Introduction
Reposted from Thus Have I Seen by Zhaxi Zhuoma Rinpoche p.17-27
It is the year 2020, the time of Covid-19, and I am currently sheltered-in-place at the Holy Vajrasana Temple and Retreat Center in the midst of fruit and nut trees, vineyards, and subdivisions creeping out from Fresno and at the beginning of the foothills, within sight of the magnificent snow-capped Sierras.
I am the abbot (abbess might be more accurate) of the Holy Vajrasana Temple, but we have closed the temple doors to outsiders, and I have no major retreats or on-site classes planned, nor do I know if and when there will be any for some time. This seems like the ideal time to finish a book I started over a decade ago and to reflect on my 80 years on this planet and share what I have of value.
That would be sharing my experiences and what I have seen, heard, and learned from being a close disciple of a living Buddha for many years and doing what I can to make that Chinese Buddha’s teachings more accessible and interesting to English-speaking people. This book consists of my travels, including my journey to all fifty states to introduce H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and His most fundamental teachings, mainly “What Is Cultivation?” and The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation, to the American people; the recognition and development of the Holy Vajrasana Temple and Retreat Center and its Holy Vajra Poles and what that offers; and my personal experiences in receiving and witnessing higher Dharmas. I want to conclude with what I have learned from these streams that can enable English-speaking seekers of truth to learn, understand, and follow the true Dharma.
I have followed this Buddha since before I even knew He was a Buddha. When I first met Master Wan Ko Yee, He was known as a Dharma King, but frankly, I did not have a clue as to what that meant either. Ever since I sat alone in the solemn and beautiful temples in Kyoto in 1983, I wanted to learn the true Buddha Dharma of Shakyamuni Buddha; the Dharma that can enlighten and enable one to attain liberation from samsara, and I felt this Dharma King could do that. I am grateful to all the other teachers who helped me on this path, but I have come to know that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is truly a holy being and has the Buddha Dharma that can enable us to become Bodhisattvas and eventually Buddhas. I don’t see that anywhere else, but I do see a lot of erroneous and even evil practices that do not provide the power of the Dharma that Shakyamuni Buddha brought to this world. I am alarmed at the secularization of Buddhism that has occurred in the West. It would seem that much of what is presented as Buddhism today is mainly a form of mindfulness or zen practice that is a method to develop concentration, reduce stress, and achieve serenity. These are all worthy by-products and useful but fall far short of the wonders and marvelous existence taught by Shakyamuni Buddha. People do not believe in the power of the Buddha Dharma, because they have never experienced or seen it.
I believe that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III came to this world to correct the evil and erroneous views and practices that have crept into Buddhism over the centuries and to restore and propagate the true Dharma of the Holy Ones. We are now seeing more of that Dharma become available in English so that westerners can also receive those teachings. And although the trends within Western Buddhism seem to be toward a lack of belief in the mysterious and holy, or the power of Buddhism that we read about in times past, there are positive trends or glimpses of inquiry into those very magical things by some members of the scientific community. Psychoenergetic Science6 or explorations into new realms of the science of consciousness may not be yet an accepted area of research on the scale of a second Copernican-scale revolution, but it is encouraging. I do not attempt to draw parallels here from what I have seen, but it does seem that Shakespeare may have gotten it right when he gave voice to Hamlet’s insights: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”7
Why use the expression “Thus Have I Seen (or Heard)”? It is said that Ananda, Shakyamuni Buddha’s cousin and attendant for His last twenty-five years on this planet, was present at most of the discourses given by the Buddha over 2,500 years ago and had an understanding with the Buddha that he would be given the discourses he missed. It is also believed that Ananda had perfect recall and after the Buddha’s death was called to recite all of these discourses from memory. At that time, he began reciting these discourses with the words “Thus Have I Heard…”
Now, I am not saying that my level of realization is anything near that of the Buddha’s cousin or that I have a fraction of that ability to remember, but I do realize that I am one of very few non-Chinese disciples of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III who has witnessed many of the holy manifestations or amazing events connected to His Holiness. And I have been able to receive private discourses and translations of other more public discourses given by this great holy being that are not available to the general English-speaking public as well as many higher initiations and empowerments. Since seeing is believing and I have seen and heard so many wondrous things, some of which are hard to believe even when seen, I decided to document some of the events and teachings that have been so important to my spiritual evolution so that others can know that the true Buddha Dharma still exists in this world and that you, too, can benefit from these teachings.
