Several students who attended the February retreat at the Holy Vajrasana Temple and other recent classes and I were able to meet the Buddha Master after the retreat at the Holy Miracles Temple and receive His blessings and some very important teachings. The Buddha Master told us that a famous person had recently met with Him and told Him that he was doing prostrations around the world to please the Buddha’s and Bodhisattvas and that he had already completed many kilometers of his journey. This person might have even been an Arahat or believed to be an Arahat. The Buddha Master then asked us if this was correct behavior. Would it please the Buddha’s and Bodhisattvas? After many gave their answers saying he was showing his devotion and respect and other worthy things, I answered that it was not or that we could not know if it was good. It is more important that we cultivate ourselves, not do anything evil, do all that is good, and help others, especially help them to learn the dharma (I’m not sure I was able to say all that, but that was the idea. I know I said it was better to cultivate ourselves, I wasn’t sure from the translation whether this advanced student had done that or not.). The Buddha Master was delighted as that was the correct answer.
I wanted tell those who were there and those hearing the Buddha Master’s story that the Buddha Master did not tell us we should not do prostrations or seek blessings from the Buddha’s and Bodhisattvas. We should, but that is not what makes them happy and want to help us. It is how well we do our cultivation and treat other living beings that causes them to empower us. And I finally understood something the Buddha Master has told me many times— that we empower ourselves through our own actions. Remember, He has said that is what gives our dharma practice its power. I also understood why we are part of the “Practices and Blessings” tradition. I started to say “lineage” but that is not correct as we are not of a special lineage, but merely follow the teachings of all the Buddhas. I still want to refer to “Practices and Blessings” as we do both DO certain practices, like cultivating our character and cultivating our mind and we also seek the blessings of Holy Ones to help us, but it is still our actions, our bringing our three karmas of body, speech, and mind to correspond to those of the Holy Ones, that is the source of our empowerment. That is what I got from our meeting with the Buddha. There was more, but for me those were the most important points. I must also give the caveat that this was my understanding only and subject to error and we only had the benefit of the kind translators to understand anything at all.
We also got a chance to try our hand (only one hand) at lifting the various sized Vajra Pestles. I don’t think anyone even tried to move the 420 pound one that the Buddha Master had lifted last week with only one hand holding a vajra hook. I have not seen anyone lift these weights to demonstrate their levels of realization and practice, but I did see my then roommate, Akoulamo Rinpoche, and Dharma King Ciren Gyatso lift a basin holding two tons of water during the “Ultimate Bathing of the Buddha Ceremony” in 2004. I also saw Kachu Jiaozun, the almost ninety-year old Rinpoche, who lifted the 200 pound pestle described in last week’s article, raise his body to an incredible temperature when he demonstrated his skills at Tummo Practice. Akoulama Rinpoche also raised her body temperature to 140 degrees Fahrenheit at that same time. It is certainly true that the physical bodies of holy beings are not like those of ordinary beings.
CLICK for article on 2004 “Ultimate Bathing of the Buddha Ceremony.”
CLICK for article on “Tummo Concentration Practice.”
CLICK for blog article on Kachu Jiaozun.
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