Announcement 20150101
The Buddhist field in this day and age is completely chaotic. Ordinary people pretend to be holy; cheaters pretend to be high monks. People fabricating holiness certificates is a familiar sight to see. Some people author books to give teachings and hold dharma assemblies. Even the so-called great senior virtuous ones with world-shattering fame also give evil talks about Buddha Dharma. The fact is, most of them talk erroneously and carelessly. Even a 100-year-old high monk does not know sutra teachings and gives harmful arguments. Some masters who are One-star Sumeru Wheel pretend to be Two-star Sumeru Wheel; those who are Two-star Sumeru Wheel pretend to be Three-star Sumeru Wheel. These impostors are cheaters, in essence. How do these ordinary people dare to call themselves Three-star Sumeru Wheel holy gurus? They do not know how high the sky is or how deep the earth is. How could it be easy to attain a Three-star Sumeru Wheel? Even the well-known Dharma Master Shi Longhui, Chairperson of the International Buddhist Sangha Association, who has holy realization capabilities and powers, is still just a Two-star Sumeru Wheel now.
This Buddhism Headquarters has implemented the Holiness Levels Test and the term reexamination of holy gurus to protect Buddhist disciples from harm. Still, individual masters with holiness-level certificates appear in society as usual. They do not practice cultivation according to the faithful Buddha Dharma and seriously fall into the 128 evil and erroneous views and understanding. They have regressed and lost their Dharma powers and have become ordinary people. Having the status of a master, they primarily deceive their so-called disciples by transmitting fake dharmas. Their characteristic is that they do not wear the holiness certificate when they rise to their rostrum. The primary reason is they no longer have the behaviors they once had when they took the examination. They have regressed to the state of an ordinary person. Being afraid of losing face or being found out they are an impostor who has lost their powers, as well as fearing that people would discover their star-wheel level is not high or they have forged the certificate, they flash the document before quickly hiding it instead of displaying it so that people do not see through them.
Observe it carefully. Any master with a holiness certificate but does not display it when they rises to talk or transmit Dharma must be full of selfish greed. Such a person must be an ordinary person or an evil master and a liar. A Buddhist disciple who continues to follow such a master who does not display their certificate will undoubtedly have deep and heavy sinful karma, and the Buddha and Bodhisattvas will not receive the disciple without any exception. The reason is simple. Every Buddhist disciple knows a master who does not display the holiness level certificate when rising to the rostrum is a master who has violated the precepts. If a disciple clearly knows such a master has broken the Buddhist rules due to selfish greed and ordinary feelings but continues to support the master in harming living beings as usual, then the disciple is an accomplice. How would the disciple qualify to learn authentic Buddha Dharma?
A master who does not display the holiness certificate when rising to the rostrum to transmit Dharma or to hold refuge ritual for the disciples more or less has a severe deceitful problem. They have lost the holiness qualification and regressed to the position of an ordinary man, no matter their title or status. This master could also be an impostor who fakes to be holy but is nothing but an average man. They could also be at the minimum level of the Sumeru Wheel but are afraid to be looked down on by disciples due to self-attachment, and as such, would instead not display the certificate so that they can pretend to be an exceedingly holy guru. These three kinds of people are all masters who are filled with greed, emotions, and evil views. Buddhist disciples, please tell the United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters of such masters. If we verify it, this Headquarters will publish them to the world!
All holy gurus are compassionate; they all love and protect living beings. They are sincere and aboveboard and will proactively display the holiness level certificate, hoping that living beings will examine them. They have one goal. Out of compassion, they do not want living beings to feel uncomfortable. Even for a master who is a holy guru, not displaying the certificate when rising to the rostrum would be a disdainful action for the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. You must not rely on such masters; you must immediately leave and find another good master. Otherwise, you would lose your karmic affinity to authentic Buddha Dharma for life and end up in misery.
After a discussion, we at the Headquarters decided to make Buddhist dharma attires bearing the holiness levels for the holy gurus to wear. This action is to protect the Buddhist cultivators’ benefit, to prevent ordinary liars and evil masters from cheating, to prevent Buddhists from being harmed by regressed masters and fake holy gurus, and to prevent many liars from forging holiness-level certificates and pretending to be blessed. We will put the star-wheel dharma attires that indicate the holiness levels on the monastic cassocks and rinpoche’s robes. That dharma attire is simple, grand, solemn, and decent and clearly shows one’s status and level. Each button represents one level. The number of levels proves the relative level of accomplishment in the conversance of teachings and realization capability.
The holy gurus shall wear the dharma attire in daily life. A holy guru who does not wear Buddhist attire that indicates their level in everyday life is like a monastic person who does not wear Bhikkhu or Bhikkhuni clothes. It would be impure conduct that violates the precepts. The person’s goal is to be deceitful and confuse Buddhist cultivators. They cheat people in the name of convenience. Such people will be deemed evil masters, liars, and demons who have violated the precepts. Those cultivators under them can no longer rely on them; otherwise, they would undoubtedly be helping the evil. Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III will not receive them, let alone give them an initiation to transmit Dharma to them, for they are helping bad people do evil deeds and cheating others.
To help people see it, the robe a holy and virtuous person wears shall bear buttons at the opening of the sleeves, the chest and the collar. Various buttons will indicate different levels of holiness.
Why do we establish such rigorous rules? It is to protect Buddhist cultivators and kind people. In this Dharma-ending era today, there are evil masters and liars everywhere. They cheat people and steal fame by way of all kinds of tricks. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III summoned the Chair and the Secretary-General of our Headquarters after hearing that we are establishing the dharma attires to indicate holiness levels. His Holiness the Buddha praised the action and said: “Your Headquarters setting up the Dharma attires for the people is necessary. It is an action to rid the liars and protect righteousness. Evil masters and liars are abundant today, and it is time you do such a thing. Some of my disciples, familiar with me, are also evil masters. I tried to teach them, but they did not change their bad behaviors behind me. They use my name to give evil teachings to deceive their disciples, as usual, behind my back. To prevent people from falling into deceit and to truly let cultivators find good masters they can rely on, I think your plan at the United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters is good. It is an action to benefit living beings, protect righteousness, remove evil, and annihilate cheating. This action protects and considers the Buddhist cultivators; it grows good kindness worldwide. Implementing the dharma attires for the holy gurus can benefit all living beings.”
Therefore, this Headquarters will complete this arrangement of Buddhist Dharma Attire that bears the holiness levels as soon as possible. Buddhist cultivators can examine the holy gurus with the Dharma attire and the holiness-level certificates already in place. Also, in terms of the holiness-level certificates, regardless of the type of the Seven Masters and Ten Witnesses or the Three Masters and Seven Witnesses, they need to be annually reexamined and stamped. If you report that a holy guru has seriously fallen into the 128 evil and erroneous views and understanding, does not practice according to faithful Buddha Dharma, or does not cultivate themselves to benefit people, we will verify if it is true. If it is, then that person cannot pass the annual exam. Anyone who used to be a holy guru but fails to get the yearly exam stamp has regressed to the state of an ordinary person or has become a liar. Their sinful karma is intense and heavy. If you continue to follow them to do bad deeds and keep helping the evil cheat people, not only will you not learn faithful Buddha Dharma and gain wisdom or fortune, but you will also have unlimited evil retribution! You will never see the day to enjoy happiness and bliss!
The United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters
February 12, 2015
(Eric Huang is responsible for translating this announcement into English. It was last revised on 2024-10-19.)