Who Is Dorje Chang Buddha?
Reposted from Thus Have I Seen by Zhaxi Zhuoma Rinpoche p.57-66
Let us start by looking at just who Dorje Chang Buddha is. In the beginning of beginningless time, there was only the primordial Adharma Buddha18 or Dharmakaya Buddha. Everything was boundless and everything was silent. The great world religions have this concept but call it by different names. It can only be referred to as a concept since it is beyond our feeble ability to comprehend or understand it completely. Some call it the Absolute or Universal Truth—which is expressed in Buddhism as infinite wisdom and compassion, while others refer to the Void, “All-That-Is,” and so forth. Some Native Americans refer to it as the Great Mystery. Some Buddhists refer to this primordial Buddha as Samantabhadra, but the naked bright blue Buddha personified on some Tibetan lineage trees whom they call Samantabhadra Buddha or the red sun and the yellow crescent moon shown on our lineage chart are only symbols for that which cannot be seen or heard. The Dharmakaya or Adharma Buddha has no form. The Dharmakaya Buddha cannot speak or save living beings.
So, out of infinite love and compassion, the sambhogakaya19 form was manifested and that being was known as Dorje Chang Buddha (Tibetan) or Buddha Vajradhara (Sanskrit), a bright blue holy being Who is usually portrayed dressed in elaborate silks and adorned with jewels. It was Dorje Chang Buddha who began transmitting Dharma and saving living beings in the universe. As a result, Buddhism was born, and the Buddha Dharma began spreading in the world of living beings. Without Dorje Chang Buddha, there would be no Buddhism in the universe. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s Lineage Tree (FIGURE 19) shows the original Dharmakaya Buddha as symbolized by the sun and the moon followed by the primordial Sambhogakaya Buddha, Dorje Chang Buddha. Next is H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha II, Venerable Vimalakirti, followed by our current manifestation, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. The Lineage Tree also shows the ten Dharmapalas or Dharma Protectors of our lineage.
Dorje Chang Buddha is the master and teacher of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas including the five different colored Buddhas of the five directions20 plus Shakyamuni Buddha and Vajrasattva Mahasattva. Of course, there are many, many more Buddhas in the universe.
The Buddhist Lineage Refuge Tree in Appendix D shows the three emanations of Dorje Chang Buddha radiating out in rainbows from the original, central form. On the left is Ven. Vimalakirti, a great layman who incarnated in this world to help Shakyamuni Buddha over 2,500 years ago. Many people are familiar with His famous sutra where He performs all sorts of supernormal manifestations to convince Shakyamuni’s disciples of the true nature of reality and why they should follow the Mahayana path to become Bodhisattvas. Many Buddhists never thought Ven. Vimalakirti21 actually existed and felt that His miracles were merely metaphors. Well, He did exist and, as the first incarnation of Dorje Chang Buddha, He was, of course, able to do all the miraculous things reported in His sutra. Now, He has come back again as the second incarnation of Dorje Chang Buddha in the form of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, who is shown on the far-right side of our lineage charts. There is also Dipamkara Buddha, sometimes referred to as the “Lamp Bearer Buddha,” who was the master and teacher of Shakyamuni Buddha. Dipamkara Buddha was also an emanation or manifestation of Dorje Chang Buddha, but in another world system—not on this earth. Appendix D graphically portrays these Buddhas and how they have transmitted Dharma to this world system with the founders, patriarchs, and matriarchs of the major exoteric and esoteric schools that are still existing in our world today. Three of the existing Tibetan sects were founded by holy beings who were advanced enough to be able to receive teachings directly from Dorje Chang Buddha although they also follow the teachings transmitted by the Buddha who is in charge of our current era on this earth, the World-Honored Shakyamuni Buddha.
