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Preface - A True Personal Statement
The Holy Red Crown Vajra Master Sheng-yen Lu, the Tantric Practitioner, currently has 70,000 students (Note: figure correct when this book was written in 1985. There are now over 4 million disciples) around the world. Undoubtedly, in the future, this number will greatly multiply to tens of millions. There is a profound affinity between Amitabha Buddha and Master Sheng-yen Lu. Due to the great vow and compassion of White Padmakumara, the Dharma Body of Master Sheng-yen Lu, Amitabha Buddha has especially asked White Padmakumara of the Maha Twin Lotus Ponds to descend to the human world to turn the great Dharma Wheel of salvation. It is hoped that sentient beings, upon seeing and hearing the profound Buddha Dharma, will gradually know and practice it, thus enabling themselves to be salvaged by Amitabha's Pure Land. The Amitabha Sutra says:
This part of the sutra is genuine, the merits to be derived from it are inconceivable, and all Buddhas are mindful of them. The Maha Twin Lotus Ponds are among the most magnificent scenes of the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. Padmakumara (Lotus Youth) is the Lotus Bodhisattva. It is similar if one hears the name of Padmakumara and desires to be born in the Maha Twin Lotus Ponds. If one can just uphold the Padmakumara's Heart Mantra and practice the Padmakumara Yoga and, if one's mind is calm and free from contrary thoughts, then one will be reborn in the Pure Land of the Maha Twin Lotus Ponds.
It is true that all Buddhas are mindful of this. The merits are inconceivable and rare. It is the most remarkable way of salvation in today's world. The Dharma of the True Buddha School is the same as that of Amitabha, sharing the same goals, interests and merits.
The founder of the True Buddha School, the Holy Red Crown Vajra Master, is a teacher of right belief in Buddha Dharma. He instructs people to approach the auspicious and avoid the disastrous, to perform good deeds, and to achieve the Six Transcendental Powers. He teaches people to understand the karmic law (law of Cause and Effect) of the past, present, and future, to lead directly to man's true-self, to salvage and liberate all sentient beings from suffering in the cycles of birth and death, so that everyone can ascend to the Maha Twin Lotus Ponds of the Buddha kingdom.
Due to his great vow and compassion, Vajra Master Lian Shen (the refuge name of Master Sheng-yen Lu) is protected and assisted by all Buddhas. His work of salvation is manifested in immeasurable and inexhaustible ways. Incidents are frequently noted where disciples have received psychic responses from Master Lian Shen. Word of the wonderful manifestations of Padmakumara and of the countless mystical experiences have caused uproars everywhere. The manifestations of Vajra Master Sheng-yen Lu, the Transformation Body of Padmakumara, are wondrous happenings. Students who have experienced these, themselves, through sight or sound, all know these manifestations to be real. The impossible has become possible, and inconceivable miracles have occurred. Because there is a large number of mystical experiences which are happening to the initiated, I only selected those in which the mystical experience was strong and the experience verifiable. I noted these manifestations page by page to ensure that readers would know that the Buddha Dharma of the True Buddha School and the psychic responses from the Holy Red Crown Vajra Master are genuine. I have often remarked that one kind of rice can feed one hundred kinds of people. There are many miracles and many sincere disciples. However, some obstinate skeptics of Buddhism still do not believe this. I hope such readers will abandon this prejudiced view and read this book objectively, humbly seeking verification. If you realize verification, your doubts will be cleared from you and you will certainly want to take refuge in the Holy Red Crown Vajra Master and the True Buddha School. You will become one of the devotees, find Truth, and experience the mystical experience. All students of the True Buddha School are of the lineage of Master Lian Shen, who has attained Realization. The White Padmakumara of the Maha Twin Lotus Ponds is [an emanation of] the Dharma body of Master Lian Shen. To receive mystical experience, one must sincerely believe this. If an initiated student, (following the great vow of Master Lian Shen and his spirit of salvaging the world), makes, with compassion and loving kindness, a great vow to liberate sentient beings, he should first commit no evil deeds, and then perform all virtuous deeds. That is, one should eliminate one's greed, anger and ignorance, and then practice the Six Perfections (Paramitas) of the Bodhisattvas. In Dharma practice (sadhana), one starts with the Four Preliminaries, continues with the Guru Yoga, then the Personal Deity Yoga, and finally achieves response in the great Vajra Yoga and the Highest Yoga Tantra.
Practice daily and consistently, as consistently as one takes ones meals, because Dharma practice is nutrition for the mind. Strive to progress. One will receive the light from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, purifying one's negative karma and eliminating misfortunes, while increasing one's blessings and wisdom.
Eventually, the wonderful psychic responses from the Holy Red Crown Vajra Master Lian Shen will manifest themselves, and miracles will occur. One who experiences these will gain more confidence. Any student of the True Buddha School who has psychic responses should treat them as an encouragement, not become attached to them by becoming complacent. Further, students should humbly improve themselves, pursuing the correct results, and attaining Supreme Perfect Enlightenment.
The mystical experiences of refuge students which are contained in this book are completely factual. However, due to fear for their reputations, some students do not wish their names to be published. Therefore, some fictitious names have been used instead of real ones. This is unavoidable and I hope readers will understand.
To help a confused world we need real occurrences of mystical experiences. Today there exist not only despicable minds, murders, robberies, and sexual assaults, but also heavy emphasis is placed by people on personal fame and gain. Where many disasters occur, theories alone are not sufficient. Some Dharma preachers depend on theories alone, expounding only on them, but listeners will not believe them because there are no facts to support the theories. Some people condemn mystical experiences as manifestations of evil spirits. As a matter of fact, mystical experiences are phenomena which are part of Buddha Dharma practices. Many practitioners only start to believe and practice sincerely after they have had mystical experiences. Mystical experience is an expedient means for the Bodhisattvas to help all beings release themselves from sufferings. This view has been misunderstood by many "left-home people" (monks), who are unable to receive mystical experiences themselves, and so condemn them as evil occurrences. True Buddha practitioners should strive to awaken to their original nature and transcend life and death. It is only through actual practice that one receives mystical experience, perfect understanding, enlightenment, and the attainment of the supreme Buddha path. Those of you who, having obtained and read my spiritual books, honestly believe Venerable Master Lian Shen to be an enlightened person, believe the True Buddha School to be a true Buddhist sect, and would like to have a master for life-time guidance, please take refuge according to the refuge procedure. Send your name, address and age to the following permanent mailing address (with an offering of any amount). You will then receive the actual lineage of the True Buddha School.
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