Which Few People Can Accept Disciples, Perform Initiations, Transmit Dharma, Give Dharma Discourses, And Save Living Beings On My Behalf?

        For many years some disciples of mine have announced that they can accept disciples, perform initiations, transmit dharma, and give dharma discourses on my behalf anywhere in the world. There are even those who use my name to ask for offerings and other things. Such disciples may be reincarnated patriarchs or they may be dharma kings, venerable ones, rinpoches, dharma teachers, or laypersons. Such announcements are based upon their own method of spreading the dharma and benefiting living beings or their own needs. Not knowing the facts, many people readily believe them.

      Actually, who a person learns under, whether a person becomes a disciple of mine, whether a person becomes a disciple one level removed from me, and what level of Buddha-dharma a person learns are all determined by that person’s particular karmic conditions and good fortune.

        However, for the benefit of everyone, I must openly announce the following with a sense of seriousness and responsibility: I hope that all reincarnated patriarchs, all dharma kings, venerable ones, rinpoches, and dharma teachers who are qualified to lead living beings toward liberation will benefit everyone. But all people must understand something very clearly! This is extremely important! In this world, no reincarnated patriarch and no dharma king can accept disciples, perform initiations, transmit dharma, give dharma discourses, or save living beings on my behalf. They may also not accept offerings on my behalf, as I have vowed never to accept any offerings throughout my whole life. This includes even disciples of mine in this lifetime on the level of patriarchs, who are my highest level disciples and who are mentioned at the end of this book, such as the incarnations of Anathapindika, Sariputra, and Great Patriarch Shantaraksita. Even dharma kings or rinpoches of great holiness with the title H.H. who are on the level of patriarchs, such as the three people mentioned above, cannot represent me (unless I give clear authorization that a certain person can handle a certain matter on my behalf). Other dharma kings, venerable ones, rinpoches, dharma teachers, and laypersons who are below the level of patriarchs do not even have the qualifications to represent an incarnated patriarch, much less represent me. You should not think that all venerable ones and rinpoches are greatly accomplished persons. Actually, within the category of venerable ones, there are accomplished ones, there are those of small accomplishment, and there are those who have not yet attained accomplishment. You will clearly understand this when you listen to my recorded dharma discourse entitled “Are All Dharma Kings, Venerable Ones, Rinpoches, and Dharma Teachers Liberated From the Cycle of Reincarnation?” Any venerable one or rinpoche who has not received a “Certificate of Qualification to Perform the Holy Form of Inner-Tantric Initiation” that contains an official seal and the signatures of seven monastics and ten witnesses affirming the person has passed the test is not qualified to learn the highest and most profound Buddha-dharma. Only the receipt of such a certificate clearly proves that the person is a successor to my Holy Form of Inner-Tantric Initiation dharma lineage. Nonetheless, even such people of the highest order who are dharma kings or incarnations of patriarchs cannot give dharma discourses or accept disciples on my behalf. Although I consider myself to be a very ordinary person, nonetheless, I am who I am. Nobody can represent me. Therefore, whoever claims to be able to accept disciples, transmit dharma, or do anything else on my behalf is lying, no matter what that person’s reincarnated identity may be and no matter what that person’s position may be. One must listen to my dharma discourses in order to hear the authentic Buddha-dharma. No matter who the person may be, his or her dharma discourses cannot substitute for my Buddha-dharma.

        I will definitely not abandon any person, since I regard all living beings as my relatives. Any living being could become my disciple when the karmic conditions mature. As long as such living being has right understanding and right views, abstains from doing anything evil, and does what is good, he or she can receive my profound initiations.

        All of the above was stated for the sake of benefiting living beings. In order to prevent certain people from claiming that they represent me or using my name to do unbeneficial things to living beings, I had no choice but to make this statement, which on its surface seems quite mundane.