharma for reincarnating in the heaven realm to become a god, because a cultivator is living in a paradise, he or she will have many opportunities and affinities to beseech dharma from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Thus one can easily and quickly attain through practice the holy realization for ascending to the Buddha-Land. However, the prerequisite for reaping such beneficial reward is that the cultivator must carry out and abide by the ten good deeds and cultivate according to the dharma. Therefore, although crown opening by Mud-Pill Fruit of Accomplishment enables one to reincarnate in the heaven realm, the dharma provides a safeguard to the cultivator at the time of dying and reincarnation so that one does not have to experience the stage of bardo. As a result, there is no suffering caused by the disintegration of the four great elements. Moreover, reincarnating in the heaven realm will make it easier to receive the dharma for ascending to the Buddha-Land.” Click to read the entire article, Announcement #201103.
Recently, a Western friend asked me why I believe that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is the true Buddha. He told me that when he searched online, he found many negative comments, and even saw that some Rinpoches claimed they did not recognize the Buddha at all. Sadly, certain people with evil intentions have slandered H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, falsely accusing Him of conferring the title upon Himself, thereby misleading Buddhist practitioners and causing great harm.
I feel deeply saddened that so much true and authentic information about the Buddha has been buried under falsehoods and misunderstandings. To help clarify, I would like to share selected passages from the publicly available book H.H.Dorje Chang Buddha III (A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma). In it, many Bodhisattvas, Dharma Kings, Rinpoches, Dharma Teachers, as well as renowned monasteries, issued official certificates and congratulatory letters confirming the identity of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
The above photo of sixty such dharma kings, rinpoches, and temples, many of whom are shown below. Photos of some of these dharma kings and rinpoches actually signing or stamping their letters are also included. Although this is only a small portion of those who have recognized H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha, the following list does represent the highest present-day dharma kings and regent dharma kings from various temples or famous rinpoches in current times. It is they who recognized or corroborated, or sent congratulations to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
For more information and more detailed biographies on many of these great holy beings as well as their letters of certification and congratulation see A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma.That book also explains how many of these holy beings had their identities.
H.H. Dodrupchen Rinpoche (1927- ), a famous great dharma king of the Nyingma sect who is the sole holder of the complete Longchen Nying-thik, said the following in his letter congratulating the publication of A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma: “I found the book wonderful and amazing and totally inspiring. . . [It is a] truly miraculous and extraordinary expression of truth expressed and unexpressed beyond words in Buddha Dharma.”
An incarnation of Guru Padmasambhava, H. H. Dodrupchen Rinpoche IV, Thupten Thrinle Palzang, is the holiest great dharma king within the Nyingma lineage. His Holiness is the greatest living Dzogchen or Great Perfection master and the main lineage holder of the Longchen Nyingthik lineage, the highest dharma in Tibet for perfecting the rainbow body. The first Dodrupchen, Jigme Thrinle Oser (1745-1821), was the greatest disciple of Jigme Lingpa (1730-1798). The Third Dodrupchen Jikmé Tenpé Nyima (1865-1926), was both a great scholar and a remarkable yogi.
The Dharma King’s main seat is at Chorten Gonpa Monastery, which His Holiness founded in the outskirts of Gangtok, Sikkim. His Holiness is also the spiritual director of the very small isolated Sera Gonpa (Nubri Monastery) in Kylmo Lung (Peaceful Valley), Nepal. It is unique in that the 50 monks and 50 nuns that study there have identical programs. H. H. Dodrupchen Rinpoche IV is represented in the USA by the Mahasiddha Nyingmapa Center, Kunzang Choling Temple, in Hawley, MA.
H.H. Dharma King Penor Rinpoche
H.H. Dharma King Penor (1932-2009), a supreme dharma king of the Nyingma sect, wrote the following in a letter to rinpoches: “H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Yangwo Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu. . . has been recognized by numerous greatly virtuous and eminent monastics. . . A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma. . .will provide the karmic conditions for living beings to . . . attain the ultimate state of Buddhahood.”
An incarnation of Vajrapani Bodhisattva, the eleventh lineage holder of the Nyingma Palyul tradition, Kyabje Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche, was born in December 1932 in the Kham region of eastern Tibet and left this world in March 2009. After H. H. Dilgo Khyentse departed in 1991, H. H. Penor Rinpoche became the Supreme Head of the Nyingma Sect. In 2001 he resigned from that position to devote more time to his extensive global network of monasteries and dharma centers, recommending that H. H. Mindrolling Trichen Rinpoche assume that position. His Holiness Karma Kuchen Rinpoche IV, is the current head of the Palyul subsect.
His Holiness’s Main seat was at Palyul Monastery in Tibet, one of the six main Nyingma monasteries. His Main seat outside of Tibet was at Namdroling (Thegchog Namdrol Shedrub Dargyeling) Monastery, Bylakuppe in Karnataka State, South India, close to the sacred Drekar Pungwa Stupa where Buddha first taught the Kalachakra Tantra. In 1978 the Ngagyur Nyingma Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies was added along with a nunnery and college for women. His Holiness had a number of branch temples in the US and a retreat center in McDonough, New York. During the 2008 Dharma Propagation Tour, Zhaxi Zhuoma Rinpoche and other tour members were able to have an audience with His Holiness and hear His Holiness Penor Rinpoche praise H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. The rinpoche said that it was good that such a holy being would incarnate in these dharma-ending days.
H.H. Jamyang Lungdok Gylatsen Rinpoche
H.H. Dharma King Omniscience Jamyang Lungdok Gyaltsen (Lama Achuk 1927-2011),who is the incarnation of Venerable Longsal Nyingpo, stated in his recognition certificate, “. . . H.H. Master Wan Ko Yee . . . is the incarnation of Vimalakirti. . . is Dorje Chang Buddha III. . . .”
