At the beginning of the new year, I try to think of how to improve my life spiritually. Some beautiful lines by James Allen come to mind.
“Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. This is but saying that nothing can come from corn but corn, nothing from nettles but nettles. Men understand this law in the natural world, and work with it; but few understand it in the mental and moral world (though its operation there is just as simple and undeviating), and they, therefore, do not cooperate with it.”
“A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.”
These words are indeed very inspiring. Mind is the control center of one’s words and actions. I want to be a better person that talk nicely, act kindly, then I should have beautiful mind.
An ancient chinese worthy, Zeng Zi said, “Everyday I examine myself many times. Do I do my best when doing things for others? Am I honest and reliable when associating with friends? Whether do I review and practise what my teachers teach me?” In traditional Confucianism teaching: Everyday, one should brush away the faults from yesterday, not to tell lies and be humble. One should purify the heart and rectify the mind, to confront genuinely, and start afresh. Thus, one will be renewed every day and have daily renovation, this is the way to be a new man. This old wisdom is very helpful on how to examine my mind daily.
However, in this modern era, there is so much informations from everywhere all at once, and I have a lot of thoughts in my mind. I have pondered more about what are the good thoughts and actions, and what are the bad. Every civilized culture in the world has adopted similar standards for its people based on this inherent understanding of good and evil. Murder, theft, and deceit are universally understood to be wrong. I keep on searching in Religions for a better answer.
In christianity: As darkness is defined by the absence of light, sin is defined by the absence of goodness (James 4:17). Since God is the very embodiment of good (Psalm 86:5; 119:68), anything contrary to His nature is evil (Romans 3:23). We learn to distinguish good from evil by getting to know God. His Word is the foundation for understanding Him (Psalm 1:1–2; 119:160; John 17:17).The closer we draw to the holiness of God, the worse sin appears (Isaiah 6:1, 5). A t-shirt may appear white against a black wall. But when you place that shirt on newly fallen snow, it appears quite dingy. Similarly, our attempts at goodness look quite dingy when placed next to the holiness of God. As we enter His presence, we start to notice how self-centered our thoughts and actions are. We see our own greed, covetousness, lust, and deceit for the evils that they are. It is only in God’s light that we begin to see ourselves clearly.
God’s Word is filled with examples of those who did right and those who did wrong. Those examples are there for us to learn what God is like and what He desires from us (1 Corinthians 10:11). Micah 6:8 gives a brief summary of God’s desire for every person: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Malachi 3:18 makes it even clearer. God says, “And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” Here the Lord is equating righteousness with serving Him. If good is defined as serving God, then evil is rejecting God and refusing to serve Him. Regardless of how philanthropic a person may appear to others, his good works amount to little if they are done for selfish reasons. If we make it our goal to seek God and honor Him in everything we do (1 Corinthians 10:31), we will understand right and wrong and know that our life choices are pleasing to Him (Jeremiah 29:13; 1 Peter 3:12; Psalm 106:3).
In Buddhism, Buddha provided more precise and broad concepts on what are right. Such as the ten precepts: (1) not killing; (2) not stealing; (3) not committing adultery; (4) not lying; (5) not speaking harshly; (6) not speaking divisively; (7) not speaking idly; (8) not being greedy (9) not being angry; (10) not having wrong views.
In Learning From Buddha, Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III says：Establish great compassion as your foundation. Do not do anything that is evil. Do all things that are good. Give up self-interests and benefit others. Patiently endure humiliation and adversity. Practice humility. Purify the mind. When encountering living beings, regardless of whether they are handicapped, deficient, sick, or healthy, treat them all equally as family members. Know that all phenomena are governed by causality. With good causes, you receive good retributions. Good retributions yield good fruits. Good fruits enable you to receive the true Dharma. Relying on the Dharma, you can achieve perfect good fortune and wisdom. Then you can step into the state of accomplishment, break away from the sufferings that living beings experience, cease transmigrating in the cycle of birth and death, and accomplish the perfect enlightenment of a Buddha!
Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III further more provide a guidance on our mind cultivation — the three daily introspections :“Before I went to sleep at night, did I think of anything unbeneficial to living beings? Did I think about doing those things? Did I think of doing something not good to others for the sake of myself, my children, or my relatives? Did I think of doing something not good to my fellow brothers and sisters? Did I crave credit or merit for myself? If I did, I must repent at once, I must correct myself! By doing that every day, I will naturally and gradually become purified and will become a great holy person.”
This year I will try my best to follow his guidance diligently, eliminate all my wrong thoughts, build a beautiful garden in my mind, and be kinder in my speech and conducts. Love all beings equally, do not have discriminate against other countries and peoples in the world. Wish peace, harmony and good fortune to all.
In the beginning of 1999, a short trip of pilgrimage to the Buddhist holy sites in ancient India gave me the second feeling of returning home. In particular, when we were all prostrating around the Buddha’s Nirvana Temple in Kushinagar and respectfully lighting up 108 lights during the morning practice, suddenly dharma joy grabbed my entire body. I felt pleasantly serene and happy as if I was at the side of Sakyamuni Buddha. The feeling of coming back to home was so good! However, this was only a feeling from my emotions. I did not reach enlightenment in Buddha-dharma. There was no realization power to talk about. I kept asking myself whether this was due to my heavy karmic blockage. Otherwise why didn’t I receive practical benefits from the practice of meditation and some other dharmas? The more I thought about this, the more I felt that I was a very inferior person. The more inferior I felt, the more I was determined to learn and master Buddha-dharma.
One day, I received a copy of the book True Stories about a Holy Monk from a fellow Buddhist friend. I opened the book and started to read. Upon reading into the section about Buddha bestowing nectars, I suddenly entered into a somewhat dazed state of mind. The holy scene of Buddha bestowing nectars emerged in my mind. Such impression appeared real but was illusionary, gave the feeling of between existence and non-existence, was felt like my own experience and lasted a long time before disappearing. There was an indescribable joy in my mind. From that, I was sure that this is the true Buddha-dharma and is truly what I should quest for, rely upon and practice. After reading the book, I often felt in my mind an urge of wishing to meet and pay respect to the great holy one in person as early as possible. On the other hand, I also felt sad for the expected departure from the monk students at the Buddhist Academy whom I supported for quite a few years.
One day, on my way to work in the morning, this question came to my mind again. I suddenly felt a lump in my throat and tears gushed out from my eyes. I uncontrollably burst into a big cry. I managed to hold off my feelings to drive into the underground parking lot of my company. Once the car stopped, I could not control my emotions any longer and I cried for 20 minutes in the car. My eyes became swollen. I repeatedly beseeched Kuan Shi Yin Bodhisattva to empower me and point out my way. After a while, I thought that for a person with such heavy karmic blockage, how could it be possible for me to receive empowerment and guidance from Kuan Shi Yin Bodhisattva?
I put on a pair of sunglasses and went into my office. I sat on my chair with my mind being blank. Within five minutes, my secretary came in and asked me if I wanted to answer a phone call from a fellow Buddhist sister. I said yes. Once I picked up the phone, from whatever she told me over the phone, the only thing I could remember was “Brother, would you like to go on a trip to pay respect to the great holy master?” At that time, I happily answered, “Yes, Yes, I do!” I immediately prostrated on the ground with my palms together to thank Kuan Shi Yin Bodhisattva for pointing out the path for me.
