Category: Holy Buddhism Masters and Monks

Religious Leaders Hold Dharma Assembly in Glendale to Honor the Holy Birthday of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III 

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By Jon Stojan Contributor

To honor the Holy Birthday of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, revered as the Pope of Buddhism, several prominent Buddhist organizations including the World Buddhism Association Headquarters, Holy Miracles Temple, Hua Zang Si, Benevolence Temple, and the Sanger Mission, jointly organized a Grand Dharma Assembly in Glendale, California. The two-day event took place on June 30th and July 1st, 2023, at the Glendale Civic Auditorium and attracted over a thousand Buddhists from around the world. 

June 30th marked the unveiling of the first three volumes of the “Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III Complete Sutra Collection”. The Dharma Assembly opened with a procession led by a group of nuns, chanting the Buddha’s name “Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III”. The “Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III Complete Sutra Collection” was gracefully displayed on a sacred sedan chair, carried by Holy Gurus Venerable Tsemang and Ruzun Bodi Wentu. In a display of reverence, all attendees of the Assembly humbly prostrated themselves, paying their respects to the Collection. 

In the Dharma Assembly, Venerable Tsemang addressed the congregation, emphasizing the significance of the “Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III Complete Sutra Collection”: “We have undertaken the significant task of editing and publishing the first part of the ‘Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III Complete Sutra Collection.’ This endeavor not only expresses our profound gratitude and unwavering yearning for H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III but, more importantly, will enable countless sentient beings to attain accomplishment and liberation through studying the Collection. We firmly believe that the ‘Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III Complete Sutra Collection’ will serve as the ultimate guide for all Buddhist disciples seeking accomplishment and liberation. 

“The Collection encompasses the essence of the Tripitaka and the esoteric Buddhist scriptures. It covers Buddhist precepts, views, cultivation, and Dharma practices. It covers the whole spectrum of Buddhism regardless of whether it is Hinayana, Mahayana, or Vajrayana. Through the Collection, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III reveals the most direct and expedient path for sentient beings, Arhats, and Bodhisattvas to advance themselves. If we diligently study and practice the teachings on even a single volume of the Collection, while focusing on any one dharma-gate, we can be assured of attaining liberation.”  

During this Age of Dharma Degeneration, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III descended to the earthly realm, exhibiting perfect mastery of Exoteric and Esoteric Buddhism, along with unparalleled expertise in the Five Vidyas. The Five Vidyas are what Buddhas and Bodhisattvas do to help living beings. Over the past 2,000 years, Buddhist teachings have encountered distortions and alterations due to mistranslation and misinterpretation of Buddha-dharma by Buddhist patriarchs, eminent monastics, and Buddhist scholars. Recognizing the distortions and errors that had infiltrated Buddhist teachings, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III corrected the mistakes present in the Buddhist teachings, restoring the authenticity, power, and purity of Buddha’s wisdom and views. 

H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has bequeathed over two thousand audio recordings of imparted Dharmas and published invaluable Buddhist books, including “A Monk Expounds the Absolute Truth to a Layperson,” “Commentary on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra,” “The Essence of Buddha Dharma,” “Correcting the Treatises of Patriarch Bodhidharma,” “What Is Cultivation?,” “The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation,” and “Learning From Buddha.” H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III imparted the subtleties of Dharmas in colloquial language so that people living in the 21st century could easily comprehend. They serve as supreme treasures and indispensable resources for Buddhist disciples seeking to escape the sufferings of this world and attain enlightenment. 

 In response to the needs of Buddhist disciples, the Office of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is working to transcribe audio recordings of Dharmas imparted by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III into extensive written texts, and the “Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III Complete Sutra Collection” is being meticulously compiled. The first three volumes of the Collection, consisting of “Dharma Imparted During the Trip to the East,” “Dharma Imparted During a Trip in Response to the Needs of Disciples,” and “Imparting the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra,” were released to commemorate this Holy Birthday of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. The remaining volumes will be released and published in the future. 

The Dharma Assembly continued July 1st, 2023, with participants representing Buddhist disciples all over the world presenting 108 offerings to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.  Under the solemn direction of Jiaozun Zhengda, the congregation recited the Buddhist Sutra “Sutra on Understanding and Realizing Definitive Truth”. The attendees offered heartfelt reverence to the Buddhas, engaged in prostrations, and prayed to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for blessings upon all sentient beings. The gathering collectively expressed their aspirations for the eradication of all global pandemics, the endurance of international peace and friendship, and the cessation of calamities, while invoking prosperity, good health, and longevity for all. 

Venerable Pannavati, some of her students, and other attendees at the Dharma Assembly

Venerable Pannavati Karuna, the Abbot of Heartwood Refuge monastery in North Carolina, led dozens of her students to attend the Dharma Assembly. In an interview, she said: “I was introduced to Buddha Master (H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III) 18 years ago through Zhaxi Zhouma Rinpoche. I thought I had too many duties and responsibilities to follow His teachings. But I kept reading and pondering them through the years. I began to notice in my everyday life the truth and ability to live differently in the world. I had more integrity, clarity, joy for the first time and an understanding that enlightenment was possible if one follows the true teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. Buddha Master imparted Dharmas and explained those teachings in a down to earth, understandable way without compromise. He even spoke African American slang. Sometimes translators had a difficult time translating it into English because they may not fully understand the slang. But I heard it and I understood what He meant. That is the marvelousness of a true Buddha in this world. He can speak the language in a way that you hear it, understand it, penetrate it, and realize it. He guided me towards the correct aspiration. The goal is not Buddhist studies, and realization cannot be explained by mere words, but it can be experienced. The true purpose of the Buddha Dharma is to awaken us to our Buddha-nature. His teachings point the way.” 

Gongjue Tuji Rinpoche from Germany also shared his joyfulness after attending the Dharma Assembly. He said: “I am very happy to be here today on this very auspicious occasion. Because for us Westerners, it is very hard to get the teachings and Dharma from Buddha Master since most of us do not speak Chinese. I am very happy about this event today that we are finally getting the opportunity to get the Buddha Dharma in English language, and we will have direct access to it.” 

The Dharma Assembly held in Glendale fostered unity and devotion among Buddhist practitioners from diverse backgrounds. With the release of the first volumes of “Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III Complete Sutra Collection”, the event left an indelible mark on the spiritual aspirations of attendees, inspiring them to pursue enlightenment and emulate the compassion and wisdom demonstrated by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. 

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/special/contributor-content/2023/07/25/assembly-held-to-honor-the-birthday-of-h-h-dorje-chang-buddha-iii/70462586007/

Global Commemoration of the Holy Birthday of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Brings Together Devotees Across Nations

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Global Commemoration of the Holy Birthday of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Brings Together Devotees Across Nations
Photo Courtesy: Shawn Liu (A two-day Dharma Assembly at the Glendale Civic Auditorium drew over a thousand Buddhists globally to honor the Holy Birthday of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.)

Glendale, CA — May 30-31, 2025 — In a profound expression of global devotion, more than a thousand Venerables, Dharma Masters, Rinpoches, and lay practitioners gathered at the Glendale Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles County to honor the Holy Birthday of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, the Pope of Buddhism.

In the solemn Dharma Assembly, the spiritual sounds of bells, drums, and other Dharma instruments created an atmosphere of reverence throughout the venue. With participants from diverse cultural backgrounds and nationalities, the assembly highlighted unity through spiritual harmony. The rituals—including scripture recitation, invocations, and ceremonial offerings—provided a transformative spiritual experience for all attendees.

A momentous highlight of the event was the presentation of five newly published volumes of the Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III Complete Sutra Collection, symbolizing the growth of the True Buddha Dharma. The congregation celebrated the invaluable teachings expounded by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, whose profound wisdom continues to inspire disciples in their pursuit of liberation.

Speaking at the Dharma Assembly, Venerable Tsemang, Director of the Office of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, emphasized that the ultimate goal of every Buddhist disciple is enlightenment and liberation. He noted that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has expounded the authentic Buddha Dharma to guide sentient beings across the ocean of suffering, urging practitioners to uphold steadfast devotion, diligent study, ethical precepts, sincere practice, and deep introspection.

The event welcomed spiritual leaders, scholars, dignitaries, practitioners, and many non-religious individuals from around the globe, united by a shared respect for the compassionate wisdom of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.

Global Commemoration of the Holy Birthday of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Brings Together Devotees Across Nations
Photo Courtesy: Shawn Liu (Venerable Mozhi and Venerable Tsemang guided the congregation in the Dharma Assembly.)

Venerable Chadima, founder of the Nagananda International Institute for Buddhist Studies in Sri Lanka, offered heartfelt homage and shared his experiences of receiving teachings from H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.

Zhaxi Zhuoma Rinpoche, president of the Xuanfa Institute and abbot of the Holy Vajrasana Temple and Retreat Center, spoke about her journey of looking for an experience of Buddhism that was similar to the Buddhism in ancient times when Shakyamuni Buddha was here. After many years of searching, she described finding the same kind of experience when she met H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.

Ven. Bhikkhuni Dr. Pannavati, abbot of Heartwood Refuge Monastery in North Carolina, shared her joy in getting together with brothers and sisters in the Dharma who study under H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. She expressed that it felt as though they were one big family, despite coming from all corners of the world.

During the Dharma Assembly, participants respectfully chanted the Sutra on Understanding and Realizing Definitive Truth and made meal offerings to the Buddhas. Through religious rituals—Sutra recitation, invocation chanting, mantra practice, and devotion—attendees collectively prayed for the flourishing of the True Dharma, the swift liberation of all sentient beings, and the realization of lasting peace, prosperity, and happiness throughout the world.

To honor the occasion, the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum in Covina, CA, presented an exclusive Dharma recording expounded by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, which had previously not been available to the public, alongside a life-release event dedicated to benefiting living beings.

Buddhist communities in Canada, Germany, Malaysia, China, Sri Lanka, Peru, Japan, Thailand and other countries and regions across the globe also commemorated this day with Dharma Assemblies, life-release ceremonies, charitable events, and educational aid initiatives. These activities illustrate the expansive reach of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s compassionate influence and the shared aspiration among all beings for enlightenment and liberation.

Photo Courtesy: Shawn Liu (Venerable Chandima, Venerable Pannavati, Buddhist professors and scholars from Sri Lanka, and others attended the Dharma Assembly to honor the Holy Birthday of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.)

This worldwide commemoration not only showcases the deep unity of devotees in upholding the True Buddha Dharma but also reinforces the enduring spiritual inspiration of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III—a guiding light of compassion, wisdom, and boundless blessings for our world.

