Regarding the inquiry of the ranking orders of the Eighteen Dharmas, the team of the Holy Gurus of the Headquarters now solemnly and 100% accurately conveys the following: It is plausible that the inquirer has not received the initiation of the Bodhi Path Sin Decrease and Merit Increase Dharma, and it is reasonable to assume that the inquirer probably attended the initiation of a Holy Guru and witnessed a holy state. Therefore, it explains why the ranking orders of the Eighteen Dharmas need to be clarified to the inquirer.
Any Buddhist disciple must remember that the path and goal of learning from Buddha are to obtain good fortune and wisdom, escape the sufferings of Samsara and become a holy being. Among the eighty-four thousand Dharma-gates, the Eighteen Dharmas declared by the Headquarters are great Dharmas that manifest the divine state through tangible phenomena. Since each Dharma serves a different purpose and application, the ranking orders will vary accordingly. Among all eighty-four thousand Dharma-gates, based on the goal that learning from Buddha is to attain eternal accomplishment and liberation, the number one most supreme Dharma is the “Buddha Bestowing Holy Amritas Initiation,” a.k.a. “Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi Sampajabba Dharma.” (無上正等三藐三菩提日中明覺法) It is the top, unparalleled, perfect, and holiest King of Dharma among all eighty-four thousand Dharma-gates. The next is the Right-Side Chancellor Dharma, the “Bodhi Path Sin Decrease and Merit Increase Dharma,” a.k.a. the “Supreme Bodhi Enlightenment Dharma.” (大菩提覺頂法) And what follows it is the Left-Side Chancellor Dharma, the “Sending a Petition to Bodhisattva,” a.k.a. the “Supreme Holy Guaranteed Direct Delivery Dharma.” (上上聖直系保送法) The above three Dharmas together are termed the “Most Supreme, Unparalleled, and Perfect King-and-Chancellors Dharmas of Dharmadhatu.” They are the ultimate Dharmas that guarantee great accomplishment to transform from mundane to holy in this lifetime. These three Dharmas, which Tathagatas and Bodhisattvas control, manifest the holy states through real, physical phenomena. They are not unsubstantiated theorems. Only a Buddha, an Equal Enlightenment Bodhisattva, or a Marvelous Enlightenment Bodhisattva can preside over these supreme Holy Initiation Dharmas.
At the “Buddha Bestowing Holy Amritas Initiation” event, right after the initiated individuals swallow the genuine amritas and receive the initiation’s mnemonic commands, then and there, their bones will be cracking, and joints will be popping, and the internal eighty-four thousand nadis and chakras will be activated. Within two hours, the initiated individuals will be able to realize the dharmakaya and achieve great holy manifestation power and accomplishment ultimately.
The disciple who receives initiation of the Right-Side Chancellor Dharma, the “Bodhi Path Sin Decrease and Merit Increase Dharma,” will receive affirmation from the Buddha or Bodhisattva personally of this individual’s accomplishment in this lifetime, the transformation from mundane to holy and achievement of perfect, divine manifestation power. The Buddha or Bodhisattva will bestow the initiated disciple Bodhi pills from the void (not gifted by the presiding master of the initiation). From then on, the disciple will take one Bodhi pill every month. Because the Bodhi pills are conjured from the void and encompass tremendous holy power, they are vital for many Holy Dharma Initiations. Without them, the Dharma initiation will be futile. For example, at the “Untimely Death Resurrection Dharma” event (非時之死回生法), a Bodhi pill is placed in the mouth of the dead, and the dead will be resurrected immediately. In addition, the Dharmas of “Enlightenment-Practice Initiation” (覺行灌頂), “Yidam Dharma Affinity Initiation” (本尊法緣灌頂), “Great Perfection with Direct Verification” (現量大圓滿), “Sound-of-Silence Zen” (未音禪), “One-Taste Zen” (一味禪), “Holy Fire Homa,” “Vajra Array,” “Grand Eight Winds Array,” “Hanging Bowl to Ask the Truth,” and “Hayagriva or Horse-Head Wisdom King Water Altar Bead Hexagram” can only use Bodhi pills for offerings to be effective.