I flew across the Pacific Ocean to the United States to pay respect to my greatest and kindest Buddha Master, H. H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, in the end of 1999. When I respectfully presented my offering gift as homage to the dharma with a pure white hada in prostration, my heart was beating heavily and my eyes dared not face upward. However, with only one brief peek, I felt enlightened right away. My instinct told me that this great holy being in front of my eyes is a Buddha! At the instant when the Buddha’s eyes were staring very benevolently at me, I felt that an extremely strong force of empowerment was transmitted from the top of my head into my entire body. My whole body felt very warm. This time I really came back home! I felt extremely confident and tears flooded out of my eyes. I did not have enough words to describe the dharma joy I had at the time.
After I had calmed down my feeling, my Buddha Master spoke to me, “Weren’t you looking at the sky since your childhood to search for answers? I will tell you now.” My Buddha Master told me the important affinities in my current life as well as the affinities between my Buddha Master and me from the past lifetimes. My Buddha Master also told me to buy an alms bowl and bring it back immediately. I and Henghsing Gyatso Rinpoche immediately bid farewell to my Buddha Master and left. We asked a fellow sister to drive us to a shopping mall to buy an alms bowl. Because of our unpreparedness, we could not find the alms bowl we needed. In the end, I had to buy a porcelain soup bowl with cover and came back. My Buddha Master looked at it and then asked Henghsing Gyatso Rinpoche who took me to buy the bowl whether he had provided any suggestion or advice to me. Henghsing Gyatso Rinpoche answered, “No, I did not. He chose the bowl and bought it on his own decision. I did not do anything for him.” At that time, I presented the bowl to my Buddha Master. My Buddha Master told me, “Do not hand it to me. I will not touch your bowl. You go and fill it with water by yourself.”
I immediately washed clean the porcelain bowl I bought with pure water and wiped it dry with the hada. Then I, by myself, filled it with pure water and respectfully laid it on a square dharma table that was before us. My wife and I prostrated in front of the dharma table. We respectfully held our palms together and kept chanting “Om, Ah, Hum!” My Buddha Master was at a distance of more than three meters from us and conducting the dharma at the top of a tall dharma rostrum. Not long after, at my Buddha Master’s dharma decree, bodhi holy water penetrated the side of the bowl and flowed out. I saw with my eyes that dharma water permeated through the surface of the porcelain bowl filled with pure water and flowed onto the table. At this time, at every dharma decree from my Buddha Master, the dharma water flowed to the left, right, or forward, exactly as instructed. My wife and I gazed at the scene and were simply speechless. My Buddha Master told us, “I will use this bodhi holy water to set up the mandala to guard against demons from stealing the dharma. I am going to perform an initiation for you two.” After that, my Buddha Master sprinkled dharma water around the perimeter of the mandala (Buddhist altar for transmitting Buddha-dharma or worshipping Buddhas and Bodhisattvas) to prevent evil beings and demons from listening to the Tathagata Dharma. Then the ceremony of initiation started. At the moment of dharma water sprinkling down to my head, I felt an extremely pleasantly cool feeling of empowerment that was pouring from the top of my head to my heart. The dharma joy I experienced at the time cannot be described in written languages.
During the six years before meeting my kind Buddha Master, because of my foolishness, deep and heavy attachment to the self and various types of ignorance, I created much dark karma. Consequently, my health was deteriorating steadily as time went by and eventually had to be sustained by medicine and the injection of placenta extract. My complexion was black and dark. Upon seeing me for the first time, my Buddha Master told me, “Your health is not good. I will teach you a dharma now. You should make a good effort in practicing it. You will get well.” In the years since then, I cultivated by adhering to the teaching and practiced according to the dharma. Miraculously, my health has recovered completely. From the year end of 2002 until now, I have not had much illness to speak of. Except going to the dentist office once a year to clean my teeth, I did not visit any hospital or clinic. For a 1,000-mile long-distance driving of 16 hours from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon, I drove by myself without a stop and did not even feel tired. All these come from the empowerment of the great Buddha-dharma from my Buddha Master!
Before respectfully meeting my Buddha Master, I heard that my Buddha Master had been living in a room on the second floor of a fellow brother’s home, where the space is small. My wife and I immediately had the idea of offering a house to my great and kind Master, for propagating Buddha-dharma in America. Upon being led into the mandala where we became my Buddha Master’s disciples, the wish of offering the house emerged immediately. We respectfully reported to my Buddha Master and beseeched my Buddha Master’s benevolence to accept it. However, while my wife and I respectfully stated what we intended to present, my Buddha Master replied, “I accept your sincere wish but I do not accept the house. However, I will temporarily stay in your home for two years.” My Buddha Master’s discourse made me very surprised. For years, I had been cultivating and practicing in exoteric sects of Buddhism. I supported and made offerings to many monks, dharma masters and major temples. I never received a response like that. The conduct of the Buddha is so pure, selfless, faultless and great as to beyond my imagination. Later on, I also made offerings of great sums of money. My Buddha Master also declined them all. Where in the world can you find such person? There is no such eminent monk even among eminent monks. Only Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in Buddha-land possess such holiness and pureness.
This December 4th, a Dharma Assembly for the Holy Birthday of Amitabha Buddha was held at Hua Zang Si, located at San Francisco. About two hundred people attended the assembly. The weather was very sunny, clean and fresh after heavy rain the day before. It was a very happy time. Ever since the pandemic period started, Hua Zang Si has been closed to the public. This was a precious opportunity for buddhist disciples to get together.
The main venue was held at the second floor of the temple, the Amitabha Buddha Hall. The twenty-one foot tall statue of Amitabha Buddha (designed by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III) has been generally recognized as the most majestic Buddhist statue in the world. It is an extremely solemn sight. The Buddha’s eyes seem alive, looking down at all beings full of compassion and love.
First we chanted Buddha Expounding Amitabha Sutra，then we made the meal offering to the Buddhas and Buddhisattvas, at the end Master RuoHui RuZun gave us a short Dharm speech and we all prayed to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to grant blessings and protections to all beings in the world.
Amitabha Holy Birthday Assembly at Hua Zang Si
I greatly enjoyed the assembly, so much so that after it ended I still didn’t want to leave. I stayed and helped to clean up the site. I also prostrated to the Amitabha Buddha and kneel down and pray wholeheartedly: Please Buddha save me from the birth-death cycle, please take me to the western paradise.
I always wondered how this magnificent Amitabha Statue was installed in the hall. I found out an amazing story behind it. The sitting statue of Amitabha Buddha is inside the grand hall on the second floor. The statue of Amitabha Buddha was paid for with H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III‘s money from selling his paintings. The molding of the statue was also based on the blueprint drawn by the Buddha. During the process of molding, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III modified the model eight times in person. All places that did not conform to the stipulation of the dharma were corrected and re-molded. After the completion, this statue was judged to be the most solemn Buddha statue in the world. The height of the statue of Amitabha Buddha was 6.7 meters (22 feet) and two narrow stairways with 180-degree turns have to be passed to go upstairs, the manufactured Buddha statue had to be first cut into several pieces and reassembled together after moving onto the second floor. Therefore, this statue was divided into seven parts and shipped in three containers to Hua Zang Si (the temple).
