More Explanations on Setting up the Mandala and Some Other Issues:
The Fourth Public Announcement from the Office of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III published on June 6, 2009 explained clearly about the setting up of and the arrangement within a mandala. However, until recently, this office is still continuously receiving inquiries from kind practitioners. Thus, this office hereby gives the following explanations once again:
Regardless of whether the mandala is in a Buddhist worship site, a dharma-listening center, or an individual’s home, all objects used, including offering table, offering cups, dharma apparatus, mandala plate and others, are only required to be washed clean, wiped dry and laid in a neat arrangement in accordance with the dharma. There is no Buddha or Bodhisattva who ever made up stipulations such as “Offering cups must be gold or silver ware. Mandala plate has to be in large size and an upper-class merchandise.” and so on. If one does not have a mind of benefiting all people and a pure mind, whatever best offering utensils are still effectively filthy objects causing contamination to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Practitioners must know that, regardless of what materials the offering utensils and dharma apparatus are made of, including brass, iron and porcelain, you only have to keep them washed clean with a sincere mind. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas do not have any intention of greed toward the offering utensils and offering materials from Buddhist disciples. As long as we are cultivating for benefiting living beings and making the offering with the mind practice of abiding by the precepts and being respectful, that alone implies the best setup of a mandala!
The most important thing to all Buddhist disciples is to learn and cultivate the two great mind essences of Xiaman Magnificent Oceanic Mind Essence and Most Magnificent Bodhi Dakini Oceanic Mind Essence from The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation that have already been published. The key is how to untie the fast knot of samsara and how to benefit sentient beings and become a holy being. This is the most magnificent and supreme setup of a mandala. As to the detailed practice of The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation, stipulations from the complete rituals of The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation must be followed to establish the mandala that conforms to the dharma according to the specific dharma that one practices. For those who have hardship in their conditions or space, a mandala can be set up within an area of one square meter (10 square feet). In comparison, those who truly cultivate according to The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation and use offering utensils made of mud will accumulate millions of times more merit than those who do not cultivate according to The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation but use offering utensils crafted using gold.
The key of learning from the Buddha is in cultivation. Superficial and false appearances are not important. So long as a mandala conforms to the stipulation of the dharma, its offering setup is magnificent. Conversely, if one does not learn and cultivate according to the two great mind essences, even if he uses a big building for his mandala, eventually he still have to check in at his place in one of the three lower realms. On the other hand, if a practitioner learns and cultivates according to the two great mind essences, he will accumulate boundless merit and attain accomplishment and liberation even if his mandala is of the size of a sitting cushion. Take the example of Kaichu Rinpoche, who has already attained the holy realization power with a master’s qualification at the beginning level of holy realization, his mandala is located in a corridor and has a space of a sitting cushion. The mandala he setup is for cultivating and making offering by a great Bodhisattva at a certain stage. However, based on what we know now, except those who are masters with the qualifications at the middle level of holy realization, which venerable one, rinpoche or dharma king has his realization power?
We hope that you all can see clearly this time what a mandala truly means. Do not be fooled and deceived again from blindly believing in those people who talk nonsense baselessly.
At this moment, we must also emphasize the fact that the Office of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has never sold any dharma book, dharma apparatus, offering ware, vajra rope, nectar pill, Daba Buqiong Pill, Kazhuo Ande Pill, vajra sand or any other powder or pill. Not even once. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has never sold any of these either and has never accepted any offering using any of these. There has never been even one such occurrence whether in China or in the United States. Simply speaking, if any one beseeches or requests such things from H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, His Holiness the Buddha does not have any. The only thing His Holiness the Buddha has is “I bear all of the negative karma and offenses of living beings. I give to you all of the good karma and merit that I have planted!”
As to the stuff you mentioned in your letters that you bought from a so-and-so person, it has to do completely with that individual’s own personal acts and have nothing to do with H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III or the Office of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. In addition, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III or the Office of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has so far never put any recorded dharma lesson into circulation. All recorded dharma lesson CDs were respectfully provided by the International Buddhism Sangha Association to Buddhist temples, organizations, worshipping sites and dharma-listening centers around the world as well as to rinpoches and dharma masters.
From the Office of H. H. Dorje Chang Buddha III,
September 1, 2010-Revised July 15, 2011