When a disciple receives the Left-Side Chancellor Dharma, the “Sending a Petition to Bodhisattva” initiation, regardless of the Dharma the individual practices, the Buddha, an Equal Enlightenment Bodhisattva, or a Marvelous Enlightenment Bodhisattva will personally affirm the disciple’s transformation from mundane to holy in this life. At the initiation event, from the void, the Buddha or Bodhisattva Yidam will retrieve the petition submitted by the disciple on the spot and promise to deliver this disciple to Buddha Land. It is an infallible great Dharma that guarantees the delivery of the initiated from mundane to holy.
Let us use sailing on the ocean as a not-so-incisive analogy. Mindfulness of the Buddha practiced by the Pure Land Buddhism Dharma-gate is like riding on a wood raft on the sea. The raft is slow but smooth until it encounters an angry and vicious storm. The Phowa practice is like putting on a lifebuoy. However, the sailor is still doomed and unable to escape in the face of a violent storm. Practicing Zen Buddhism Dharma-gate is like a novice skipper attempting to steer a battleship. By chance, the skipper may speedily and successfully reach the shore, but he may also run in a circle and go nowhere. Or he may navigate the ship by trial-and-error brute force. There is no guaranteed protection at all. Ordinary people practicing Zen meditation are amateurish, to begin with. How could it easily lead an amateurish practitioner to realize the dharmakaya? Practicing other Buddhism sects such as Vajrayana, Consciousness Only School, or Huayan School can also be analogized to riding on different-sized speedboats on the ocean. They do not guarantee safety and can be dangerous.
The unique Dharmas which guarantee accomplishment on the practice are the “Buddha Bestowing Holy Amritas Initiation,” “Bodhi Path Sin Decrease and Merit Increase Dharma,” and “Sending a Petition to Bodhisattva.” These “Most Supreme, Unparalleled, and Perfect King-and-Chancellors Dharmas of Dharmadhatu” can be compared to the fully equipped naval aircraft carrier, the mother of all invincible battleships. However, only the great Tremendous Holy Gurus will be able to receive genuine and direct initiation from the Buddha to bestow the holy amritas. Other people, at best, may be able to receive amritas shower initiation or take amritas pills. It is all determined by the candidate’s ability to pass the holy adjudication for the initiation. It is determined by the candidate’s thoughts and behaviors and the merits this individual has accumulated from all the Buddhist undertakings. The same condition applies to the Right-Side Chancellor Dharma, the “Bodhi Path Sin Decrease and Merit Increase Dharma.” Suppose a disciple is not genuinely sincere and has not earnestly devoted to Buddhist undertakings to gain great merits. In that case, the disciple will not pass the holy adjudication to receive the Dharma initiation. The Left-Side Chancellor Dharma, the “Sending a Petition to Bodhisattva,” has the same criteria as the Right-Side Chancellor Dharma.
The ranking orders by holiness level and Dharma power are “Holy Fire Homa,” “Knowing in Advance and Foretelling,” “Uncovering Terma with Direct Verification,” “Establishing Mandala Through a Boulder,” “Bodhi Holy Water,” “Moving Vajra Pill like Dancing on Ice,” and “Lifting Pestle onto Platform With One Hand.” In terms of the most power of the holy state, they are the “Vajra Array” and “Grand Eight Winds Array.” Concerning adjudication, the ranking orders are “Vajra Pillar Adjudication,” “Hanging Bowl to Ask the Truth,” “Vajra Faman Holy Adjudication,” “Hayagriva Or Horse-Head Wisdom King Water Altar Bead Hexagram,” “Dharma Gate Peacock Feathers Adjudication,” and “Double Adjudications.” Each Dharma serves a different purpose and application. Since the fundamental goal of learning from Buddha is not merely attaining a marvelous celestial state and realization power but to end the cycle of death and rebirth eternally, the three Supreme King-and-Chancellors Dharmas are incomparably above and beyond all the eighty-four thousand Buddhism Dharma-gates. They are of different levels of marvelous and enlightened states. Additionally, for the three King-and-Chancellors Dharmas and all the other Dharmas to be a thousand times more powerful, the Supreme and Unsurpassed Mahamudra of Liberation imparted by Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III and published on the Internet must be practiced as a prerequisite.
The Holy Gurus of the World Buddhism Association Headquarters
June 13, 2021
(Translated from Chinese to English by Sheila Lauly. Translation checked by Eric Huang.)