After the Buddha statue was unloaded, everyone in the temple were participating in carrying each part of the statue respectfully and carefully to the second floor. We were surprised to find that the sizes of the seven components all fit correctly into the narrow space in the stairway and all turns were made smoothly on the way to the second floor. In addition, there was no damage to the surface paint coating or any other place of the Buddha statue, thanks to the blessings from all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, as well as dharma protectors.
The process of installing the Buddha statues into seats and surface gold-gilding went very smoothly. There were no signs of reassembly. We all happily stood in front of the Buddha statues with unlimited reverence in our minds. Such solemn grand Buddha statue can only be seen at Hua Zang Si in San Francisco of America, because it was made under the personal guidance from H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III!
Recently I have read a book titled Revealing the Truth, in which there is one chapter called A Vicious Demon and Formidable Beast. It is an unexpectedly frightening chapter, almost like a horror movie. As a buddhist disciple, I totally believe in the law of cause and effects. We need to abstain from anything that is evil, do everything that is good, and use the correct understanding and views to cultivate. Don’t violate any of the precepts, otherwise you will end in miserable retribution. After reading the book, I completely believe that the true and original Dharma transmitted by Sakyamuni Buddha and Dorje Chang Buddha III can defeat any demon or evil spirit.
There was a rinpoche brother who claimed that he was a reincarnation of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and cheated living beings everywhere he went. He deluded many people to put up everything they had as offerings for him, causing problems in many families. Since he had seriously violated the precepts, the Buddha Master sternly reprimanded him a number of times. However, he ignored all that and even dared to lie to the Buddha Master (H.H.Dorje Chang Buddha III).
Because his conduct of swindling and bluffing was so bad that it caused many living beings to suffer, eventually dharma protectors had to inform him that he was going to meet with a miserable and menacing retribution. He was then captured by order of the Yama King and died miserably. He became a blood-flashing vicious ghost. In order to lessen his sins and dark karmas, and also for the purpose of educating and transforming two persons who were masters and had the same behaviors, a group of people who were involved in the endeavor of propagating Buddha-dharma and saving living beings including dharma kings, rinpoches, dharma masters, and others were asked to confront this blood-flashing vicious ghost, evil demon Nuori, to gain practical experience. Therefore, the Buddha Master ordered dharma protectors to arraign this evil demon to the home base to be educated and transformed. After that, what had been a very auspicious backyard became a gloomy dark forest. Its horror was beyond description.
In the afternoon of that day, the Buddha Master was setting up an altar In the backyard. Out of curiosity, I stayed right by the Buddha Masters side. When the Buddha Master took out a photo of this vicious ghost taken after his death, I was very scared, “That is so horrible” The eyes in the photo had been closed originally but were now insidiously and ruthlessly opened into a slit. The eyes were also moving and he gave me a treacherous cunning smile, as if he were about to eat me. I hurriedly diverted my eyes away and dared not look at the photo anymore. My whole body was trembling with goose bumps swelling up all over. If you just took a look, the formidable image would immediately be imprinted into your memory and could no longer be removed.
The Buddha Master was going to tell dharma protectors to send Nuori’s spirit to the home base. I hid myself behind the Buddha Master, because that was the only safe place. The Buddha Master suddenly spoke, “Attention! He is coming!” Right after that, a round of gloomy, miserable, and terrifying ghost howling was heard from a distance of about two or three miles and then arrived with unimaginably fast speed right in front of me at the next instant. Meanwhile, a strong gloomy wind blew over, causing tree leaves to drop down all over the place. Now this vicious ghost was captured and brought back. The eyes in the photo were blinking, and I felt as if some accomplice of his had arrived as well! At this time, the temperature had a big sudden drop of more than ten degrees. This garden that had previously been filled with warmth, comfort, elegance, auspiciousness, and peace changed completely. The shadow of the ghost emitting blue light with the after-death desolation, terror, and gloom appeared in the backyard garden every night.
Only the Buddha Master could walk there freely. No one else dared to get close. From then on, we formed groups when walking in there and dared not move around alone. When the evening was about to come, we would withdraw from the backyard spontaneously. Even during daytime, no one dared stay there alone. There was a strong gloomy and pressing air that made people feel suffocated. That atmosphere tended to make people want to run away immediately without staying for even one moment. Even the dog Jie Ben who had used to love playing in the backyard garden day and night now dared not go there during the day. Additionally every time the Buddha Master called it to get in there, right after the Buddha Master finished talking, he would run back to the front living room immediately. Then he would hide his tail while his limbs trembled at a very high frequency. The photo of that vicious ghost was put on the altar set up within the gloomy dark woods. It was very startling that the horrible eyes seemed to be staring at your beating heart, as if he was ready to assault you with his claws reaching out to scoop out your heart.
The Buddha Master intended to use this reality to educate and transform venerable ones, dharma kings, rinpoches, and dharma masters into abstaining from everything that is evil, doing everything that is good, and using correct understanding and views to cultivate, learn Buddhism, and to treat cultivators. Of course, it was also for educating and transforming me. Therefore, some people were arranged to go to this altar in the evening to meet with the ghost and obtain an experience in person. The blood-flashing vicious ghost made a vow at the time of his death. He was going to find those disciples who violated the precepts like him and did not listen to the Buddha Master’s teaching to let these people know the eventual outcome of violating the precepts. This would be his way of creating merit to offset his sins.
When the Buddha Master led a disciple walking to the front of the altar, a golden leopard with a body length of more than two meters suddenly appeared from where the photo was on the altar. It opened its mouth to show its sharp teeth and put up a pose to launch a leaping assault. The Buddha Master gave an order, “Bad beast! Don’t go wild!” Immediately, a black leopard appeared by the Buddha Master’s side. It was even fiercer. The two leopards then confronted each other. Step by step, the black leopard eventually forced the golden leopard to go away. This scene was already scary enough. What happened next was even tenser because, after the Buddha Master led the disciple to the altar, the Buddha Master would leave the site. The disciple would be left there alone to practice the dharma. The Buddha Master would not be with the disciple.
When dharma assembles were held in the past, people would all try to get ahead to secure an opportunity to attend. This time, however, no one volunteered to go. People all wanted to shy away from this event and were afraid of hearing their names called to confront the ghost.
Even the phrase “rounds of merciless gloomy winds” was not sufficient to describe the atmosphere at the site. The originally calm woods now suddenly had gusty winds everywhere, blowing tree leaves with the sounds of “Shua Shua!” The photo of the the blood-flashing vicious ghost that had been laid flat there jumped up all of a sudden and stood upright. Even the sound of opening a coffin could be heard. Amid the crying and howling of ghosts under a sky without the moon and stars, a shrill yelling was heard. The next moment, the blood-flashing vicious ghost was walking out of the photo. People who had participated in this event all said that it was really very dreadful. Some were so terrified as to pee their pants wet. Some were too scared to walk and were shivering all over.
When Brother Gongla Rinpoche saw the ghost walking out of the photo and leaping toward him, he used the Vajra rice empowered by the Buddha Master to shoot at the ghost with a form called “Scattering Blooms by a Heavenly Lady” that he learned while he was still in high school. That did beat the blood-flashing vicious ghost to the ground. The brother then went forward to check if the ghost was dead. While he bowed down to look at the ghost’s face, this vicious ghost unexpectedly spit out a mouthful of poisonous corpse water that was extremely foul smelling. The brother’s facial features immediately became deformed and dislocated. Seeing his deformed and dislocated facial features, other people were also very scared.
