Announcement of Good Fortune to Cultivators:
With the karmic condition of praying for holding auspicious and magnificent dharma assemblies in 2013, we hope that people can all make vows together to beseech and invite all Buddhas in the ten directions to bless the United States with prosperity of the country, safety of its people, abundant harvest of all kinds of crops, and being free of disasters and hardship. We wish all countries in the world, mankind, and living beings happiness and tranquility, with auspicious phenomena blooming everywhere and peace staying forever. We respectfully beseech that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III does not leave us and comes to and bestows the Buudha’s holy presence at the coming dharma assemblies.
At this time, we would like to bring you all a piece of very exciting good news. On October 18, 2012, many cultivators had the opportunity to pay homage to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III in person. On October 25, 2012, they saw the Buddha again. They said that they were totally astonished and could not believe their own eyes. Within just seven days, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III had changed and was like a completely different person. That is extremely miraculous and surprising! In just a few days, the Buddha Master turned back the clock of aging and became much younger. More importantly, He looks much younger and far more handsome than even His childlike complexion of more than twenty years ago.
Dharma masters guarding the meditation room said, “During the last seven days, the Buddha Master was at the mandala on the grass-covered lawn praying for peace and auspiciousness. Due to His working hard for many years without a good rest, marks left by the vicissitudes of life are unavoidable. At noon time on that day, knowing people’s sorrow in mind, the Buddha Master said, ‘You should not feel sorry for me. Life, aging, and illnesses belong to impermanence. Impermanence is the nature of the world. That is why Sakyamuni Buddha also left.’ At that time, the Buddha Master let the dharma masters go to bring the offering objects and the manual of prayer. When the dharma masters came back with the offering objects and the manual of prayer, they suddenly saw that the Buddha Master’s face had changed to a rosy childlike complexion! Being greatly astonished, they dropped the apples to be offered to the ground.”
Upon hearing that the Buddha Master has returned to His young appearance like He was while He was in Chengdu (the provincial capital city of Sichuan Province, China), Dunzhu and several dharma masters hurriedly came to the scene. [I think this is what is meant. As it reads it sounds like He returned to Chengdu, and I don’t think that happened.] At their first sight of the Buddha Master, they were all stuck dumb due to surprise! How could this image be the aged handsome one seen just a few days ago! Neither is this appearance the same as the youthful-looking appearance while in Chengdu. Even the skeleton and figure of the face changed. The complexion turned back to be youthful and the appearance is highly spirited and full of vigor. Describing with an inappropriate worldly sentence, He is just too handsome and good-looking to describe! The images we knew from the times of living in Chengdu and visiting Taiwan simply cannot be compared with H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s current handsome and childlike appearance that is also majestic and dignified! This fact absolutely indicates that the “Dharma of Restoring Youth and Young Appearance” is in the hands of the Buddha.
However, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III seriously scolded us and said that our eyes got blurred and what we said was nonsense. The Buddha Master said, “This is because I washed my face with the sand of the Gange River and nectar water. That is just a method of curing. Any person can wash his face clean. Even applying ointment or facial grease can make the face look shiny. You exaggerated too much and baselessly said that I looked like I did when I was in Chengdu more than twenty years ago. Did you see a resemblance? I was just an ordinary person while in Chengdu and had only shallow knowledge and few opinions. I was very ashamed for that. How could I be learned from? Even if I knew this dharma and wanted to do some mimicking, I wouldn’t want to mimic and restore the ‘me’ that existed when I was in Chengdu. You read from the list of holiest dharmas in the Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation that there are dharmas of turning from elderly back to youth and restoring vitality and childlike appearance. Then you try to link the dharma to me without considering the fact. It is true that these types of dharmas were [or “this type of dharma was”] mentioned in the Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation. However, no one has practiced these dharmas [this dharma] yet. How could people know how good the dharma’s effect is? I do not know this dharma. I am still inferior. I do not have this ability.”
The Buddha Master gave the denial. However, the fact that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III restored His youth and returned to a childlike appearance is undeniable and evident without a doubt. You all can think about this. Let’s not mention returning to a childlike appearance in just a short while of 10-20 minutes. Even if we assume that it had taken seven days, can one return to his youth by only washing his face with the sand of the Gange River? In particular, the appearance now has by far surpassed the appearance of more than twenty years ago in handsomeness, solemnness, and majesty. Can such a change be brought by any ability of mankind? There has never been such an example in history!
This instance caused us to think about a serious question that is worthy of deep pondering. In this world, there are some famous dharma kings, venerable, ones and dharma masters who pose as holy ones with high statuses and arrogantly boast of themselves. They have not opened up their wisdom and are not able to demonstrate any accomplishment in the Five Vidyas. Moreover, they become weaker and more exhausted as they are aging. Their appearances are also deteriorating at the same time. However, they just rely on their statuses and positions within their lineages to shamelessly boast of themselves and pose as holy ones. They falsely present themselves as dharma kings and sit high on the dharma-king seats to cheat cultivators for their offerings. To tell the truth, Guru Padmasambhava was the only example in history who accomplished this. Not even one of these people has any true ability of returning to youth and a young appearance. They are really piteous!
Conversely, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, who does not accept offerings, has made perfect accomplishments that are at the acme of the Five Vidyas and commands perfect proficiency in the Tripitaka. Everything His Holiness does is in perfect harmony with the karmic condition without any impediment. Moreover, His Holiness is able to turn His appearance from an aged handsomeness to a youthful and childlike complexion with astonishingly extraordinary effect. However, He does not admit having the power of realization and always states that He is inferior and He is ashamed.
Actually, this kind of inferiority and this kind of ashamedness really provided a good contrast to those falsely claimed and shamelessly boasting dharma kings and rinpoches. The comparison made them superficial and laughable. They are extremely piteous! Comparing these two kinds of speeches and deeds naturally reveals the different characteristics of a true holy one and ordinary people who fake as holy ones. This is really worthy of people’s pondering!!!
We believe that, as long as we have an honest and sincere mind, the Buddha Master will teach us the “Dharma of Restoring Youth and Young Appearance.” Otherwise, the name of this dharma would not exist in the Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation.
United International Buddhism Headquarters (Seal)
December 5, 2012