Public Announcement No. 20150108: Brief Descriptions of the Differences between Holy and Virtuous Ones at the Same Level and the Eight Winds Battle Position

By | June 29, 2015

by the

United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters:

 

We once again remind Buddhists to know clearly that holy and virtuous ones at the same grade and holding certificates of holiness and virtue indicating the same level can actually have completely different contents of accomplishment!!! The main reason is that holy and virtuous ones admitted through taking the examination on a single item are different from holy and virtuous ones admitted through taking the examination on a composite scope. The accomplishment of a holy and virtuous one admitted through taking a single-item examination belongs to an “Item of Virtue.” The accomplishment of a holy and virtuous one admitted through taking a composite examination belongs to the “Nature of Virtue.” The difference is in that one is the holy and virtuous behavior cultivated and realized on a particular item while the other represents the cultivated and realized amount and definitive nature of holy and virtuous ingredients in its entirety.

Please note that a composite examination does not simply mean collectively testing one or a few items in each of the four major categories. Rather, it means the candidate must state the amount and nature of his or her own accomplishment as a subject of the examination when applying for the examination. Even if one only takes the examination through one item, as long as one’s own overall amount and nature of accomplishment is applied for testing, the examination is composite in nature. For example, if the application document is written with “my accomplishment is a holy and virtuous one at a so-and-so grade with so-and-so type and number of star wheel(s),” “I am definitely an Arhat,” or “I am certainly a Bodhisattva at the so-and-so bhumi,” the candidate is facing a composite examination measuring the accomplishment by nature. In other words, the examination will admit the amount of holy and virtuous ingredients accomplished by this person’s three karmas of body, speech, and mind.

Reading this announcement to this point, perhaps some people would think that taking the examination by overall nature is too high to pass while applying for being tested in only one item has no value. Such assessment would cause them to make a seemingly reasonable decision: not taking the examination can save an effort that will not accomplish much anyway. In this circumstance, Buddhist disciples should observe some facts. If a master who always self-boasts or elevates and inflates through other people or written articles himself or herself as the reincarnation of a so-and-so extraordinary holy one dares not apply for taking the examination, this fact shows this master at best is an ordinary person or a swindler, if not a demonic person mocking a holy person. Cultivators who do not break away from this person will definitely meet retributions. One thing should be clear. Passing the examination on one item means one has already possessed rare and hard-to-attain ingredients of holy conduct, especially comparing to those who did not pass and those who dare not to take the examination.

After reading the brief descriptions about the Vajra Battle Position in Public Announcement No. 20150107 issued by the United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters (UIWBAH), some people said that they now clearly understood that the Vajra Battle Position is not a worldly dharma. However, they are concerned that maybe the Eight Winds Battle Position is based on the worldly mechanism of launching hidden weapons. For that, the “Eight Winds in Samsara Causing Transmigration between Birth and Death Battle Position” is briefly explained in the following.

If it were implemented by a worldly and man-made mechanism of launching hidden weapons, how can it fairly and exactly determine the grade of a cultivator’s accomplishment? How could the result from using it convince the candidate verbally and mentally? In terms of dharma practice and the setup of the battle position, the Eight Winds Battle Position is completely different from the Vajra Battle Position. Its majestic and fierce power is only next to that of the Vajra Battle Position. However, this battle position is also free of any worldly and man-made mechanism of launching hidden weapons. Rather, it relies on a relative force of destruction generated from greed, anger, ignorance, love, happiness, fury, sorrow, and delight. This battle position belongs completely to the true dharma of Buddhism with Mahamayuri Vidya Raja Tathagata as the yidam and is used as the final and definitive evaluation after the candidate has passed the problem-answering parts in the categories of the learning of sutras, vinayas, and shastras (commentaries); cultivation, practice, virtue, and character; whether one’s knowledge and views are upright or evil; and accomplishment of practice and power of realization. This last part is an accurate and error-free examination in the holy realm. The result is submitted to the yidam and dharma protectors for decision, which is not influenced by any human action!!!

The Eight Winds Battle Position can also be implemented as a big battle position or a small battle position. The big one has the size of about 5 acres. In the center of the field, a Gate of Accomplishment and Vitality is set up, leading to an area of about half an acre, which is green and named the “Domain of Good Fortune, Delight, and Auspiciousness.” This domain is surrounded by the “Realm of Birth, Death, and Transmigration,” which is the rest of the battle position of about 4.5 acres and is colored black. To go to the above-mentioned gate, there is a very wide pathway with the width of about 20 meters. One can directly walk into the “Domain of Good Fortune, Delight, and Auspiciousness” via this pathway.

When taking the examination, the candidate first practices a few times of walking into the “Domain of Good Fortune, Delight, and Auspiciousness.” After becoming skillful, the candidate burns away the petition document and formally walks toward the “Domain of Good Fortune, Delight, and Auspiciousness.” One who possesses the qualification to pass the examination can successfully walk into the “Domain of Good Fortune, Delight, and Auspiciousness.” Otherwise, the candidate will not be able to do so. Even though the eyes can see clearly that the domain is right in front, one still cannot walk in no matter how hard he or she tries. Instead, the person would walk farther away from the destination and be pulled into the Eight Winds in Samsara Battle Position. Then, one keeps turning around in the black realm of samsara and is unable to escape. Can any worldly mechanism of launching hidden weapons have such power? A candidate who gets trapped in the realm of samsara eventually can only be saved by holy and virtuous ones.

Expressing the power of the big battle position in its entirety as eight-eighth (100%), we configure the actual power level to be three-eighth, which takers of the examination can bear. The power level of the small battle position is set at one-eighth. After conducting actual verification, it has been shown that such power levels not only can accurate determine whether a candidate passes or fails at a certain grade level but also is safe and harmless to the person!

At the examination field, seventeen proctors including seven holy and virtuous ones and ten witnessing masters monitor the process in front of the battle position. Once a candidate has successfully entered the “Domain of Good Fortune, Delight, and Auspiciousness,” a verification and validation process is conducted next. A bowl is closed and sealed securely by the candidate in person. The candidate then performs a step of divination using the sealed bowl. Neither the candidate nor any of the proctors knows what grade the divined result inside the sealed bowl represents. Then, under the observation by the seven holy and virtuous ones and ten witnessing masters, the candidate opens the sealed bowl to reveal the divined result for verification and validation. If the grade from divination agrees with the grade obtained through passing the Eight Winds Battle Position, a certificate of holiness and virtue indicating the grade guaranteed by the oaths of the proctoring masters will be issued.

 

United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters

(Seal stamped on every page)

June 29, 2015