When her turn came, Sister Huei-Chin Yang wanted to console the demonic ghost. She prepared a big piece of fried crispy pork chop to offer to him. She thought that the outcome might be a little better. As soon as the pork chop was put down, the ghost quickly rushed out of the photo and swallowed the pork chop with bone in one gulp. Sister Huel-Chin Yang was scared and trembling all over. Moreover, she was not forgiven either. The ghost blew a mouthful of poisonous corpse vapor toward her, distributing the fetid smell all over her body. She immediately started to wash herself with water from the swimming pool. However, the stinking smell could not be washed away.
There was also Brother Venerable Xirao Jiebu. He carried the Vajra rice empowered by the Buddha Master and entered the site by himself. The photo of the the blood-flashing vicious ghost suddenly jumped up to stand on the ghost’s platform and began to walk forward. Brother Xirao Jiebu threw the Vajra rice toward him and loudly chanted the Buddha Master’s mantra. The Buddha Master knew that the situation was dangerous and rescued Brother Xirao Jiebu right away. Then the Buddha Master drew a circle on the lawn and told Brother Xirao Jiebu not to get out of the circle. At this time, the vicious ghost transformed into a golden leopard at a distance of a little over three meters from Brother Xirao Jiebu and was getting ready to eat him. At this extremely crucial moment, Brother Xirao Jiebu sat up inside the circle and threw the Vajra rice toward the outside. As the situation was becoming extremely dangerous, the Buddha Master appeared again. Then the golden leopard got scared and fled in panic.
Dharma king brother Muya Jiongzha also gave this testimony, “The blood-flashing vicious ghost was really scary. I clearly heard his miserable howling coming from a place very, very far away. Then he came before me very quickly in just one or two seconds. Gusty winds were blowing with sands flying and rocks rolling. The picture stood up and walked. Even the image on the picture suddenly became bigger with a cunning and creepy smile. The eyes opened and blood was flowing down from the corner of his mouth. He suddenly leaped towards me. If I had not had the Vajra rice to resist him, I could definitely have been eaten alive. I can say that no one could have kept himself or herself from being extremely horrified in such a situation.” In addition to the others mentioned, Great Dharma Master XiangeQiongwa had a confrontation with the ghost as well. He and Venerable Xirao Jiebu and Dharma King Muya longha were all highly capable masters of the Nyingma Sect. However, they were all defeated.
Fellow brothers and sisters who had confronted the blood-flashing vicious ghost also included harma King Palden Lodoe, Master Long Hui, Baima Dorie Chuomu Rinpoche, Hangila Rinpoche, Luoben Rinpoche, Cacon Di Rinpoche, Layperson Weicheng, and others. They all said that the horror of the ghost could not be described in words. His demonic power was too strong and too vigorous. If not protected by the Buddha Master, I thought none of them would have been able to get out of the gloomy dark forest alive!
At one night during this period, the Buddha Master suddenly told us to bring flashlights and led us to the backyard. Using the flashlights, we unexpectedly discovered many wild beasts there. Because they were somewhat far away, the animals seemed to be mountain lions, leopards, sable wolves, and nine-tailed foxes. When they saw us coming, they all jumped out of the swimming pool to the ground. In such a situation, we had to be led by the Buddha Master. Otherwise, with a probability of eight or nine out of ten, we would have been eaten by the wild beasts. At this time, we used flashlights to illuminate the surrounding trees. Doing so made us terrified. Actually the beasts did not leave. Rather, they were not far from us and were on the trees, on the wall, on the ground, and on the roof. In different types of body profile and as fierce as tigers and wolves, they were peeking at us. We decided to set up video cameras there during the day so these animals could be videotaped at night. When we played the video recordings, what actually appeared in the videos were snow leopards and panthers. There were many of them. They were happily inhabiting and playing on the deck. However, It was strange that they were completely out of sight during the day. Where did they come from and where did they go? None of us knew.
After the arrival of the leopards, we closed the door to the backyard garden rather early before dusk every day. However, at night, we could still hear them jumping from the roof to the deck. One day, a leopard even showed up in the front yard before dark. Several brothers saw it on the roof above a room. It was a little after five o’clock in the afternoon, before the sky had turned dark, that made us very scared. Every time we went to the front yard to get something, we had to look around in all directions and were still terror stricken.
This situation, keeping us in fear, lasted a few months. Eventually, the time came when the vicious ghost was to be sent away. Before entering sleep that night in a half-dream and half-awake state, I saw large iron-fence cage drop down from above to cover him completely. At the same moment, I also heard the sound of his forceful struggling and yelling, “Buddha Master! I, the disciple, will correct myself. I will be a good ghost who does not harm people! I will definitely cultivate myself!” To this day, I am still unable to forget his voice. The next day, the Buddha Master led us to hold a ceremony for the demonic ghost, to see him off. I sensed that he was restrained with handcuffs and fetters. He was escorted onto a prison van and left. Alas! Abstain from everything that is evil and do everything that is good. Brother in the past and vicious ghost at present, I wish that you rest in peace and cultivate well after paying for your retributions.
After sending away the blood-flashing vicious ghost, mountain lions and leopards also vanished. However, they left lots of urine and feces in the backyard for us to clean up. Also, one or two of them had died there because we found their skeletons in the corners one or two years later. The home base finally returned to its prior auspiciousness. However, not long after that, we found five newborn infant leopards inside a tent in the backyard garden. Good Heavens! A female leopard gave birth to five infant leopards here. Now we would be in misery! None of us had the experience of taking care of leopards. Fortunately, this was a false alarm. They were five newborn black kittens. Since the mother cat was too weak, the kittens suffered malnutrition. In the end, only three survived. One fee it was sent to another place. The other two were named Xiao Ding Mad”and Black Rose perspectively. They were kept at the home base and became members of our family.
The dharma kings, rinpoches, and dharma masters who underwent the confrontation also wrote about their personal experiences at the site in order to bear witness to the truth of these events. Those who participated include Dharma King Palden Lodoe, Ga Chong Di Rinpoche, Great Dharma Master Xiangge Qiongwa, Venerable Xirao Jiebu, Great Master Long Hui, Baima Dorje Cuomu Rinpoche, Layper. son Yang Huei-Chin, Dharma King Muya Jongzha, Jiangjia Rinpoche, Loben Rinpoche, Layperson Weicheng, and Gongla Rinpoche. Their hand-written manuscripts are still kept. I personally read the handwritten manuscripts they wrote. What I wrote in this chapter was just a brief account. Their writings were very complete. To prove their truthfulness, they all took oaths against very severe consequences.
Actually, their oaths were not even necessary. I myself experienced this event too. The experience of this event gave many people a good education. However, based on what I knew, two of them still did not learn from this lesson and could not correct much of their bad habits. The Buddha Master already made the greatest effort to educate and transform them and was also very concerned about the difficulties they faced for liberation and accomplishment. Actually, this fact was quite normal. Among the disciples taught and transformed by Sakyamuni Buddha at that time, some cultivated correctly but others degenerated.
This dharma assembly made me deeply understand a fact. Throughout thousands of years, only my Buddha Master, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, and Sakyamuni Buddha could be regarded as utmost supreme. Which of the dharma kings and venerable ones of esoteric Buddhism or foremost masters of exoteric Buddhism in history had such capabilities? There were no extremely great holy ones who had such truly great Buddha-dharma among them!