FIGURE 19: The Lineage Tree of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. The BUDDHAS listed from top to bottom—The Original Dharmakaya Buddha as symbolized by the sun and the moon; The Primordial Sambhogakaya Buddha, Dorje Chang Buddha; H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha II, Venerable Vimalakirti; and H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. The Dharma Protectors from left to right are Yama, Hayagriva, Yamataka, Ekajati, Lion Vajra, Kalachakra, Vajrakilaya, Chakrasamvara, Maha-kala, and Guhyasamaja.
FIGURE 20: Shakyamuni Buddha as painted by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
Shakyamuni Buddha (FIGURE 20), the historical Buddha for this era and the first to teach what we know as Buddhism in this world, was a nirmanakaya22 Buddha when he walked on this earth 2,500 years ago. His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III is also a nirmanakaya Buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha was not the first buddha in this world, only the first to teach the holy Dharma. Prior to that time, living beings had not evolved to a point where they could receive the Dharma.
However, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is not the only current manifestation of a great holy being. There are Bodhisattvas or Bodhisattvas who are even equal to a Buddha who have also incarnated in recent times. Examples of this include H.H. Dodrupchen Rinpoche (FIGURE 15 page 54), a manifestation of Guru Padmasambhava; the other Nyingma Dharma Kings H.H. Penor Rinpoche (FIGURE 5 page 26), mentioned earlier who was a manifestation of Vajrapani Bodhisattva and H.H. Trulshik Rinpoche, a manifestation of Maitreya Bodhisattva; and the Kagyu Dharma King H.E. Shamarpa Rinpoche (FIGURE 18 page 56), who was a manifestation of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, just to name a few. They were among the many Buddhist leaders who recognized Master Wan Ko Yee as the true incarnation of Dorje Chang Buddha, the highest Buddha in the universe.
Why Did H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Come to America?
Now, why did my Buddha Master, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, come to this world and why is He living in America? There is a prophecy that is often quoted in Buddhist circles. Guru Padmasambhava, a great Bodhisattva who brought Buddhism to Tibet in the 7th-8th century, predicted that when “iron birds fly and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the face of the earth and the teachings of the Buddha or Dharma will go to the land of the red man.” That prophecy refers to the Western world and that time has come. We have seen increasing interest in Buddhism in America partly due to the Tibetan diaspora of Buddhist leaders and practitioners leaving Tibet and many Tibetans settling in America; partly due to the tremendous immigration of people to the U.S. from other Buddhist countries, especially Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan; and partly due to the many Americans living here who were searching for something more than what their culture and traditions provided them and who went to Asia and found the path of the Buddha. I was such a person.
We know that over the centuries many errors have been perpetuated within the various lineages of Buddhism. Anyone who has studied Buddhism knows that we are living in the Dharma ending age whereby it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to hear, understand, and practice the true Dharma. His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III came to correct these errors and to transmit Dharmas that are appropriate for this age. It is true that most of what is being presented as the teachings of the Buddha today in America is but a dim shadow of what Shakyamuni Buddha taught and His disciples practiced 2,500 years ago in India and even later in China, Japan, Tibet and elsewhere. Many no longer believe that enlightenment is possible in this lifetime or at all, yet that was not the Buddha’s original message.
There are also many erroneous views and practices that have crept into Buddhist practice that are not only not helpful, but some are even harmful. Several years ago, I was able to go to Thailand and participate in an ordination ceremony for several young women. It was an illegal ceremony held in secret some distance from Bangkok. We had to be careful going to this site as women are not allowed to be ordained in Thailand, or at least not at that time. I will never forget how happy these women were and one in particular, who spent the entire trip singing the most beautiful chants. It was heavenly music. When I asked about her, I was told her sad story. She was Thai but her husband was Chinese. Her in-laws had forced her to sell her daughter so as to have the money to send her son to a monastery to become a monk. Apparently, there is a belief that having a son who is a monk can help you get into the Buddha Lands. This seemed unbelievable to me. Later I learned that the little temple where these nuns lived was burned down by local monks.
