By Liu Yinghong

In Buddhism, mastery over one’s own birth and death has always been a legend. Yet, in September of 2018, I saw that with my own eyes!

The Buddhism founded by Sakyamuni Buddha has been propagated in the world for more than 2,000 years and has evolved into various sects and schools, each with its own teachings and traditions. Patriarchs, eminent monastics, and greatly virtuous people have all talked about how they themselves possess the best teachings, boasting that they themselves can teach people the ultimate accomplishment and liberation. Yet, what are the results? As proven by facts, very few people in history truly attained the accomplishment of actual liberation. Rather, the overwhelming majority of people have been unable to attain accomplishment from practicing dharma.

There have been those who attained outstanding accomplishment, such as Bodhidharma, Hui Neng, and Han Shan. In more recent times, there were Xu Yun, Hui Ming, Sheng Qin, and other elderly dharma masters. There were also Guru Padmasambhava, Master Tsongkhapa, Master Karmapa, Venerable Atisa, and Venerable Suchandra, among others. Still, persons of holy virtue with the kind of accomplishment of those people are so rare. Especially in the last 100 years or so, the dharma-ending era has taken a deeper and more pervasive hold. The true dharma of the Tathagatas is already almost completely lost. This applies even to leading figures of the modern era who were world-renowned people with titles such as eminent monastics or greatly virtuous ones, for when they approached the end of their lives, they suffered from pain till the very end. They did not attain liberation from birth and death, not to mention having control over their own birth and death.H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has brought the great dharma of the Tathagatas to the human world, resumed the original teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha, restored Buddhism to how it was when Sakyamuni Buddha was in this world, and even brought about a template by which Buddhists get faster and higher accomplishment through diligent cultivation. Such great dharmas include The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation, initiation into the “Holy Inner-Tantric Jingxing Dharma,” dharma methods of cultivation that are beyond compare, and supreme dharmas that lead quickly to accomplishment. Such teachings and dharmas, which are innumerable, have never been previously brought to this world by any other holy person in history.

It is widely known that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has reached the pinnacle of accomplishment in the Five Vidyas and that His Holiness has the holy realization of a Buddha. This has indeed been validated by all kinds of facts. I would, however, like to propose that everyone give some thought to one thing. The accomplishments of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, just like the accomplishments of Sakyamuni Buddha, are the accomplishments of a Buddha and have nothing to do with us. What is truly intimately relevant to us is that we Buddhists can become accomplished through following the teachings. It is this that is of utmost importance!

In this regard, we conducted on-the-spot investigations. It is indeed true that greatly accomplished ones who were taught by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III can still be vividly recalled in everyone’s minds. They include Elder Dharma Master Wu Ming, Elder Dharma Master Yi Zhao, and Holy Venerable Yin Hai. Other examples are persons of holy virtue such as Dharma Master Tonghui, Master Puguan, Elder Dharma Master Guozhang, Great Venerable Wang Lingze, Layperson Cheng Efen, Hou Yushan, Lin-Liu Huixiu, and Zhao Yusheng. The facts prove that people taught by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III have attained extraordinary accomplishments.

Moreover, a disciple of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, Dharma King Gar Tongstan Ciren Gyatso, who was the President of the World Buddhism Association Headquarters, demonstrated his world-astounding mastery over his own birth and death!

In his lifetime, Dharma King Gar Tongstan had learned from many famous figures within Buddhism. Since he became a disciple of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III in 1995, it was as if he had found the rarest and most precious treasure. His experience was just like that of Luosang Zhenzhu Geshe, the only Larampa Geshe among the Han Chinese people, who, when answering a reporter’s question, said that his previous sixty years of learning Buddhism could not match one day of learning from H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III! Think of the implications of that!

After Dharma King Gar Tongstan learned dharmas and cultivation practices transmitted by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, he gave up all the ineffective dharmas that he had learned before and dedicated himself to practicing the profound Buddha-dharmas transmitted by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. His realization advanced by leaps and bounds, and he attained perfect good fortune and wisdom. In 2004, he demonstrated the vajra power of one who has the most extraordinary physical strength in the world. At the Holy Buddha-Bathing Dharma Assembly, as witnessed by many, he lifted the Buddha-bathing lotus tub weighing more than 4,000 pounds to pour water from it. In 2009, in front of many people, he performed a dharma by which his consciousness exited his body and fetched a vajra pill that was a distance away from him. Ultimately, the Dharma King illuminated his mind, saw his original nature, and realized the dharma-body (dharmakaya). The Silver Box Dharma Discourses, in which he talks about his realizations, are to this day widely distributed in the world.