H. H. Jamyang Lungdok Gyaltsen or Lama Achuk (Also referred to as Khenpo Achuck Brioche or Achiu Kamabu or Lama A-chos) is an incarnation of the great terton Rigdzin Longsal Nyingpo (1625-1682) of Kathok Monastery. He was the head of the Nyingma Sect in China and the foremost person of great holiness and virtue in all Tibet.
He was born in 1927 in Eastern Tibet and spent 43 years in retreat with his master, Tulku Arik Rinpoche. On July 23, 2011 he entered into paranirvana. His Holiness lived at Yarchen
Vajra body of Lama Achuk
Uddiyana Meditation Monastery, an encampment (gar) of thousands of monks, nuns, and lay practitioners, that he established in an isolated valley near Ganzi (Kandze) in Baiyu (White Jade) County, in Sichuan Province, China. This was the largest concentration of rinpoches and lamas in the entire world. The cremation ceremony of Lama Achuk commenced on August 29, 2011. The body of Lama Achuk shrunk from a height of almost six feet (1.8 meters) to about 1 inch tall, a sign of very high realization. From time of Lama Achuk’s paranirvana to the cremation, many auspicious signs appeared, five colored rainbows were often sighted in the sky and five colored pure lights often appeared in the area surrounding Lama Achuk’s body. More than 100,000 sangha members and lay devotees attended the puja and paid respect to the sacred body of Lama Achuk.
One of his disciples, Khenpo A-chos, achieved the rainbow body earlier in 1998. Father Tiso, a Catholic priest who went to Tibet to investigate the rainbow body phenomena at the suggestion of the Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast, found evidence that H. H. Lama Achuk himself had already achieved the rainbow body as well.
H.H. Dharma King Jigme Dorje
On behalf of the Jonang sect, H.H. Dharma King
H.H. Dharma King Jigme Dorje stamps his seal onto his congratulatory letter to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III that he had already signed.
Jigme Dorje (1944- ), who is the Supreme Dharma King of the Jonang sect, respectfully congratulated H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu with the following words: “Such superlative accomplishments are truly unprecedented in the past few thousand years, outshining the accomplishments of all
Kalachakra Mandala created by Jonang monks at Jamdha Monastery, Golok Region, Amdo, Tibet
others, both ancient and modern. His Holiness is a shining paragon among Buddhas.”
The supreme dharma king of the Jonang sect, H. H. Jigme Dorje is an incarnation of the Shambhala King, Suchandra, who was the first to receive the Kalachakra tantra from Shakyamuni Buddha. His Holiness continues to hold the highest teachings of the Kalachakra dharma. H. H. Jigme Dorge was born in 1944 and is head of the Zangwa (Tsangwa) Dazang Monastery in Eastern Tibet.
H.H. Dharma King Mindrolling Trichen
The chief secretary for H.H. Dharma King Mindrolling Trichen (1031-2008) of the Nyingma sect, Ven. D. G. Khochhen Rinpoche, sent a congratulatory letter on behalf of Dharma King Mindrollling Trichin and the Mindrolling Sangha in which he wrote, “. . . H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu Dorje Chang brings good fortune and wisdom to all living beings.”
Trichen Jurme Kunzang Wangyal, Mindrolling (Mindling) Trichen Rinpoche XI (1931-2008), was the supreme head of the Nyingma sect. Although the original seat of Mindrolling, one of the six major Nyingma monasteries founded in 1876 by Rigzin Terdak Lingpa on the south side of the Tsangpo River, is near Lhasa, Tibet, a new Mindrolling Monastery has been established at Dehra Dun, in Uttranchal State, India. The Nagyur Nyingma College, Mindrolling’s Institute of Advanced Buddhist Studies. (Five Vidyas University) is also located there. His Holiness’s daughter, H.E. Khandro Rinpoche has a retreat center in the USA and continues the Jetsunma lineage of female masters there and at Samten Tse, her nunnery in India.
H.H. Dharma King Trulshik
The famous H.H. Dharma King Trulshik Rinpoche (1924-2011), who is a master of H.H. the Dalai Lama and the root master of several Tibetan Buddhist dharma kings and lineage holders, wrote the following words respectfully congratulating Buddha Vajradhara Yangwo Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu: . . . “A Treasury of True Buddha- Dharma. . .will become the cause whereby each sentient being who has descended into the abyss of the six realms of reincarnation leaves suffering and attains happiness.”
H. H. Nyingma Dharma King Zhadeu Trulshik (Trulshig) Chenpo Ngawang Chokyi Lodro Rinpoche (1924-2011), who resided in the Everest region of Nepal, was an incarnation of Maitreya Bodhisattva and a lineage holder from the first Dodrupchen, Jigme Thrinle Oser. His Holiness was considered the closest and most accomplished disciple of H. H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and like Khyentse Rinpoche a leading proponent of the Rime or non-sectarian movement in Tibet. He was entrusted with the responsibility of finding and recognizing the incarnation of Khyentse Rinpoche after he passed on in 1991 as well as Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche after he left this world in 1996. Dharma King Trulshik founded a remote monastery and retreat center in Nepal at Tubten Choling. He was the fifth Supreme Leader of the Nyingma Sect until his death in 2011.
H.H. Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche
The highest dharma king of the Northern Treasure lineage of the Nyingma sect, H.H. Dharma King Taklung Tsetrul (1926-2015), wrote the following words of congratulations: “His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu possesses the true dharma of the Buddhas . . .
