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 5 of the Lunar year (February 20, 2018)
Answer No. 5
H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III expressed His opinion to our action of providing answers to the questions raised. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III said, “Your replies to people’s questions kept saying ‘Presenting a Petition to a Bodhisattva’ according to the stipulation of the dharma and emphasize ‘Manifesting Holiness with a Vajra Pill’ in an inner-tantric initiation. There are many such terms in the writings. You mentioned so many states and phenomena to manifest holiness. These are not the learning from Buddha and cultivation that I want. I am not saying that your emphasis on the stipulation of the dharma is not good and will not regard what you said as mysterious. The states and phenomena of manifesting holiness expounded by Sakyamuni Buddha in the sutras are more than what you said and are more miraculous, powerful, subtle, and marvelous than what you said. I am a Buddhist. I do not have the slightest doubt about what the Buddha said. I completely respect the World-Honored One and praise the sutras expounded by the Buddha.”
What H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III said is so correct. Without talking about the Buddha, even the holy feats manifested by Venerable Udaayin, who was one of the sixteen venerable ones among the Buddha’s disciples, include touching the head to manifest a big topknot, having his intestine come out of his belly, producing marvelous substance in a bowl, flying with the supernatural power of a Pratyeka, and walking in the sky as a bhiksu. If one regards them as strange or paranormal phenomena, doesn’t this mean that this person denies the very many holy states manifested by Sakyamuni Buddha as not belonging to the true dharma of the Tathagata? If one even gives rise to doubt toward the various and many holy phenomena and manifested states spoken by Sakyamuni Buddha, this person is certainly slandering Buddha, dharma, and sangha.
H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III also said, “However, it is a different story regarding the mistakes and losses caused later by the venerable ones in recalling and recording the Buddha’s words to compile them into the sutras and the mistaken interpretations in translating the sutras by people of later times. I remind the several of you who are here now. In today’s world, there are very many people who are learning Buddhism. Where can so many holy masters be found? How many masters who are great holy ones are there to teach them? Just take me as an example, I am just a cultivator learning from Buddha. I am not a holy one. Not to mention that the several of you are unable to teach so many people. Even if Sakyamuni Buddha were in this world, there would still be no way to edify those who are unqualified. Because they lack sincerity and even speak falsely, the Buddha would not teach them. Exactly because of this situation, there are very many people in the current world who still have not been saved successfully. Have you thought about that? Furthermore, speaking of qualified Buddhist disciples who can meet the requirements from such high standards as you demand, how sincerely and piously do they have to contribute to the undertaking of benefiting living beings carried out by the Buddha? How many such Buddhist disciples are there? Does this mean that those who can’t receive a successful inner-tantric initiation have no need to learn Buddhism?”
“It is true that my name is H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III! This title of Buddha was not proclaimed by myself and, rather, was originated from the recognitions and corroborations in the written documents from the dharma kings, regent dharma kings, and rinpoches of various Buddhist sects and schools. Am I able to deny this fact and say that I am not H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III? Although I am H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, I clearly know that I was given the title of Buddha by eminent monastics and holy virtuous ones. However, speaking intrinsically, I am just a common member of Buddhism. I am not qualified for the words of holiness and virtue. I simply have no qualification to be the leader of Buddhism. My body and mind are still being cultivated continuously. However, my expositions of the doctrines of Buddhism and Buddha-dharma are absolutely true teachings and true dharma!!! That is the highest and perfect great dharma for attaining perfect good fortune and wisdom, liberation, and accomplishment!!! That dharma is the same as the dharmas of all Buddhas in the ten directions!!! This fact has already been proven in the practice of those who attained accomplishment and liberation!!!”
“However, I do not have the practice of accomplishment that you imagine to participate in your rigorous stipulations of the dharma for inner-tantric initiations. I advocate that cultivators learning Buddhism have their own affinity with the dharma and should choose for themselves the sect or school they like. As long as a sect or school is within Buddhism, each has its own advantages. At where I am here, all sects and schools are equal. The 84,000 dharma methods expounded by the world-honored Sakyamuni are to be used for responding to the available opportunities to benefiting living beings. Regardless of learning which sect or school, one should first learn to be a good person and start from paying attention to the law of cause and effect. Once one can truly abstain from all evils and do all kinds of kindness, one’s character of humanity will elevate to the character of holiness. If one can’t even act as a good person, can such a person realize holy fruit from learning Buddhism? Furthermore, many sects and schools have evolved from today’s Buddhism. For example, there is not much about initiations in the teachings and dharmas of exoteric Buddhism. Could that possibly mean that there is no accomplishment from exoteric Buddhism?”