In just the past 50 years much of the true Buddha Dharma has been lost. Almost no masters currently exist who possess the power of the Buddha Dharma that can liberate living beings in their current lifetime. It is as was also prophesized by Shakyamuni Buddha and mentioned earlier that the true Buddha Dharma would only last a short time on this earth and after several thousand years we would enter the “Dharma Ending Age” where the remaining practitioners would be of limited or low capacity, the Dharma would not be transmitted correctly, and the world would be beset with so many problems that it would be impossible to practice. Master Jamgon Ju Mipham Gyatso (1846 -1912), a famous master and Dharma King of the Nyingma sect from the Derge region of Kham in Eastern Tibet, also warned us that “…as sutras and tantras prophesy, there are many who, having abandoned the profound meaning through dry analysis…distribute quasi-doctrine for material gain, leading those of low merit and small intelligence on a perverse path at this time of the end of the era.”
Just by looking around us, it can be seen that we have entered this “Dharma-Ending Age.” However, Shakyamuni Buddha, having foreseen this dark age, provided for teachings that were appropriate for the different ages and predicted that great Holy Ones would incarnate at appropriate times and places to revitalize and teach the Dharma that was appropriate for that period of time and place. This happened in India with the incarnation of Master Nagarjuna, Master Asanga, Master Vasubandhu, and others; and again in Tibet with the incarnation of Guru Padmasambhava, Master Marpa, Lord Tsongkhapa, and Master Longchenpa; and it happened elsewhere. It is because of these conditions that His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III came to this world to demonstrate that the true Buddha Dharma does still exist and to offer us a “quick path” to liberation.23 I believe that is why H.H. Penor Rinpoche told us that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III should demonstrate many miracles and supernatural powers. My Buddha Master has told us that today people will only believe in the power of the Buddha Dharma if they see miraculous things. Dry analysis and theories are not enough. Theories alone do not lead to liberation. Only a holy being can liberate other beings and a holy being must be able to demonstrate miracles.
It is to help propagate the true Buddha Dharma and to help others have faith in these teachings that I am writing this book about my own unbelievable experiences and teachings that I have received, as well as sharing evidence of the appearance in the West of a Holy Vajra Throne that can provide the portal and connection to holy beings to help others become enlightened.
The Good News!
Although H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III promotes and teaches from all the great traditions and “yanas”24 of Buddhism, the Buddha has also given us a simpler and, for those who have the karmic affinity to follow it, a quicker path to liberation from the suffering and worries of this world. That path is introduced in a discourse given by the Buddha entitled “What Is Cultivation?” and is expounded further in The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation and other teachings by the Buddha Master. The Mahamudra of Liberation is the highest Buddha Dharma that Dorje Chang Buddha transmitted to Amitabha Buddha and all the other Buddhas and Great Bodhisattvas in the ten directions during their cultivation stage. The Buddha tells us that it is a wonderful treasure that leads to the fastest attainment of happiness and benefits if practiced by any cultivator. No matter what sect or school you belong to and no matter whether you have received an initiation or not, as long as you are one who cultivates yourself according to the Dharma and who practices according to the Dharma set forth in The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation, you can become perfectly accomplished in either the Blessings, Longevity, and Wealth Accomplishment Dharma or the Ascendance to the Stage of a Great Bodhisattva Accomplishment Dharma. “The Xiaman Most Excellent Oceanic Mind Essence” and “The Ultimate Bodhicitta for Attaining Dharma-Nature True-Suchness Oceanic Mind Essence” from The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation have been made publicly available to all who want to learn and practice in order to obtain perfect good fortune and wisdom and to become accomplished. It does not matter what sect of Buddhism you follow or even if you are a Buddhist! A person who practices this Dharma does not need a guru or to recognize H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III as his or her master to be able to successfully follow this Dharma. The Dharma practice of The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation is divided into the complete practice, the simple and easy practice, and the supreme practice of essence within essence. It is also classified into seven types of Dharma practices at different levels according to the level of the master giving the initiation: Jingxing Practice, holy inner-tantric, inner-tantric, or outer-tantric initiation; practice without any initiation; practice based on one’s own reading of the rituals without being taught by a master, and even practice by one who has not taken refuge and does not consider himself a Buddhist.