But first, I must offer a caveat. Most of the quotes from H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III given in this book (printed in blue ink) are from unapproved translations or my memory of events and may contain errors. Likewise, the contents of this book have not been reviewed or approved by the Buddha and should be considered as reference material and not Buddha Dharma. I must emphasize this. You should, dear reader, seek the correct Buddha Dharma directly from H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III yourself and form your own conclusions. I offer this book as a guide to do that.
It is the purpose of this book to tell the English-speaking world about the magnificence of this great holy being and the teachings or Dharma that He brings to help us be free from all suffering and experience much happiness and good fortune. The book also documents some amazing events and the supernormal experiences, powerful empowerments, and incredible initiations that I and other disciples have had as well as the holy teachings that led me to follow this holy Buddha and gave me such complete faith in the existence and power of the true Buddha Dharma. Additionally, the book documents my own personal spiritual journey and the revelation that the temple and retreat center concept that I have been developing could enable ordinary beings to become holy beings, whether in central or southern California or online or wherever.
There are many who do not believe in supernatural phenomena, and others, especially certain Buddhists, who downplay their importance. Perhaps they have never seen or only rarely experience such events. This is because they did not get Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings in the correct way and developed simple and erroneous concepts by mistake. Even animals can perform miracles and prove the existence of other dimensions beyond what we experience in ordinary reality. Beings from other dimensions, even demons, may possess supernormal powers.8 What appears as miracles to ordinary beings is merely the power of super or enlightened beings. If you read about what happened when Shakyamuni Buddha was on this earth and study the lives of the great disciples and holy people who followed the Buddha through the ages, you will read about many examples of these enlightened ones exhibiting such powers. However, it is true that acquiring supernormal powers is not the goal of practicing Buddhism, but if one is progressing on the path toward becoming a holy being, they are a natural by-product. It is also true that one must consider such phenomena as illusory and not become attached to them in any way. My Buddha Master has repeatedly told us that they are only useful to employ as a measuring stick to mark one’s progress and to determine one’s own level of realization and that of others. They are a necessary component in becoming an enlightened being. They are one of the main ways of showing that you are a holy being, but not the only way. To determine if one is a holy being one must demonstrate achievements in the Five Vidyas;9 pass certain tests in both the worldly and holy realms; and have an overall high level of cultivation and bodhichitta. Demonstrating miracles is only one component, albeit an important one, of proving you are a true holy being.
Before I begin to tell my story and what I have seen and experienced, I want to provide a very general framework of my understanding of how Buddhists see the universe—a simple Buddhist Cosmology. It will provide context and a framework for the rest of the book since this book is intended for a Western audience who may not be familiar with certain Buddhist terms. It will also help explain what it means to be a holy being and why you would want to become one.
First, there is the divide between ordinary existence or samsara that we experience as ordinary beings and the holy—what is possible for those who have realized their true nature or have become enlightened or holy beings, sometimes referred to as nirvana. What the Buddha taught is the nature of each and various paths to follow to become a holy person. I have also included Appendix B to provide some comparisons of different paths as offered in other religions and within the major branches of Buddhism that exist within the world today.
Samsara: Six Realms of Reincarnation or Existence
To understand the Buddhist world, you must have a basic belief in reincarnation or at least allow for that possibility. Sentient beings continually transmigrate to the various realms of existence known as samsara. The human realm is not the only realm that is open to us. Depending on your karma, you can also take birth in the three lower or evil realms as animals, hell-beings (narakas), or hungry ghosts (pretas). Even as humans we sometimes experience the stupidity of animals, the hatefulness and anger of hell, and the frustration and greed of hungry ghosts, but most human beings don’t spend their entire lives in such states. You can also take rebirth in the good or higher realms as devas or heavenly beings, but this is not a permanent state and when your good karma expires (and you don’t normally generate more good karma in those realms), you have to return to the lower realms to pay off your karmic debts.
I should probably add a definition of “karma,” but I think it is pretty much part of our Western language now. It is literally a Sanskrit word for “action” or “doing.” It is the law of cause and effects. You commit a cause and you reap a corresponding effect. After we die, we reincarnate according to our accumulated karma. If we live a good life, we will reincarnate in an equal or higher realm and if we don’t, we devolve into the lower realms. When your karmic retribution or payback is complete, you can reincarnate again and so forth. Going to heaven is not our goal although we believe that we can receive a nice life on earth or in the heavens for good behavior, but eventually you will use up all your good merits and need to be reborn in the lower realms to pay back negative or black karma.