Link:https://peacelilysite.com/2025/06/06/global-commemoration-of-the-holy-birthday-of-h-h-dorje-chang-buddha-iii-brings-together-devotees-across-nations/

This post is from World Reporter Contributor : https://worldreporter.com/global-commemoration-of-the-holy-birthday-of-hh-dorje-chang-buddha-iii-brings-together-devotees-across-nations/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKwoDJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETEzc25LaFg0WUk0SUxJMEpXAR5sEFSPGSRCdd1EZZG7G4D-H12ahcfS3oGG3YK_1L0hf9_8MJinxvJSd1N6PA_aem_16C5Wjq2nCOxkOc-aYMrGw

My Journey of Zen Meditation From Confusion to Clarity: How the Supreme Dharma of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Transformed My Spiritual Journey

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A few years ago, I visited a well-known Chan (Zen) practice center and began what I thought would be a meaningful journey into Chan meditation as a lay Buddhist disciple. Alongside the physically demanding daily farm work, I occasionally joined meditation sessions—but instead of clarity or insight, they often left me feeling drowsy and disoriented. I also listened to recordings of teachings by an elderly monk, but they felt dry and uninspiring. At the time, I thought this was all Chan practice had to offer. Disappointment quietly took root in my heart.

As I spent more time at the center, I began to notice that some of the Buddhist nuns displayed strange and unsettling behavior. I was told that their mental disturbances had arisen during meditation and, without proper guidance or support, their conditions had never improved. The idea that meditation—supposedly a path to peace—could lead to such outcomes deeply frightened me. I couldn’t help but worry: Would I end up like them? My own practice was already filled with drowsiness and confusion. Each time I sat for meditation, their presence weighed heavily on me. What had gone wrong? Why did their practice lead to such distress?

One memory remains especially vivid. During a seven-day retreat, the presiding master criticized the decision to take the temple’s elderly abbot to the hospital when he fell critically ill. The master insisted that the abbot should have remained in the temple, reciting Amitabha Buddha’s name to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land. He questioned why anyone would try to prolong life at the time of death, suggesting that doing so only prolonged suffering. Many attendees agreed, believing the abbot’s passing was natural and that emergency medical care was unnecessary. I was shocked. Something felt inherently wrong with that view. I wasn’t a monastic, just a lay practitioner, yet I couldn’t help but ask: When someone is in a coma, completely unconscious, can they still recite “Amitabha” with sincere intent? Can they truly attain rebirth in the Pure Land just by wishing so? Logically, this didn’t make sense to me.

Later, I heard of a monk who made a solemn vow to realize his true nature through three years of Chan meditation—and if he failed, he would return to lay life. Sadly, three years passed, and the result was heartbreaking. He had gained no realization.

After this string of disheartening events, I lost my passion for Buddhist practice. I felt lost, as if I’d reached a spiritual dead end. I even began questioning the purpose of monastic life: If there’s no true goal or path to liberation, what’s the point? Reluctantly, I considered giving up and returning to a mundane life.

But just when I stood at this crossroads, I encountered the Dharma discourses of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. It was like a brilliant light breaking through the darkness—suddenly, all the disappointment, fear, and confusion that had weighed on me vanished. At that moment, I made a resolute decision to let go of my doubts and wholeheartedly follow the path illuminated by the Buddha’s true teachings. Eventually, my wish was fulfilled.

What I shared here are just my personal experiences—perhaps not yet the true path of Chan—but they reflect challenges that many practitioners face in their spiritual pursuit. Fortunately, I came across the book Concentration and Visualization—The Essence of the Right Path by Pamu, and the profound teachings of The Supreme Dharma of Chan imparted online by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. For the first time, I received complete and correct teachings and truly understood what Chan meditation is meant to be.

Furthermore, through reading H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra (specifically page 216), I finally understood why those nuns had lost their way. Their mental disturbances stemmed from becoming attached to illusions produced by the manas consciousness, mistakenly believing those illusions were real. They had failed to comprehend the profound truth that all forms are illusory and false. Caught in delusion, they strayed into a demonic path.

The retreat master’s complaints about the abbot’s emergency care were also misguided. As stated in the article “Lay Buddhist Zhao Yusheng’s Transmission of the Dharma is Genuine, Not False”, if someone truly possesses the realization and power of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III—to the extent that the yidam Amitabha Buddha manifests and receives the deceased into the Pure Land—then yes, there would be no need for emergency treatment. But how many people have such realization? Did that master?

And what about the monk who gave up after three years? He didn’t know that there exists a supreme and ultimate Buddha Dharma—one so profound that it can open the crown chakra in just two hours. When opened, the space is vast and expansive like an eggshell, and consciousness can freely enter and exit the body, even engage in practice outside the body. With such realization, seeing one’s true nature is not a distant goal but a near certainty.

Looking back, I feel deep compassion for those nuns. They longed for true Dharma and liberation, but without authentic teachings or proper guidance, and weighed down by attachments and karmic hindrances, they couldn’t achieve realization. Tragedies like this still happen today. It’s heartbreaking.

The most authentic and supreme Buddha Dharma is that which comes from H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, yet many sentient beings remain unaware of it. Even those with karmic affinity who encounter the teachings may still fail to receive them due to karmic obstacles or worldly pressures—missing their rare chance to escape the endless cycle of birth and death.

All I can do is sigh deeply and reflect: The true Dharma of the Buddha is so rare, so precious—harder to encounter than one might in millions of kalpas. I am incredibly fortunate to have this karmic opportunity to respectfully listen to and study the Dharma discourses of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.

Life Stories of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III

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Life Stories of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III

In the last post, I mentioned the treasured book H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III: A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma. It is a comprehensive and extensive read, which can feel overwhelming to some. I was recently asked if there is an easier-to-read book that also provides insight into the Buddha’s life and teachings.

In fact, on page 139 of A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma, under Category 2: The Virtue of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and Holy Occurrences, you’ll find inspiring stories and testimonies from disciples. Many readers may find these accounts both engaging and easy to read, making them a great starting point for those yearning to learn more. 

I sure can introduce another book that offers a glimpse into the Buddha’s daily life—Revealing the Truth. The paper copies of the book are available at Buddhist temples or can be purchased online at Amazon. It chronicles the personal experiences of a nun over 12 years (2001–2013) at the Buddha’s home base. As the cover describes, it explores moments of disappointment, sadness, pain, and ultimately, awakening.

Below please find more information from Great River Publishers.

A Buddhist Nun Tells the Extraordinary Story of Her Practice in America

Upon graduating law school, Shi Zheng Hui decided she could better penetrate and accomplish her life by entering a monastery in Taiwan as a Buddhist nun. In 2001, she was given a rare opportunity to study in America at the Temple and home base of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III where she received Buddhist training of the highest order.  Her book, Revealing the Truth tells the story of her extraordinary experiences there, including being witness to miraculous manifestations during Holy Assemblies and on other occasions.  Her story exemplifies the sometimes painful and sometimes exultant life of a deeply committed Buddhist cultivating herself through effort and self-reflection to emulate the actions, speech and thoughts of a Bodhisattva (a selfless being who lives to help others eliminate suffering and become enlightened.)  After years of cultivation and refinement, Zheng Hui proves her worthiness to receive a very great Dharma practice and is transmitted the Xian Liang Great Perfection Dharma through which she actually accomplishes the rainbow body state.

H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, by virtue of His unprecedented accomplishments, has been recognized to be the incarnation of the Ancient Buddha by scores of high-level masters from Tibet and elsewhere. On September 10, 2008, the US House of Representatives confirmed these recognitions in H. Res. 1423. Prior to this recognition in 2008, His Holiness was known as the Great Dharma King Yangwo Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu and also as Master Wan Ko Yee.

H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is also famous in Asian Art circles for His paintings and sculptures.  A recent painting, Ink Lotus, was sold by the Gianguan Auction House on March 11, 2015 for over 16 million dollars. One of the His Holiness’s widely viewed sculptures contains a mysterious mist that miraculously occupies a cavernous carving in a sculpted boulder.  This otherworldly sculpture has been exhibited at the US Capitol’s Rayburn building in October 2003 and in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California.

Revealing the Truth is now in English translation from the original Mandarin language edition published in Taiwan in 2013.

Nectar Bestowed By Amitabha Buddha during a Holy Buddha-dharma Assembly in 2000

(Above) Genuine precious nectar bestowed by Amitabha Buddha during a Holy Buddha-dharma Assembly in California. From Revealing The Truth by Shi Zheng Hui

(Above) San Francisco June 21, 2008.  The packed crowd under this holy tree at Hua Zang Si was happily reaching for the fragrant nectar descending from empty space. From Revealing The Truth by Shi Zheng Hui.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

With its unexpected twists and turns and the author’s delightful sense of humor, this book presents personal stories that you will not find elsewhere. I am truly grateful for its existence, as it allows us to gain a more intimate understanding of a revered public figure such as the Buddha.

Pick up a copy and embark on a journey of spiritual discovery alongside Dharma Master Zheng Hui.

Life Stories of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2025/04/08/life-stories-of-h-h-dorje-chang-buddha-iii/

#DorjeChangBuddha #H.H.DorjeChangBuddhaIII #RevealingtheTruth #ShiZhengHui #DharmaofH.H.DorjeChangBuddhaIII #HuaZangSi #InkLotus

HQ Announcement 20210101: An Impostor Will Not Dare To Practice These Eighteen Dharmas

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The Headquarters would like to use this announcement to express our gratitude to Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III for the dependent origination of the Dharma impartment for a Shakya descendant, who is the Chairperson of a Buddhist University. This Dharma discourse has jolted and woken the karmic-obstructed Buddhists. Such an earth-shattering Dharma discourse has also destroyed the heresy that “Deluded thought makes you an ordinary person, an enlightened thought makes you a Buddha.” We are incredibly grateful to Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III.

Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III has imparted that since Shakyamuni Buddha entered nirvana, and Mara the Demon King vowed to have his descendants infiltrate the Sangha, those mara-monastics have been wearing sangha attires posing as monks and nuns and become evil masters. They have transgressed and desecrated the authentic Buddha Dharma. Therefore, today’s Buddhism is in a deteriorating and decadent state. Evildoers are rampant in Buddhist communities. They blatantly disregard and contradict Shakyamuni Buddha’s Doctrines, Precepts, and Dharma. Some mara-descendants become evil Dharma masters, and some sit on the Dharma King’s rostrum. Whether monastics or laymen, they all falsely claim to be great Bodhisattva or even Buddha.

They show the inflated and pretentious outside of being eminent monastics, Dharma masters, Dharma kings, or great virtuous laypeople. However, they are just ordinary people with frail bodies who fool and confuse those clueless Buddhist followers. They lie through their teeth without blinking, and their bloviations are merely an army of pompous phrases. They flash their fictitious holiness certificates and show little to no achievement in Five Vidyas. Furthermore, while pretending to be Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, these scoundrels have violated the precepts, eroded the Dharma, and deceived the public. Worse yet, some Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis exhibit obscene, scandalous, and offensive behaviors and shamelessly post those videos on the web.