In 2015, the planning and preparatory committee for the building of the Juexing Temple in Taiwan invited Dharma King Gar Tongstan to serve as the abbot of the temple. In a letter dated July 16, 2016, Dharma King Gar Tongstan wrote to the committee, telling them that he could not serve as the abbot of the temple because he does not have such karmic conditions. (For details, please see “Answer No. 18” in the “Important Replies from Holy Virtuous Ones and Eminent Monastics” issued by the Inquiry Center of WBAH.)

In 2017, a person of holy virtue by the name of Chen Yigu wrote the article I Dare to Guarantee What Merit Is and What Sin Is, and Buddha-Bestowed Nectar. That article quoted words from Dharma King Gar Tongstan informing Buddhist practitioners that he could not wait until the foundation of Ancient Buddha Temple is laid: “I, Gar Tongstan Ciren Gyatso, am simply not qualified to be the abbot of Ancient Buddha Temple.…I am not even qualified to be the supervisor of Ancient Buddha Temple. Furthermore, I already lack the karmic conditions to see and pay obeisance to Ancient Buddha Temple.…Although I am confidently in control of my birth and death, I am not sure I can return to the human world after arriving at a Buddha-land. That is because I do not know whether Amitabha Buddha will allow me to return to the human world to pay respect to the Buddha in person, unless H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, my beneficent Master, summons me.” What great Buddha-dharma it is by which the Dharma King could attain such accomplishment and confidently foretell his own birth and death!

In “Inquiry Reply No. 20180102” issued in 2018 by WBAH, it was stated, “Today, two members of the board of directors of World Buddhism Association Headquarters went to seek instructions from the Dharma King, as some people are asking when the Dharma King will leave this world in a state of liberation. Dharma King Gar Tongstan said that he had accomplished control over his birth and death by practicing a dharma, the yidam of which is H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. He said that once a last dharma is performed, he will write a decision letter about his leaving this world and then will leave this world in a state of liberation. He stated that he will not waste any time. Upon hearing that, members of the Persons of Holy Virtue Group at WBAH immediately entered a supernatural observance and found that Dharma King Gar Tongstan had already fully realized the status of Shang Zun at the level of Gold Button Grade 3!

Why was the Dharma King able to speak with such certainty? In today’s world, where could people possibly find such Buddha-dharma by which they can attain control over their own birth and death? For almost 100 years, there has not been Buddha-dharma that astounded the world in this way. The Dharma King said that once a last dharma has been performed, he would leave this world in a state of liberation as soon as possible. What dharma was he waiting for? What kind of decision letter would he leave behind? Anyway, that would happen very soon. It was just a matter of waiting for a dharma assembly to take place. We eagerly waited to see whether what he said was empty talk or a reference to an actual great dharma!

In September 2018, Dharma King Gar Tongstan beseeched his beneficent Buddha Master, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, to perform a holy fire-mandala grand offering. He said, “Your Holiness the Buddha should use this highest and greatest dharma of the Tathagatas to verify whether those who flaunt the banners of their lineages in society are ordinary or holy people, whether they are amateurs in Buddhism who have lost the lineage of true dharma. Those who carry evil views have made much efforts in social-media websites on the internet to undermine and slander the conduct and dharma of my beneficent Master, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. This is the only way for us to refute their evil and show what true Buddha-dharma is!”

H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III said, “You are wrong. One must not cause others to feel bad for one’s own sake. I am not able to perform that dharma. Even if I were to perform it, I would only be able to chant according to the rituals.”

Dharma King Gar Tongstan continued to beseech, “My beneficent Buddha Master, even assuming that dharma is not performed for the sake of validating Yourself, that dharma still needs to be performed for the sake of validating the true dharma of the Tathagatas, for the sake of living beings in the entire Western world so as so eliminate their disasters and pray for their good fortune, and for my sake, Your disciple Gar Tongstan Ciren Gyatso, who is beseeching true Buddha-dharma so that I may have the requisites for my accomplishment!”

H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III then said, “Since this relates to the great cause of spreading true Buddha-dharma in the entire Western world, and for the sake of praying for good fortune to benefit living beings, you can rest assured that this dharma assembly will be performed. Even if I do not do perform it, a person of tremendously holy virtue will perform it.”