Sometimes the asuras or demi-gods are combined with the devas as five realms or they may be counted as a separate realm. As humans we do sometimes also get a taste of the bliss and pleasures of these higher realms. They are also known as the six paths, six courses, or six modes of existence. If you follow Buddhist precepts and live a good life, you can go to the upper realms after death, but as I already said, that is not the goal of a Buddhist. If you reach enlightenment you transcend or become liberated from samsara and its cycle of reincarnation entirely and reach nirvana. Samsara literally means “going around” as a wheel in motion. The goal of a Buddhist is to escape this cycle entirely. (FIGURE 3) Samsara is further divided into three spheres: the formless sphere, the form sphere, and the desire sphere. The highest of the three spheres of samsara is occupied only by the highest-level celestial beings (devas or gods) of the heavenly realm. It is so named because beings therein do not have gross bodies or form, but are pure consciousness. The middle of the three spheres of samsara is the form sphere. It is so named because the beings therein (primarily devas or gods) do have material bodies or form, but no longer have desire. Their pleasures come from four stable meditative states with no need for exterior projections. The desire sphere, where we live, is the lowest of the three spheres of samsara. It is so named because beings therein are characterized by gaining pleasure from sensual experience such as seeing objects, hearing sounds, tasting and smelling, and so forth. It includes beings from the six lowest heavens, the asura realm, the human realm, the animal realm, the hungry ghost realm, and the hell realms.
The lower realms are known to us, but the heavenly realms perhaps not as much. The Buddhist view of many levels of Hell are similar to that described in Dante’s Inferno. We also have eight types of celestial or heavenly beings: 1) gods or devas; 2) nagas or snake-like beings that include dragons which I will talk more about later; 3) yaksas or leprechaunish dwarfs who are guardians of wealth and treasure; 4) gandharvas who are the celestial musicians who feed on fragrance; 5) asuras or titans who are a brutish, violent, and powerful lot given to jealousy and anger who were kicked out of the higher heavens for drunkenness and fighting; 6) garudas who are large bird-like beings who fight and eat the nagas; 7) kinnnara who are another type of celestial musician with horse heads and human-like bodies; and 8) serpent-like mahoragas. It would appear that some of these beings also lived on earth or were at least visible to ancient people (FIGURE 4). In Sri Lanka, they say that Shakyamuni Buddha and His disciples flew to their island several times to teach the local yaksas who were apparently more spiritually advanced at that time than the indigenous humans. Our own Western mythology is frequented by various types of spirit beings or fairy-folk who are no longer visible to most people. These beings seem to have their own evolutionary paths like humans and can be benevolent or malicious. We view them as another form of sentient being that we should help find the paths to higher levels and that we should treat them with kindness and respect. We may also seek their help or cooperation in worldly matters. We can also incarnate as these other forms of living beings from any of the five or six realms.
FIGURE 4: Guardian stone with dwarf yaksas and giant multi-headed naga towering over head of guardian deva near the Sri Maha Bodi Tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
Nirvana: Holy Beings or Saints
It is through the understanding and practice of the Buddha Dharma that one becomes a holy person. Sainthood in Buddhism has a somewhat different meaning than that held in Christianity although both refer to people who live an exceptionally holy life, are very compassionate, and can demonstrate certain “miracles.” In Buddhism it also means one who has become enlightened—been liberated from the cycle of reincarnation and all its related suffering. The Christian saint aspires to be born in the Christian heaven, but, as I said earlier, this is not the goal of a Buddhist. A Buddhist saint is one who has escaped samsara all together and gone beyond what is possible in the heavenly realms. A Buddhist saint would live in the Dharma realms or wherever he chooses to be to help living beings. A saint in Buddhism is one who, like the Buddha, has become enlightened, possessing some of the skills and wisdom of a Buddha. They have gained control over life and death and are thus liberated from the cycle of reincarnation. This is true happiness!