“I must serious tell and inform you, holy virtuous ones. You have to study well the book Learning from Buddha and the two great mind essences in The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation and put what you learn into practice. This is extremely important!!! Otherwise whatever initiation will be useless. When one’s karmic hindrances have been reduced, one will understand from reading Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra and awaken to the absolute truth therein. Also, one will thoroughly awaken to the Sutra on Understanding and Realizing Definitive Truth, the Diamond Sutra, and so on. With such a solid foundation, one will not have the slightest problem for receiving an initiation and dharma transmission.”
H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III said that He is not a Buddha and is not qualified to have the words of holiness and virtue, but you absolutely must not have misunderstanding. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III was applying selfless modesty and humility to set a role model with His speech and conduct for living beings to follow and receive benefits. If H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III were not a Buddha, wouldn’t the leaders, great dharma kings, regent dharma kings, and great rinpoches of various major sects of Buddhism all be swindlers, since their recognitions and corroborations wrote “H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is Vajradhara the Buddha”? If H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III were not a Buddha, then there would simply be no Buddha in the world. Even rincpoches of Tibetan Buddhism who were recognized in history would all be false because they were all identified through recognition. With so many more recognitions than the recognitions received by these dharma kings and rinpoches, if the status of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III could not be established, could the statuses of those rinpoches be regarded as true, with so few recognitions? The answer would of course be no. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is a Buddha just by His holy realization and accomplishments that are unmatched in the world, without the need to mention the recognitions from the leaders of various sects and schools. The judgement made by the World Supreme Court of Buddhism determined that the teachings and the truth expounded by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III are in the same system as that of Sakyamuni Buddha and that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is the highest leader of Buddhism.
Let’s put the above ironclad evidence aside for now, since there is simply no need to use these to support H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Just based on the accomplishments of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, you take a look at what happened in history to the present time and state what you find, which holy one or patriarch surpassed the accomplishments of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III? We do not speak hollow words today. Let’s put the real accomplishments in the open to compare, and investigate information in history to see which patriarch or Bodhisattva had comparable accomplishments. Then the fact will be proven. Just mention the artworks titled “A Rock of Horizontal Charm” and “Mist Carved inside a Boulder” that are in the realm of the craftsmanship vidya among the five vidyas, no holy one can be found who can imitate as much as ten percent. We can say frankly that with the numerous and vast accomplishments of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, not even one person from the past or in the present can be found who can be mentioned as comparable. In the history of Buddhism, only H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III let people truly see the summit of marvelous mastery of the five vidyas by a Buddha. Just by this fact, He is a Buddha, not to mention that He is the only Buddha in the history of Buddhism of several thousand years recognized by all eminent monastics and holy virtuous ones in the world. This is unprecedented in the history of Buddhism.
The status of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is the utmost supreme Buddha, but He acts so modestly and humbly with such a great heart to manifest the holy character of selfless great enlightenment. That makes us who are disciples under the beneficent Buddha Master extremely ashamed. We even wear the laurel of a holy virtuous one. That is truly embarrassing. Regarding the aspect of the stipulations of the inner-tantric dharma, what H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III said is very penetratingly thorough and in accord with the truth. However, people have already raised 35 questions to seek validation. We will definitely list the correct stipulations and essence of the dharma to provide answers to Buddhists because we bear our responsibility on causality. We must let cultivators know the correct answers they seek regarding stipulations of the dharma, the essence of the dharma, cultivation, inner-tantric initiations, and others, to prevent them from being deceived by swindlers. We must reply truthfully to protect the highest noble Buddha-dharma!!!
Of course, only the dharma expounded by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III on cultivation is the fundamental cause for living beings seeking liberation. If one’s fundamental cause is planted wrong, not only one will not receive an inner-tantric initiation, even if an initiation is conferred one will not receive it successfully. If the cause planted is upright, one will naturally receive an initiation to learn a great dharma and consequently will transcend the worldly realm to realize holiness or even instantly transcend the ordinary world to directly enter the holy realm to become a holy one!!!
Inquiry Center of the World Buddhism Association Headquarters
Written on behalf of great holy virtuous ones to answer questions raised
February 20, 2018