On September 17th, a metalwork specialist led a team to rush the fabrication of a brass cauldron. On September 18th, Sister Xuan Hui brought sandalwood pieces and charcoals from the residence of Dharma King Gar Tongstan to be burnt during the homa fire-offering. On September 19th, the “Holy Fire-Offering Grand Dharma Assembly” was formally held at the Holy Miracles Temple in the United States.

The “Holy Fire-Offering Dharma” is the king of all dharmas in eliminating karmic hindrances and increasing good fortune. About eighty years ago in Tibet, this dharma was once successfully performed by Master Phapongka and Kangsa Rinpoche. Ever since, both in Tibet and the regions of the Han Chinese, the so-called fire-offering dharma has been something that is merely described in books or described orally as being a holy dharma practice; that is, there has not been any actual manifestation of holy states during that time. There have only been conventional dharma practices performed through the chanting of rituals.

However, on September 19th at the Holy Fire-Offering Grand Dharma Assembly that was performed by one of tremendously holy virtue at Holy Miracles Temple in the United States, Vajra Maternal Buddha personally arrived in the sky. Her entire tall and enormous blue body emitted light. In an article published on the internet, someone said that they saw Vajra Maternal Buddha flick a finger, sending forth a flash of light from the sky. The fire inside the cauldron then ignited.

However, I have interviewed quite a few people who saw something different. They saw that Vajra Maternal Buddha, who was blue, manifested Her appearance in the sky. She was enormous, very tall, and extremely dignified and majestic. Her body and movements changed. A net of fire and lightning swirled around Her entire body. As soon as the fire-ignition guardian finished beseeching Her to ignite the fire, Vajra Maternal Buddha suddenly emitted a flash of light from between Her eyebrows directly into the fire cauldron. In an instant, a raging fire started burning! At that time, only five pieces of sandalwood had been placed inside the fire cauldron. How could such a raging fire possibly ignite in an instant?

Subsequently, the demons captured inside the vajra demon-subduing bowl struggled desperately to escape, trying to shake the bowl to find an exit. Right at the moment that the bowl shook, Vajra Maternal Buddha again sent forth a flame from between Her eyebrows directly toward the demon-subduing bowl. Suddenly, the sound “Hong” was heard. The demon-subduing bowl emitted golden flames, instantly turning the demons and black karma of the attending cultivators into pulverized powder. Vajra Maternal Buddha subdued the demons, whose souls were brought to a Buddha-land to be edified! The nearly 100 cultivators attending the dharma assembly were greatly astonished, and they were all kowtowing non-stop to pay obeisance!

At the dharma assembly, the one of tremendously holy virtue announced to the practitioners, “This dharma assembly has now been performed. Dharma King Gar Tongstan will very soon leave the world.”

Sure enough, this was precisely the last dharma assembly that Dharma King Gar Tongstan said he was waiting for. On the next day, the Dharma King took a bath, changed his clothes, and entered his dharma practice. In front of his meditation seat, there was a writing desk, brush and ink, paper, and white-out fluid. After writing a letter respectfully bidding farewell to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, the Dharma King immediately went into a sitting meditation and passed away in a state of liberation.

When monastics from different temples heard the news and quickly made their way to the site, they found that right after the Dharma King put down his brush, he passed away in a state of liberation gracefully and completely at ease. At that time, everyone came to realize that the Verses of Respectful Farewell written by Dharma King Gar Tongstan are pointing living beings to where the true, great dharma of the Tathagatas is. That is, the true dharma is held and controlled by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. It is the same as the dharma of Sakyamuni Buddha; namely, Buddha-dharma that is non-sectarian and belongs to the entirety of Buddhism!

The following are the Verses of Respectful Farewell written by Dharma King Gar Tongstan:

Verses of Respectful Farewell

Namo beneficent Master, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III

Disciple Gar Tongstan Ciren Gyatso has decided to leave this world.

As life is filled with suffering,

I rushed about learning Buddhism and seeking enlightenment.

I have followed many masters:

Guang Qin, Xuan Hua, Kalu,

And Dharma King Dilgo Khyentse,

Diligently practicing their dharmas and the Sakya unshared LamDre Dharma,

All to no avail.

Thankfully, I met my Buddha Master.

Through the Mahamudra of Liberation that is supreme and unsurpassed,

And the secret initiations and transmissions of holy dharma from my Buddha Master,

I achieved control over my own birth and death.

My direct realization is reality.

I now put down my brush and leave this world,

Entering into the state of liberation before the ink dries.

Namo my beneficent Master, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III!

Disciple Tongstan respectfully bids farewell.

 

September 20, 2018