Stories of Supreme Spiritual Responses-《A dharma discourse given by His Holiness Living Buddha Lian-sheng on September 9, 2012 at Rainbow Temple, North Bend, Washington, U.S.A.》

《Guru’s Talks》(Book 223 Stories of Supreme Spiritual Responses《無上殊勝莊嚴的感應》「2012年9月9日彩虹雷藏寺開示」)
Appendix: The Perfect Bliss of Hevajra: There is Neither Creation Nor Destruction
(A dharma discourse given by His Holiness Living Buddha Lian-sheng on September 9, 2012 at Rainbow Temple, North Bend, Washington, U.S.A.)
Translated by Janny Chow
A US Daden Culture Publication

　　First of all, let us pay homage to our lineage gurus: Reverend Liaoming, Acharya Sakya Zhengkong (Dezhung Rinpoche), the Sixteenth Karmapa, and Guru Thubten Daerchi. Homage to the Triple Jewels at the shrine, and homage to the deity of today’s fire offering, the Five Jambhalas.
　　Shimu, masters, senior instructors, reverends, instructors, dharma assistants, directors of local chapters, fellow students, and also students across the internet. We have a very special honored guest today, John Hoag. He is an attendant of Chatral Rinpoche. Chatral Rinpoche is currently the highest spiritual leader in the Nyingma order. John Hoag is a translator for many incarnate Tibetan rinpoches visiting the United States. He himself is also a Tantrayana cultivator and a recognized tulku. His guru is the Sixteenth Karmapa, and since I am also a student of the Sixteenth Karmapa, we are dharma brothers. John Hoag is also a student of Kalu Rinpoche as well as Dezhung Rinpoche. Dezhung Rinpoche is Acharya Sakya Zhengkong. Therefore, John Hoag and Grand Master are dharma brothers. [audience applause] We would like to thank him for attending this dharma ceremony.
　　Our other honored guests are: dharma sister Xie Mingfang, a representative of the Republic of China based in Seattle and a community consultant, dharma sister Teresa and her husband, Dr. Zhuang Jingyao, Dr. Zhou Heng, and dharma sister Xu Yaqi, the producer of the Zhong Tian television program “Light up the Lamp in your Heart.”
　　Good afternoon, everyone. Today is quite a rare occasion as we have not conducted any Jambhala ceremonies in a long time. In general, Jambhala fire offerings are well attended. Today’s attendance and the number of people signing up as main supplicants have surpassed numbers in the past. As the economy is weak now, we hope the Five Jambhalas will bless everyone, enable assets to increase, and fulfill the wishes of those who deserve to have overtime work, increased salaries, factory orders, and increased business. In our present economy, those chanting “Om Mani Padme Hum” may sometimes find themselves chanting “Om Money Coming Home.” In the human world, money and resources are necessary. Resources are needed for cultivation and this is especially true in Tantrayana practice. Setting up a Tantrayana altar requires money. Many of the statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are decorated in gold, silver, and jewels. In ancient times, there was a saying: Tantrayana practitioners are rich and Zen practitioners are poor. What this implied was that one needed resources in order to pursue Tantrayana practices. A Tantrayana altar has to be magnificent, majestic, colorful, resplendent, and extraordinary. A Tantrayana altar should enshrine the Five Jambhalas to emit light and bless the Tantrayana students so their fortunes will increase. After the Jambhala fire offering today, your fortune will increase (audience applause), and those who deserve promotion, money, or a lottery win, will get these things. [audience applause]

　　It is indeed true that winning the lotto can happen! One student, Lianhua Sommay, won a $55 million mega-million jackpot in the state of Washington. In the United States, we had two students winning separate jackpots. The first one was Lianhua Sommay. After he won the lotto, I wrote about him in my book, and everyone now knows about it. Many directors of local chapters in the True Buddha School are chasing after him so that he does not dare show up anymore! Once he does show up, the directors run after him and ask him to donate towards the building of Leizang Temples. The second jackpot winner came to see me secretly and said, “Grand Master, I have also won a jackpot!” I said, “Shall I announce it?” “Please don’t! I will donate to charities anonymously.” He said he would also donate to charity organizations such as the Red Cross on behalf of the Grand Master. I responded, “Fine! Donating on behalf of Grand Master is tantamount to making offering to Grand Master.”