H. H. Taklung Kyabgon Tsetrul Thupaten Gyaltsen Rinpoche is the Dharma King of the Drak Dorje (Vajra or Indestructible Rock) Monastery, one of the six main Nyingma Monasteries, founded in 1610 by Rigdzin Ngakgi (Aji) Wangpo (1580-1639). This monastery specialized in the changter or jangter tradition of Rigdzin Godem (1337-1408). Rigdzin Godem was the master of the “northern terma (treasures)” tradition of the Nyingma school. Rigdzin Godem literally means “the vidyadhara with the vulture feather.” He received this name because three vulture feathers grew from his head when he was twelve years old, and five more when he was twenty-four. A reincarnation of Dorje Dudjom of Nanam, one of the nine close Tibetan disciples of Guru Padmasambhava, he is also counted among the five king-like tertons and one of the three nirmanakayas of Guru Padmasambhava. In 2011 he became the Supreme Leader of the Nyingma Sect.
H.H. Dharma King Jigdal Dagchen Sakya
H.H. Dharma King Jigdal Dagchen Sakya (1929- ), the second highest leader of the Sakya order, offered the following congratulations: “Many masters praise H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu and his book about his Dharma activities. The book’s name is A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma.”
H. H. Jigdal Dagchen Sakya Rinpoche is the head of the Phuntshok Phodrang branch of the Khon dynasty, the main lineage of the Sakya tradition. The leadership of the Sakya sect has rotated between the Phuntshok Phodrang branch and the Dolma Phodrang branch, currently headed by H. H. Sakya Trizin. H. H. Jigdal Dagchen Sakya founded and serves as the main teacher of Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism in Seattle, WA. He has given teachings and empowerments in other parts of the United States and Canada as well as various European and Asian countries.
H.H. Dharma King Sakya Trizin
H.H. Great Vehicle Dharma King Sakya Trizin (1945- ), who is the supreme leader of the Sakya order and the nirmanakaya of Manjushri Bodhisattva, wrote the following recognition concerning the descent into this world of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III: “. . . H.H. Yangwo Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu . . . is . . .Buddha Vajradhara Dorje Chang Buddha III.”
A true nirmanakaya of Manjushri Bodhisattva, The 41st Patriarch of the Khon lineage of the Sakya tradition was born September 7, 1945 in Tsedong near Shigatse, Tibet. While maintaining temples and dharma centers all over the world, His Holiness lives in Rajpur in Northern India with his wife and two sons.
The main seat of H. H. Sakya Trizin, the Sakya Centre at Tsechen Tenpai Gatsal Monastery, and the Sakya College are located north of New Delhi in Rajpur, Dehradun, India. Another major Sakya monastery exists at Sa Magon in Puruwalla, Himachal Pradesh, a state in northwest India, along with the Sakya Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies.
The seat of H. H. Sakya Trizin in the United States is located at Tsechen Kunchab Ling, the Temple of All-Encompassing Great Compassion, in Walden, New York. His older sister, H.E. Sakya Jetsun Chimey Luding (1938-), lives in North America.
H.E. Chogye Trichen Rinpoche
H.E. Dharma King Chogye Trichen, Ngawang Khyenrab Thupten Lekshe Gyatso (1920-2007), who was Dharma King of the Tsharpa branch of Sakya sect and the root master of H.H. the Dalai Lama, offered the following respectful congratulations: “H.H. Buddha Vajradhara (Dorje Chang) Yangwo Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu: A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma. . . is the guidepost leading to true Buddha- dharma and the gateway of the dharma leading to benefiting and providing happiness to sentient beings.” H.E. Dharma King Chogye Trichen and Ven. Shabdrung Rinpoche are seen here reading the manuscript copy of A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma, which has now been published as H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
H. E. Chogye Trichen RInpoche, Ngawang Khyenrab Thupten Lekshe Gyatso, was the dharma king and head of the Tsharpa (Tsar) sub-sect of the Sakya Sect and thought to be an incarnation of Mahasiddha Virupa. He was enthroned as the 26th patriarch of Phenpo Nalendra Monastery in North Lhasa, Central Tibet, that was founded in 1425 by the great Sakya master Rongton Sheja Kunrig (1367-1459). The “Whispered-Lineage of Tshar” founded by Tsharchen Losel Gyatso (1502-1566) considered this to be the seat of their lineage. H. E. Chogye Trichen rebuilt the Nalendra Monastery in Nepal, which became the seat of the Tsharpa sub-sect. His Eminence established the Tashi Rabten Ling Monastery in Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, as well as the Jamchen Lhakhang Monastery and retreat center in Boudha, Katmandu where he resided until his death in 2007. He also established centers in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand. His Eminence taught in the West and started dharma centers in America as well.
H.E. Sharmapa
The Red Jewel Crown Dharma King H.E. Shamarpa Rinpoche (1952-2014) is the nirmanakaya of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva and is the chief of the four regents of the Kagyu sect. He offered his respectful congratulations with the following words: “H.H. Yangwo Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu . . . the third incarnation of Vajradhara . . . all his accomplishments . . . will benefit sentient beings. . .”
H. E. Mipham Chokyi Lodro of the Kagyu Sect, an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara, is the present Shamarpa and the second nirmanakaya of the Karmapa. The second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi (1204 – 1283), predicted that “future Karmapas shall manifest in two nirmanakaya forms.” The Karmapa would continue to incarnate at different times as two beings and one would recognize and teach the other. One would be known as the Black Jewel Crown Karmapa and the other as the Ruby-red Jewel Crown Shamarpa. The Shamarpa, in the absence of the Karmapa, is the lead regent with responsibility over both administrative and Buddha-dharma matters. His Eminence was born in 1952 in Derge, Tibet. The main seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage has been at Tsurphu Monastery in central Tibet where it was established in 1159 by the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa (1110-1193). After leaving Tibet, the 16th Karmapa established the main seat of the Karmapa outside of Tibet at Rumtek Monastery.