When asked what sect He represented, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III said He represents the Buddha Sect or the sect of Shakyamuni Buddha. The Buddha has also been very careful to explain that it is not His intent nor should anyone attempt to consolidate all the sects into one giant mega sect. That would be very much against the teachings of the Buddha. Each sect or school represents a particular method or system of methods that is appropriate for the karmic conditions of a particular group of followers. Shakyamuni Buddha taught 84,000 methods to help living beings on the path. The Buddha also told us that Shakyamuni Buddha only taught about 30% of the Dharma He had learned from Dipamkara Buddha (Dorje Chang Buddha) while on this earth because that was all those living at that time were ready to hear.
All these different methods evolved into particular schools or sects. The Buddha further told us that no matter what the school may be, we do not dismiss it. The Buddha emphasized that the various Buddhist schools must not be lessened. If Buddhist schools decrease in number, then living beings will not be able to correspond with them. That is because each living being has his or her own karmic conditions. The Buddha further told His disciples that whether they were of the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, Geluk, Jonang, Pure Land, Zen, exoteric or esoteric school, each of them should diligently establish the teachings and precepts of their school and carry out the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. The bibliography at the end of this book provides more on the major sects or schools that still exist, especially in America.
Appendix D shows the genesis and evolution of the major sects. The chart is no indication of the level of realization of the Dharma kings, rinpoches, and Dharma teachers shown there, but it does attempt to show the major schools that are still in existence and are active in America. All of the schools can trace their roots back to the original Dorje Chang Buddha and some had matriarchs and patriarchs like Lady Niguma and Master Tilopa who were evolved to the point that they were able to receive Dharma transmissions directly from Dorje 65 Chang Buddha in the Sambhogakaya realms. This chart represents a greatly simplified overview of the major sects of Buddhism. Roughly, the sects can be grouped according to one of four major lineage traditions.
The first three are all within the exoteric part of Buddhism:
1) “The Lineage of the Elders” is the first. It is based on the fundamental teachings that Shakyamuni Buddha taught while he lived in India over 2,500 years ago and is recorded in the hinayana version of the Tripitaka. It is known as the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma and was taught at the beginning of Shakyamuni Buddha’s career. It is the form of Buddhism that was exported very early to Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and southern Vietnam and is still practiced in those countries. It is practiced in this country by the people who immigrated here from those countries and by Western students who often refer to it as “Insight Meditation.” It also forms the foundation for all the other lineages.
2) “The Profound or Wisdom Lineage” of the Madhyamaka School is the second great lineage tradition. It is primarily based on the Prajnaparamita Sutras from the Second Turning of the Wheel of Dharma. These were teachings given by Shakyamuni Buddha later on in his career but were not accepted or understood by most humans living at that time. Shakyamuni Buddha predicted that the world would be ready for them about 500 years after He left this world and entrusted the teachings with the Naga kings and certain Bodhisattvas, especially Manjurshri Bodhisattva. Around the time of Christ, Master Nagarjuna developed and taught this Dharma. It formed the foundation for the Pure Land and Chan schools that later developed in China and spread into Vietnam, Korea, and Japan and from those countries into the West.
3) The third is “The Method Lineage.” It included the teachings of the Mind Only or Yogachara School that are based on the Buddha’s teachings on Buddha-nature from the Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma, also using the Prajnaparamita Sutras, along with the Lotus Sutra and others as its foundation and forming the basis for the T’ian T’ai and Fa-Hsiang Schools in China and later the Tendai and Nichiren sects in Japan. In the fourth century of the current era, Master Asanga was able to go to the Dharma realms and receive the teachings of this tradition directly from Maitreya Bodhisattva including the Uttaratantra Shastra and others listed in the Bibliography. Except for Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a branch on the Nichiren sect, this school is not as popular in the United States. The Yogachara texts have not been translated as widely as others.