　　In the Taiwan Lei Tsang Temple, another student won a jackpot after practicing a Jambhala Sadhana. One time I asked publicly for those who had won the lottery to stand up and nobody did. After the ceremony, while patting and blessing the students, someone whispered stealthily into my ear, “I hit the jackpot, but please don’t announce it.” There are several jackpot winners from Taiwan Lei Tsang Temple so far, and they all disclosed the news to me while I walked among them to give the “patting blessing.” I hope the attendants here as well as those across the internet today will equally achieve fortune and accumulate wealth. [audience applause]
　　We pray to the Five Vajrayana Jambhalas: Yellow Jambhala, Red Jambhala, White Jambhala, Green Jambhala, and Black Jambhala and the Five Buddhas above them to emit the Buddha light to guide the spirits registered for bardo deliverance in this ceremony to be reborn to the Pure Land. We also hope that there will be pacification of disasters, enhancement of respect and harmony, enhancement of fortune, enhancement of wisdom, and that all animosity and hatred will recede and disperse. These are the most important goals of this fire offering to the Jambhalas today.
　　We will continue with the discourse of Exposition on Hevajra. Hevajra has great super power. When we practice the Hevajra Sadhana, we visualize his consort Nairatmya and the retinue of eight dakinis. In Vajrayana, scriptures representing skillful means are referred to as Father Tantras, while scriptures representing wisdom are referred to as Mother Tantras. The consorts of Hevajra represent wisdom, and it is through the existence of Hevajra that they are able to attain a realistic kind of great bliss. Therefore, Hevajra and his consorts represent skillful means and wisdom respectively. The union of skillful means and wisdom represents the union of form and emptiness. In Vajrayana, the sexual union of Father Buddha and Mother Buddha has two significances: the union of skillful means and wisdom as well as the union of form and emptiness. Such unions give rise to realization and enlightenment. Emptiness represents wisdom and form represents skillful means. The union of Hevajra and his consort gives rise to this kind of great divine bliss.
　　When you read this chapter, intuit as much as you can from it. Hevajra represents firmness, a quality of earth. Just like the vajra scepter, our resolve to reach enlightenment is firm and eternal, qualities represented by earth. Water symbolizes fluidity. There is an idiom that describes how circulation of commodities is good for business and when the amount of money flowing in exceeds that flowing out, one has abundance. Similarly, Hevajra Sadhana also brings us water which is equivalent to money. Through the practice of Hevajra Sadhana, “drops” in the body will increase, and inner fire will arise. Earth = firmness, water = drops, fire = inner fire, and wind= qi. There are different types of qi circulating inside the body. The five most important forms of qi are: shangxing qi [udana], xiaxing qi [apana], ming qi [prana], bianxing qi [vyana] and pingdeng qi [samana]. Our physical bodies are made of earth, water, fire, and wind. The universe is also made of these four elements. Take Vairocana Buddha for example. He is accompanied by four female attendants: Vajra Song, Vajra Dance, Vajra Garland, and Vajra Play. Vajra Song in the most wonderful sound, Vajra Dance is beautifully dancing, Vajra Garland dresses up beautifully, and Vajra Play is union, which also represents the union of emptiness and form, as well as union of wisdom and skillful means. We can also say it is the union of wisdom and compassion as compassion is required for skillful means.
　　You have to intuit that the so-called yab-yum actually symbolizes the union of emptiness and form, wisdom and compassion. This is a most profound and subtle wisdom. Hevajra himself has the most profound and subtle wisdom. When you have this profound great wisdom, you are able to reach enlightenment and attain the great bliss. The union of emptiness with form, the union of emptiness with bliss, the union of wisdom with skillful means, the union of a fleeting moment with eternity, the union of meditation and Samadhi. At this point, you are a powerful Vajra being who has experienced perfection and subjugated all greed, hatred, delusion, doubt, pride, jealousy, and enviousness. With this great wisdom, you become fearless and no longer have any delusion of separateness.