His Holiness, the 14th Shamar Rinpoche or Shamarpa has established many dharma centers in the West.
H.E. Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche
H.E. Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche (1954- )is the incarnation of Patriarch Gampopa. He is the only regent for the Karmapa Great Jewel Dharma King who has the title of “National Master.” He respectfully praised the incomparable Master, H.H. Yangwo Wan Ko, as Vimalakirti and stated: “. . . .I sincerely wish that . . . the multitudinous living beings who have the karmic affinity to read A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma. . . will attain the supreme fruits of perfect enlightenment, omniscience, and Buddhahood!”
The Vajra Regent and caretaker for the Karmapas, H. E. Goshir, is the current incarnation of the founder of the Kagyu Sect, Master Gampopa (1079-1153). He lives in Sikkim where he oversees Rumtek, the main monastery of the Karma Kagyu as well as his own monastery Ralang, also in Sikkim. He was born in Nyimo, near Lhasa, in 1954. In 1959, the 16th Gwalya Karmapa, Rangung Rigpe Dorje, carried the dharma king on his back as he left Tibet. The Orange Jewel Crown Dharma King along with The Ruby-red Jewel Crown Dharma King Shamarpa, Situpa Rinpoche, and Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche are considered the four princes or regents for the Black Crown Karmapa. There are currently two incarnations considered to be the 17th Black Crown Karmapa, Urgyen Trinley Dorje (1985– ), who is recognized by H. E. Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche and H. E. Tai Situ Rinpoche, and Trinley Thaye Dorje (1983– ), who is recognized by H. E. Shamarpa Rinpoche. The North American seat of the Karma Kagyu, Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, is located in Woodstock, NY.
Tangtong Gyalpo Bodhisattva
The name Tangtong Gyalpo Bodhisattva has gone down in Buddhist history. In the past, this Bodhisattva was the leader of the four main sects of esoteric Buddhism in India, Bhutan, Sikkim, Mongolia, and eastern Tibet. The people of Tibet call this Bodhisattva the father of medicine, the father of bridges, the father of Tibetan opera, and the father of ferryboats. During a dharma assembly held at Hua Zang Si in San Francisco of the United States in which Buddha-dharma realization was manifested, H.E. the sixteenth Tangtong Gyalpo Bodhisattva saw the realization and virtue of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu. He was astounded and immediately prostrated before His Holiness, formally acknowledging His Holiness as his Master. In his congratulatory letter to His Holiness, he stated the following: “. . . H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu is . . . the Master of the Five Buddhas, and has for the first time in the history of Buddhism in the human realm truly manifested complete proficiency in exoteric and esoteric Buddhism and perfect mastery of the Five Vidyas. This is a goal of Buddhism that all other Buddhists have not been able to achieve. This goal has finally been achieved by H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu.”
H.E. the sixteenth Tangtong Gyalpo Bodhisattva (Thangtrul Rinpoche) took birth in Bhutan. His physical appearance resembles that of Guru Padmasambhava. Even when he sleeps, his eyes remain open. He saw H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu during a Dharma Assembly that took place in 2005 at Hua Zang Si in San Francisco, U.S.A. In a supernatural state of samadhi, he instantly saw that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha, the highest ancient Buddha in the dharma realm, had already come to this world again. He at once formally acknowledged H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu as his master. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III asked him, “Did you follow and learn dharma under Guru Padmasambhava? Why have you come here?” H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo answered that he had received teachings directly from Guru Padmasambhava and from H.H. Sakya Trizin. He also said that he had come to request the highest dharma in order to save living beings. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III immediately snapped His fingers, and a dharma bowl manifested awesome power. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III then accepted H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo as one of his disciples who is on the level of a great venerable one and performed an initiation for him. H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo took that dharma bowl back to his home country.
He later learned that the book A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma about the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu Holiest Tathagata was about to be published. He thereupon organized many rinpoches to practice the Kuan Yin Dharma one billion times as an offering to His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III.
H.E. Xiazhu Quiyang Rinpoche
H.E. Xiazhu Qiuyang Rinpoche, who is the incarnation of Venerable Naropa, respectfully congratulated the highest and holiest Wish Fulfilling Jewel Dharma King Wan Ko as follows: “. . .the book A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma. . . is the highest authentic dharma that is of benefit to living beings.”
H.E. Dharma King Xiazhu Qiuyang has just stamped his fingerprint onto the congratulatory letter he wrote to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
H. E. Xiazhu Qiuyang Rinpoche of the Geluk Sect is a current incarnation of the great Mahasiddha Naropa (1016-1100), the venerable leader of 100,000 dakinis. Naropa, a former abbot at the famous Nalanda University in north-east India, was Master Marpa’s guru and the disciple of Tilopa. Master Tilopa received the dharma directly from Dorje Chang Buddha as did Naropa’s sister, Lady Niguma. H. E. Xiazhu Qiuyang was born in 1945, and has become greatly accomplished in Dakini Dharma, having received guidance and empowerment from Vajrayogini herself.
H.E. Renzeng Nima Rinpoche
H.E. Dharma King Renzeng Nima is holding the congratulatory letter he wrote to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
H.E. Mighty Lion Dharma King Renzeng Nima previously vowed to stay in a mountain valley engaged in solitary meditation for the rest of his life. He possesses supernatural powers, inspires awe throughout Tibet, and is the reincarnation of King Gesar. He wrote the following words of recognition: “. . . H.H. Master Wan Ko Yee . . . is the true incarnation of Dorje Chang Buddha.”