These evil masters and evildoers have wreaked havoc in the Buddhist communities. They have fooled millions of people into believing they were holy sages. In fact, whether an individual is a Tathagata, Bodhisattva, or Arahat, the Buddhas have established the Eighteen Kinds of Great Dharma for Holiness Selection and Confirmation. By way of them, all frauds will show their true colors easily. Any evil master, whether they sit on the Dharma king’s rostrum, a patriarch of a Buddhist lineage, a repository of sutras and treatises, or who can talk nineteen to the dozen, once put under the Dharma for confirmation, righteous or evil will reveal itself immediately. It is why the impostors dare not try any of the Eighteen Dharmas, because ordinary people will not be able to conduct any of these Dharmas successfully and will expose their frauds under the sun.

Buddhist disciples, if the truth is what you are after, these four points are essential to remember:

  1. You must not listen to this person’s empty talk on Sutra or Shastra.
  2. You must not solely trust this person’s superficial status as a lineage patriarch.
  3. You must not exclusively believe in this person’s fame and notoriety, such as a lineage-holder of a Buddhist sect.
  4. Tests must validate this individual; the Holy Test is the standard measure.

Otherwise, those who follow the impostors will most likely be deceived and ruined for good.

Whether a heavenly king, earthly deity, Bodhisattva, venerable, or Arahat, if the individual can conduct any of the Eighteen Dharmas and demonstrate the manifestation state according to the Dharma, this person is 100% a reincarnated Bodhisattva or Buddha. On the contrary, if this individual cannot practice any of these Dharmas, this person is certifiably ordinary, an impostor, and may even be a wicked con artist or scoundrel!

These Eighteen Dharmas are 1. Buddha Bestowing Holy Amritas (佛降甘露)；2. Sending a Petition to Bodhisattva (送菩薩一表)；3. Holy Fire Homa (勝義火供)；4. Uncovering Terma with Direct Verification (現量伏藏)；5. Knowing in Advance and Foretelling (先知預言)；6. Establishing Mandala Through a Boulder (隔石建壇)；7. Bodhi Holy Water (菩提聖水)；8. Lifting Pestle onto Platform With One Hand (拿杵上座)；9. Bodhi Path Sin Decrease and Merit Increase Dharma (菩提道損減增益法)；10. Vajra Array (金剛陣)；11. Grand Eight Winds Array (八風大陣)；12. Vajra Pillar Adjudication (金剛柱擇決)；13. Hanging Bowl to Ask the Truth ( 懸缽問真.)；14. Moving Vajra Pill like Dancing on Ice ( 冰姿顯聖)；15. Vajra Faman Holy Adjudication (金剛法曼擇決)；16. Hayagriva Or Horse-Head Wisdom King Water Altar Bead Hexagram (馬頭明王水壇珠卦)；17. Dharma Gate Peacock Feathers Adjudication (法門宮羽)；18. Double Adjudications (雙應擇決). These Eighteen Dharmas determine the holy from the mundane and the good from the evil. Each Dharma has its own Bodhisattva, Buddha, Vajra, and Dharmapala as yidam, and each presents a different manifestation of the realization state.

For examples,

  1. Buddha Bestowing Amrita: The congregation witnesses the Buddha, an Equal Enlightenment Bodhisattva, or a Marvelous Enlightenment Bodhisattva practicing the Dharma to beseech the Buddha to appear in the sky and bestow holy amritas into an empty bowl.
  2. Sending a Petition to Bodhisattva: The congregation witnesses the Tremendous Holy Guru practicing the Dharma, and a Bodhisattva retrieves the petition in front of the public.
  3. Holy Fire Homa: The congregation witnesses the Bodhisattva, a Tremendous Holy Guru, practicing the Dharma. The blue Vajra Maternal Buddha appears in the sky, prancing and dancing in front of the disciples, and then emits flame from between the eyebrows and ignites the charcoals in the cauldron instantly. The flame’s temperature can reach more than a thousand degrees Celsius.
  4. Uncovering Terma with Direct Verification: The congregation participates and witnesses in person. See details on the March 19, 2019 edition of “Wangzha Shangzun Manifests Vajra Power, and Yuzun Uncovers Terma With Direct Verification at The Holy Miracles Temple” on Las Vegas Chinese News Network.
  5. Knowing in Advance and Foretelling: The Tremendous Holy Guru personally predicts the number of amrita pills he will hold in his hand. He then reaches and grabs a bunch of amrita pills. The pills are counted before the congregation, and the result will be the same as his prediction.
  6. Establishing Mandala Through a Boulder: The congregation witnesses the Tremendous Holy Guru or Great Holy Guru using colored sands to create a Mandala on top of a boulder. With a flick of the finger, the Mandala design penetrates through the boulder to the bottom of the boulder and onto an empty Mandala plate. The Mandala is thus established.
  7. Bodhi Holy Water: The holy water manifested by the Tremendous Holy Guru or a Great Holy Guru. The water can penetrate any vessel. And, when poured on a rostrum, the water will maneuver according to the direction given by the Bodhisattva, Tathagata, a Tremendous or Great Holy Guru.
  8. Lifting Pestle onto Platform With One Hand: It determines whether the participant’s physical condition is holy or mundane. Anybody can try, and everyone is treated equally. Lifting the vajra Pestle with one hand to determine the holiness level will instantly reveal the sacred or mundane.
  9. Bodhi Path Sin Decrease and Merit Increase Dharma: See Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III imparted Dharma “This is the Invincible Vajra Dharma to Enable Buddhist Practitioners to Achieve Accomplishment.” If an individual with such advanced cultivation conducts this Dharma successfully before the congregation, then this individual must be a Bodhisattva or a Buddha, a Tremendous Holy Guru.
  10. Vajra Array: It is a mighty formation that tests a person’s level or stage in Buddhist practice. The World Buddhism Association Headquarters has video recordings of the Vajra Array in real applications.
  11. Grand Eight Winds Array: No candidate can step across a thin vajra rope when the array is established. The World Buddhism Association Headquarters has videos of the Grand Eight Winds Array in real applications.
  12. Vajra Pillar Adjudication: The congregation will witness a peacock feather hanging in the air. The Tremendous Holy Guru stands about 10 meters away from it and submits inquiries to the vajra pillar. The truth will be revealed in front of the congregation.
  13. Hanging Bowl to Ask the Truth: The congregation witnesses the supernatural come-without-a-shadow-and-leave-without-a-trace Vajra descending to the Mandala. The Vajra will knock on the bowl to confirm adjudication.
  14. Moving Vajra Pill like Dancing on Ice: It is a holy inner-tantric initiation. The sacred manifestation goes beyond the entry-level vibration of the Vajra Pill. The Vajra Pill must twirl like dancing on a snow-capped mountain. It is more like ice figure skating than swing dancing. It can transform to be bigger or smaller, taller or shorter. It can levitate and spin around the bowl without touching its wall or even shows the image of a wrathful Vajra.
  15. Vajra Faman Holy Adjudication: The congregation witnesses Vajra sand forming into crowns of various fruition and realization stages that befit the ones to be validated above the heads of their visages.
  16. Hayagriva (Horse-Head) Wisdom King Water Altar Bead Hexagram: The congregation does a lottery to choose a candidate. The adjudication is unequivocally accurate. The Bodhi beads are placed on the water altar. See details on World Buddhism Association Headquarters Announcement No. 20200103.
  17. Dharma Gate Peacock Feathers Adjudication: The congregation witnesses that the presiding master stands from afar, and the disciple stands in front of the sacred peacock feathers and submits an inquiry. The peacock feathers will respond definitively to the question the disciple raises accordingly.
  18. Double Adjudications: It is a test that entails both the Lesser Eight Winds Array (八風小陣) and the Holy Divination of Manjushri Bodhisattva. All the candidates take part in this test individually, with everyone witnessing the result, which shows accurate and consistent answers between the two adjudications without discrepancy.

Among the above Eighteen Dharmas, some only a Buddha, an Equal Enlightenment Bodhisattva or a Marvelous Enlightenment Bodhisattva can practice, and others only a great Mahasattva or above can. One must be at least at the level of an Arahat to be able to practice these Dharmas. The only exception is Puji Vajra’s (普及金剛) Lifting Pestle onto Platform With One Hand. Anyone can attempt to lift the Vajra Pestle to determine their holiness level.

Although each Dharma has its yidam, these Eighteen Dharmas can differentiate the real from the fake and the righteous from the evil. We call them Demon-Revealing Mirrors. They are not actual mirrors but categories of great Dharmas. In concrete applications, only Lifting Pestle onto Platform With One Hand takes as little as requiring the candidate to lift the pestle off the ground for 8 seconds. For the other seventeen Dharmas, the self-proclaimed holy individual is asked to choose one and practice it in front of the congregation. Whether this individual is a divine being or a fake can be seen on the spot.

Besides, only a Buddha, an Equal Enlightenment Bodhisattva or a Marvelous Enlightenment Bodhisattva are qualified to conduct the Dharma of Buddha Bestowing Amrita, all Bodhisattvas of lesser stages do not have the power to practice the Dharma. Many people have personally participated in and witnessed these Eighteen Dharmas, which were genuinely extraordinary, remarkable and praiseworthy.

On May 15, a great Mahasattva and the anagarikas of the World Buddhism Association Headquarters conducted the Bodhi Path Sin Decrease and Merit Increase Dharma for a pious practitioner who made outstanding contributions to Buddhist work. The entire congregation successfully practiced the Dharma together. Everyone experienced and witnessed this wonderful, world-astounding, and miraculous event. With only one strike on the bell, the sound reverberated throughout the site and resonated for a long time. All attendants stood about four to five feet from the platform, and all eyes focused on the jar in the middle. The total number of Bodhi pills has increased by three. The blessed disciple, from now on, can take the merit-increasing Bodhi pills every month and is guaranteed to achieve accomplishment. The Shengzun brought some of the merit-increasing Bodhi pills and made offerings to Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III to celebrate His Holiness, the Buddha’s holy birthday. Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III praised and proclaimed, “Although you have successfully practiced this holy Dharma, you should persistently turn away from all evildoings, commit to doing good, and selflessly serve and benefit others with your body, speech, and mind.” The Shengzun bowed and replied, “This disciple shall faithfully obey and will practice in accordance with the Dharma.”

Please note that during a validation test, the first eight Dharmas are the type that the candidate must practice in person. They are to verify if this individual has attained sufficient cultivation accomplishment to complete any of these eight Dharmas. The first eight Dharmas must be practiced by this candidate and witnessed by the congregation. No substitution is allowed. From the ninth to the eighteenth Dharmas, the candidate can practice the Dharma by themself to reveal their stage of holy manifestation. However, a great reincarnated Bodhisattva can also conduct the Dharma to adjudicate this individual’s true nature as sacred or mundane. It is the same process as verifying which fruition level, bhumi (ground), or Bodhisattva stage someone’s holiness stage is. The process can also be applied to confirm if any Sutra, Vinaya, Shastra, and Dharma contains distorted, erroneous, and deluded views. For example, some sutras have different versions of translations and interpretations. And various sutras may contradict each other. It is the aftermath caused by mara-descendants, who have infiltrated the Sangha and corrupted Shakyamuni Buddha’s Sutrapitaka. The Buddha knew the tricks of these evildoers to distort and falsify the Tripitaka. Therefore, the Buddha imparted these Eighteen Dharmas to differentiate the authentic from the spurious and the righteous from the evil. These Eighteen Dharmas are necessary to distinguish the moral from the evil. And we will not be able to resolve the self-contradictory statements between sutras without these eighteen Dharmas.