The lucky door in life is always inadvertently opened. Maybe it’s the blessings from the Buddha and Boddhisatva.
I remember that day, a critical turning pointin my life.I was exercising in the community that day, a surnamed Meng dharma sister asked me to worship the Buddha in the Buddhist Hall nearby. I agreed with her as soon as I heard the invitation. The dharma brothers and sisters made me feel at home. It’s totally different from the people I met in my life, most of whom treated me courteously but without sincerity. So I decided to chant sutras and listen to the recorded discourses expounded by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III with dharma brothers and sisters. I felt like it’s the place that I should come. Then I couldn’t help crying when chanting sutras, and I would repent. Every time after listening the recorded Buddha dharma discourses, I was filled with endless power.
To my shame, I never settle down to study, but hurry to come and leave the Buddhist Hall owing to busy work. With my diligence for listening the dharma discourses, I make progress and schedule time for study in the Buddhist Hall. Undoubtedly, we want to lead a good life, but learning Buddhism is more important, we can and we have to plan enough time for study.
On the National Day in 2016, I gave up travelling with my family but took part in the Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva Great Compassion Empowerment Dharma Assembly, from which, I truly knew the great Buddha Dharma is true and real. The next day I converted to Buddhism. I was earnest and pious in studying Buddhism after conversion.
The Buddha taught us to conduct cultivation and introspection, to conduct three introspections in the course of a day. I found myself did many things that I should not do in the past, including killing other living beings. When I realized the retribution of killing, I decided not to kill, while turned to vegan at dinner, and on the first day and the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar.
I’ve been doing prostrations since the dharma assembly. Now I have a fit body and my wine tummy is gone. My blood pressure used to be a little bit high, but now it’s stable. I don’t feel panic or worried if travelling by plane or driving. I sleep well all night after chanting H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
Some people think that it takes time to learn Buddhism and it will affect the business and work. However, my business is more prosperous since I’ve taken Buddhism. Numerous long-term orders come for me. Several days ago, the municipal government called me for delivery. I was surprised, because I didn’t have the resource superiority. I focused on social engagement and seldom stayed at home in the past. Now I cherish and care about my family. My son usually asks me to spend time with him. Taking Buddhism makes me healthier and my family relationships more harmonious.
I truly know that Buddhism brings me happiness, so I am determined to do my best to make offerings to Buddha Halls. With the help from dharma brothers and sisters, I set up a Buddha Hall at home. My family also join me to study Buddhism.
All above is my own experience. I hope everyone has the karmic affinity to study the true Dharma of Tathagata. We all eager for a happy life, but making money is only a part of it. The health and happiness we have on this side is temporary, while attaining the accomplishment and liberation on the other side is the truth.
It has been nearly three years since the COVID-19 pandemic broke throughout the world. Statistics tell us at least 201 countries and regions across the globe reported confirmed cases, accumulating to more than 620 million cases, over 6 million of which resulted in death. The coronavirus pandemic created chaos in the world order, directly affecting the health of hundreds of millions of people and resulting in fumbled responses early on from some of the world’s best-equipped countries.
Strict lockdown measures were implemented to stem the spread of the disease, and the resulting interruption to human travel, financial systems, and logistics of all areas resulted in broad and serious consequences to the economy, culture, travel, education, medical systems, mental health, social habits, and overall wellbeing. As the world stepped up to fight the pandemic, resources and people were mobilized in countries of every size to find solutions—large and small—that solve the many pandemic-related concerns we now face.
National medical systems treated the sick as private-sector pharma rushed to develop vaccines, treatments, medications and medical equipment. Governments issued emergency relief funds while churches and non-profits turned their attention to addressing the need for medical supplies. The goal was a unified one—to stop the virus from spreading and ending life.
The Buddhist community responded in kind as COVID-19 began to ravage communities in every country. The Pope of World Buddhism, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, took the lead to donate protective and pandemic-fighting supplies to public service organizations and hospitals. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III said to people, “The emergence of the pandemic is due to cause and effect. There have been many pandemics of different types and forms in the history of human society. Covid-19 is a contagious pandemic, which means it is infectious. It can morph into different variations due to changes in human body and the weather conditions and cause new infections to people. That, however, will result in the generation of anti-bodies in humans. Although this disease cannot be fully exterminated, vaccines can be quite effective in protecting humans. Therefore, don’t stress out, and don’t worry. Do what the government asks you to do. Follow the government’s regulations. Get vaccinated so that you can protect yourself and your family. Do know that humans will not be stopped by the pandemic. At the end, everything will be reopened, because the nation will not be stopped, and the world will not be stopped.”
As foretold by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, humans have gradually developed anti-bodies and vaccines and treatments have arrived. Global pandemic prevention policies continue to evolve, and the pandemic started to ease in 2021. In September of 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters that, “although we are not there yet, the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is in sight.”
The World Buddhism Association Headquarters is a non-profit religious organization in the United States which has many branch Buddhist organizations, associations, Buddhism-learning academies, temples, Dharma centers, and Dharma-listening locations in the world. The purpose of the association is to spread the pure and supreme Buddha’s teachings and Dharma voices of Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and Namo Shakyamuni Buddha to Buddhists, promoting that people abide by these teachings to do good deeds, give, practice compassion, abstain from bad deeds, and commit to all good conduct. By altruistically contributing and dedicating oneself to the nation and society, the world can be filled with auspiciousness.
With Buddhist Dharma assemblies on specific Buddhist occasions, attendees chant Buddhist Sutras, prostrate themselves and pray to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to grant blessings and protections to all. The holy birthday of Medicine Guru Buddha—known by many names and the Lord of the Pure Lapis Lazuli World of the East—lands on the 29th day of the 9th month in the lunar calendar. The Medicine Buddha made twelve great vows and vowed to cure diseases and pain for living beings of the worlds in ten directions in their current lifetime, to let living beings obtain happiness and peace of mind, to increase living beings’ fortune and longevity, and to guide living beings to liberation. All Buddhists respect and admire Medicine Guru Buddha for His vows and their effect on current beings.
In accordance, the World Buddhism Association Headquarters held two Dharma events on October 29 and October 30 to honor Namo Medicine Buddha’s holy birthday. On October 29th, a Dharma Assembly was held in the inner bay of Marian Del Ray, California to release captured lives in observance of the Buddha-Stipulated Day of Releasing Lives. October 30th, the Dharma Assembly convene to respectfully celebrate the birthday of Namo Medicine Buddha at the Holy Miracles Temple in Pasadena, California. Several hundred Buddhists from across the world attended, including holy gurus, eminent monastics, rinpoches, acaryas, Dharma-listening masters, and householders.
The Holy Miracles Temple is owned by the World Buddhism Association Headquarters. It is a temple where authentic Buddha Dharma is practiced and where many real Buddha Dharma’s holy feats have been manifested and shown to the world.
Within the temple, the Grand Hall of Shakyamuni Buddha is presently the only Inner-Tantric Mandala in the world—a place where Two Great Dharma Requirements have been met. Within the hall, the Pope of World Buddhism Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has presided over many significant holy Dharma Assemblies which manifested the powers of Buddha Dharma, transmitted unparalleled Buddha Dharmas to disciples, and imparted the universal truth. His Holiness illuminates the grand path to liberation that encompasses both the practices of cultivation and Dharma.