H.E. Dharma King Renzeng Nima of the Nyingma Sect is a great terton and the current nirmanakaya of King Tuiba Gawa Gesar, the hero of Tibet’s great epic saga.
H.E. Ngagwang Pedma Namgyal Palzangpo
His Eminence Ngagwang Pedma Namgyal Palzangpo stamps his seal onto his congratulatory letter to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III that he had already signed.
H.E. Dharma King Ngagwang Pedma Namgyal Palzangpo, who is a dharma king of the Jonang sect, respectfully congratulated H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu with the following words: “The body and lifespan of the Buddha Vajradhara of the dharma realm never comes to an end. His Holiness manifests Mahayana states and has the most wondrous powers of great compassion.”
The Jonang Dharma King, H. E. Ngagwang Pedma Namgyal Palzangpo (Penam Rinpoche), was born in 1925 near Amnhymachen, the holy Mountain of the protector Machen Pomra, in Amdo, Tibet. He has been recognized as an incarnation of Duqin Langwa, an incarnation of a close disciple of Guru Padmasambhava, Gelong Namuke Niangbo. His Eminence taught the Kalachakra Dharma in the United States and established Dorje Ling Dharma Centers in New York City and Atlanta, Georgia.
H.E. Mindrolling Khenchen Rinpoche
H.E. Mindrolling Khenchen Rinpoche of the Mindrolling Monastery wrote the following congratulations: “His Holiness Buddha Vajradhara III Yangwo Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu[’s] . . . A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma. . . will restore dharma that had faded and will cause the growth of dharma that has not yet faded.”
The ninth Mindrolling Khenchen Rinpoche, Venerable Jigmey Namgyal, was born in 1970. His lineage began with the great translation master Lochen Dharmashri (1654-1717), the younger brother of Rigzin Terdak Lingpa, the founder of the original Mindrolling Monastery, located south of Lhasa in the Drachi Valley of central Tibet.
Since 1992, His Holiness has been the president of Nagyur Nyingma College, Mindrolling’s Institute of Advanced Buddhist Studies. (Five Vidyas University) at Dehra Dun, in Uttranchal State, India. The college was founded in conjunction with the new Mindrolling Monastery also located at that location.
H.E. Khandro Rinpoche
H.E. Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche of the Mindrolling lineage within the Nyingma sect is the incarnation of Yeshe Tsogyal. She sent a congratulatory letter expressing her deep gratitude toward H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu Dorje Chang Buddha for the book A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma.
As an incarnation of Yeshe Tsogyal, the advanced disciple of Guru Padmasambhava, Her Eminence is part of the Jetsunma lineage of female masters at Mindrolling Monastery, which was founded in 1676 by Rigzin Terdak Lingpa. Her father, H. H. Trichen Jurme Kunzang Wangyal, the XI Mindrolling Trichen Rinpoche, was the head of the Nyingma sect.
Khandro Rinpoche has a North American retreat center in the Northern Shenandoah Valley adjoining the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia as well as Samten Tse, a nunnery in India.
H.E. Dzogchen Ganor Rinpoche
The famous H.E. Dzogchen Ganor Rinpoche offered the following congratulations: “. . . A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma is the wish-fulfilling true dharma that the Buddha expounded.”
H. E. Ganor Rinpoche (1942- ) is the 14th reincarnation of Terton Ratag Pelsang (Karma Lekshe Drayang). He was born near the town of Palpung in the Derge District in eastern Tibet. Because of his level of realization and practices, he was able to perform many supernatural feats like leaving his footprint in rocks and tying swords into knots as if they were rope. He was also able to communicate with non-humans like nagas and devas. He was a great terton who revealed many hidden treasures.
H.E. Urgyen Xirao
H.E. Urgyen Xirao Woxiu, who is a great terton revered by all four types of monastic and lay Buddhists in the land of the Han- Chinese and the land of the Tibetans, wrote in his recognition certificate the following: “. . . Buddha Vajradhara assisted Sakyamuni Buddha in teaching the five hundred monks and other holy ones. . . . H.H. Master Wan Ko Yee, Yangwo Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu, is the incarnation of Buddha Vajradhara.”
Ven. Ugyen Xirao Woxiu of the Nyingma Sect is an incarnation of Ugyen Pema Lingpa (1450-1521), the fourth and most controversial of the Five Terton Kings. Guru Padmasambhava prophesied that Pema Lingpa would recover 108 sacred texts as termas, but due to inauspicious circumstances he only recovered 32. He was known for his spectacular and daring methods in recovering these texts. Once he dived into a lake in Bhutan holding a lighted butter lamp. He told onlookers that the lamp would go out if he were a false spirit. After he disappeared in the dark pool and all thought that he had drowned, he returned to the surface with his butter lamp still brightly burning and with a new terma. He is considered the greatest spiritual master of Bhutan and the immediate incarnation of Master Longchenpa (1308-1364).
H.E. Dorje Rinzin Rinpoche
H.E. Dorje Rinzin Rinpoche, master of the seventh Dzogchen Dharma King in China, stamps his fingerprint onto the congratulatory letter he wrote to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
H.E. Dorje Rinzin Rinpoche is the incarnation of Rigzin Terdak Lingpa Unchanging Vajra, who was the founder the Mindrolling monastery. H.E. Dorje Rinzin Rinpoche, a holy being of great enlightenment, is now the master of many great rinpoches. He said the following in his congratulatory letter: “. . . the accomplishments contained in A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma. . . are those of Dorje Chang Buddha Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu, the Master of the Five Buddhas.”An incarnation of Rigzin Terdak Lingpa Unchanging Vajra Being (1646-1714) who was the great terton and founder of the Mindrolling monastery and lineage, H. E. Dharma King Dorje Rinzin Rinpoche of the Nyingma Sect was a model for eminent monastics to follow and emulate.