For example, on a Sutra, it writes: “The period since I became a buddha would exceed this by umpteen nayutas and asamkhyas of kalpas. Since then, I have been residing in the sahā world, teaching the Dharma and inspiring sentient beings. I have also been leading and benefiting sentient beings in umpteen nayutas and asamkhyas of other worlds. “On another Sutra, it indicates that Shakyamuni Buddha had been “a royal prince for ten lifetimes, and through many kalpas to become a Ksanti-vadi-rsi,” and after that, Buddha Dipamkara gave the prediction that the prince would achieve enlightenment at the Assembly on the Gridhakuta Peak (aka the Vulture’s Peak). Another Sutra depicts that when Prince Siddhartha Gautama practiced asceticism on the bank of the Nairanjananadi (Phalgu River), He was unsure if He would achieve enlightenment. The prince placed a bowl on the Nairanjananadi and made a wish: “If I can be the Enlightened One, this bowl will float upstream.” The bowl indeed floated upstream, which foretold His Buddhahood. In addition, Sutrapitaka lectures and proclaims that all Dharma (phenomena) arise in dependence upon causality.

Nevertheless, the Buddha also made many prophecies in the sutras, seemingly indicating a self-contradictory fatalism. In addition, many versions of the same Sutra or Mantra contain many different lengths of wording. All the confusion and destruction were caused by the mara-descendants who executed the orders from the Demon King. Therefore, practicing any of the Eighteen Dharmas will provide adjudication clearly and irrefutably to verify if an individual is holy or evil.

One of the Eighteen Dharmas provides the most convenient and immediate adjudication. It can validate any individual to be genuine or a sham in a few seconds unconditionally. This Dharma is Lifting a Pestle Onto Platform With One Hand Using Vajra Hook, whose yidam is Puji Vajra. Anyone who volunteers to participate will use one hand to lift the pestle. It will instantly confirm the participant’s physical condition irrefutably according to their corresponding realization power. Those who reach level twelve and above are the entry-level holy person. Those who fail to reach above level eleven don’t have a holy physical condition and are 100% ordinary. See details in “By Age and Weight, The Good-Health-Man Weight Standards for Lifting Vajra Pestle With One Hand.”

Please note that women are not required to partake in Lifting Pestle Onto Platform With One Hand. The other seventeen Dharmas will validate them instead. However, all men – pious believers, eminent monks, great Dharma masters, the Ehrampa Geshis, Lharampa Geshis, great lamas, great rinpoches, great Dharma kings, generational patriarchs, or even ordinary Buddhists, are treated equally in front of the Dharma of Lifting Pestle Onto Platform With One Hand. By lifting the same vajra pestle, whether the candidate has a holy physical composition or simply an ordinary body, and whether they are genuine or sham, will be revealed. This Dharma will confirm that an ordinary person is just ordinary and a holy being is holy. Pompous grandees without dharma power will be just that. In as little as a few seconds, the truth will reveal itself. There is no freeloading at all. Therefore, the impostors dare not lift the pestle.

However, suppose a male master, who has been validated by one of the Eighteen Dharmas, is a humble Buddhist cultivator, teaches according to the Dharma, is discreet and unpretentious, and practices true Dharma but has some health issues. In that case, the validation requirements of the Dharma of Lifting the Pestle Onto Platform With One Hand do not apply to him. Therefore, all Buddhist disciples should heed that as long as your Dharma master follows the teachings of Namo Shakyamuni Buddha and abides by the Dharma imparted by Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III, you should approve your master. Your learning relies on the audio recordings of the Dharma imparted by His Holiness the Buddha, which is the standard and guiding principle of correct meaning. Besides, only a Tremendous Holy Guru of the World Buddhism Association Headquarters with dharma power can transmit a holy Dharma to you. Your master’s role is to assist you in following the authentic Dharma and walking on the correct Bodhi path. Therefore, the master does not need to have advanced dharma power. If the master abides by the Buddha’s doctrine, the disciples should respect and follow them.

The Headquarters has received some complaint letters that state xxx pretended to be a Buddha; xxx deceived their disciples and self-proclaimed as a great Bodhisattva or a Marvelous Enlightenment Bodhisattva; xxx Dharma master has a scandalous relationship with xxx Bhikkuni and they went to karaoke, drank alcohol and ate meat, etc. These are unsurprising because Shakyamuni Buddha already predicted that evil demons would increase in the Dharma Degeneration Age and authentic Dharma would be increasingly diluted and corrupted. These reports have fulfilled the Buddha’s prophecies. Evil and demonic elements have rampantly mixed with pure Buddhism, obscured authentic Buddha Dharma, disregarded the precepts and ordinance, and contradicted and counterfeited the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni. Worst of all, a charlatan even declares that he was recognized and authenticated by Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III as a reincarnated Bodhisattva and Tathagata. We implored a reply from Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III yesterday about this.

Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III replied, “I am very humbled. What capacity do I have to confirm others to be holy being? Ever since I was young, I have never confirmed anyone to be a Buddha or Bodhisattva for two reasons. First, I am a common cultivator. Therefore, I can’t practice the Eighteen Dharmas. Although I did lift the grand pestle, it hurt my back and legs. I am so humbled. What credentials have I to confirm others to be sacred or not? Second. I am not a Tremendous Holy Guru. I don’t have the authority to confirm anybody to be Buddha or Bodhisattva. I only advocate for others to practice cultivation diligently, avoid evildoings, and commit to doing good. If anyone is arrogant, unbridled, and self-proclaimed to be sacred and trump as a holy king, if they are so shamelessly audacious, why would they not dare to conduct any of the Eighteen Dharmas to prove to Buddhist disciples that they are holy and not mundane? If they cannot do it, they must be an impostor!!!”

The Holy Gurus at the Headquarters agree that His Holiness the Buddha’s words and deeds left us with contrite hearts. His Holiness the Buddha is the unsurpassed, complete and perfect Enlightened One. However, His Holiness the Buddha has maintained such humility and is without a shred of arrogance. Here are some facts. Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III has exhibited for all to see His Holiness the Buddha’s perfect mastery of the Five Vidyas. His Holiness the Buddha publicly lifted the pestle to surpass His base standard by 59 levels, which far exceeds the level of the King of Great Vajra Strength. Throughout history, His Holiness the Buddha is the only one who never accepted any offerings but voluntarily served the masses to let them learn from Buddha and practice cultivation.

It is confirmed that Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III has never recognized anyone as a Buddha or Bodhisattva. Those so-called Dharma kings, Bodhisattva impostors, and fake great Dharma masters don’t even qualify to dust the shoes for Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III. Nevertheless, the Headquarters has established Puji Vajra’s Dharma of Lifting a Pestle Onto Platform With One Hand Using a Vajra Hook. From the lightest “Ruzi Chu” (Beginner Pestle), to “Famen Chu” (Dharma Gate Pestle), to “World Strongman Pestle,” and to “Buddha Pestle,” which is one level above Bodhisattva’s King-of-Great-Vajra-Strength level, all are openly placed at the Headquarters’ temple. All virtuous and pious people are welcome to try.

If your master calls himself a holy being, you must discreetly observe him to see if he is a counterfeit or if he dares to lift the pestle to prove his realization state. Perhaps you should invite the self-enthroned great Bodhisattva to raise the pestle at the Headquarters’ temple. If he excuses himself, you should see if he will go to a gym to raise the barbell with one hand. If he does, you can inform us of the heaviest weight he can lift. We will check and confirm back to you if he surpasses his base standard or fails to reach it and whether he is holy or mundane. The result will give definitive adjudication. If our Headquarters’ 90-year-old Kaichu Jiaozun, who weighed 180 lbs, could lift the pestle off the ground, how can the self-proclaimed Bodhisattva, who professes to teach others to become divine, not raise the pestle of the same weight? Perhaps he cannot even lift the “Dharma Gate Pestle” or the lightest “Beginner Pestle,” can he? It proves that not only he is not holy, but he has also not even entered the “Dharma Gate.” That is to say, if someone cannot even walk across the door, he then must be counterfeit and is just an ordinary person. For he who cannot even lift the “Beginner Pestle,” if he is not mundane, what is he? Could he be called holy? Could he not be feeble and has a holy physique?

Look, no matter how glorious this person’s status is, should he pompously self-proclaim to be a Bodhisattva, you must see if this individual dares to take the test of “Lifting Pestle Onto Platform With One Hand”!! Of course, this invitation is for those mundane masters who pretend to be holy.

We must unequivocally warn Buddhist disciples not to believe in those fairy tales, such as a divine being stepping on a boulder and leaving a footprint or handprint. Those are hoaxes. It is outrageous blasphemy to compare the Bodhisattva and Tathagata to stonemasons. Consider this: Is a Bodhisattva or Tathagata with complete mastery of the Five Vidyas just a stone mason who processes stones? Isn’t it ridiculous?

Furthermore, throughout history, there has never been a holy being who stepped on a boulder and left a footprint for all to see. The foot impression or handprint on boulders you see were fabricated by the fake or his disciples, who secretly chiseled out the imprints in advance, then pompously and fictitiously advertised it as a holy remark. Any skeptical Buddhist can try to duplicate it, and you will find the truth. The Headquarters can confidently assert that the so-called lineage-holder, rumored to have stepped on a boulder and left a footprint, would not be able to lift the vajra pestle that the 90-year-old Kaichu Jiaozun lifted off the ground with one hand and surpassed his base by 26 levels. It is because this individual is a fake, an ordinary person without any accomplishment that goes beyond the commoners, let alone to be compared to the holy elder, Kaichu Jiaozun.

We wish to remind all Buddhists that only the masters whose Dharma attire shows the ranking remarks certified by the Holy Gurus via Dharma authentication are recognized. Otherwise, for those famous figures or ordinary Buddhists, who have not been validated by one of the Eighteen Dharmas, if they self-proclaim to be holy, you should reserve a question mark on them. Otherwise, in this Dharma Degeneration Age, you have probably already been cheated. The matter of fact is that you have yet to follow a genuine holy guru to learn from Buddha and cultivate yourself. You have gone astray and blindly believed in an evil master or a con artist. That will ruin your life forever and lead you toward the Three Evil Realms of reincarnation!