Among the temple’s other wonders is the Hall of Buddha Dipankara and the Holy Hall of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. On March 7, 2014, the Holy Blessing Dharma Assembly was held in the place that is now the Hall of Buddha Dipankara to celebrate the First Issue of Imparting the Absolute Truth Through Heart Sutra, a Buddhist Sutra imparted by Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. There, onlookers witnessed a number of Buddhas bestow holy amritas of three different colors, shining down through the roof, passed through a crystal bowl cover into the empty Dharma Bowl.
Today, the Hall of Buddha Dipankara is a sanctuary for Buddhists to light lamps in offering and increase their merits. Great Holy Gurus, Holy Gurus, and Dharma masters chant mantras, read out Buddhist Sutras, and practice Dharmas to pray for and bless lamp lighters. It is said, when one lights the bright lamp of blessing in front of Buddha Dipankara in the holy hall where amritas were once bestowed, the blessings power outshines that of any brought by lamps lit in common-place halls.
Hall of Buddha Dipankara in Holy Miracle Temple
In the Holy Hall of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the holy statue of Namo Great Compassionate Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara is placed for people to worship. In this hall, the body of Shengzun Yinhai, a noted disciple of Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, was placed after his passing. During the month his body resided in the hall in the Holy Miracles Temple, a series of divine transformations and holy feats took place. His body transformed as, from the tenth day of his passing, the wrinkles on his visage began to disappear and his bones and muscles began grew fuller. His complexion was rosy once more and his hair and fingernails continued to grow. Shengzun Yinhai transformed and realized a non-decaying vajra body—a state never before witnessed in Buddhist history. This transformation marked a new holy chapter in the history of Buddhist accomplishments after passing, and the western media was quick to report on the media.
The Dharma Assembly to Respectfully Celebrate the Buddha’s Birthday of Namo Medicine Buddha was held in the Grand Hall of Shakyamuni Buddha of the Holy Miracles Temple on October 30. The Vice Chairperson of the World Buddhism Association Headquarters and also the Honorable Chairperson of the International Buddhism Sangha Association, Jiaozun Zhengda, who is a holy guru of Gold Button Level II, together with the Abbot of the Hua Zang Si Temple, Ruzun Ruohui, a holy guru of Gold Button Level I, as well as the Abbot of the Sanger Mission Bodhi Monastery, Dharma Master Juehui presided over the Dharma ceremony. Notable holy gurus, eminent monks and nuns, and monastics led the Buddhist chanting. The attendees chanted the Bhaisajya Guru Vaidurya Prabha Raja Sutra—The Medicine Guru Vaidurya Prabha Tathagata’s Fundamental Vows Merit Sutra—in synchronicity.
With praises to the Buddha and offerings made to the Buddha, the two Dharma events included chanting the sutra and the mantras as well as releasing lives. The assembly returned the merits to and prayed for the living beings in the world, praying to Namo Medicine Buddha and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the ten directions to give blessings and to protect living beings so that the pandemic is eradicated from the world, peace and friendship persist internationally, the world rids itself of calamity and all enjoy good fortune, health, and longevity.
Among Caucasian female Rinpoches, Respected Zhaxi Zhuoma Rinpoche is one of outstanding cultivation. She has realized the power to telekinetically awaken a vajra pill. In order to seek the highest dharma, in her early years she learned under Japanese, Korean, and American Buddhist masters. Still, she did not obtain the true Buddha-dharma. She went through all kinds of hardships in her search for the supreme Buddha-dharma master. Finally, she was accepted by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III as a disciple, deeply penetrated the Buddha-dharma, and fulfilled her wish. The rinpoche is very conversant in English material on the various dharma lineages and their history.
Zhaxi Zhuoma Rinpoche personally witnessed many of the holy states associated with His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III. She was present, for example, when the magnolia tree under which His Holiness was sitting began to rain nectar and continued raining nectar for three days and nights. She was also present when this happened a few years later on her Buddha Master’s birthday. She saw the various miracles that occurred at the Bathing of the Buddha Dharma Assembly including seeing her roommate and another fellow disciple lift a pool of water that weighed over two tons. She has seen the countless Buddha Lights that accompany His Holiness and appear at the Holy Vajrasana Temple and other places associated with the true Buddha-dharma. She heard the holy vajra pill chant mantras and watched it turn into colored light and fly away. It was at that time that she saw her Buddha Master turn into a luminous blue manifestation.
Since she has began following her most magnificent Buddha Master, she has received many, many inner tantra dharma initiations.
The Mud Pill Holy Dharma is a Highest Form of Inner-Tantric State-Practice Initiation contained in The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation. 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!
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.
Here is what Zhaxi Zhuoma Rinpoche experienced when she received Mud Pill Holy Dharma Initiation.
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.
Tummo concentration, a very high level Buddha Dharma, has been known in Tibet for a long time. However, most of the descriptions on this subject are like a famous metaphor of a group of blind people touching different parts of an elephant. Each of them then gave a vivid description of what the elephant’s body was like based on where he touched. It is definitely not easy to see true manifestation of tummo. In Tibet and India, there are still many lamas who practice tummo concentration. However, when they walk out of the closed room at the end of the extended practice of three years and three months in seclusion, very few of them can actually raise the body temperature. The most that they were able to do is symbolically wear a wet blanket and walk around the temple. Anyone who attained the initial level of tummo is regarded as a holy one. This is just an indication that tantric dharmas are being lost from generation to generation.
Gadu Rinpoche, a disciple of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, had the opportunity to receive the holy inner tantric initiation of the state practice dharma from The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation. Below is the true account of what he experienced.
One day, my Buddha Master instructed me to go to a place to meet a great holy virtuous one. Because this was a decision from my Buddha Master, the great holy virtuous one received me immediately (Because the great holy virtuous one does not permit me to reveal his identity, I can only address him as “the Great Holy Acharya” here). When I entered the mandala, I prostrated respectfully and then held my palms together to listen to the Great Holy Acharya’s decree and order. The Great Holy Acharya looked at me with benevolent eyes and said, “Buddha’s Disciple Gadu, I and dharma protectors have been observing you for quite a few years. Although your cultivation and conduct is not completely perfect and you still have a little violation, you have successfully attained the accomplishment of Niwan Daoguo. You can take a picture and you will see that. During the past several years, you carried out many Buddhist endeavors and accumulated a good amount of merit. I decided to conduct the initiation of the state practice dharma of the Body-Laying (Corpse-Pose) Tummo Concentration from The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation to transmit the Body-Laying (Corpse-Pose) Tummo Concentration Dharma to you. I hope that you can benefit more living beings after successfully practicing this dharma.” At that time, I couldn’t believe what I heard from my ears but it was true. It came from my countless times of incarnations to this Saha World since the many eons to save and transform living beings with my true bodhicitta of great compassion. I was able to receive this supreme profound great dharma also because of the correspondence of my three karmas of body, speech and mind to the Four Jewels of my Buddha Master, Buddhas, Dharma, and Sangha.