　　Let me talk about the Olympic Games briefly. Someone asked, “Why are Chinese archers so excellent?” “This is because the Chinese are used to having one eye closed and one eye open.” “Why do Chinese weight-lifters do so well?” “This is because Chinese people are holding up life’s unbearable weight.” These are jokes, so do not take them seriously. “Why were Chinese swimmers able to win gold?” “Because Beijing, the nation’s capitol, is also a swimming pool, and you die if you can’t swim well.” Beijing has had floods, and everyone has had to swim, so their swimming is also not bad. “Why have Chinese diving teams done so well?” “This is because they have been diving into the stock markets.” These are jokes. The fact is, if we attain Hevajra’s wisdom, we will have no fear. Why? When you enter into emptiness, there is no more delusion. Without delusion, there is no fear. If you do not penetrate deeply into emptiness, you will not understand emptiness. Generally people have delusions of the existence of the self. With such delusions, you will be fearful. Once fear takes hold, it leads to depression.
　　The great bliss mentioned here is absolutely not a conventional kind of carnal pleasure. The conventional kind of pleasure is short lived and sometimes painful. There is a saying: “A moment’s happiness results in eternal grief.” When one pursues such fleeting happiness, disasters will follow. What trails behind happiness is suffering. In the human world, happiness and suffering are linked. You want to be happy, but what you end up with is suffering. Most married people have experienced this. One wishes for marital bliss, but what ensues may not necessarily be happiness but pain. “A moment’s happiness results in eternal grief.” Now that you are pregnant, you will have a baby to care for, provide nourishment for, and worry over for the rest of his life. I should not say this since giving birth and raising children is a very normal part of life, yet many people do regard this as a kind of suffering. Suffering is in reality an extension of short lived happiness no matter what type.
　　Here is a joke. The United Nations has sent many family planning experts to Africa because Africa is experiencing food shortage and an especially high birth rate. The experts hope people there will embrace contraception as a way to relieve the food shortage problem. To educate the populace, an expert took out a condom and unrolled it down his thumb to show couples as a demonstration. The Africans said they understood it. But, a year later, the birth rate was still just as high. The experts found it strange and asked, “Didn’t I show you how to put it on and roll it down?” “Yes, we did exactly as you had shown us by rolling it down our thumbs.”
　　We will talk about the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind in Hevajra. A great yogi who has succeeded in Hevajra Yoga has the ability to maneuver earth, water, fire, and wind. He can employ the power of the earth to quell earthquakes. He can employ the power of water within his body to repel clouds so an optimal rainfall occurs. Optimal wind and rainfall result, neither too much nor too little. Fire is necessary, but not volcanic eruption or intolerable heat. Someone who has cultivated control over earth, water, fire, and wind has great power through Hevajra. With these powers, he also can control the sun and the moon. The sun god, moon god, earth god, water god, fire god, and wind god will all listen to his command. This is because Hevajra himself has extraordinarily great power.
　　You may think, are such things possible? They are possible. I have discussed this before as Grand Master experiences many coincidental occurrences. During the three and a half years while I was living in seclusion in Taiwan, not a single typhoon landed in Taiwan. All the typhoons occurring nearby, during that period, changed their courses. After my return to Taiwan, there were no major disasters. I have been in Taiwan this year until May 27th. Before May 27th, there were no floods, typhoons, fires, nor earthquakes. Two weeks after I left, the whole province flooded. This is a coincidence! After I came back, there have been many typhoons. I can’t say what will happen if I go back now because there are more typhoons coming. And I also cannot talk about earthquakes. Japan, the Philippines, Mexico, and Costa Rica had earthquakes. Also, the Guizhou and Yunnan areas in mainland China have had many earthquakes. Taiwan is halfway between Japan and the Philippines, and I hope any earthquakes striking there will be of a smaller scale. It is best if no earthquakes strike at all. Because I was born in Taiwan, I hope the earthquake will be of a smaller scale. My wish may be contrary to the will of Heaven, so what do I do? The recent earthquakes were above six or seven on the Richter scale. So let us hope that they remain under six, let’s say five point nine! Let’s also hope that we will be free from all disasters. Because this is the year of Water Dragon, disasters of earth, water, fire, and wind are all here. Wind disasters include typhoons, fire disasters include droughts, water disasters are floods, and earth disasters are earthquakes. Do we have hot weather this year? Extreme heat is fire; typhoons and floods are everywhere in mainland China. There are major earthquakes around the world. We hope the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will bless us and dissipate all disasters. [audience applause]
　　Sometimes I cannot brag that I have great powers. I have attained yogic union with my Personal Deity, and I have power to control earth, water, fire, and wind. But I dare not brag about them. Why? This is the problem. The television in my house is often broken. I do not know if there are typhoons or disasters happening in the world. I often ask others, “Is there any special news?” Whenever I learn of a typhoon, I go home and practice a sadhana. Recently there was a super typhoon travelling from the Philippines to Taiwan through the Bashi Channel, so I prayed to the Water Goddess of China, the Heavenly Holy Mother [Mazu], to eradicate the disaster. It was originally a thundering and ferocious typhoon that would have affected all of Taiwan. After we conducted a fire offering, the typhoon petered out as it swept across Taiwan. Perhaps I am boasting or perhaps this is only a coincidence.