World Buddhism Association Headquarters

May 15, 2021

(Translated to English from Chinese by Sheila Lauly. English translation reviewed and edited by Eric Huang)

Link ref: HQ Announcement 20210101: An Impostor Will Not Dare To Practice These Eighteen Dharmas

Iron Man of Bhutan

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Great Bodhisattva H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo

H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo , the iron man of Bhutan, the Leonardo da Vinci of the Himalayas, the king of empty fields, artisan, engineer, composer, poet, soldier, merchant and more. He is a repertoire matched only by his own achievements. He is none other than H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo, the great wandering scholar and accomplished yogi saint- and all the above.

Perhaps the most enigmatic of Buddhist saints,H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo is the most renowned as the builders of iron bridges. In his many visits to Bhutan he built 8 iron bridges and 2 temples, the Dumtseg lhakhang in Paro and the Tachog Lhakhang . These are the top places to visit in Bhutan

Dumtsek Lhakhang at Paro

If any imminent personage has fired the imagination of later day chronicles, scholars and devotees, none can compare to that of H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo. From the scandalously rogue antics of Drukpa Kuenley, the divine madman, to the menacingly airborne Milarepa, the legacy of Thang Tong Gyalpo is solid iron, literally so.

Personality

H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo is most revered and remembered for the numerous iron bridges that he built, accomplishments that begat him the more popular title  Chazampa(iron bridges). For his eccentricity and unconventional behavior he was called Lungton Nyonpa, the madman of an empty village. What was generally accepted was that he was Drubthob, the realized and accomplished one. He was so, in every sense of the word.

Iron Bridge at Tacgogang Lhakhang Built by H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo

His Birth

A popular and interesting but apocryphal legend has it that H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo was born as an old man. His parents, fearing that they had given birth to a freak abandoned him in the fields. He was then brought up by the wild animals and hence his name Tangtong Gyalpo. It translates as King of the open fields.

The more accurate accounts are that he grew up a child prodigy who has mastered the scriptures and the arts at a young age. In this context the name has been interpreted as the one with incomparable excellence in meditation. He is also known for steadfast and immobile from the plains (thang) of concentration. The name is also explained as indicative of his vast and supreme views on the nature of emptiness. 

His Reincarnation

His life is one of progression. The avatars as manifold as the names and their interpretations. He is at once a militia conscript who rose rapidly through the ranks to become a commander. He has captured several forts by way of nonviolent strategy. In his youth, he was a very successful merchant who gave up his wealth and profits to a local ruler to save the lives of several unknown people from execution. 

It is hardly surprising from this incident that he was considered an active emanation of Chenrezig, the bodhisattva of compassion. Additionally, several of his sadhanas such as Avalokiteshvara sadhana ‘For The benefit of All Beings Pervading Space” was composed by him after he received the transmission of this practice directly from Chenrizig. Chenrizig Nyungnye was also said to be a practice that he did throughout his life.

His Youth

H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo lived for a time in Lhasa, at the court of  the Deb Desi and was under the patronage of the daughter of the Desi. 

The princess commissioned several major works of sculpture and paintings; most notable among them the exquisite gold sculpture of Milarepa. He also crafted several life-sized statues of Chenrezig, Tsepame and Drolma from conch shell, coral and turquoise that were destroyed in 1959.

chenrezig
Chenrezig

H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo’s creativity and ingenuity were not limited to art but even extended to developing numerous medicines and treatments including some longevity pills. Perhaps through strange coincidence, the Chakpori hilltop where H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo lived near Lhasa later became the site for the first formal Tibetan medicinal institute built in the 17th century.

His Inspiration

H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo’s engineering feats, particularly with regard to bridge building, were reportedly inspired after he was refused passage on a ferry because of his ferocious and unkempt outward appearance. He was thrown unceremoniously into the water only to emerge with an insatiable zest for building bridges and ferry points. 

Tachogang village , connected by iron bridge
Tachogang Village , Connected By iron Bridge

The new found vocation was intended to inter-link remote and inaccessible villages and propagate the Buddhist faith. His early attempts suffered many set backs, the primary one being the lack of funds. This did not deter or faze H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo and he is said to have come up with an innovative idea to compose and organize performances of the first ever Tibetan Opera, the Achi Lhamo to finance his passion. 

Acheivement

Both bridge building and the opera were great successes. H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo went on to build something like 58 iron bridges and an equal number of wooden bridges, and over hundred ferry crossings all over the Himalayas including 8 iron bridges in Bhutan. None of the bridges are known to be standing. However, parts and pieces of iron still stand the taste of time at the national museum in Paro and at Duksum near Trashiyangtse, in eastern Bhutan. 

National Museum in Paro
National Museum in Paro

The Achi Lhamo opera, with the starting troupe of seven sisters who worked on the saint’s bridges, is still performed and enjoyed hugely to these days during the new year celebration and on festive occasions. 

Achi Lhamo Opera Still Prevalent in Bhutan
Achi Lhamo Opera Composed by H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo Still Prevalent in Bhutan

Places he visited

H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo traveled widely and is said to have visited SIkkim, Ladakh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan in search of iron ore. He is a celebrated figure in this region and his exploits and compositions live on in the local folk songs and lore. He is also credited with composing many of the work songs sung in the villages of the region, including in Bhutan. Numerous stories and songs also extol his miracles and his enlightened activities and one song tells of him using the yeti as his porter. 

Living Temple of Thang Tong Gyalpo in Bhutan

H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo’s passage in Bhutan stands enshrined in the temples of Tachoggang and Dumtse in Paro that he built.

Dumtseg Lhakhang Paro

The biography of Lochen Gyurmey Dechen narrates that the blacksmith of Paro once manufactured seven thousand chain links for H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo. These he took to Tibet in 1400 carrier loads. During his frequent and long sojourns to bhutan he took a consort Drubthob Zangmo, the aunt of Great Terton Pema Lingpa from whom he had several sons whose descendants live on at the Tachogang monastery. 

The Depictions of H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo

Depictions of H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo are easily identifiable given his unusual appearances as in the manner of Maha siddhas. He has the signature iron chain link held in his right hand. The saint’s body complexion is dark reddish- brown, described in some cases as having the hue of “wet liver”.

Thangtong Gyalpo

He is said to belong to the descendent of the famed and legendary king Gesar. Seated on an antelope skin in the relaxed posture, he holds a  tsebum or vase of long life in his left hand which rests on his lap in the dhyani mudra. The saint’s tsebum links him to tsepame, the bodhisattva of infinite life. He had also discovered the sacred dharani  as a terma hidden by Guru Rinpoche. Special H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo drupchens of long life are still very popular..

His Countenance

H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo is depicted with his hair in a turban-like knot. He sports a long beard and long logs up to his shoulders which may be either black or white depending on whether he is depicted as an old man or in his prime. His image in Dumtse Lhakhang near the entrance is perhaps the youngest depiction. 

Thangtong Gyalpo

Clothed  in a white garment in this particular and unusual depiction, he maintains a goatee, short hair and holds his hand in the bhumisparsa mudra. The iron chain links are not held in the hands as usual but lie at the edge of the throne, barely discernible under the folds of his garments. In contrast, the huge main statue of the saint in the ZIlukha Drubthob nunnery above the Tashichho Dzong shows him at a ripped old age with long white flowing locks and beard. A pot belly and perhaps a gentler expression on his face. Numerous slate carvings of the saint holding his iron chain and vase are found in the Dzong and monasteries all around Bhutan. In many of these slate carvings the face is embellished with gold paint. 

H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo was also famous throughout Tibet for his great strength and engineering skills. He is a great Bodhisattva known and respected by one and all in Tibet. H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo was the supreme leader of four esoteric sects within India, Bhutan, Sikkim, Mongolia, and Eastern Tibet. He possessed teachings from many dharma lineages, the most remarkable of which were the lineage to extend one’s life and the lineage to bring in wealth and change one’s fortune. H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo was a great terton, or discoverer of hidden teachings called terma, who both revealed and concealed terma for future generations. His main practice was that of Chenrezig. A young incarnation of this great master is currently living in Bhutan.

In year 2005, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III 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, at HuaZangSi Temple in San Francisco.

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. He also sent his written congratulations stating that His Holiness is the master of Buddhas, the magnificence of His Holiness is supreme and that in this world no other holy being in history can compare with His Holiness.

Iron Man of Bhutan

Link:https://peacelilysite.com/2024/04/12/iron-man-of-bhutan/

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Source: https://www.bhutaninbound.com/blog/2022/06/11/thang-tong-gyalpo-iron-man-of-bhutan/#:~:text=Thang%20Tong%20Gyalpo%20is%20most,title%20Chazampa(iron%20bridges).

Relatives of Western Disciple of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu Go to Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss

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When Zhaxi Zhuoma’s close relative died, she asked H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, “What should I do?” As a result of her sincere request, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III performed a very wonderful and amazing ceremony that enabled her to see her relative, actually go to the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss (Sukhavati). This is a very high ritual of the Supreme Yoga Vajra Division, which cannot be discussed in detail with those who have not received initiation. However, she was able to report that she actually witnessed with her own eyes the miraculous scene where this person was transported to the sixth level of this Buddha-land that is beyond the worldly realms of suffering and sorrow. There are nine levels all together in the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. This is the highest tier of the middle level, known as the Zhong Pin Shang Sheng in Chinese.

The picture of this person quivered in her hands as the ceremony began. It seemed that he could hardly wait. Or was this in response to the extraordinary dharma powers of the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III? It was a glorious and marvelous sight! There are no words that can express the joy she experienced when this event took place. His Holiness explained that this was because she was able to obtain a “glimpse” of the bliss that occurs in the Western Paradise. There is no other Dharma King or master who can do this! It was incredible!

Earlier H.H.Dorje Chang Buddha III  allowed Zhaxi Zhuoma to see the sufferings of Hell. Now she was able to experience the bliss of the Western Paradise. The Petitioning the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss Dharma is a very high and special dharma that is rarely practiced in this world. Many people want to go to the Western Paradise, but can’t. They would like to receive this dharma or have it performed for their loved ones, but can’t. Zhaxi Zhuoma said, “I have been with H.H.Dorje Chang Buddha III  for six years and seen him perform very many forms of inner tantric initiations and received some, but this is the first time that I have seen him perform this particular dharma. It was only through the maturing of certain causes and conditions that this ritual was successfully performed.“

“My dear relative, who was ninety when he died, had been a good Christian man, but knew nothing of Buddhism. His only contact with Buddhism had been through knowing me, although he had also met my younger vajra sister, Ven. Akou Lamo Rinpoche, in 2003 when we briefly visited him while on tour of the U.S.. Ven. Akou Lamo Rinpoche is a great rinpoche from Tibet and also a close disciple of H.H.Dorje Chang Buddha III . I am sure we were the only Buddhists he had ever even heard of, let alone met. “ This person had lived a good life and was very kind and generous, being willing to go to great lengths to help those who needed help. His immediate family, who are all also good Christians, were quite certain that he would go to the Christian heaven, but who would have thought that he would have had the good fortune to escape the realm of reincarnation altogether?