In Buddhism saints may not lead what is normally thought of as a conventional life. There were many examples of Buddhist saints who exhibited most unorthodox or “deliberate” behavior. Examples of these kinds of happy, crazy saints are Han-shen and Shih-te, eccentric Chan (Zen) hermit-monks from the Tang Dynasty, as well as Monk Ji-gong and Birdnest Roshi, but there are many others including the crazy yogis of Tibet like Padmasambhava, Virupa, Manjusrimitra, Tsang Nyon Heruka, and Tangtong Gyalpo. Saints can manifest in innumerable forms and may appear as humans or animals or live in any of the realms of samsara.
You must remember that ALL sentient beings are evolving toward the perfection of being a Buddha, whether they know it or not, and whether at the moment they may be very confused and behaving in foolish or even evil ways. This includes the minions of Mara and the demons of hell as well as the devas or gods in heaven.
In general, Buddhist holy beings are also known as Arhats, Bodhisattvas, or Buddhas. However, there are many levels of these beings, representing stages on the path to Buddhahood. A Bodhisattva is a being who seeks Buddhahood through the systematic practice of perfecting the six paramitas and mastering the Five Vidyas, but who renounces complete entry into nirvana until all beings are saved. A Bodhisattva is above the level of an Arhat or Lohan. Everything that Bodhisattvas do is for the benefit of sentient beings. There are also very great Bodhisattvas, like Kuan Yin Bodhisattva (also known as Avalokitesvhara Bodhisattva), who are actually ancient Buddhas who have come back to help living beings.
The six paramitas are also known as the six perfections, six perfect virtues, or six transcendent perfections. They are generosity (dana); moral discipline (sila); patience (ksanti); energy, vitality, diligence, or effort (virya); concentration (dhyana and samadhi); and wisdom (prajna). The Five Vidyas are explained in a later chapter. These represent the fundamental practices and activities of Mahayana Buddhism. They are the virtues perfected by a Bodhisattva in the course of his or her development. They are what we do to become holy beings and continue doing after we become holy beings.
Dharma Protectors or Dharmapalas
These are beings who act to protect or guard the Dharma and its adherents from all negative forces. They may be either holy “vajra beings” who are wrathful manifestations of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas or unenlightened supernatural beings from the heavenly, asura, ghost, or animal realms who are “oath bound” to protect the Dharma and those who follow the Dharma. If holy Dharma Protectors are properly evoked by one who practices the correct Dharma, they can also bestow blessings and empowerment that will enable one to quickly become an enlightened holy being.
Wondrous Strange
Proof that My Master Is a Buddha
While in upstate New York in 2008 on my journey to give presentations about the Buddha in all fifty states, I had the good fortune to meet the former Tibetan leader of the Nyingma sect, H.H. Penor Rinpoche (FIGURE 5). The Nyingma or “Ancient Ones” are the oldest and one of the most powerful sects within Tibetan Buddhism. After I introduced myself to the rinpoche and explained to him that I was a direct disciple of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, this Bodhisattva Dharma King told me that my master was much higher than he was and that it was a good thing that such a high being should incarnate in these Dharma-ending days.11 He also said that such a being should demonstrate many miracles and supernatural powers. The rinpoche also commented “…that never before in the history of Tibetan Buddhism has anyone claimed to be Dorje Chang Buddha.” Of course, the Buddha Master did not “claim” to be anyone. He was recognized as an incarnation of Dorje Chang Buddha by the greatest Dharma kings and rinpoches existing in this world (or “existing at that time” as many of them are now gone) because of His writings and other accomplishments. The late H.H. Penor Rinpoche was one of those leaders.
FIGURE 5: H.H. Penor Rinpoche at his Palyul Retreat Center with Kenpo Tenzin Norgay who served as our translator. Photograph taken after our audience with His Holiness at his North American headquarters and retreat near McDonough, New York.