At the time of initiation, the Great Holy Acharya was far away from me and I was alone. I exposed my upper body and laid down on the green grass lawn. I formed the mudra with my hands and was chanting mantras and visualizing the seed figure of the Wind and Fire Wheel according to the steps of the dharma taught by the Great Holy Acharya. I concentrated my thinking on raising the temperature of tummo at the location of the tantric wheel. A short while after, the Wind and Fire Wheel started to rotate at the location of the tantric wheel. The fire of tummo began to rise. The temperature was rising very fast. I called out repeatedly, “The temperature is rising. It is scalding now. Scalding! Scalding! Scalding!” From inside to outside, the fire temperature of tummo was like that of a red-hot iron. Flame shot out from the tantric wheel. The scalding heat printed a seal of a dharma eye of the size of 1.5 cm on the skin around the tantric wheel. The Great Holy Acharya was about 10 meters away from me at that time. With a command of “Stop,” the temperature of tummo started to decrease immediately. At this moment, the dark karmas inside my body were let out by the temperature of tummo. My body instantly felt very cool and purified. I had a long-lasting feeling and lightness and easiness. The pain in my left shoulder disappeared immediately. The meridian channels within my whole body were relaxed all of a sudden. I felt that I became younger everywhere in me.
The Great Holy Acharya slowly walked closer to me. The Great Holy Acharya used dharma water to wash the spot of the tantric wheel on my body and at the same time examined the dharma eye formed by the ejection of tummo fire. The Great Holy Acharya benevolently spoke to me with a smile, “You have received the initiation and entered the true form of the Generation Stage.” Meanwhile, the Great Holy Acharya also reminded me a few things that I should pay attention to and then transmitted to me some important details for visualization in dharma practice and the secret mantra. In particular, I was instructed to follow the steps of putting concepts into practice, meditation practice, and concentration practice to practice the dharma expounded by H. H. Dorje Chang Buddha III that includes the Vast Sea Mind Essence Dharma of the Root Mater, the Xiaman Magnificent Vast Sea Mind Essence Dharma, and the Most Magnificent Bodhi Vast Sea Mind Essence Dharma of the Dakinis. These are not hollow statements of talking about attaining Buddha-hood in the current lifetime without the actual accomplishment. They are the very precious dharma for attaining supreme enlightenment and, needless to say, can lead to accomplishment in the current lifetime.
I was listening to the discourse by the Great Holy Acharya while looking towards the sky with my eyes open. Suddenly, the events from my past experience emerged one by one before my eyes, as if I was watching a movie. Some were good and some were bad. They made me realize that the law of cause and effect never errs! From whatever causes I had planted, I harvested all corresponding consequences. My goal for coming to this Saha World is to benefit living beings and help them to attain Buddha-hood. I will treasure the remaining time in my current life to spend it well on benefiting living beings. After ending the causes and affinities of this lifetime, I am determined to come to this Saha World again to save living beings who have their affinities with me. Just as my vow of “As long as living beings are there, I will continue to perform the act of saving them.” Whenever living beings need, I will appear at their side!
Then I dressed and put on my dharma robe. I walked into the mandala and kneeled before the Great Holy Acharya with my palms together to listen respectfully to the Great Holy Acharya’s teaching. The Great Holy Acharya stood in front of me and discoursed, “Your inner mandala has been opened. Now I am going to open up your outer mandala. With that, the initiation of the Body-Laying (Corpse-Pose) Tummo Concentration Dharma on you will be very perfect. However, to avoid leaving a large dharma eye on your forehead, I will use a mild fire.” I immediately moved forward to kneel by the side of the Great Holy Acharya, with my eyes staring at the Great Holy Acharya’s palms.
When the Great Holy Acharya was chanting mantras and forming mudra, I felt as if I was kneeling by the feet of a very tall and cloud-reaching Buddha. Upon raising my head and looking up, I saw that a pair of solemn but benevolent eyes was watching me. Suddenly, the Great Holy Acharya lightly pressed right-hand middle finger at a point above my eyebrows. At first, it wasn’t hot at all. However, very quickly, a beam of flame-like intense and scalding heat was released. I responded right away, “Scalding! Scalding! Scalding!” The temperature of tummo rose very fast. This strong and scalding heat flow was led from the eyebrow wheel into the heart wheel and connected the fire seed at the tantric wheel to the entire body. However, there was nothing noticeable at the finger of the Great Holy Acharya. During this initiation of tummo, my body first endured a period of scalding heat but this was followed by a feeling of extremely cool and purified that filled up my entire body. Then, the Great Holy Acharya examined the dharma eye that became red-swollen due to receiving the tummo empowerment. It was right at the middle of my eyebrows.
The Great Holy Acharya discoursed with a smile, “The initiation of the Body-Laying (Corpse Pose) Tummo Holy Inner Tantric State Practice Dharma in The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation includes two steps. The first step is having the vajra acharya who possesses the master’s qualification at the upper level of enlightenment perform initiation for the disciple at a distance of between 10 to 16 meters (32.8-52.5 feet) away. This is for receiving the recognition by the yidam of that dharma to plant the seed of affinity. This step is for obtaining the power of the accumulation of good fortune. Then, within 15 days after that, the vajra acharya who possesses the master’s qualification at the upper level of enlightenment will perform tummo initiation and teach the dharma directly to the disciple at a close distance. This step belongs to obtaining the power of the accumulation of wisdom. Therefore, now both your inner mandala and outer mandala from the initiation of the Body-Laying (Corpse Pose) Tummo Concentration have been completed perfectly. You can go out and inform the rinpoches and dharma masters who are caring about and waiting for you outside about the happiness and joy that will come to living beings in the future.”
With limitless gratefulness in my mind, after prostrating to the Great Holy Acharya, I exited the mandala to report to the rinpoches and dharma masters who were waiting the successful completion of my initiation of the Body-Laying (Corpse Pose) Tummo Concentration. Fellow brothers were all very happy for me. All I heard was the continuous congratulations one after the other. At this time, I felt that I was even more insignificant. My fellow brothers not only did not have any jealousy on my receiving the initiation of the supreme profound Body-Laying (Corpse Pose) Tummo Concentration, they were as happy for me as they had received the initiation of this great dharma themselves. Wasn’t such spirit a manifestation of the holy love from the “exchange between self and others bodhicitta” from the bodhicitta of great compassion? I have limitless admiration for them!
My endless gratefulness cannot repay the blessing and empowerment from the Great Holy Acharya, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and Holy dharma protectors. I must cultivate and practice even more diligently to save and transform more sentient beings. Only that can requite a small portion of the initiation I received! The first thing I need to do is to study and cultivate according to the three dharmas of Mind Essences from The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation taught by the utmost supreme holiest Tathagata, my great Buddha Master!
Last Sunday, I was so blessed to have a chance to visit the treasure room in The International Art Museum of America. The room only open four times a year. Three big locks fully close the door. Three persons open locks at the same time. One museum staff accompanied me inside the room, introducing each artworks, and answering my questions. There are four pieces of extremely beautiful splendid Yun Sculptures inside the room.
From the introduction, I learned that Yun Sculpture is an art form created by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. It is exquisite and mysterious, their beauty is astonishing and spellbinding, and structures are both exquisitely fine and sophisticated, with unanticipated variations. Unprecedented in history, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s Yun sculptures are the first form of art that cannot be replicated, regardless of the method used.
The first one I saw is called Holy Purity. Its color is soft and lustrous, like thin white silk. It looks as pure and noble as jade or ice, has an elegant hanging style, and is completely free of any flaw. This artwork, which is pleasing to the eye and comforting to the mind, fully deserves that name it was given, for it indeed possesses the qualities of holiness, purity, elegance, refinement, and white splendor.
