(Video) Only A Buddha Is The King Of Compassion, Free Of Any Anger Or Hatred, Who Benefits Living Beings Without Any Consideration Of Personal Honor Or Disgrace
No dharma king or dharma master would possibly forgive such a vile icchantika. However, Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III truly manifested the highest state of a Buddha, in accordance with the saying: “No matter how they may defame, there is no change to unconditionally benefitting all living beings.”
Buddhist disciple Hongxi Fazang was led astray by others, and his mind was corrupted by evil views, resulting in his demonic behavior. However, he became clear-headed one day. When he realized that his conduct would definitely cause him to descend into the hell of uninterrupted suffering, he deeply hoped that his Buddha Master would treat him just like he was treated before. However, this was, after all, an unrealistic notion.
When someone learned that Hongxi Fazang wanted to return to the side of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and repent, that person came to His Holiness the Buddha, who asked that person, “Does he eat? Does he wear clothes? Does he have thought? Does he encounter that which he dislikes?” That person did not understand what His Holiness the Buddha said. He was completely confused and answered, “He surely wears clothes and eats. He surely encounters that which he dislikes.”
His Holiness the Buddha responded, “All right, since he wears clothes and eats, that means he is a living being in the midst of impermanence. I do not see that there has been any living being who has injured or harmed me or who has defamed me. The living being who is Hongxi Fazang is still a Buddhist. All that can be said is that evil karma from beginningless time bound him. As such, I did not have the ability to teach him well. It had nothing to do with him. As long as he truly cultivates himself and learns from Buddha, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the ten directions will all be happy to see him succeed. I am not qualified to reject him. I also have no right not to teach him. That is because all living beings in the six realms are my family members. Everyone is growing, maturing, and undergoing the process of impermanence as they make mistakes, progress, become clear-headed, become confused, and create karma. This is why the Buddhas in the ten directions have to teach and transmit the dharma to living beings in the worlds of livings beings, benefitting them and saving them with only one wish in mind: that they be happy, that they have perfect fortune and wisdom, and that they accomplish liberation.
This is also what I want to do.”
Under such circumstances, Hongxi Fazang returned. Before the seven types of Buddhist disciples, he expressed great remorse, as you will see. He also requested to see his Buddha Master, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Out of compassion, His Holiness the Buddha received him, answered all of the questions he posed, and compassionately imparted dharma to him.
His Holiness the Buddha asked him to display the realization powers that he acquired when he was with other sects learning dharma. However, he was unable to lift from the floor even the smallest “Kid Pestle.” His Holiness saw that doubt had arisen in his mind since he thought that nobody could possibly move that vajra pestle. In order that Hongxi Fazang not be tainted by dark karma, Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III stepped down from the dharma platform and lifted in succession the small, medium, and large vajra pestles. Hongxi Fanzang was astonished and his faced turned pale. He said with a sigh, “My God! My Buddha Master is indeed a Buddha Master!”
Dharma Masters, rinpoches, and the seven types of Buddhist disciples, today we come to this Repentance Dharma Assembly to witness a fact. This dharma assembly is taking place in the Grand Hall of Shakyamuni Buddha at Holy Miracles Temple. This person here, Christopher Arsenault, was previously a monastic with the dharma name Hongxi Fazang. He violated a major precept by recklessly defaming the true dharma and H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. In so doing, he committed a heinous sin of an icchantika. However, today he has come to the Grand Hall of Shakyamuni Buddha in Holy Miracles Temple to seek repentance for his sinful karma and to request that he be allowed to start a new life. Seeing that he is a pitiable living being, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have forgiven him. Holy virtuous ones in World Buddhism Association Headquarters have agreed to his request. We will now formally begin the repentance ceremony for Christopher Arsenault. The repentance ceremony formally begins. Will everyone please stand!
Repentance Of A Sinner
I was tonsured and became a Buddhist monk in the year of 2007. My root master is His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III.
Six or seven years later, I was deluded and brainwashed by some morally degenerate people in society; by defamatory content on the internet, such as from Wikipedia and the Chinese Public Security Bureau; and by some dharma masters, dharma kings, and so-called great dharma kings who act in the name of Buddhism. They caused me to have sinful and evil thoughts toward H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
I was thinking that the powers of Shakyamuni Buddha were so great, that He was able to demonstrate His Buddha Dharma realization powers at Rajagrha, manifesting incomparable physical strength. However, someone said, “H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has the title of a Buddha, yet why cant He lift even a twenty or thirty pound bag? He is a false Buddha.” So, I thought that something was not right, that He is not a Buddha, and that He also does not possess any Buddha Dharma.
Someone also said that there was no such person as Wangzha Shang Zun and that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is pretending to be Wangzha Shang Zun. I thought, “How could such conduct be that of holy one?” As a result, I started to defame H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
I told Bodi Wentu Rinpoche over the phone that something H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha said was crap. Bodi Wentu Rinpoche told me that he has followed the Buddha Master for a long time and that I should not say such things. I not only did not heed his words, I instead engaged in even more defamation.
After Yinhai Sheng Zun attained great liberation and left this world, I even went to Hua Zang Si to further defame, saying that the monastics there were deceiving people. For the past several years, I have gone from place to place.
Later, the more I thought about what I did, the more I felt that it was not right. No matter what, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is my root Master. The more I thought about it, the more I felt that my sinful karma was greater and greater.