　　Little John and Little Ming were walking home together after school under an umbrella. They were boasting about how smart their fathers were. Little Ming said, “Today when I left the house, it was bright and sunny. My dad took a look at the sky and asked me to bring the umbrella. He said it would rain. See, it indeed started raining. My dad predicts like a prophet!” Little John said, “When I left the house this morning, my dad also took a look at the sky. He told me there was no need to bring an umbrella, because Little Ming will let you share his on your way home.” We indeed can predict like a prophet!
　　Starting next Monday, at 4:30 p.m., I will provide consultation for any important matters. It is best that you consult me for these three things: anything related to your practice, requests for empowerment, or any especially important matters. Do not come to consult me for trivial matters, such as “Why is the pig at home refusing to eat?” “Why are the chickens at home not eating rice?” There is no need to ask such questions. “Why do I have this tiny dermatitis on my skin?” Just apply some antibiotic or steroid cream and it will get better. So do not ask me those questions. Skin diseases can be recurrent. Skin has memory and after a break out, even when it has healed, it will break out at the same spot another time. That is why it is very good to be a dermatologist. First of all, you will never be sued because dermatitis won’t kill you. Secondly, as long as the itching continues, patients will come back to see you. Thirdly, patients are rarely cured and thus the doctor will have continuous income. So, if you want to be a doctor, become a dermatologist. When patients come to you, the most effective medicine prescribed is often an antibiotic or steroid cream. I met a dermatologist in Taiwan who told me candidly, “Actually skin diseases cannot be cured. When you apply cream, the bacteria hide. When antibodies wane, the bacteria come out again!” I am sorry that I have leaked these words! Dr Zhou Heng, you are a medical doctor. Are these words correct? Right! You can only suppress the symptoms. If they remain in remission for a long time, you are really lucky!
　　Hevajra is without fear. When you are able to cultivate yogic union with him, union of emptiness and form occurs, and you will attain realization and enlightenment, and you will have no worries or sadness. Take me for example, Grand Master has no sadness or worry. Everyone says December 21, 2012 is the end of the world since the Mayan calendar ends on December 21 of 2012. Regardless, whether there is an end to the world or not, Grand Master does not worry. If it were to happen, it will be the perfect time to enter Buddhahood instantaneously! [audience applause] Isn’t this right? Furthermore, because the end of the world descends upon everyone equally, you won’t have to pay any debt you owe. Everyone should be happy. After all, whether you are rich or poor, everything vanishes and equalizes. This is not impossible. If a huge sunspot came out and disturbed the earth’s magnetic field, the earth’s movements would become chaotic, and who would survive? Within the solar system, stability is maintained among the celestial bodies based on magnetism. If one of these celestial bodies began moving off course, the whole solar system will be demolished. This is because all celestial bodies are inter-related and exert influence on each other. The earth and all other planets within the solar systems have their own course and are maintained in place by various forces. If these forces are disrupted, the revolution and magnetic field of earth will change completely and the human world will be destroyed. At that time, the Wisdom of Equanimity will indeed manifest! No more gratitude, no more hatred, no more love, no more animosity, no more grievance. There will be no more anything. Everything becomes oneness and transforms into the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom. Cultivators will enter the Buddha’s Pure Land or attain Buddhahood instantaneously. Isn’t it wonderful? To me, the end of the world is a great peaceful bliss! Whether it means the same thing to you, I do not know.