However, these were still but a small part of the Dharma that Shakyamuni had learned from Dipamkara (Dorje Chang) Buddha. While alive, the Buddha taught additional secret teachings to His son Rahula, but before He left this 66 world, He also entrusted them to His assistant, Ananda, with instructions to teach them to Padmasambhava, who was born a few years later in what is now known as the Swat Region of Pakistan in the fifth century BCE. The early Dharma kings and adepts in India received and practiced these esoteric teachings and were able to evolve to a level that some could even directly access the Dharma from Dorje Chang Buddha. Padmasambhava and his disciple Yeshe Tsogyal also left behind many hidden Dharmas known as “termas” that were discovered by their evolved disciples when the time was right.
All these secret esoteric practices or tantra became known as:
4) “The Practices and Blessings Lineages” that were exported into Tibet and Mongolia starting around the seventh century of this era. Although they reached China, where they formed the basis for the Chen-Yen sect, they were deemed too powerful for the masses and only practiced secretly by elites. They were, however, exported to Japan where they became known as the Shingon sect. This esoteric branch of the Mahayana became known as the Vajrayana.
While living in India, Shakyamuni Buddha also taught the Kalachakra Tantra to King Suchandra. This advanced form of tantra practice eventually found its way to India and then Tibet to become the foundation for the Jonang sect, although it is also popular in the other Tibetan sects. I will write more about this great dharma later.
Appendix D shows how the five or six major sects evolved in Tibet but does not show many other important linkages. The Vajrayana or esoteric schools require strict adherence to secret practices and depend on the blessings and help of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma Protectors from other realms in order to more quickly achieve liberation—even in one lifetime, which is something not possible in the exoteric traditions.
Footnotes
18 Adharma Buddha is also referred to as the Adi-Buddha and represents the dharmakaya. This aspect of a Buddha represents the truth of the universe and is experienced by those who obtain the direct realization of emptiness. It has no form, does not come or go, is boundless. It is sometimes also called the Truth Body. It is synonymous with “ultimate enlightenment” or “original nature,” or “Buddha-nature. The dharmakaya is sometimes referred to as the mind or wisdom of a Buddha, but that is not quite correct. The Buddha’s mind or wisdom is the use of the dharmakaya, but not the same as the dharmakaya. ↩
19 Sambhogakaya: The subtle body of a Buddha that is only visible to great adepts (Bodhisattvas) and sometimes referred to as the bliss or reward body. The various Buddhas use their sambhogakaya form to communicate the dharma to select audiences of Bodhisattvas and celestial beings. The sambhogakaya beings do have form, but of a different type than of the nirmanakaya that is visible to most humans.↩
20 H.H. Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, the first dharma king of that lineage after the Tibetan diaspora, discusses Venerable Vimalakirti in his monumental treatises on the history of the Nyingma sect.↩
21 H.H. Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, the first dharma king of that lineage after the Tibetan diaspora, discusses Venerable Vimalakirti in his monumental treatises on the history of the Nyingma sect.↩
22 Nirmanakaya: The form a Buddha takes that is visible to most humans. It is also called the transformation or emanation body. A Buddha can appear in many forms to save living beings, both human and non-human, and even as inanimate objects like a bridge or a tree. ↩23 The term liberation is used to mean enlightened or free from the cycle of birth and death. It can be thought of as the ultimate accomplishment.↩
24 Yanas: Most commonly referred to as the “triyana” or three yanas of the traditional or fundamental hinayana, the exoteric mahayana, and the esoteric or secret teachings of the vajrayana. All of these traditions are now well represented in America. ↩