He had, after all, also been an avid hunter and fisherman and had killed many living beings in his life. With such negative karma, how could he be reborn in heaven? Needless to say, it would be even more impossible for him to go to the Western Paradise. But H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s Buddha-dharma is so magnificent! I could actually witness my relative going to this superb Buddha-land and enjoying the incomparable happiness one finds there. His Holiness told me, ‘You are a rinpoche. That is why you can see this.’

“I was horrified when the minister giving the eulogy at my relative’s funeral praised him for teaching his grandchildren how to fish. I wanted to cry out “How can you praise someone for teaching children how to kill?” but I held my tongue and remained silent. In this rural community and this culture, hunting and fishing are very important, both for food and for pleasure. They do not understand the principles of either reincarnation or karma. It is only through the incredible merit, dharma skills, and great compassion of the H.H.Dorje Chang Buddha III  that this could happen.

“Just eleven days after my relative left this world, his wife also left. She was also ninety. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III was also able to raise her consciousness so that she could join her husband in the Western Paradise. I saw the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to the sacred mandala to receive her and witnessed their acceptance of her into the Western Paradise. This was a different ceremony held at a different mandala. At first it looked as though she might not be able to make it. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III went back and practiced the dharma a second time. This time he was able to send her to this paradise of eternal joy and happiness.

She, too, had been a good Christian, but knew nothing about Buddhism. She also did not have the good fortune to meet Ven. Akou Lamo Rinpoche. However, she was still able to go to the Western Paradise. It was so amazing. This was because of the incredible compassion and Buddha-dharma powers of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu Holiest Tathagata. The Buddha-dharma is magnificent!”

In 2004 H.H.Dorje Chang Buddha III  performed another ceremony to raise the consciousness of Zhaxi Zhuoma’s non-Buddhist parents, Carl and Elsie Welker, to a higher realm as well. At that time she saw the Dharma Protecting Deities come to perform this rite. She was very, very grateful to her vajra master for his kindness and compassion in blessing her dear relatives. These miraculous Buddha-dharma events, performed for those who had not practiced or known anything about Buddhism, were all due to the amazing merit and compassion of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu. He was willing and able to share his boundless merit with these non-Buddhist to enable them to enjoy the blessings of Amitabha Buddha’s Western Paradise. This was a great teaching on compassion and true equanimity.

REINCARNATION:

H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III reminded us that we must realize that reincarnation is not something that just exists for Buddhists or easterners. It existed before the coming of the Buddha or before Jesus and continues to exist even after they have left this realm. It is a fact based on the principles of cause and effect. It does not exist because people believe in it or talk about it—it just exists. Nor does reincarnation cease to exist just because people do not accept it or believe in it. Only the Buddha was able to see how the cycle of reincarnation worked and to realize the method for escaping the suffering that is inherent in continual rebirth in the six realms of existence. Only a Buddha is capable of understanding the workings of karma.

Some concept of “heaven” or a “happy hunting ground” or “paradise” is held by most religions. Buddhism recognizes these realms as well, but does not hold the various heavens or abodes of the gods (devas or angels) and other celestial beings to be the goal of spiritual practice. They could be viewed as a “rest stop” or a nice vacation site, as one can surely go to these wonderful places if one lives a good life, avoids evil, and accumulates sufficient “merit.” However, even in heaven, when one’s merit is used up (and it is very hard to accumulate more merit while in those realms—the pleasures are just too great), one must still be reborn and repay one’s karmic debts.

There is even no guarantee that living a good life is enough to enable you to have a good next life, for your karma from past lives may catch up with you on your next round. Only by becoming a holy or enlightened being (or saint), can one escape the cycle of reincarnation and the suffering of existence. The early Christians also believed in reincarnation, as do many Christians today, but it is not accepted as Christian dogma. There are two dharmas whereby one can go to the Western Paradise. One dharma involves repeatedly reciting Amitabha Buddha’s name. The other is Petitioning the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss Dharma, which is a very high and special dharma that very few people who have lived in this world could perform. Shakyamuni Buddha and the Ugyen Second Buddha, Great Dharma King Padmasambhava, could do it, as could great holy dharma kings after them. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu, however, is more accomplished than any of these dharma kings.

No wonder H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo Great Bodhisattva, who was once the leader of the four main sects of esoteric Buddhism, wrote a congratulatory letter highly praising H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu’s proficiency in both esoteric and exoteric Buddhism and his wonderful mastery of the five vidyas. That letter also praised His Holiness as being the first person in history to accomplish this. Zhaxi Zhuoma said that “to my knowledge, His Holiness is the only living vajra master who can perform such a ceremony involving great dharma and have the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to the sacred altar to help the deceased reach this high level of achievement. We are very fortunate to have such a holy one with us here in America.”

Link：https://peacelilysite.com/2024/04/12/relatives-of-western-disciple-of-h-h-dorje-chang-buddha-iii-wan-ko-yeshe-norbu-go-to-western-paradise-of-ultimate-bliss/

#DorjeChangBuddhaIII #HHDorjeChangBuddhaIII#DorjeChangBuddha#WesternParadise #Buddhism

Brief Introduction to Great Bodhisattva H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo Bodhisattva

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A Great Disciple of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III

H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo is a greatly accomplished person within Tibetan esoteric Buddhism who attained the rainbow body. He is a great Bodhisattva known and respected by one and all in Tibet.

He is also an extremely holy person who has made huge contributions to the Tibetan people. It was this great Bodhisattva who was the father of medicine, ferryboats, bridges, and operas in Tibet. He has brought to the living beings of Tibet limitless blessings. To this day, Tibetan temples and families continue to worship H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo Bodhisattva.


The first Tangtong Gyalpo left the household life to become a monk when he was very young. He studied the sutras and treatises and became good at debating the sutras. Although he possessed the Five Vidyas, he remained modest, simple, and down-to-earth. In order to provide a model of self-cultivation, H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo followed and learned under many people of great virtue.

He also engaged in solitary, quiet cultivation for a long period of time at the Eri Temple. Later, he received teachings directly from Dakini Niguma and became a person greatly accomplished in the dharma. People praised H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo with the following words: “In the vast realm of emptiness, there is a yogi who intensively studies emptiness and who is like the King of Fearlessness. His name is Tangtong Gyalpo.” He has also been respectfully called Zhibai Wangxiu Tangtong Gyalpo, which means the accomplished, free and unhindered Tangtong Gyalpo!

During a certain year in history, there was a serious drought and famine in Tibet. H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo conducted a Dharma Assembly in front of the Sakyamuni Buddha statue in the Jo-khan Temple in Lhasa. At that Dharma Assembly, he wrote “A Prayer to Eliminate Famine.” Many people then saw Kuan Yin Bodhisattva in the sky disseminating various grains. The famine ended not long after that.


There was another time when war and chaos occurred in the Muya district of Kham in Tibet, causing people to leave their homes and wander about. H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo made a vow and wrote “A Prayer to End War and Chaos.” People in that area very soon after that ended their mutual hatred and instead treated one another in a peaceful, friendly, and loving manner. There was another year when a pestilence broke out in a large area covering a religious site of the Sakya sect, causing countless deaths. The chanting of mantras and the offering of sacrifices could not end the pestilence. Thus, H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo again practiced dharma and wrote “A Prayer to End the Disaster of Illness.” As a
result, the pestilence disappeared forthwith. In previous times in Tibet, it was very difficult for people to cross rivers. The river waters mercilessly took away people’s lives as they attempted to cross the rivers. Thus, H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo made improvements to ferryboats and began building bridges. In that lifetime, he built fifty iron-chain bridges, sixty wooden bridges, and many temples. One of those temples was the Tangge Lakong (the Tangtong Gyalpo Temple), which was the first temple in the Derge region. With respect to medicine, H.E.Tangtong Gyalpo established the Medicine King Temple at Jiabori in Lhasa, invented a white pill that cured all kinds of internal medical diseases, and invented a red pill that cured epidemic diseases. Thus, he became the founder of Tibetan medicine. That white pill and red pill are used in Tibetan medicine even to this very day to relieve the sufferings of living beings.

This 600 year old bridge crosses the Paro Chhu (Paro River) and was traditionally restored in 2005 after being washed away during a 1969 flood. The bridge was originally built by the legendary Thangtong Gyalpo
Dungtse Lhakhang, a temple in form of a chörten near Paro in Bhutan was built by Thangtong Gyalpo. The roof construction is made of iron.


H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo Bodhisattva also wrote many Tibetan operas and established the Ache Lhamo opera troupe, the members of which acted out Tibetan historical stories through song and dance and pioneered Tibetan operas. The Achi Lhamo opera, with the starting troupe of seven sisters who worked on the saint’s bridges, is still performed and enjoyed hugely to these days during the new year celebration and on festive occasions. 

Achi Lhamo Opera Composed by Thang Tong Gyalpo Still Prevalent in Bhutan

H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo was the supreme leader of four esoteric sects within India, Bhutan, Sikkim, Mongolia, and Eastern Tibet. He possessed teachings from many dharma lineages, the most remarkable of which were the lineage to extend one’s life and the lineage to bring in wealth and change one’s fortune.
Everyone in Tibet, no matter what sect he or she belonged to, believed in and practiced such lineages and scriptures. Countless disciples of H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo became accomplished in the dharma under his teachings and attained great supernatural powers, wisdom and great compassion. More than one hundred disciples of his attained the rainbow body or the transformation rainbow body. All Tibetan people know that H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo is truly a great patriarch of Tibetan esoteric Buddhism and a great Bodhisattva. Later, each time H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo incarnated into this world. He was a great patriarch who spread the dharma, liberated living beings, and pervasively benefited people.

Thang Tong Gyalpo Present Reincarnation


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 (Dorje Chang Buddha III) 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 who is the nirmanakaya of Manjushri Bodhisattva. 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. He also sent his written congratulations stating that His Holiness is the master of Buddhas, the magnificence of His Holiness is supreme and that in this world no other holy being in history can compare with His Holiness.

H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III accepted H.E. Tangtong Gyalpo as his disciple at Hua Zang Si temple San Francisco

#DorjeChangBuddhaIII#HHDorjeChangBuddhaIII#HuaZangSi #Buddha #Buddhism #buddhist #Temple#GuanYinBodhisattva#BuddhismTemple#SanFrancisco#TangtongGyalpo #Buthan #Tibet


Link:https://peacelilysite.com/2024/03/22/brief-introduction-to-great-bodhisattva-h-e-tangtong-gyalpo-bodhisattva/

Source: https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Thangtong_Gyalpo, https://www.nwrafting.com/international/thangtong-gyalpo-tachog-lhakhang, https://www.bhutaninbound.com/blog/2022/06/11/thang-tong-gyalpo-iron-man-of-bhutan/

I have Attained A very Special and Sacred Assembly

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The Dharma of Selection in Dark Confinement

In esoteric Buddhism, a multitude of Dharma categories exists. Among these, within the realm of decision by selection, “the Dharma of Selection in Dark Confinement” holds a prestigious position as an advanced and profound teaching. This particular Dharma surpasses other practices such as “the Dharma of Inquiry by a Flying Lot,” “the Dharma of Selection with Mani Stone,” “the Dharma of Lot Drawing from a Golden Vase,” and “the Dharma of Card Drawing Across the Curtain.” It even stands above the esteemed “Dharma of Vajra Selection,” second in rank only to “the Dharma of Divine Forecasting.”

