Translation reprinted from Taiwan Daily, October 27, 2004, reported by Liu Yi-Zhi:
Sharira from the cremation of
Elder Dharma King Dorje Losang
Elderly Dharma King Dorje Losang with Vajra Hair
Elder Dharma King Dorje Losang was a disciple of H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu. He was in the habit of displaying his supernatural powers and thereby manifested the Buddha-dharma. Examples of this are written in the book True Stories About a Holy Monk. He learned and practiced Buddhism under H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Master Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu for many years. Day and night, he did not sleep and did not rest. He did not even have a bed. He only had a mat made of rush stems that he took with him when traveling.
Dharma King Losang received deep teachings originating from the lineage of H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu. He was so appreciative of His Holiness that he wept profusely. He made a great vow to act according to the teachings of His Holiness and save living beings. However, Dharma King Losang, who had an extraordinary karmic destiny, displayed his supernatural powers in many places, not caring about the consequences.
When the relevant causes and conditions ripened, his karmic obstructions appeared. In April of 2001, the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau put him in prison. He lost the karmic affinity to practice and learn under the Master. In July of 2003, his case was tried in a court of law. He was not convicted of the charges. Then, the Luo Wan Temple in Sichuan received him. He did not have anything to do all day long, so he traveled on foot through the countryside. He often stared at the sky as he practiced the Dharma in silence.
Unfortunately, his karmic destiny to teach living beings the Dharma has ended. He can no longer expound the Dharma to living beings.
As early as August of 2003, Jiang Gong Kang Qin Rinpoche clearly wrote in his chronicles certain things that Dharma King Losang explicitly told him. For example, Dharma King Losang told Jiang Gong Kang Qin Rinpoche that he (Dharma King Losang) would leave this world next year in the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Dharma King Losang urged Jiang Gong Kang Qin Rinpoche to practice the Dharma in a hidden place. He said that in the future, Jiang Gong Kang Qin Rinpoche would have opportunities to save living beings from the cycle of reincarnation. He said that at such future time, Jiang Gong Kang Qin Rinpoche should transmit to good people the great Dharma of the supreme Dharma King Master. Dharma King Losang told Jiang Gong Kang Qin Rinpoche not to forget that H.H. Great Dharma King Master Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu is the highest Dharma King in this world and that he possesses the true Dharma of the Buddha!
Jiang Kong Kang Qin Rinpoche chronicled all of these things. On the sixth month of the Chinese lunar calendar in the year 2004, before Dharma King Losang passed away, these chronicles were read to certain monastics and laypersons in the United States. On the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar in the year 2004, these chronicles were openly read at a certain institute. Dharma King Dorje Losang finally passed away on the second day of eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar in the year 2004, between the hours of 5:00 and 7:00 a.m.
In the later period of Losang’s life, layman Zhi-Ying Wang looked after him and tended to him while he was in solitary meditation. In a very straightforward manner, layman Zhi-Ying told Losang, “Dharma King, do not leave this world in the summer. In such hot weather, I could not put things in order.” Dharma King Losang candidly and sincerely replied with the following promise: “Do not worry. I will not pass away when the weather is hot. I will wait until the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the fall weather is cool, to pass away.”
Throughout his entire life, Dharma King Losang led a simple life. He had a correct view of the Dharma. He was not attached to things of the world. Before he passed away, he simply said to everyone, “I am leaving. It would be well if you recited Amitabha Buddha’s name more.” On the second day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar in the year 2004, he made good on his promise and passed away. Monks from the Bao Guang Temple rushed over to the place where he lived and took his body to the Bao Guang Temple.
In the afternoon of the day Dharma King Losang was cremated, a variety of wonderful phenomena appeared. They were very extraordinary. Monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen surrounded Dharma King Losang’s body and chanted the name of Amitabha Buddha. Each of them had their own particular feelings toward the wonderful phenomena that appeared.
Some of the attendees murmured certain misgivings that they had, such as, “When Dharma King Dorje Losang was alive, he was so amazing. However, he now does not look at all like one who is greatly accomplished. He passed away in a state of illness. This could not possibly be a person who is greatly accomplished.” Some people accused him not saving living beings due to fear of difficulty and hardship. They therefore accused him of violating one of the the fourteen fundamental precepts of esoteric Buddhism. Some people said that he broke the precept that prohibits exhibiting supernatural powers. They said that this is a major precept in Buddhism. However, there were also those who said that his state of realization was extraordinary and that his supernatural feats exhibited his great enlightenment.
Finally, layman Fachi could not restrain himself any longer. He stood up and said in front of everyone remorsefully, “Dharma King Dorje Losang was not an ordinary person. He manifested a sign of impermanence (i.e. his illness) in order to teach us. Yet, we have not treated this with a mind of limitless respect. On the contrary, we gave rise to a mind that differentiates and discriminates.” He suggested that everyone take this opportunity to reflect seriously upon impermanence and give rise to a mind of limitless respect toward Dharma King Dorje Losang. He suggested that is the mind-set people should have when seeing the elder Dharma King off to the next realm. He said that an accomplished (liberated) one, like the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, definitely has a wonderful and auspicious way of manifesting the Buddha-dharma.