H.E. Dharma King Rabjam
H.E. Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, the dharma king of the Shechen monasteries of the Nyingma sect, offered the following words of congratulations: “. . . H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Yangwo Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu, the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel Holy One, has taken action that spreads and makes grander the true Buddha- dharma. How wonderful!”H. E. Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche VII (1966- ) is the grandson of H. H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. The second Rabjam Rinpoche founded Shechen Monastery, one of the six main Nyingma Monasteries in Tibet, in 1695 in Kham. H. E. Shechen Rinpoche VII is the abbot and dharma king of Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery in Nepal, one of the largest and most beautiful monasteries outside of Tibet. It is located near the Great Stupa of Boudhanath, a suburb of Kathmandu and is noted for its ceremonies and sacred dances.
H.E. Renqing Rongbo Barongbo Rinpoche
H.E. Renqing Rongbo Barongbo Rinpoche, an eastern Tibetan Dharma King of the Nyingma sect, respectfully praised H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu with the following words: “The Master is the magnificent sambhogakaya Buddha who has descended into the human world again. . . . His Holiness’s accomplishments are unprecedented in this world and reflect the pinnacle of wisdom. May H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha boundlessly save living beings. . .”
H.E. Dharma King Renqing Rongbo Barongbo Rinpoche (1969- ) of the Nyingma Sect is a current incarnation of Venerable Ananda.
H.E. Green Jewel Crown Karmapa Dharma King Jiezhong
The Green Jewel Crown Karmapa, H.E. Great Jewel Dharma King Jiezhong, prostrated to H.H. Yangwo Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu, the Buddha Vajradhara, and wrote the following words: “A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma about the Buddha Vajradhara is a concrete expression of the highest Buddha-dharma wisdom and abilities.”
The sixth Karmapa Green Jewel Crown Dharma King was born in 1967 in Tibet amidst wonderful auspicious signs. The 16th Karmapa, H. H. Great Jewel Dharma King Rangjiong Rigpe Dorje in India, recognized him as a previous incarnation of the Green Jewel Crown Dharma King Jiezhong Rinpoche.
H.E. Jigme Losel Wangpo
H.E. Jigme Losel Wangpo, the seventh Dzogchen Dharma King who resides in India, wrote the following words of congratulations: “. . . A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma brings benefit to all sentient beings. . . .”
There are two incarnations recognized as the seventh Dzogchen Rinpoche of the Nyingma Sect: H. E. Jigme Losel Wangpo, born in 1964 in Gangtok, Sikkim, and H. E. Tenzin Longdock Nyima, born in Qinghai Province in the Bare Region of lower Amdo in 1974.
The original Dzogchen Monastery in Tibet, one of the six main Nyingma monasteries, was established in 1684 by Pema Rigdzin. More than 60,000 people have attained the rainbow body and become Buddhas in that lifetime while practicing at that monastery. H. E. Dharma King Tenzin Longdock Nyima Dzogchen Rinpoche VII is the current throne holder of Dzogchen Monastery in Tibet.
The official seat of H. E. Dharma King Jigme Losel Wangpo Dzogchen Rinpoche VII is at the new Dzogchen Monastery in Dhondenling, South India.
H.E. Tenzing Longdock Nyima
H.E. Tenzin Longdock (Lungdok) Nyima, the seventh Dzogchen Dharma King who resides in China, respectfully congratulated the ancient Buddha who saves all sentient beings in the three spheres, H.H. Yangwo Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu, as follows: “. . . A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma. . . is like the. . . Wish-Fulfilling Jewel in that it outshines all ancient or modern, Chinese or non-Chinese books. . . . The book also opens up and develops the spiritual wisdom of people.”
Ven. Junmai Baima Dorje Rinpoche
Ven. Junmai Baima Dorje Rinpoche of the Shechen Temple is a nirmanakaya of Vajravarahi. He wrote a letter expressing his respect for the Three Bodies and Four Wisdoms of H.H. Yangwo Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu, the Dharma King of the Three Spheres. In that letter, he stated, “H.H. Great Dharma King is the first holy being who used true realization to display fully in the dharma realm the teachings of the Buddha! H.H. Great Dharma King is the true Buddha Vajradhara, the teacher of both humans and celestial beings!”
Ven. Junmai Baima Dorje Rinpoche VI of the Shechen Monastery in Tibet is a nirmanakaya of Vajravarahi. The first Junmai Baima Dorje was a famous terton and the second achieved the rainbow body. As a small child, the rinpoche could transform a thick knife into a knot. That knife is currently at Hua Zang Si in San Francisco as one of the many holy objects that they hold for public display and veneration.
Ven. Angwang Khyentse Rinpoche
Venerable Angwang Khyentse Rinpoche was the closest disciple of H.H. Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro. He is the head of the Gensa Temple of the Sakya sect and has been in retreat for a long period of time. He possesses supernatural powers and is praised throughout the snowy plateaus of Tibet for his cultivation. In his congratulatory letter, he stated, “Greatest leader of Buddhism, H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu: . . . .Only the wisdom of the ancient Buddha, Dorje Chang Buddha, could produce such a textbook [as A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma] . . . !”
Ven. Angwang Khyentse (Qinzhe) Rinpoche is the Head of the Sakya Gensa Temple in Tibet. He has been in retreat for many years. He is a successor to the dharma lineage of the second Jamyang Khyentse, Dzongsar Chokyi Lodro, the former abbot of the Dzongsar Monastery in Tibet and later the guru of the royal family of Sikkim. Dzongsar Khyentse was one of the incarnations of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892), the great nonsectarian(rime) master and terton of the nineteenth century.
