Definitions of Dharma Attires Indicating the Grade Levels of Realization and Accomplishment
To protect Buddhist disciples from being defrauded and deceived, the status of whether a master followed by Buddhists is a holy one or an ordinary person and at what level this master’s accomplishment is must be determined by an examination. All must rely on the dharma, not on any person. Results must be from the definitive truth, not from anything else. Regardless of how high the status of a holy Buddhist is, his or her confirmation can only be from the results of their examination. Any master who dares not take the examination definitely has a very big problem. This master cannot be believed even if he or she has already generated a tremendous fanfare. The identity of a reincarnated rinpoche cannot be believed other than by the results from taking the examination, regardless of which venerable one, dharma king, or rinpoche made the recognition.
Also, before reaching the status of a non-receding Bodhisattva, one’s accomplishment can advance or recede depending on his or her cultivation. Therefore, any other fact about a master such as how deep or big the opening on the crown by Mud-Pill Lamdre or Vajra Body Substitution Meditation is, demonstrating Samadhi power from tummo (inner heat) practice, spiritual consciousness’ being away from the body, or practicing a dharma to invoke a Bodhisattva to manifest a holy feat of empowering disciples does not belong to one’s status of accomplishment and realization and cannot be regarded as an exact determination.
To accurately determine a master’s status and realization with a one-hundred-percent certainty and award the dharma attire at the corresponding grade level, the dharma of Jin Gang Fa Man Ze Jue (a dharma in Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism for determining the result sought through selection), Forecasting the Future, or Bai Fa Ming Men Hei Guan Ze Jue (a dharma specifically used to determine the correct or wrong result) must be performed by or for this master, or this master must undergo and pass the examination of the Vajra Battle Position or the Eight-Wind Battle Position, unless this master can use the even higher realization of creating a mandala through a separation by a slab of stone or is able to perform a holy inner-tantric initiation (For example, a Vajra pill with the size of a monsoon bean is put in the disciple’s palm. The master performing the initiation is at a distance of 16 feet or more away from the disciple. The master can perform the dharma to let the Vajra pill show supernatural transformation or dance miraculously inside the disciple’s palm). Any other miraculous, strange, or peculiar manifestation does not indicate a holy and virtuous one’s status of accomplishment.
However, to specifically define the different classes of one’s realization, we must use the dharma attire with grade level to recognize for certain. This system defines the classification of different levels of accomplishment and realization. For details, please see the following definitions regarding a master’s true status:
For the examination this time to determine one’s true status in Buddhism, an applicant must first take a written test with 100 problems in sutras, vinayas, and shastras. Then, one has to pass the verification by Dharma Gate Palace Feather to obtain a certificate of finalist. That is the qualification for entering the examination in the holy realm. However, if one’s score from the written test is too low, one cannot enter the examination in the holy realm even if one has received the certificate of finalist.
There are two kinds of ways to take the examination in the holy realm. One is to write all your items from all categories of your strength on one petition document and take the examination just once. The other is to write the multiple items separately and take the examination multiple times for each item. This is especially important for the level of Blue Button Grade 3, which is the key level of importance with the candidacy of being promoted to Golden Button levels. This level of Blue Button Grade 3 can have three indications. If Blue Button Grade 3 is received by taking the examination once, the dharma attire will have just three blue buttons. If you have taken the examination twice and in both cases passed for Blue Button Grade 3, a small black button will be added in addition to the three blue buttons. If you have taken the examination three times and have passed for Blue Button Grade 3 every time, another small black button will be added. At this time, the dharma attire will have altogether five buttons (three blue buttons and two small black buttons). All these three situations have the status of Blue Button Grade 3 (Embellishing Virtuous One).
If you have another category of strength to take the examination, you cannot take more examinations for Blue Button Grade 3. Rather, the next examination will be for ascending to Golden Button levels. Then, you will write all your test items that have passed Blue Button Grade 3 in one petition document and directly take the examination for Golden Button Grade 1. If you did not pass this examination for Golden Button, you will still have the level of Blue Button Grade 3 obtained from the earlier examinations. If you passed this examination for Golden Button, then your dharma attire of a holy and virtuous one will have altogether six buttons (three blue buttons, two black buttons, and one golden button), indicating the status of Golden Button Grade 1.
If you see a master having just three blue buttons, it means this master received Blue Button Grade 3 by taking the examination once. If you see three blue buttons plus a small black button, it means this master took the examination twice with different items and passed for Blue Button Grade 3 in both times. If there are three blue buttons and two small black buttons, this master must have taken the examination three times separately with different items and passed in all three times.
Passing for the level of Blue Button Grade 1 is already rather rare. It would be fortunate to have one among two to three thousand cultivators. Blue Button Grade 2 is naturally higher than Blue Button Grade 1. Anyone at the level of Blue Button Grade 3 has the status of Embellishing Virtuous One. The accomplishment of this level is very rare and it is hard to find one who possesses such accomplishment in one thousand masters and rinpoches. The even higher level of Golden Button is even rarer than the already rare situations of Blue Button levels.
In particular, all masters should clearly understand a fact. The United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters (UIWBAH) keeps detailed records for everyone taking the examination to provide information to cultivators in response to inquiries. UIWBAH’s Group of Responding to Inquiry for the examination in the holy realm will truthfully inform the inquirer(s) about your situation in taking the examination but will not reveal your score from the written test on sutras, vinayas, and shastras. The reply will only include how many times you took the examination; what grade level you attained with what topic in each examination; whether you were pulled into the dark realm of transmigration; whether you fell down due to unable to enter the realm of peace and auspiciousness right before you; whether you were suddenly pulled out by the eight winds right after entering the realm of peace and auspiciousness; or whether you lost consciousness after falling to the ground, had to be lifted up and carried out like a corpse by the four major guards on duty, and returned to safety after the master in charge of the mandala practiced a dharma.
In addition to the dharma attire that a master passing a specific grade level wears, UIWBAH also issues a certificate of the grade level matching the dharma attire to that master. If you ever find that one’s dharma attire does not match the certificate, wearing that dharma attire is a false act committed by a swindler.
In addition, UIWBAH’s Group of Holiness and Virtue seriously inform you all. We guarantee you by the morality of holy and virtuous ones that we will not reveal the fact that you made an inquiry or which master you inquired about. You will remain an anonymous inquirer.
United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters
(Seal Stamped on every page)
March 17, 2016