　　As a cultivator, what do I think of so-called family members such as parents, siblings, spouse, children, and grand children? Of course, we have sympathy for them. After all, my grandson and granddaughter, Lu Hong and Lu Jun, are so young, under ten years of age. But that is good too, since they have not yet started to ponder the meaning of happiness and suffering. To them, it will also be a great blissful state when the world suddenly goes out in a blast. Therefore, Hevajra has no worries. He does not feel sad nor does he have woes. What is there to be sad about when the world comes to an end? Let’s say there was to be one survivor only. He would find himself without tears as well! What is suffering? In that one flash, all has vanished. There is no pain. It is not pain, as it visits everyone equally. What is disaster? There is no disaster either. In the blink of an eye, everything is destroyed. It is only disaster from the perspective of man. I have cited the moon as an example. If there were typhoons, rainstorms, fires, volcanic eruptions, or earthquakes on the moon, let me ask you, are those disasters? No. Do such lunar events have anything to do with you? You would not feel disastrous about them. Therefore, do not worry. There is no disaster, there is also no pain, sadness, grief, fear, nor any other delusional thought.
　　I have told this story before: A man entered a beef noodle shop and asked the owner, “Boss, why is there no beef in this beef noodle soup?” The owner answered with perfect assurance, “When you eat moon cake, do you expect to find the moon inside the cake?” There is of course no moon inside a moon cake, just as there is no “lao po” [wife] inside a lao po bing [melon or “wife” cake], nor sun inside the tai yang bing [sun cake].

　　Therefore, to a spiritual cultivator, disasters, pain, sadness, grief, fear are simply “nouns.” When one cultivates and realizes emptiness, when one is enlightened, there are no worries. One succeeds in cultivation when one has no worries. “You have no more disasters, pain, sadness, grief, or fear because Hevajra is firm, indestructible, eternal, undying, and a state of great bliss. This Vajra deity and his consorts know Emptiness and understand that everything is created out of Emptiness.” This is a very important statement [refer to chapter 25 of Grand Master’s book 201 Emptiness within Great Bliss – Exposition on Hevajra]. Everything is created out of emptiness!
　　I will tell the tale of a family who often played mahjong. In Chinese, playing mahjong is also known as “swimming.” One day, a child in this family started school and his father tried to teach the child Chinese characters. He wrote the word for mouth and asked his son, “What word is this?” The son replied, “Bai Ban.” The father wrote the character for east and asked the son what word he had written, and the son said, “Dong Feng.” The father became upset and slapped the son! Hitting a child is not allowed in the United States, but it is allowed in Taiwan and China. Pai! A hand print with five fingers mark appeared on his face! The son looked into the mirror and started crying, “Why did you put the Wu Tiao on my face?” This is a mahjong family. Chinese love playing mahjong. Do westerners play mahjong too? Some of them do. A five fingers print looks like the mahjong tile Wu Tiao, and the character for mouth is the mahjong tile Bai Ban.
　　We can intuit that the meditative stability of Hevajra is one of perfection. He has great power, symbolizing great, peaceful bliss. This is an important statement: There is neither creation nor destruction. The process of cultivation has no beginning or end. When you see a flower, you know the flower is fragrant. When you have Hevajra, you will have true great peaceful bliss. When you have inner fire, there will be light and heat. Why do we cultivate? For the great peaceful bliss or great bliss. By practicing the inner fire, you will engender light and heat which will lead to the complete opening of the central channel and the five chakras. You will see Buddha-nature. Why do we cultivate qi? With qi, you can engender bliss. Why do we cultivate qi? With qi, you can engender inner fire. Why do we cultivate qi? With qi, you can maneuver drops to descend. From qi, channel, drops, and inner fire, you can engender a concrete state of great bliss that will lead to realization and enlightenment [ming xin jian xing].
　　Om Mani Padme Hum.

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