It’s important to note that participating in the ceremony of “the Dharma of Selection in Dark Confinement” does not inherently imply a person’s high status or identity. The determination of one’s status relies on the outcomes of the selection process. The exceptional aspect of “the Dharma of Selection in Dark Confinement” lies in its ability to precisely unveil an individual’s true identity with absolute certainty.

On December 12th, 2012, a remarkable opportunity graced my life as I attended a live assembly centered around this sacred teaching. The event took place within a magnificent edifice that now houses the H.H.Dorje Chang Buddha Culture and Art Museum. Illuminated against the night sky, the gathering attracted several hundred disciples. Led by an anonymous yet revered figure of great holiness and virtue, the ceremony aimed to bestow the initiation of “Selection Made in Dark Confinement from One-Hundred Dharmas to Choose the Door toward Enlightenment” upon Dharma Master Zhengda (Awang Deji Rinpoche).

The enigmatic spiritual leader entered the assembly hall donning a cone-shaped bamboo hat veiled in darkness, evoking the aura of a martial arts hero from cinematic lore. His countenance remained shrouded, a mystery to all. Swiftly, he proceeded into a petite Buddha hall, safeguarded by a group of rinpoches. The shroud of anonymity around his true identity remained impenetrable to everyone present.

H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, the figure whom everyone awaited with the utmost anticipation, graced the hall of the dharma assembly with His presence. The profound sense of blessedness and gratitude that welled up within me was immeasurable, as I had the privilege to worship and attentively listen to the Buddha from such a close vantage point. Furthermore, every attendant could witness to the remarkable transformation of His Holiness into a youthful appearance, an occurrence that transpired in October of that very year, 2012. (For more intricate details, refer to the “Truth about Reversing An Old Age Back to Youth“).


First, dharma masters presented a manuscript containing all one hundred letters of petition to this great holy and virtuous one who would practice the dharma for this dharma assembly. The great holy and virtuous one circled three of the one hundred letters of petition using a pen with red colored ink as the predictions made ahead of time for publishing at the conclusion of the dharma assembly. When the disciple who was subject to the decision by selection drew three letters of petition, the three circled ones would be verified that they all matched the letters of petition actually selected by the disciple. These three then represented this disciple’s correct karmic conditions at that time.
The other ninety-seven letters of petition did not match karmic conditions of the disciple receiving the initiation this time and were all crossed out, indicating they were at least irrelevant if not untrue.
Additionally, a required procedure was to make a seal on the spot. This was very rigorous and was done by dharma masters in person. An un-carved stone seal was rested on both of its ends and unsupported in the middle. With a strike by a hammer, the seal was broken into two pieces. The uneven face of one of the two pieces was ground slightly with sandpaper, while still preserving enough lines and contours from the break. A seal made this way could never be duplicated, even if you attempted to do it ten thousand times. Once the seal was made, it was used at the scene to stamp the one hundred letters of petition written by hand by the disciple. Every letter of petition was stamped so no one could make any falsification.


Dharma Master Zhengda drew three letters of petition by herself in complete darkness. Later with lights on, dharma masters opened them up to verify them. As expected, they all completely matched the three that were circled by the great holy and virtuous one earlier. Then the three were rolled and squeezed again into nubs in front of the public and put together with the other ninety-seven nubs with the same appearance. After mixing them together by shaking the golden vase, they were sent to the great holy and virtuous one for selection. In less than one minute, the great holy and virtuous one selected three. Dharma masters again opened them in public. They were the same ones that Dharma Master Zhengda had drawn earlier. Moreover, they were all stamped by the seal made on the spot.
To verify that the other ninety-seven pieces did not have the same contents, dharma masters opened them all to verify. They were all stamped with the seal made on the spot. Each one was read out by the dharma masters. There wasn’t any repetition at all. All were unique and agreed with the contents in the common manuscript. This fact proved that the Dharma of Selection in Dark Confinement conducted by the great holy and virtuous one was completely carried out by perfect holy realization.


These one hundred letters of petition were all written by the person undergoing the decision by selection, Dharma Master Zhengda. The most important fact was that Dharma Master Zhengda had to take an oath against severe consequences, in front of the offering table and before all people present, to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the ten directions, the eight types of celestial beings, and deities in all heavens.


Her oath swore that these one hundred letters of petition were written by her and kept by her; all letters of petition were never touched by the great holy and virtuous one; the drawing of the three letters of petition was done by her in complete darkness without any visibility and were arbitrarily picked; and there was not any falsification from the beginning to the end. If what she said were false, she would definitely descend into the Vajra Hell to suffer forever without any chance of being saved.
This dharma assembly determined for certain Dharma Master Zhengda’s karmic conditions.

The numbers and contents of the three letters of petition selected were respectively:
No. 4: H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is the holiest. I am a trusted aide of the Tara. A cultivator building temples has great merit. You will be brought to see the Buddha and become a holy one.




No. 13: Transcribing and copying the recorded dharma lessons was a foolish violation. Making errors in sentences to cause the loss of true meanings made me a person of guilt. I must repent earnestly and correct completely. Otherwise the outcome would be being detained in the mundane world.

No. 69: The dharmas of Lamdre have many levels. The Dharma of Mud-Pill Lamdre is the highest. Having passed the exam proctored by seven monastic masters and ten witnesses, my status is at the summit of esoteric Buddhism.

The selections made by the Dharma of Selection in Dark Confinement concluded that Dharma Master Zhengda was a reincarnated holy one and a trusted aide of the Tara. Her status of the dharma was extremely high, at the upper level representing the summit of esoteric Buddhism.
H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III conducted “the Dharma of Divine Forecast-ing’ using a golden vase for an anonymous great holy and virtuous one who did not reveal his identify. The forecast was repeated three times without discrepancy, proving its correctness. “The Dharma of Divine Forecasting” showed that this great holy and virtuous one possessed master’s qualifications at the middle level of holy realization with Three Sun-Moon Wheels. That represented a truly rare great holy and virtuous one. Even Dharma King Gar Tongstan who is the chairperson of the United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters, Kaichu Rinpoche, and Holy and Virtuous One La Zhen possessed just master’s qualifications represented by One Sun-Moon Wheel. Even Mozhi Rinpoche’s realization was only at the level of Two Sun-Moon Wheels. He surpassed the status of Mozhi Ripoche and truly deserved the title of great holy and virtuous one. To achieve the status of “Great Holy and Virtuous One,” one must possess master’s qualifications at the middle level of holy realization with Sun-Moon Wheels.
The United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters issued a document for receiving the certificate of Three Sun-Moon Wheels to the great holy and virtuous one on the spot. After the dharma assembly had ended, people were all very excited and thought that they would have the opportunity of paying respect to the great holv and virtuous one in person and knowing who He actually was.
However, the great holy and virtuous one did not leave his name and did not meet with people. He left quietly without accepting the document. People were very disappointed. So far no one knows who He really was. People only learned that this was a selfless great holy and virtuous one possessing master’s qualifications with Three Sun-Moon Wheels. The demeanor of a true Mahasattva and a true great holy and virtuous one was definitely not what those who chased fame and gain, those who faked being holy ones by boasting and self-promotion, and those dharma kings, venerable ones, and great dharma kings who used false initiations to cheat believers for money and property could even slightly resemble.
Master’s qualifications with Sun-Moon Wheels are very amazing and indicate the levels of realization and status of master’s qualifications.

The Dharma of Selection in Dark Confinement

Link:https://peacelilysite.com/2023/08/31/i-have-attained-a-very-special-and-sacred-assembly/

#Buddha ##HHDorjeChangBuddhaIII #DorjeChangBuddhaIII #BuddhaDharma #MasterZhengDa #H.H.DorjeChangBuddhacultureandartmuseum #EsotericBuddhism

A Western Practitioner’s Profound Spiritual Journey

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Gesang Suolang Rinpoche, the founder and leader of the Xuanfa Utah Dharma Center in Salt Lake City, Utah

Gesang Suolang Rinpoche Shares Her Insight into the Dharma of H.H. Dorje Chang III & Why the West Needs It

Like many American Buddhists, I didn’t learn Buddhism in the family home. My interest in and later conversion to Buddhism began in the 1990s when my husband’s teacher, a Japanese Zen priest, stayed with us in our home in Virginia. My husband had studied with this teacher in the 1960s and 1970s when the teacher lived in America. The teacher had returned to Japan to raise his young family before I met my husband, so I didn’t meet him until 1990 when he began to travel to America again to pick up where he’d left off with his students.  My husband had been his first student, and our house became a gathering place for the teacher’s students when he started coming to America again.  My first exposure to the teachings of the Buddha was at our kitchen table where the teacher gave lectures on the Blue Cliff Record, a famous collection of koans from China. I didn’t understand the texts at all, but there was a scent of the profound and mysterious to them.  And in curious contrast, there were earthy, often irreverent quips added to each koan by a later commentator to the collection, followed by transcendent poetry from yet another commentator.  These texts sailed straight to the part of my mind that wants to know, wants to understand the depths of the universe. I was hooked. The teacher was at his best when translating and illuminating texts. He had a literary bent of mind, could read Chinese, and did beautiful English translations of Zen texts. He seemed most brilliant when dealing with the profound, the matters that could not be expressed in words.  But as a teacher of human beings, his gifts were undeveloped.  He was hard as nails, bristling with energy, and seemed to have some dharma powers. I initially thought he would help me understand the dharma, the universe, me, my life, but after a while I couldn’t see what kind of human being would be able to benefit from his unfeeling and bullying approach to students. I began to doubt him. And when those closest to him truly seemed to be suffering mental disorders and deep depression I decided to leave the group. I can’t say that I learned nothing from this experience. I did walk away with a love for the dharma, a deep faith that it was definitely my karma to be a Buddhist and a respect for the practice of patience under insult.  Yet, I doubted that I had been presented with the true Buddha-dharma nor a model Buddhist teacher.

