by the United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters:
Wang Zha Shang Zun said, “To gain trust from people, a few masters who do not act in accord with the dharma falsely claimed that they can perform inner-tantric initiations or holy inner-tantric initiations, can communicate with the yidam, and can let the disciple receiving the initiation become accomplished in everything within a short time. However, these self-boasting masters are not even allowed by the yidam of the ‘Dharma Gate Palace Feather’ dharma to enter the door. It should be known that the dharma of ‘Dharma Gate Palace Feather’ is not only used for entering the door during the examination in the holy realm. Actually, whenever meeting or communicating with yidams and dharma protectors is involved, this dharma must be used. To learn to perform inner-tantric initiations, the first step to pass is to get the permission from the yidam of ‘Dharma Gate Palace Feather’ to enter the door of the Inner-tantric Palace. Only after that, can the learner learn to perform initiations. Without even entering the door of learning inner-tantric initiations, they are shameless enough to falsely declare themselves great holy and virtuous ones. They took advantage of the ambiguity and confusion existing in the concept of defining holy and virtuous ones to mock great holy and virtuous ones. Many Buddhists have already been deceived by them. Such a situation absolutely cannot be permitted.”
To prevent evil persons and masters who are swindlers from harming living beings, we at the United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters (UIWBAH) used the dharmas of “Dropping Divine Pieces to Receive Divine Instruction” and “Dharma Gate Palace Feather” to determine exactly the titles of master’s grade levels.
Previously, even though multiple public announcements have been issued to explain this serious matter about the different classes and levels of holy and virtuous ones, some masters still use their superficial names and titles such as venerable one, dharma king, rinpoche, great dharma master, and so on to falsely declare themselves as great holy and virtuous ones. Cultivators deluded by them are in a maze of superstition and unable to get the correct facts. The fact is that these people’s real nature does not match their self-declared status of great holy and virtuous one or holy and virtuous one. As of now, there are still a small number of masters who do not truly cultivate, do not abide by rules and precepts, and continue to mock holy ones. They are clearly aware that they do not belong to the realm of having mastered three vidyas and six dharmas but falsely declare themselves as great holy and virtuous ones or holy and virtuous ones nonetheless. On the other hand, many cultivators do not read the public announcements and happily listen to some people’s untrue and inflated boasting. Often, they end up being defrauded and then make a lot of complaints. Those who were cheated or defrauded can only blame themselves for not reading the public announcements. Such a fault kept them from being saved by any means and caused them to willingly fall into the trap of fraud.
To thoroughly exterminate the malicious acts of falsifying, overinflating, declaring unrealized realization, and defrauding and harming cultivators, it is necessary to know clearly that a holy and virtuous one with a one-hundred-percept purity must take the examination to get his/her grade level and the associated title. UIWBAH will award to every holy and virtuous one who has passed the examination their corresponding authentic title along with a certificate and a set of dharma attire matching his/her grade level. The title awarded provides the most standard and correct representation of a master’s status. In addition to receiving through taking the examination of holiness and virtue, the only other options to get such a title are using the six categories of master’s qualifications and the decision of selection made from the Dharma of Vajra Dharma Hair as the exact standards. Other than using these methods, a reincarnated one recognized by whichever patriarch master or dharma king cannot become a true and exactly determined holy and virtuous one even if he/she has the recognized status of a great dharma king or a great rinpoche!!!
The titles of grade levels announced today are based on the doctrine of the Buddha’s teaching and Buddha-dharma. The names were determined by selection using the dharmas of “Dropping Divine Pieces to Receive Divine Instruction” and “Dharma Gate Palace Feather” that are also used in the examination in the holy realm and are definitive in nature.