Ven. Yundeng Jiangcuo Rinpoche
The eighty-year-old Ven. Yundeng Jiangcuo Rinpoche, who is the incarnation of Patriarch Milarepa, respectfully offered the following congratulations on the publication of A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma about Buddha Vajradhara: “This book manifests great Buddha-dharma based wisdom and contains accomplishments that no other person in history has achieved. Only H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu has attained such accomplishments.”
Ven. Abbot Kalsang Gyaltsen
Ven. Kalsang Gyaltsen, who represents H.H. the Dalai Lama and is fully authorized to exercise control over the Geluk sect in Nepal, stated in his congratulatory letter the following: “I am sure the works of Venerable Vajradhara Master Wan Ko will inspire all the sentient beings to a better understanding of both the theoretical and practical aspects of the Buddhist philosophy.”
Ven. Zangxia Rinpoche
The famous Zangxia Rinpoche prostrated to the ancient Buddha and greatest leader of Buddhism, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, and stated, “. . . led us to find Dorje Chang Buddha, our supreme ancient Buddha, and thereby enabled all living beings to have the ultimate refuge in this Dharma-Ending Age!”
Ven. Bamba Tuben Geleg Gyatso Rinpoche
The famous Respected Bamda Tubten Geleg Gyatso Rinpoche stated: “. . . [I] beseech the magnificent and holy Dorje Chang Buddha III to bless all sentient beings in the six realms of reincarnation so that they may realize enlightenment soon, hear of and read A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma, . . . and attain the perfect, supreme, and complete enlightenment of a Buddha.”
Ven. Baima Rongzhu Rinpoche
Ven. Baima Rongzhu Rinpoche is widely respected in India and is revered by the people who live along the banks of the Jinsha River. Having prostrated to H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu, he wrote, “Having read A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma, I learned that the ancient Buddha, Dorje Chang Buddha, has descended to the human world again. This is truly our greatest blessing!”
Respected Eba Rinpoche
Respected Eba Rinpoche Danba Wangxu, the fifth dharma king of his temple, used the following words to express on behalf of other rinpoches deep gratitude to the most venerable H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu: “The supreme Dorje Chang Buddha has brought to us A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma!”
Respected Khenpo Chucheng Qupei
Respected Khenpo Chucheng Qupei, whose status as khenpo was conferred upon him by H.H. Dharma King Sakya Trizin, respectfully praised H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu, as follows: “His Holiness is the supreme holder of the 84,000 Buddha-dharmas, the one who is in charge of all dharma methods of Buddhism. His Holiness was the first sambhogakaya Buddha in the dharmadhatu.”
Respected Wangzhi Tudeng Jigmei Rinpoche
Respected Wangzhi Tudeng Jigmei Rinpoche, the famous abbot of the Tsangtsang Temple, expressed his gratitude to the most venerable ancient Buddha, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu, as follows: “The most honorable ancient Buddha has perfectly and flawlessly brought to this world the Buddha-dharma of Tibet’s four main sects as well as the exoteric Buddha-dharma.”
Respected Bishop Seicho Asahi
Respected Bishop Seicho Asahi is the supreme leader of the headquarters of the Koyasan Shingon-shu North American Mission. He praised H.H. Dharma King Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu, the Buddha Vajradhara, with the following words: “. . . Your Holiness’s great accomplishments on Buddhism . . . have never been seen before in the world. Your Holiness is truly the primordial Buddha who incarnated to this world to save living beings and to transmit the authentic Buddha-dharma of Tathagata.”
Bishop Seicho Asahi is the supreme leader of the of the Koyasan Shingon-shu North American Mission which has its headquarters in Los Angeles, CA. He was born in Hiroshima, Japan and came to California as a Buddhist minister in 1981. He has been active in community work, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, interfaith activity, and developing a prison sangha at maximum security Folsom Prison near Sacramento, where he served as Buddhist chaplain prior to becoming Bishop.
The main headquarters of this sect of Esoteric Buddhism, Kongobu-ji (Vajra Peak Temple), is located at Koyasan (Mount Koya) in Wakayama perfecture, Japan. It has been designated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The temple was constructed in 1593 and rebuilt in 1863.
Gele Sanbu Rinpoche
Gele Sanbu Rinpoche prostrated to the supreme H.H. Yangwo Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu and stated, “H.H. Great Dharma King thoroughly understands the true causes and effects concerning all things in the universe. His Holiness is the first great holy being in the history of Buddhism to truly manifest in the human realm complete proficiency in exoteric and esoteric Buddhism and perfect mastery of the Five Vidyas!”
Luozhu Jiangcuo Rinpoche
Luozhu Jiangcuo Rinpoche prostrated to H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu and wrote, “I was fortunate to have respectfully read A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma about the greatest leader of Buddhism, H.H. Yangwo Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu. . . . we see that a true Buddha has again descended into this world!”
Lama Renzhen Rinpoche
Lama Renzhen Rinpoche of the Five Vidyas Buddhist Institute prostrated to H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu and praised the accomplishments of the Vajra Dharma King of Great Holiness with the following words: “We have respectfully read A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma about H.H. Buddha Vajradhara Great Dharma King and were truly astounded! . . . H.H. Great Dharma King represents the Buddha-dharma!”
In 2019, my world collapsed. I was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma—one of the most aggressive and deadly cancers—at a middle-to-late stage. After a consultation with several medical experts, I was told that even if I underwent surgery, I would only have three or four months left to live. To survive six or seven months would be nothing short of a miracle.
