Chapter 13 - The Secret Empowerment I Received

Many years ago, one of my students asked me if the Ling Xian Sect belongs to the Esoteric School. I laughed heartily and said that it is Esoteric. Why is the Ling Xian Sect Esoteric? Because I learned all Dharmas and know all dharmas. I practiced Taoism, Exoteric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism. My experience is hitherto unknown in this world. What I know is the greatest Dharma Assembly of all teachings. I founded this Ling Xian Sect. I secretly received empowerment from my root-guru Living Buddha. As most of my doctrines are Esoteric, my sect naturally belongs to Esoteric Buddhism.

I remember when I met my guru the first time, he was amused at my name. After sitting quietly for a little while, he summoned me to the shrine. He told me what I was in my three previous life-times and asked if I knew about them. When I told him I did, he told me I had the best propensity and had shocked the world. He also said that although he was known as the Living Buddha, he was not as famous as me. When he asked me if I would like to take refuge and be empowered and instituted, I said "Of course." I was moved by the fact that being a patriarch of a school, he was so modest and unimposing.

So, in front of the Tantric shrine, the guru invoked the blessing from Kundali (the personal deity in Esoteric Buddhism), dipped the mantra into the nectar, and passed the nectar to me. The attendant on his left tried to take it and pass it to me, but the guru waved him back and handed it to me himself. With great respect, I took over the nectar and drank it. The guru told me that all the karmic hindrances in the three periods (past, present, and future) are eradicated and that I would see my own self-nature.

After that, the Guru took five grains of rice and put them into my left palm. He taught me the Offering Mudra and the Hundred-Words Mantra. He taught me the mantra literally sentence by sentence. Then he told me to go into Samadhi. Once in Samadhi, I was flying in the empty space above the Universe, with the Guru flying before me. When I tossed a grain to the West, the West became covered with lotus flowers in full bloom. When I three a grain to the East, there appeared many Dharma treasures with solemnity and luminosity. When I threw a grain to the South, a group of monks started chanting mantras in Sanskrit. When I dropped a grain North, there appeared numerous Buddhist canopies and banners, adorning the various Buddhas. The last grain was dropped into the Center, and with a loud "Hum," there appeared a Buddha land, with Mahavairocana in the middle, who stretched his arm to touch my head.

My guru was pleased and took a flower from before Buddha Vairocana and gave it to me. I took the flower to show that I had taken the Guru's "Mind Mudra" (Mudra of the Buddha-mind, as a certification of one's enlightenment, the mind-essence transmitted from Master to disciple), and then I gave it back to the Guru, who offered it to the Buddha. The Guru said to me, "Now I have passed the Heart Mudra to you, you are to develop it and return to the Guru who will offer it to the Buddha. This is the non-extinct Heart Mudra of the True Dharma. As the Diamond Sutra says, Buddha Dipamkara, instructing Shakyamuni Buddha, said "you are to become a Buddha in the future." Now I am going to say the same thing: "You are to become a Buddha in the future."

Then the Guru put his hand upon my head, and pressed with some real force, shouting "Om Hum." I felt an air stream coming down from the crown to the heart area. My heart became an eight-petal lotus flower, with a Sanskrit word "Hum" in the middle. My lotus flower became whiter and whiter and more and more beautiful. The Root Guru's force, like some dazzling light, radiated from his hand to my heart, turning it into a treasure of luminosity.

When the empowerment session was completed, the Root Guru showed me how to form the various mahamudras one by one, part by part. This was called Sima-bandha (establishing boundaries). The Root Guru said: "As there are always demons to make trouble to the practitioner, it is necessary to establish boundaries to prevent their invasion. So mark out Heaven Boundaries in Heaven, Earth Boundaries on Earth, Wall Boundaries in the shrine, Net Boundaries on your body. You should learn the Vajra Sword and the Vajra Fire. Make your surrounding a Vajra City so that no demons can attack you."

