Henghsing Gyatso Rinpoche conducting Dharma Assembly to dedicate merit from his three year and 684 mile pilgrimage prostrating around the island of Taiwan.
Ven. Henghsing Gyatso being tonsured by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
On February 24, 2008 Henghsing Gyatso Rinpoche completed his over three year pilgrimage of prostrating 1100 kilometers (684 miles) around the edge of Taiwan. On August 8, 2004 Henghsing Gyatso (Heng Xing Jiacuo) started prostrations around the island of Taiwan based on his vow to prostrate to Buddha and Tara to help atone for the sins of fallen sentient beings and out of sympathy for their suffering. He was especially doing this ascetic practice to help those confused living beings in Hong Kong and Taiwan who held erroneous views about the Buddha-dharma expiate their negative karma. He started and ended his journey of compassion at his temple in Banqiao City, Taipei County on the north end of the island.
After completing the difficult journey, the rinpoche conducted a “Holiest Tathagatha God of Wealth Dedication of Merit and Empowerment Great Dharma Assembly” at an auditorium in Banqiao City. Over 6000 from abroad and Taiwan attended this auspicious assembly to pray that living beings stay far away from the lower migrations and evil paths, that their enterprises will be successful, and that the country will be at peace.
On October 2, 2004, Henghsing Gyatso and those accompanying him made their way to the Tanwen seaside village in the town of Zaoqiao in Miaoli County. Suddenly, a white light flashed in the sky several times. Then, in an instant, Kuan Yin Bodhisattva appeared in the sky. She was wearing pure white clothes and her sleeves floated in the air. She stood on a colorful cloud and her feet were supported below by a white lotus flower. She moved directly toward the lama. She looked extremely dignified and solemn.
In a prior life, venerable Henghsing Gyatso (Khu-ston brTson-‘grus g.yung-drung) was one of the four most outstanding disciples of Atisha of the Kadampa sect. Because he wholeheartedly sought dharma personally taught by the Buddha, Venerable Atisha taught him “lofty towers are all built from the ground.” In this lifetime, the venerable one has suffered on behalf of living beings by making a full prostration after each step for more than 1,100 kilometers, thereby becoming a great cultivator who has prostrated a longer distance than anyone else in the history of Taiwan. His devoutness moved Kuan Yin Bodhisattva to personally appear during the course of his journey and communicate to him a holy and profound truth. The venerable one also practiced vajra meditation during which time he did not eat or drink for twenty-two days. His realization is remarkable. At a dharma assembly in which vajra power realization was tested, the venerable one was unable to make a vajra pill rise into the air and pass through a stone and was unable to establish an inner- tantric mandala through a stone. Nevertheless, on the sixty-third attempt, he finally showed his awesome powers when he telekinetically awakened a vajra pill by making it spin rapidly. He thereby demonstrated that he is the true incarnation of a venerable one. He was recognized by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III as the foremost disciple in the area of practicing austerities.