I will tell more about the recognitions and congratulations provided by these many Buddhist leaders and how the Jin Gang Fa Man Ze Jue Dharma Assembly confirmed the fact that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is a Buddha later on. I also want to share something that just happened. In 2010, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III received the World Peace Prize. The photograph in FIGURE 1 (page 10) was taken when He received that honor at the Capitol in Washington, DC. Ronald Reagan, Mahatma Gandhi, and others have received this award, which has been given to someone who has promoted altruism and world peace. In 2018 the group who awarded that prize and the World Peace Prize Religious Leaders Title Awarding Council officially conferred the title of Pope of Buddhism to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. To their surprise His Holiness did not accept the conferment and returned the Pope of Buddhism Scepter. The Buddha Master said: “Within the field of Buddhism, there are Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. There are titles of Dharma kings, rinpoches, Dharma masters, eminent monastics, greatly virtuous persons, and Holy Gurus. There is no need for a Pope. I am a humble cultivator. I am not able to take on such a heavy responsibility.” Most of us did not even know this had happened until we heard that the World Peace Prize organizations insisted that: “The Conferment of the Pope of Buddhism to His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III is unchangeable, the return of the Conferment Decree is deemed not effectible.” On September 26, 2020 the Chairperson for both of the World Peace groups again presented the Pope of Buddhism Scepter to Venerable Mozhi Rinpoche, representative of the World Buddhism Association Headquarters, for the Scepter to be returned to His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III.
I found that my Buddha Master, His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III, is the highest Buddha in the universe and why He is recognized as such by so many outstanding enlightened Buddhists in Asia and the West. However, this great holy Buddha himself says that he is “just a humble being—a most ordinary practitioner” even though the world’s most eminent monastics and Dharma kings have said that His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III is the greatest holy Buddha living in the world today. The most important things that I have learned, I have learned from watching and listening to my Buddha Master, seeing how the Buddha handles problems and deals with particular situations, as well as listening to the Buddha’s discourses and reading His books. I am especially humbled by what I have observed about compassion. It is so much more than what I thought, and it can be “complicated,” at least to us ordinary beings. I truly feel blessed.
I have seen evidence of many of the Higher Dharmas and State Practices mentioned in The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation that I could write about and I personally know disciples who have received others. There are other books who tell of this. I want to limit this book to only those that I have personally experienced or have direct knowledge of and, to the extent possible, explain what I actually witnessed and experienced. Since these are inner-tantric initiations or empowerments, certain rules of secrecy prevail. I will only reveal what I believe I have permission to reveal.
Footnotes
6 Psychoenergetic Science relates to the relationship between human consciousness and subtle energy. ↩
7 Hamlet, Act I, Scene 5. ↩
8 The five great supernormal powers or superknowledges (abhijna) are 1) rddhi-saksatkriya: the ability to be anywhere or do anything at will including flying through the air and performing other miracles; 2) divyasrotra: the ability to hear sounds anywhere including those that normally cannot be heard, such as the sounds of ants walking or sounds emanating from a far-away place, even in another realm of existence. This is also known as clairaudiance or “the divine ear;” 3) paracittajnana: the ability to know the thoughts or read the minds of other beings; 4) purvanivasanu-smrtijnana: the ability to recollect previous existences or past-lives of oneself and others; and 5) divyacakus: instantaneous view of anything anywhere including the ability to see things that occur outside one’s presence, such as things happening at a far-away place, even in another realm of existence. This is also known as clairvoyance or “the divine eye.” The sixth supernormal power (asavakkhaya) is knowing that your defilements are extinguished and that you have attained liberation from the cycle of reincarnation. It is unique to Buddhism and enhances the powers of the other five. Non-Buddhist or anyone who develops his or her powers of concentration can achieve the first five powers, but without the wisdom that comes from complete enlightenment they are not as great as those available to a Buddha. ↩
9 The five vidyas include everything that is good and bright and helps living beings and are grouped into five categories: 1) the healing vidya of medicine, health, and fixing that which is broken (cikitsvidya or cikitsadvidya); 2) the craftsmanship vidya of arts and crafts, mathematics, science and technology (silpakarmasthanavidya or silpasthanavidya); 3) the sound vidya of speech, grammar and composition, linguistics, phonology, literary studies, and music (sabdavidya); 4) the causal vidya of logic and reasoning (hetuvidya); and 5) the inner realization vidya of metaphysics, psychology, or inner special philosophy (adhyatmavidya) which in this context means knowledge of the ultimate truths of the universe as taught by the Buddhas and the ability to apply this knowledge to help living beings, including the use of supernormal powers. The original holy meaning of the five vidyas or sciences or knowledges is much different from what is normally talked about today. More on this later. ↩
10 Ibid. ↩
11 Shakyamuni Buddha predicted that the dharma that He brought to this world would only last for a few thousand years and there would be a “Dharma-Ending Age” where it would be difficult to find the true dharma and to practice it correctly. It was also predicted that great holy beings would incarnate to help guide living beings through these difficult times. ↩