Now the Root Guru taught me more mantras which I might use later in teaching the Dharma. The Guru told me that in the years to come after the heyday of the Exoteric Buddhism, the Esoteric School would become popular. When the Esoteric lights appear, some black demons would come to make trouble, luring certain people into collateral branches. At that time you must stand out and make the lion's roar to distinguish the wrong from the right. In passing to you the mind-mudra of the Correct Dharma, I disclose this great secret to you. I want you to develop the Ling Xian Sect, help the disciples to generate great resolve of Bodhi, and remove all the sufferings and afflictions for the sentient beings.

The Root Guru then chanted the four-fold refuge mantra and I chanted after him. He also recited the mantra to develop the Bodhiscitta, and I recited after him. Then the Guru told me to go into Samadhi once again. He did too. Once again we were flying in the five directions above the Universe. There dwelled five Buddhas: Mahavairocana Buddha in the Center, representing the Buddha Department; the Eastern Buddha representing the Vajra Department; the Southern Buddha representing the Treasure Department; the Western Buddha representing the Lotus Flower Department; and the Northern Buddha representing the Karma Department. At this moment, the Five Buddhas started radiating strong lights, with me in the center, very much like a joint empowerment. The Dharma stream of wisdom poured upon me from five directions. The Five Wisdom lights were used to eradicate the five impurities--not only the body, speech and mind were purified, but also the god of consciousness was cleansed. During the empowerment by all Buddhas, I found my original nature celestial, my body transparent and crystal; I could not see myself for the whole body was a sea of light continuously dashing out to the Void.

Coming out of Samadhi, the Root Guru said: "Wonderful! Great perfection!" I said to him:

"Thanks for the reinforcement from you and all the Buddhas."

The Guru remarked: "Causes and conditions have made this inevitable. All is pre-arranged."

I asked: "Apart from this affinity, am I going to take refuge in other gurus later on?"

"Yes, after my tranquil extinction," my Guru replied without the slightest displeasure. "You are my direct lineage of mind-mudra. This method of lineage is little known to the outsiders. After I go into tranquil extinction, you can write about it in your books, which will be a good certification. I have many disciples. You are one of my secret lineage students. You may understand later why I did all that today. Don't forget this lineage!"

I said: "Of course not. I'll remember it."

"All right. Everything is perfect now. You can go and become a Buddha now."

I came out of the shrine with great respect.

This was what happened when I was young. I was so lucky to receive secret empowerment from the Living Buddha. This past event was disclosed only once in one of my many spiritual books, but the procedure was not explained. It was unknown to my disciples, even to my family. When the Living Buddha was performing the empowerment, there was only one person around by the name of "Hamadacheyi," a disciples of the Living Buddha. He was puzzled wondering why the Living Buddha was so cordial and kind to me. When the ceremony was over, Hamadacheyi was amused and overjoyed, telling me: "This is the longest empowerment ever. I've never seen the Living Buddha so happy. You are somebody special."

I studied all major doctrines and understood the essence of each: Taoism, Exoteric Buddhism, Esoteric Buddhism, and Christianity. Today, using both compassion and wisdom, I set up the Ling Xian Sect, to convert the sentient beings. This is why I say "There is no such thing as Dharma. Nor is there such thing as Sect. I talk about Sects today. They don't really exist."

Whichever student can understand my Dharma teaching in this verse, he has got my mind-mudra. All human lives have their causes and conditions. Since I have the greatest vows to fulfill, my Dharma is unprecedented. I am not to liberate one person, but all the suffering beings. I am not only to spread the supreme Dharma, but also to develop expedient methods.

The Living Buddha breathed his last. When he was cremated, the sun was bursting with strong white light surrounded by white clouds in the shape of a great mirror. Auspicious lights shot up from Earth to Heaven. Many sariras were fond from the ashes.

During those years in the United States, I practiced secretly many doctrines, giving more time to "meditation for luminosity." Many foreigners came to take refuge; Ph.D's and M.A.'s, lawyers, and physicians, all came to study Buddhism. Such affinity was magnificent. Now a Dharma banner flies high in Seattle, U.S.A.; the Ling Xian Sect is showering compassion and kindness. All this is a great merit in the history of deliverance by the Living Buddha.

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