After a while, I was drawn to an American Zen teacher. I found him to be charismatic, very confident, and able to work with flawed human beings.  He took a psychological approach to the dharma, which was in great contrast to my Japanese teacher who frequently declared that he “didn’t do therapy.”  My American teacher talked a lot about becoming a better-functioning human being. His teachings emphasized exploring one’s accumulated psychological knots rather than sitting on one’s stuff. The idea seemed to be that if you became aware of the knots and hurts in your psyche and embraced them instead of burying them you could be free; and by understanding yourself more deeply you could also feel more compassion for others, recognizing that we’re all deluded in so many ways.  I did this practice for a number of years and found it helpful and manageable, but I couldn’t stop feeling that something was missing.  I couldn’t reconcile these teachings with the sutras or the other great texts of Buddhism.  And again, the teacher and assistant teachers, who were often less than admirable models, raised doubt for me. There was a lot of talk about power and empowerment and a great deal of interest in this subject among students, especially about empowerment of the career-oriented type. We were supposed to know and embrace our hidden behavior patterns but there wasn’t much encouragement to simply be good, or to keep precepts. There was an implicit sense — and from some of the teachers  an outright suggestion — that intentions and efforts to do good and be beneficial to others were tainted and suspect.  I could somewhat appreciate this point of view — a bodhisattva doesn’t have to “do good” –but I felt this stance left us without tools for transformation, for training ourselves in new behaviors.

There was also little talk about becoming enlightened and even the suggestion that we did not need enlightenment, but should aim to become freely functioning human beings. It was as if, by becoming a better human being you needn’t bother becoming a bodhisattva. I think there was a lack of understanding among the teachers of this sangha about what a Bodhisattva would really be like.

I suspect much of Buddhism in the West is similar to this. The main points seem to be: stay in the present, be non-attached, be non-judgmental, don’t believe anything, fully experience your emotions, be ordinary, dharma powers — if not an outright myth, would be laughable to possess, also, Buddhism naturally changes when it enters a new culture. I had gotten the impression from Western-style Buddhism that when Shakyamuni said to “be a lamp unto oneself” he’d meant that we should decide for ourselves what was true or not – like the new-age dictum to “believe what resonates with you” rather than look inside and honestly evaluate oneself.

I had read some sutras, and the dharma talks I heard bore little relation to the teachings of the sutras. I’d had some deep experiences of emptiness so I knew there had to be more to Buddhism than just being a mentally and emotionally healthy person. I wondered about enlightenment, liberation from birth and death, prajna, becoming a Bodhisattva, acquiring the usages of emptiness? Why didn’t we hear about these age-old goals of Mahayana Buddhism in the lecture hall? I was deeply disappointed and felt adrift once again. I liked the community of people I was learning with, but found this psychological approach so limited. Yes, my Buddhist practice was about me, but it also had to be about the not me that had yet to appear. Once I acknowledged my disgruntlement, I could no longer give the benefit of the doubt to some of the things that my teachers said such as: “I’m agnostic about reincarnation,” “why believe that the Buddha’s enlightenment was anything special since we weren’t there,” “we can stand on the shoulders of the Buddha and go beyond the Buddha’s teachings,” and “Zen is a business.” I was doubting my teachers too much to continue with this group.

Then I met Zhaxi Zhuoma Rinpoche, an American teacher who was a close disciple of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. She was touring all 50 U.S. states giving presentations about and distributing copies of a book about H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.  She presented a copy to every governor’s office in every state. I had actually heard about H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III a few years earlier, when he was known as Dharma King Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu. An acquaintance had shown me a video about the Dharma King’s artworks. One of these was a sculpture in which he had placed mist into a cavernous structure in the sculpture. To this day, the mist just stays there circulating in the sculpture year after year.  No ordinary artist could create such a sculpture, I knew it had to be made by an extraordinary person. It was miraculous. It had been exhibited, along with other examples of his work, in Washington, DC in October 2003 at the Congressional House Office Building. The rock with mist is currently on view in The international Art Museum of America in San Francisco, CA.

The book that prompted this 50 state tour was about the wonderful accomplishments of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. His artworks were only one of 30 categories of accomplishments written about in the book, many miracles were documented there as well.

The book also included photographs of recognition letters written by high-level, independent leaders of the esoteric schools of Buddhism. Some of these great masters said that they entered samadhi and personally saw that H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu is the true incarnation of Dorje Chang Buddha. Dharma King Omniscience Jamyang Langdok Gyaltsen (Lama Achuk), Urgyen Xirao Woxiu Lama, Dharma King Renzeng Nima* all wrote letters stating they had supernaturally seen the truth that H.H. Master Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu is the incarnation of Dorje Chang Buddha also known as Buddha Vajradhara. (Translations of the letters of these three masters can be found HERE..)

I felt some unease on learning that the Dharma King artist I had admired was now called a Buddha. I thought it would be easier tell other people about this great person if he was still called a Dharma King. Being recognized as a Buddha, I feared, would create an insurmountable barrier for people — that they would find the idea outlandish. Members of my Zen group reacted this way, almost to a person.  And the thing is, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III really is so extraordinary and so outside the bounds of what is usual.  However, we ordinary practitioners were just not equal in wisdom to these great masters of esoteric Buddhism, so who were we to do anything less than celebrate their recognition statements? Langdok Gyaltsen was the leader of one of the largest monasteries in Tibet. His main temple was Second Virtue Mountain Monastery where he provided teachings of the Great Perfection to tens of thousands of practitioners. Urgyen Xirao Woxiu Lama of the Nyingma school is a great terton (a discoverer of ancient texts or terma.) Renzeng Nima is a great dharma king of the Nyingma sect who has transcended the mundane world and has practiced almost his whole life in a secluded mountain valley. In fact, letters of recognition, congratulations and corroborating recognitions from many more Dharma Kings and Rinpoches are reproduced in the book.

H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III ‘s accomplishments are unprecedented. H.H. Dodrupchen Rinpoche, the greatest dharma king and master of the Nyingma sect congratulated H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III with the following words, “The collection of your accomplishment is truly miraculous and extraordinary expression of truth expressed and unexpressed beyond words in Buddha Dharma.” Jigme Dorje, Supreme Dharma King of the Jonang Sect wrote: “Such superlative accomplishments are truly unprecedented in the past few thousand years, outshining the accomplishments of all others, both ancient and modern. His Holiness is a shining paragon among Buddhas.” Buddhist leaders cannot just toss off statements like these as if they were blurbs on the back cover of a book.  The consequences of making ill-considered or casual statements about recognizing a Buddha would be enormous.

I can understand the impulse to be suspicious of things outside the normal and usual happenings, but I do sometimes think that our current times are not really all that normal. The natural world is in serious decline. There’s climate change and other troubles for life on the planet. We’re losing birds, insects, sea life, coral reefs and whole species. And there’s very great social change as we embrace the digital world, automation and artificial intelligence. Maybe it really is a time of extraordinary danger and a Buddha has come just in time to help all living beings on earth.

I’d like to say that Zhaxi Zhuoma Rinpoche’s tour of America was a roaring success, but the number of Westerners who follow His Holiness the Buddha is still quite small. After meeting Zhaxi Zhuoma Rinpoche, I traveled to many different places to be able to hear preliminary English translations of recorded discourses by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Though there are thousands of recordings in Chinese, not many have been translated into English. Of these, only one, The Dharma of Cultivation is completely approved as a translation and published as a book and also free online on multiple websites. Zhaxi Zhuoma Rinpoche’s Holy Vajrasana Temple website has a link to this text. Listening to the discourses, I felt I was hearing the true Buddha Dharma. They were brilliant, clear, informative and extremely practical.  If you listen to these discourses, as many thousands of Chinese speakers do, you will know exactly how to transform yourself through cultivation into the causal state for becoming a bodhisattva — that is, one who corresponds with a bodhisattva’s actions of body, speech, and mind.

All my resources for learning and practicing Buddhism are magnificent now. From the Buddha Master’s discourses and dharma teachings I have learned things I never heard before and experienced things I never saw before. Many high-level disciples of His Holiness are shining examples of sincere cultivation and devoted practice.  Many of His disciples can manifest dharma powers. Some of them can perform extraordinary rituals of esoteric Buddhism, so that manifestations of Buddha-dharma are being seen and experienced in America now that only used to happen in Tibet.  Dharma rituals such as: Creating a Sand Mandala through a Stone Slab; various rituals of selection such as, Drawing Lots from a Golden Vase; high temperature displays of Tummo Concentration; the Vajra Fa Man Initiation in which grains of sand weave themselves into a crown above a portrait of a Buddha or Bodhisattva; Beseeching Nectar from the Buddhas in which nectar manifests in a bowl; Eight Winds in Samsara Battle Position in which masters are tested in the holy realm.  My teacher, Zhaxi Zhuoma Rinpoche’s Holy Vajrasana Temple is a Bodhimandala empowered by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III where Dharma Protectors will sometimes shake vajra poles to the delight of devout visitors to the temple. It is all so wonderful. I have seen these vajra poles mysteriously, vigorously shake. I have seen and felt nectar from the Buddhas rain from cloudless blue skies. I participated in the Eight Winds in Samsara test.  My experiences are everything I expected the true Buddha-dharma to be and I’m experiencing these things in the USA!

As a follower of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, I feel that the dharma I’m receiving is the original, authentic, and very real thing.  It is a great treasure that I would like others in the West to enjoy as well. I liken this true Dharma to the silver dimes and quarters we used to use in America. In 1964 the silver content of American coins that had been minted from 90% silver was drastically reduced to no silver at all.  There was no loss in their use as currency, their purchasing power remained, but they had lost their intrinsic value. They weren’t real silver and did not have the true properties of silver. I feel that secular Buddhism is like these new coins, which are shiny and still useful, since they still function as currency, but they’re not silver.  They have lost the essence of why silver was chosen for coinage in the first place; it reflects light purely and beautifully and can be fashioned into treasured objects. I don’t believe the secular brand of Buddhism with its focus on being the best me, or on therapy, or on succeeding at business and personal relationships has retained its original value and purpose of helping us leave samsara. Many other systems can accomplish these aims as well. And these aims are side effects of sincere practice anyway, so there’s no value at all in losing the treasured ultimate goal of Buddhism. For those of us who want more, who wish to become arhats or bodhisattvas or buddhas, who want to realize enlightenment, accomplish prajna, attain the four wisdoms, the three bodies, the usages of emptiness. For those who wish to be able to expound the dharma that can liberate living beings, they should know there is more to Buddhism than the usual American fare. There is a Buddha here now whose teachings will help them cultivate their three karmas into a causation state for becoming a bodhisattva and whose transmissions of dharma practices can activate true dharma abilities. Everyone please take notice.

Gesang Suolang Rinpoche Shares Her Insight into the Dharma of H.H. Dorje Chang III & Why the West Needs It

Link:

#XuanfaUtahDharmaCenter#MasterWanKoYee #DorjeChangBuddhaIII #HHDorjeChangBuddhaIII#DorjeChangBuddha#IAMA#InternationalArtMuseumofAmerica #GesangSuolangRinpoche #Buddha #ZhaxiZhuomaRinpoche

Source: https://holyvajrasana.org/articles/gesang-suolangs-story