At this time, many people expressed their repentance in front of others. Life is like a dream. Death comes quickly. Whether someone is poor and lowly or noble and exalted, in the end, he or she will leave behind a smelly corpse. With hearts of great respect, the attendees then began chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha and contemplating impermanence. They prayed for the welfare of living beings. They prayed that the country and its citizens be at peace, that weather conditions be favorable, and that the world be at peace.
To their great surprise, at this time, the bright Buddha light of Mahavairocana Buddha quickly emerged and empowered everyone. People started using their cameras and camcorders. Layperson Gui Gong shot three pictures in a row of the sun emitting dazzling light. In the middle of the sun was a round emerald-green design. That emerald-green color was the same color as that of the gemstone on the “Master hat” worn by H.H. Great Dharma King Master Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu. Everyone was indescribably happy to see this wonderful manifestation of the Dharma.
At 4:20 in the afternoon, the cremation fire was lit. Everyone gathered around the body of Dharma King Losang, which became engulfed in soaring flames. Some people chanted “Homage to Amitabha Buddha.” Some people recited the Heart Sutra. Some chanted the Guru Padmasambhava Heart Mantra. There were those who intoned the Kuan Yin Bodhisattva Heart Mantra. Still others chanted the Mahakala Mantra.
The huge fire looked like a fire dragon circling in the furnace. The wooden container in the furnace holding Dharma King Losang’s body turned into a fireball. However, at this time, a dignified image of elder Dharma King Losang’s head suddenly appeared. Everyone became excited and spontaneously began chanting loudly in unison the Six Syllable Great Brightness Mantra.
During the cremation process, the person in charge of the cremation, Monk Ji Xin Shi, added all together four barrels of firewood into the furnace. He said, “I have never used so much firewood for a cremation.” After the fire raged for a while, people thought that the elder Dharma King’s body had already turned to ashes. However, at this time, the elder Dharma King’s head and body suddenly became visible. His head and body were not burned in the slightest. His clothes, however, were burned to ashes. Still, his head and body could not catch on fire.
At this time, I could not help but think of the great Master Milarepa. There were records that stated Master Milarepa could not be burned by any fire of this world. During Dharma King Losang’s cremation, such a phenomenon unexpectedly appeared before our eyes. The elder Dharma King truly deserves to be called “Vajra Dorje Losang Dharma King.” Everyone in attendance then understood the wonderful and profound meaning of “a Vajra body cannot be burned by fire of this world.”
In the midst of the fire, Dharma King Losang sat in the cross-legged lotus posture and manifested the Mahakala state. Everyone loudly chanted mantras. They supplicated that the body catch on fire so that they could collect shariras. They then heard a sudden popping sound. The body of the Dharma King finally caught on fire. After the cremation ceremony ended, the set of monk’s clothes worn by Dharma King Losang during his life was put into the cremation furnace. Light immediately flashed repeatedly inside the furnace. Then, the furnace emitted a great burst of light. Additionally, it intermittently emitted fragrant scents.
Everyone was jubilant.
Under normal circumstances, the entire cremation process only takes a little more than one hour. However, the body of Dharma King Losang burned for more than six hours. This is truly a rare event in this world. One can imagine just what kind of Vajra body he had. However, he displayed his supernatural powers too much, and thereby acted imprudently. He then encountered the ripening of his karma. He had no alternative but to predict to Jiang Gong Kang Chin Rinpoche that he (Dharma King Losang) would pass away in the near future.
After the cremation, 141 shariras (relics) were collected from his remains. The six hour cremation of his indestructible Vajra body, which was a manifestation of the Dharma, and the collection of shariras/firm relics thoroughly prove that Dharma King Losang indeed learned the true Dharma of the Buddha from H.H. Dharma King Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu. Unfortunately, he should not have left this human realm. Rather, he should have stayed in this world to propagate the Dharma and save living beings.
At this point in writing this article, something came to mind. During the cremation process, some people said that Dorje Losang was not a Dharma King. But we must ask the following questions: If Dorje Losang had been an ordinary person, why was he able to predict the time of his death? Why was he able to attain the indestructible Vajra body, such that his body burned for six hours, which is a record-breaking time? Why were 141 shariras collected from his remains after he was cremated? How could an ordinary person leave behind such holy objects? For the past few decades in Taiwan (as opposed to mainland China), only elder monk Guang Qin left behind shariras after his cremation. Furthermore, it only took a little more than one hour to cremate completely elder monk Guang Qin. These facts prove that Dharma King Losang was not like those people of the world whose practice of the Buddha-dharma is merely uttering empty theories. The holy phenomena described above occur only as a result of the true Buddha-dharma. Thus, we should again stop and think. We often say, “The Buddha-dharma is difficult to seek. The true Dharma is difficult to encounter.” However, H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu does indeed teach the true Dharma of the Buddha. As a result, we see that one after another of his disciples have attained great accomplishment (liberation). Shouldn’t we think about how we will face our own liberation from the cycle of reincarnation?
(Written by Yi-Zhi Liu)
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