Holy Purity
When look at different angles, I can see various remarkable sights, and light auspicious mist. I truly experienced a carefree and peaceful feeling that is difficult to describe. I felt my heart and soul are purified by this noble object. The pictures here are too dark, the whole sculpture is totally milky white.
Mystery of Lovely Colors
The second piece is called Mystery of Lovely Colors. Just like its name, it is a very vibrant and colorful artwork.
Mystery of Lovely Colors is a big Yun sculpture. Its structure and overall arrangement can only be described as “endlessly varied” and “unfathomably mysterious.” Phrases such as “swirling unusual colors,” “a mixture of emptiness and substance,” and “too beautiful to be absorbed all at once” are used to describe its grandeur, beauty, and elegance. When this exquisite sculpture is viewed from different angles, one can see various wonderful and fascinating sights that seem to be constantly changing.
The museum guide told me : “When this Yun sculpture was displayed in the Gold Room of the United States Capitol and at the Organization of American States, experts and scholars viewed it with admiration, praising it with words such as, “a gift from God to mankind,” “a treasure from a Buddha-land,” “captivatingly beautiful,’ and even “since the appearance of Yun sculptures, all treasures in this human world have become like stars in the sky that pale against a resplendent moon.”
Mysterious Mist Inside A Stone
Inside a small rome, there are two very special Yun sculpture pieces called Mysterious Mist in a Stone. One can see that mist is permanently sculpted in it like a miracle.
White jade-like gauze hangs inside a stone Unmatched sculpting produces emotion amid the mist Without words, a rare melody plays inside the cave Such heavenly scenery is difficult to duplicate
Mist is permanently sculpted in the cave of the Mysterious Mist in a Stone, an artwork that cannot be replicated
From its external appearance, one can see that “Mysterious Mist Inside a Stone” is an ordinary greenish rock that is a few feet long. However, the inside of it is a totally different world. Its interior contains layer upon layer of what appears to be peaks and hills, forming a beautiful crisscrossing network. Its scenes seem to change endlessly, giving it a profoundly mystical quality. In some parts of the stone’s interior, there is mist as exquisite as chiffon, while in other parts the mist is so thick it covers whatever is behind it. In the latter case, a lamplight that penetrates mist must be shone into the stone to view the background scenes. One can see mist circling upward.
Mysterious Boulder with Mist
Right beside the Mysterious Mist Inside a Stone is another sculpture also has mist inside. It is called Mysterious Boulder with Mist. There are two grottoes inside the boulder, each of which contains its own scenery. When you look inside the right grotto, you will see thick mist enveloping everything. The structure of the carved scenery inside this hole is vague, since it cannot be clearly seen through the mist. You are left with the impression that the mist is a few dozen yards deep inside the hole when it is actually only three or four feet deep. When you look inside the left grotto, you will see that there is no mist at all. You will clearly see the structure of the carved scenery inside this hole. The material used to carve those two grottoes was the same, the colors applied to both of them were the same, and their depth is the same. The carving skills and inner-realization of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III caused this mysterious phenomenon of one side containing thick, enveloping mist and the other side containing no mist at all.
Sculptors throughout history have been able to produce material forms or images through sculpting. However, no one has been able to produce through sculpting something as insubstantial and formless as fog or mist. Nonetheless, there are sculptures of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III that combine both material form and mist.
While I was fascinated by those beautiful artworks, I seem to hear the works say, “I’m born on this earth in such a beautiful and exquisite way. Who or what kind of artist gave birth to me? I could not have been given life by a mundane person. “
H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s Yun sculptures can truly be called peerless, priceless treasures. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III was able to create these treasures based upon his high state of realization, profound and extensive knowledge, as well as his penetration of the laws that underlie the birth, growth, and change of all things in the universe.
One of the most beloved flowers in China, the plum blossoms (méi-huā, 梅花) have been frequently depicted in Chinese painting and poetry for centuries. The Chinese see its blossoms as both a symbol of winter as well as a harbinger of spring. It is precisely for this reason that the blossoms are so beloved, as they bloom most vibrantly amidst the winter snow, after most other plants have shed their leaves, and before other flowers appear. They are seen as an example of resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity. Though neither the plum tree nor its blossoms are very striking, they manage to exude an otherworldly exquisiteness and beautiful elegance. The demeanor and character of the plum tree thereby serves as a metaphor for inner beauty and humble display under adverse conditions. Because they blossom in winter, the plum blossom is a member of the “Three Friends of Winter (歲寒三友)”, along with the pine and the bamboo. The plum blossom is also a member of the “Four Gentlemen (四君子)” in Chinese art (the others being orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum), symbolizing nobility. In China, there are over 300 recorded cultivars of mei, which can be broadly divided by color into white, pink, red, purple, and light green types.
When we look through all of the ancient and modern books on plum blossom paintings, it is not difficult to discover that all of the famous master plum blossom painters had extensive knowledge, deep understanding of ancient and their own contemporary times, and immense talents. No artist in history can be found who lacked virtue and learning and still was capable of painting highly exquisite plum blossom paintings. The plum blossom paintings of ancient artists such as Mian Wang and Dongxin Jin and the modern artist Changshuo Wu are splendid works based upon the profound knowledge and virtue of their creators.
Mian Wang ( 1287-1359 ) : Early Spring at South Corner of Garden
Artist: Dongxin Jin (1687 – 1764)
Artist: Changshuo Wu (1844 – 1927)
As a contemporary artist, the Pop of Buddhist, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has also painted dozens of masterpieces of plum blossom compositions. All in the book entitled Collected Plum Blossom Paintings, Calligraphy, Poems, and Songs. Wielding the brush with great facility, His Holiness creates paintings that are completely devoid of mundane garishness, have the exquisite look of ancient bronze and stone inscriptions, and are imbued with a scholarly air. His Holiness’s painting skills have surpassed the ordinary and reached the consummate mastery of a holy being. Below are several art works from the book. Some of the paintings are in the exhibition of The International Art Museum of America.
Small Portion of a Plum Grove
Yellow plum blossoms bloom in winter and are generally used during Chinese New Year celebrations as a symbol of great auspiciousness. The painting expresses beauty of a real plum blossom grove.
Drunk in a Green Garden
The turquoise plum blossom is a rare species of plum blossom. These elegant, sublime flowers have a strong resistance to coldness and a scent that is quite fresh and fragrant. This painting has a vigorous and firm style yet maintains great simplicity. The brushwork is bold, vigorous, and completely unconstrained. Large, dancing strokes of a casual hand and free mind bring to form branches and twigs.
Plum Fragrance in the Holy Realm
The brushwork, casually applied, was accomplished with an unfettered hand and detached mind, free of the slightest artificiality. It is a seemingly ever-changing work. Its charm, tone, transitions, and depictions represent the highest level of Eastern ink-and-wash paintings. A transparent layer of lighter ink on top of darker ink is clearly visible, imbuing the painting with a pure and fragrant air and providing the viewer with a feeling of comfort and ease.
Winter Powder
A most elegant and valued plum flower called ‘Dong Fen” (winter powder). It is widely known to be the king of whiter plum blossoms. A strong contrast is presented by the graceful dense ink that was used to paint the tree trunk and the whiting used to form the flowers. The spatial effect of fairness adds to the charm of the picture, showing an awareness of both emptiness and form. A very special aspect of this painting is that the artist did not apply powerful, bold strokes of uneven contour and content. Rather, ink was applied through a gradual moistening process, manifesting the strong talent of the artist.