Following the doctors’ advice, I went through surgery. Afterward, however, I made the conscious decision to forgo all other cancer treatments. I knew I had medical insurance that could cover much of the cost, but I questioned whether aggressive treatments would truly give me dignity and quality of life in my final days. Chemotherapy, radiation, and similar methods often do more harm than good, damaging the organs and leaving patients to die not from the cancer itself, but from the effects of over-treatment.
I also thought about something else: if my time was truly so short, I wanted to preserve my remaining healthy organs so that they could be donated to those in need.
When I returned home from the hospital, my health declined rapidly. Every day I lay in bed in pain, but I did not allow myself to sink into despair. Instead, I chose gratitude. I was grateful that when I opened my eyes, I could see the rising sun outside my window. Grateful for each breath of fresh air. Grateful simply for being alive in that moment.
Still, I asked myself: Was my life really destined to end in just a few short months? The answer within me was a resounding No. I wanted to create a miracle.
What gave me this strength was my son. My sudden illness had devastated him, and I could feel how my suffering dragged him into deep sadness. At that moment, I told myself I must rise up—for him, so that he would still have a mother, and also for other patients enduring the same pain, to show them that hope is possible. If doctors had already declared that I had no chance, why not prove with my own body how powerful the human spirit can be? Why not find a way to live with dignity, with quality, and with the least burden?
And then, something incredible happened.
In April 2020, my husband prepared a feast for me with all kinds of fish and meat. Strangely, the moment I looked at it, I felt an overwhelming discomfort in my heart. That very day, I decided to give up meat completely. From then on, I have been a vegetarian, and I know this will remain with me for the rest of my life.
Less than a month later, it was time for my medical review. To my surprise, all my test results had improved dramatically. Even though that same month I experienced the heartbreaking loss of my father, my condition did not worsen. At first, my family opposed my vegetarian choice, but as they watched my health improve, they slowly came to accept it. This only strengthened my resolve. Three months later, the test results were even better. Along with vegetarianism, I began exercising moderately each day and keeping a positive mindset. After six months, all my medical indicators had returned to normal.
Today, apart from being a little weaker in stamina compared to before, I am doing very well. When patients or their families reach out to me online and ask how I got better, I tell them honestly: “A positive mindset + positive energy + vegetarian diet + moderate exercise.”
But vegetarianism gave me more than just a second chance at life. It opened the door for me to encounter the true Dharma.
One day at a banquet, my vegetarianism led me to meet a Dharma sister who had followed H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III for many years. She introduced me to Buddhism, giving me the precious opportunity to listen to the Dharma discourses of the Buddha. Through studying the Dharma, I came to understand the law of cause and effect and the deeper meaning of being vegetarian. I realized that it is not merely about food, but about repenting for the harm I once caused to living beings, cultivating compassion for all sentient life, and seeking self-redemption through transforming karma.
I am no longer just a “pure vegetarian” who avoids even milk and eggs. I have become a practitioner who genuinely cherishes and protects all beings. My heart has grown softer, kinder, and more compassionate.
Gratitude fills me every day—gratitude to vegetarianism, which pulled me back from the edge of death; gratitude to the Dharma, which allowed me to encounter the true teachings of the Tathagata; gratitude for the miracles that have appeared throughout my life whenever I was in despair. That is why my online name is “After Darkness, Light.”
Looking back, many people used to say, “How could such a good person like you get this disease?” I once thought I was a good person too. But was I really? Before learning the Dharma, I would kill mosquitoes, flies, and ants without hesitation. I once had an abortion. Only after learning the true Dharma did I realize how heavy those karmic debts were. And what about my past lives? How much more karma have I carried forward?
Now, I understand: the suffering I faced in this life is not unfair—it is the natural result of my past actions. But how fortunate I am, despite all of this, to have encountered the true Dharma and to have a holy teacher guiding me. This is an incredible blessing, one I owe entirely to the compassion of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions.
The reason I am writing this article is because, in a Buddhist study group of more than 400 people, I saw so many “requests for dedication” every day and so much suffering. I felt most of them don’t have the correct view and concepts of Buddhism. That made me want to share my experience, in hopes it may help others. In those lists of dedication requests, I saw too much misfortune and pain—patients with terminal illnesses, those crying out in agony, those with depression and anxiety, those struck by sudden misfortunes, and so on. It made me deeply sad: sentient beings suffer so much! People in this life fall ill or face hardships of all kinds, but these are all karmic consequences ripened from the many unwholesome deeds done over countless lifetimes or in this very life. Each of us must have deep faith in cause and effect. We must understand that sickness and adversity are manifestations of our own karma, and also warnings—opportunities for us to repent and correct our wrongs.
“There is no one else to rely on but ourselves.” What magic cure exists in this world? The only true cure is repentance and cultivation! For patients who request dedication, whether they themselves, their families, or their friends, if they wish for a miracle or at least some relief, then apart from avoiding over-treatment, the only way is for the patient themselves to give rise to deep repentance and truly reform. Therefore, we must learn Buddhism, follow the teachings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas: commit no evil, practice all that is good, strictly uphold the precepts, and follow the teachings in our practice.
All that I have written here is based on my own personal experience and feelings. As for the Dharma itself, the standard must always be the teachings personally expounded by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
Respected Khenpo Chucheng Qupei, whose status as khenpo was conferred upon him by H.H. Dharma King Sakya Trizin, respectfully praised H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu, as follows: “His Holiness is the supreme holder of the 84,000 Buddha-dharmas, the one who is in charge of all dharma methods of Buddhism. His Holiness was the first sambhogakaya Buddha in the dharmadhatu.”
Peace LiLy 
