Chapter 32 - Golden Light From Ten Thousand Lotuses

This is an account of the fifth Dharma Ceremony in Tukwila, Washington, U.S.A.:-

On March end, 1985, which was the 11th day of the first lunar month, the True Buddha School held a global Blessing Ceremony in Tukwila, Washington, U.S.A..

Close to a thousand students came from all over the world. Everyone wore yellow Dharma robes. In this ceremony alone, participating Dharma acharyas included Master Lian Shen, Master Lian-huo, Master Lian-shih, Master Lian-chi, Master Lian-yi, Master Lian-yuan, Master Lian-ke, Master Lian-t'ing, and Master Lian-chih - nine altogether. It could be seen that this was a magnificent and grand ceremony.

Holy Red Crown Vajra Master Lian Shen wore a Five Buddha Crown on his head, a yellow Dharma robe, a red cassock, a white jade mala on the chest, and a pair of straw sandals. Master Lian-huo and Master Lian-shih also wore Five Buddha Crowns, yellow Dharma robes, brown cassocks, and straw sandals. The Blessing Ceremony was conducted by these three Masters.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Venerable Master Lian Shen, sitting upright on the treasure throne, held a plate full of rice representing all sentient beings in the universe. With the rice under the divine light of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, he sincerely read the repentance prayer and called upon the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to turn the great Dharma Wheels, so as to empower all beings with Light and to endow them with prosperity and auspiciousness.

At this moment, the power of compassion of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas radiated to the Ten Directions.

The Holy Red Crown Vajra Master Lian Shen, with many masters and even many students, saw purple lights appearing in the sky. These lights transformed into blossom after blossom of purple-golden lotuses that twirled and multiplied into thousands and tens of thousands of lotuses filling up the whole space. Like Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, these thousands and tens of thousands of lotuses endowed all beings with magnificent luminosity. When Lian Shen the Venerable transformed, in a flash, into the State of Purity, his wonderful wisdom became united with the mind of the students. The Padmakumara was emitting Light, and there was an interflow of consciousness with the True Buddha students. This was a most magnificent moment. Many students' eyes were full of tears. John Chen cried, Hsiao-he Wang cried, Ch'ien-yi Ch'en cried, Hsin-chu Li cried, Chen-fang Luo cried, Chi-lu Chiang cried......many, many acharyas and students cried uncontrollably.

We recited the Universal Gateway Article of the Lotus Sutra, the High King Avalokitesvara Sutra, and the Mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum." Master Lian Shen displayed hundreds and thousands of mudras. Master, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and everyone, united into one. We also respectfully recited for empowerment the divine title of Kuan-yin Bodhisattva and the heart mantras of seven other principal deities.

This kind of crying was not of sadness but, rather, of joy when the spiritual lights of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and the Padmakumara poured into the hearts of the believers, opening their hearts.

Lian Shen the Venerable, seated high upon the Dharma throne, empowered the True Buddha students one by one with divine water, and endowed them with peace mantras. Many students also brought Buddha statues, pictures and pendants to be empowered by the Mantra The Venerable Master again recited the Great Compassion Dharani to make for every one the Great Compassion Dharani Holy Water. The water was quickly bottled and taken home by the students.

One of the outstanding features of the ceremony was that, from Ching Chu Tang [Pure Abode Chapter] and Ching Yin Tang [Pure Sound Chapter] (the Edmonton chapters in Canada), more than thirty of the students had chartered an airplane to fly to the United States to attend this ceremony. In the ceremony, they dressed uniformly in Dharma robes. Indeed, these two chapters are among the most co-operative chapters in the True Buddha School worldwide.

Another outstanding feature was that this ceremony had a great number of Westerners attending, including Lawyer Henry, an immigration officer, a professor and, a travel agent, etc., many of whom also donated funds for the building of the temple. They also received initiations and empowerments from the Master. The number of Western students has reached several thousand. Many Western scholars praised the Master highly and bowed to him. One scholar of Indian Studies said Lian Shen, the Venerable, must have seen the deva Shiva and was fit to accept the glory of the "Nine Umbrellas," which is the highest honor for a practitioner in his life.

Ten thousands lotuses emitted golden lights. Every one was full of tears and everyone received the blessing empowerments. This was an unparalleled Blessing Ceremony. I would like to offer a verse:

Ten thousand assembled as if in a Heavenly Palace,

The manifestation of Bodhisattvas and Master was magnificent,

Whose lotus emitted purple light and faint, scented fog,

Endowing Brightness with extraordinary wonder.

Such a great ceremony! How unusually wonderful to have such an extraordinary mystical experience!

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