Important Replies from Holy Virtuous Ones and Eminent Monastics
Response from the Inquiry Center of the World Buddhism Association Headquarters to Questions Raised by Inquirers
On the Day of January 3 of the Lunar year (February 18, 2018)
Answer No. 3
The effect or usefulness of an inner-tantric initiation is to invite the yidam (a Buddha or a Bodhisattva) to come to the mandala to accept the disciple. As long as the disciple cultivates in accord with the dharma, attaining the ending of birth and death is guaranteed with a one-hundred-percent certainty!!! If a person who has created the merit of pure karma has the karmic condition to meet a tremendous holy virtuous one, this person can immediately become a holy one after receiving the initiation.
The requirement for receiving an inner-tantric initiation or initiation of state practice is that one must be a person who has made a real contribution with a wholehearted intention to the true undertaking carried out by the Buddha and has established great merit. Examples are doing good things, relieving disasters, spreading true Buddha-dharma, making great vows, carrying out deeds of good karma, not practicing evil teachings, and contributing to temples with true dharma of the Tathagata such as the “True Dharma Temple” and the “Ancient Buddha Temple.”
As to how much money one should donate or present as an offering to be called a contribution to the true undertaking carried out by the Buddha, if a person who has hardship in even his or her own life can save one dollar from his or her living expenses to the true undertaking carried out by the Buddha, that is a great contribution. If a person who is already a tycoon with a net worth of hundreds of millions or billions only donates one million toward building a temple of true Buddha-dharma, that definitely is not an offering with a wholehearted intention and rather is just performing a formality. The key is in putting one’s genuine mind and sincere intention into practice.
It should be particularly noted that even if you have made a real offering with a wholehearted intention and have established great merit, nonetheless if you tell lies or speak falsely to your master who performs inner-tantric initiations, you will not be approved by the yidam in the decision by selection and will not receive a successful initiation!!!
There are also people who put the undertaking carried out by the Buddha at the first place and put one’s own livelihood at the second place. Doing so exceeds a great merit and directly and perfectly fulfills the pure karma and pure merit of total contribution. Since the mind and conduct of this type of cultivators have already established pure karma and pure merit, if such a person has the karmic condition to meet a tremendous holy virtuous one, this person will be able to see the yidam who is a Buddha or a Bodhisattva in space. The Buddha or Bodhisattva will restore a written declaration which was written before a crowd and was then burnt to its original form and send it to the hand of the disciple who has the pure karma and merit. The disciple will in a dream receive this written declaration given face-to-face by the yidam who is a Buddha or a Bodhisattva and after waking up find this written declaration being held in his or her hand.
This declaration is the one that was written before the crowd and was burnt at that time. However, it is then restored by the Buddha or Bodhisattva and given to the disciple in the dream. After waking up, the disciple’s hand will definitely hold this written declaration. With this written declaration that is given by the Buddha or Bodhisattva in person to this person with pure karma and merit, this utmost sincere disciple will definitely receive a First-Class Initiation of Dharma Affinity with the Yidam. Then, after presenting a petition to a Bodhisattva, the disciple will receive utmost precious nectar. That entails perfectly and directly transcending to enter holiness and become a holy one, but one must observe the precepts to continuously practice, and uphold the principle of great compassion to benefit living beings!!!
On a day in mid-February 2018 of the western calendar, at a holy temple in the United States, the original theme of the gathered crowd was to welcome Gelan Deqian Shile Yu Zun, Wang Zha Shang Zun, Venerable Mozhi, and others for a new-year-celebration union. Then, the karmic condition at the time caused a change in the theme. At that public occasion with many people gathered, a person who made a firm and determined vow and presented an offering with pure karma and merit to a tremendous holy virtuous one came forward. On that day, she insisted on presenting all her personal wealth including her life to the tremendous holy virtuous one instead of making an offering to common holy virtuous ones such as Arhats or Bodhisattvas. Although the tremendous holy virtuous one declined and did not accept a cent from her offering, yet this kind virtuous disciple’s genuine mind, pure karma, and merit moved the tremendous holy virtuous one. The tremendous holy virtuous one said, “You take me seriously. You presented me with such a valuable present. In this lifetime, this is the first time I met such a sincere and pious Buddhist disciple. Remember, I will never accept a cent of offering from you. However, your pure intention has been accepted by me as well as the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. According to the dharma, I should give you a gift in return. My gift is that, between 1am to 5am after midnight tonight, a yidam who is a Bodhisattva will come from space to your residence to meet you.”
The many cultivators present were greatly astounded at the time. The tremendous holy virtuous one wrote a declaration before the crowd and instructed everyone to take a good look before it was burnt. Exactly as stated, at about 4am after that midnight, a golden-colored Bodhisattva emitting shining golden light made His presence and delivered the written declaration that had been burnt away to the hand of the disciple who was in her dream. The four types of Buddhist disciples present including bhiksus, bhiksunis, as well as male and female laypersons saw in person with their own eyes the entire process of the unprecedented holy state that is difficult to encounter in the world, as the first prelude of the “First-Class Initiation of Dharma Affinity with the Yidam.”
Inquiry Center of the World Buddhism Association Headquarters
Written on behalf of great holy virtuous ones to answer questions raised
February 18, 2018