Blue Button Grade 1 is called “Cultivating Virtuous One,” Blue Button Grade 2 is called “Enhancing Virtuous One,” and Blue Button Grade 3 is called “Embellishing Virtuous One.” Levels of Blue Button Grade 1 and Blue Button Grade 2 can be called masters. The reason is based on the saying, “Among any three people walking together, there is certainly one who deserves to be my master,” and the fact that cultivators at these levels do have a skill to teach others. The name of Blue Button Grade 3 is determined by the dharma to be “Vajra Master.” The name of Golden Button Grade 1 is determined by the dharma to be “Youth Venerable.” The name of Golden Button Grade 2 is determined by the dharma to be “Teaching Venerable.” The name of Golden Button Grade 3 is determined by the dharma to be “Upper Venerable.” The name of Golden Button Grade 4 is determined by the dharma to be “Grand Venerable.” The name of Golden Button Grade 5 is determined by the dharma to be “Holy Venerable.”
We at UIWBAH presented these names determined from the dharma to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III to beseech instruction. His Holiness the Buddha said, “I will not participate in your UIWBAH’s determination of names from the dharma. As long as it is a matter that benefits living beings, go ahead and do it. You use dharma-determined names to prevent false masters from defrauding and harming cultivators. Doing so protects living beings. This is very good and belongs to acts of conducting correct business.”
In the future, whenever you see masters with grade levels or you need to address them in writing, you cannot address in terms of ambiguous and non-definitive titles such as “venerable one,” “dharma king,” or “rinpoche” because these are ambiguous concepts without specifying the definitive class or level. Who knows whether the person addressed is a holy and virtuous one or not? What kind of holy and virtuous one is this person? If anyone continues to address masters by non-definitive names, this person must be a demonic person who deliberately assists demons to harm living beings. All Buddhist disciples should respect the definitions by the holy dharma and cannot assist the evil ones to commit fraud. Not using the dharma-determined name to address is a malicious act of insulting and contaminating the Three Jewels. This is because the dharma-determined names were determined by the dharmas of “Dropping Divine Pieces to Receive Divine Instruction” and “Dharma Gate Palace Feather.” Also, only by stipulating the titles, can it be possible to prevent people who fake holy ones with evil motives through the means of exaggerating and inflating from deceiving people in the world.
Everyone should pay special attention to a fact. As of now, among holy and virtuous ones at the levels of Golden Button Grade 1 (Youth Venerable), Golden Button Grade 2 (Teaching Venerable), Golden Button Grade 3 (Upper Venerable or Shang Zun), Golden Button Grade 4 (Grand Venerable, or Bodhisattvas at the level of universal enlightenment), and Golden Button Grade 5 (Holy Venerable, or Bodhisattvas at the level of wonderful enlightenment), not even one of them is spreading Buddha-dharma and saving living beings publicly in the world. Therefore, people simply have no possibility to meet a Grand Venerable or a Holy Venerable. This fact is caused by the lack of good fortune in living beings’ karmic conditions.
As to some famous figures in society, they are often exaggerated to be incarnations of Bodhisattvas at the levels of universal enlightenment and wonderful enlightenment. Such declarations are deceptions one hundred percent. They are simply not incarnations of Bodhisattvas. Where can they show the Five Vidyas? Such claims completely violated Sakyamuni Buddha’s stipulation that “one becomes a Bodhisattva through the Five Vidyas.” Even if one is a great rinpoche reincarnated from a patriarch master who appeared more than one thousand years ago, this person may not necessarily be a true holy and virtuous one because inexact and untrue phenomena also existed in the history of Buddhism.
As to the title of being addressed as a great holy and virtuous one, this is not a fuzzy concept. A great holy and virtuous one must have the status of Golden Button Grade 3 (Upper Venerable or Shang Zun). An extremely great holy and virtuous one must be at the grade level of Golden Button Grade 4 (Grand Venerable) or Golden Button Grade 5 (Holy Venerable). Anyone who does not have the realization of Upper Venerable but falsely claim to be a great holy and virtuous one is a master who has receded the accomplishment and entered an evil path without doubt!
Cultivators should always look at masters’ grade levels from the dharma attires they wear and know how to address them accordingly so that you will not violate the precepts on this matter. We hope that you all become familiar with and understand this public announcement, to avoid being defrauded by the small number of rogues! We at UIWBAH are unable to do much for Buddhists, but we absolutely do not agree with anything that errs on the law of cause and effect. That is why we must seriously issue this public announcement!!!
United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters
(Seal stamped on every page)
September 30, 2015