That was particularly the case when I heard that my Dharma brother Kaichu Jiao Zun, who is ninety years old and weighs less than 180 pounds, exhibited greater physical strength in lifting a Vajra scepter than the physical strength exhibited by Lu Xiao, who is the strongest man in all of Asia, with a population of over four billion people. Kaichu Jiao Zun became the king of strongmen.
Moreover, a reward of US$5,000,000 was offered to anyone who could achieve what Kaichu Jiao Zun achieved, but no one has been able to do so. At that time, I realized that I was duped by demons, that I was harmed by false information from Wikipedia and so on.
Right when I was feeling sad and did not know what to do, I suddenly remembered something that happened to me. I was once at the office of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Of course, they say it is an office, but actually it is a small hallway less than forty square feet that was next to a bathroom. That is the Buddha Master’s office.
I thought about how H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III without selfish consideration helps living beings, about how spartan a lifestyle He lives, and how everything He does is for the benefit of living beings.
At that office, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III told me, “All day long you hold in your hand the staff of a Buddhist monk. People even think that you are a world-class strongman. You are learning from Buddha now, so you should earnestly cultivate yourself. Don’t put on an act. You don’t even have the strength to tie up a chicken, but you still inexplicably put on the outward appearance of being some man of strength, purposefully trying to make yourself look imposing.”
When I heard those words, I was somewhat upset and thought, “Buddha Master, how could Your Holiness look down upon me? At the very least, I am a physically strong man. How could Your Holiness say that I don’t even have the strength to tie up a chicken?”
The Buddha Master said, “Cultivation entails being modest and cautious.”
Of course, in my mind, I did not accept this, so I immediately extended my powerful arm to let the Buddha Master see that I had a lot of physical strength.
The Buddha Master said, “All right, look carefully.” The Buddha Master then extended His arm toward me and held my extended arm between His thumb and other fingers. I felt that the strength of the Buddha Master’s arm was boundless. It was as if my arm was stuck in a machine, and I was unable to move it at all.
The Buddha Master then easily lifted me up and gently threw me onto the floor, resulting in me lying on the floor. Throughout all of that, the Buddha Master only used one arm.
At the time I remembered that, I suddenly came to a realization.
How could I have forgotten things like that?
How could I have been duped by those rumors and slanders?
How could it possibly be that the Buddha Master could not lift a bag?
Moreover, my Buddha Master has many disciples. Those who learned and practiced the Buddha Master’s Dharma have achieved great accomplishment. Some of them gained control over their own living or dying, some went to the World of Ultimate Bliss to visit before they passed away, some left behind firm sarira relics after they were cremated, some emitted rainbow light from their bodies before passing away, and some achieved a body that does not rot after death. How could I have forgotten so many examples of those who attained great accomplishment?
Demonic forces truly harmed me. When I thought about such things, I truly felt sad and remorseful. At that time, I thoroughly understood that I was duped, that my mind consciousness of an ordinary person had misled me, that I had been deceived by evil people and demonic masters, that I must confess to the Buddha Master and all Buddhas in the ten directions, and that I am a sinner, an icchantika who has committed heinous offenses!
However, I was deeply aware that the Buddha Master would not want to again see me, this scoundrel who is an icchantika. Therefore, I did not dare mention how I could atone for my sins. In a mysterious and unseen way, it seemed as if there was a kind of evil spirit that was guiding me toward the hell realm.
At that time, in spite of everything, I wrote an email to Bodi Wentu Rinpoche. I thought that, no matter what, I must to return to the side of the Buddha Master, must sincerely confess from the bottom of my heart to the Buddha Master and all Buddhas in the ten directions, and must learn the true Dharma.
Still, I knew that the Buddha Master would not accept me since I am so bad. However, to my tremendous surprise, even though I scolded the Buddha Master and did great damage to the true Dharma, the Buddha Master did not hold it against me, this ignorant and evil disciple.
The Buddha Master told Bodi Wentu Rinpoche, “Living beings will inevitably commit sins. As long as he repents, regains the purity of precept observance, and is a good person, I will accept him. If we do not forgive living beings who have sinned, who will forgive living beings who have sinned? If we do not help living beings change from evil to good, who will do so?”
When Bodi Wentu Rinpoche related to me those words, it hit me like a thunderbolt. I was shocked and astonished. I truly defamed a Buddha, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. The Buddha Master was actually willing not to hold those things against me, such a sinful and inferior disciple, once I regained the purity of precept observance.
My Buddha Master’s state of virtue and enlightenment cannot simply be described as selfless. Rather, such state of virtue and enlightenment is unmatched by any holy one in the past, nor will it be matched by anyone in the future. It is the true, perfect, limitless, great enlightenment of a Buddha by which everything is done for the benefit of living beings!
Today in this Shakyamuni Buddha Hall, I face the Buddha, Vajra beings, and Bodhisattvas and ask that the sangha of monastics and the four types of Buddhist disciples act as witnesses for me. I deeply repent of my sinful karma.
I vow that from now on, I absolutely will not again defame holy ones; I absolutely will sincerely, wholeheartedly, and devoutly cultivate myself; and I absolutely will study and learn from the words and conduct of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III to benefit and help living beings. Through this, I will wash away my sinful karma and repay the kindness of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
I ask that all of you inspect my every word and every action. If what I have vowed here today is false such that in the future I violate those vows, then I am worse than even a beast. In such case, not only will I experience miserable pain and suffering in this lifetime, but I will also surely descend into the hell of uninterrupted suffering after I die, and will forever stay there and be unable to be raised from there!