The United International World Buddhism Headquarters has purchased a temple in order to provide a place for Buddhist practitioners to receive teachings and empowerments. After issuing a fundraising notice, some people raised several good questions, asking whether the amount of donation makes a difference in terms of merit. According to the teachings of the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, there are different approaches to offering donations. Do we need to donate a large sum of money in order to learn the profound teachings of Vajrayana and receive empowerments? Can we not learn the profound teachings if we don't have the intention to offer donations? In the case of the Mahayana tradition, should we not make large offerings? What kind of offerings can we make in order to participate in the empowerment ceremony and personally witness the blessings of the Buddha?
Since these questions cannot be answered by an ordinary monk, at least a great monk is required. Therefore, we specifically requested the Third Dodrupchen Rinpoche to provide an answer. The Third Dodrupchen Rinpoche's response to our esteemed monks is as follows:
"The first point is that practitioners must first establish correct understanding and view. It should be clear that both Vajrayana and Mahayana have profound teachings, and it is incorrect to say that Vajrayana is profound and Mahayana is ordinary. However, the practices of Vajrayana and Mahayana are different. The practices of Vajrayana are not limited to Tibetan Buddhism or Mahayana Buddhism; they are unique teachings of the Buddha that transcend sectarian divisions.
The second point is that anyone who does not have sincere and genuine devotion to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas cannot learn the profound teachings or attain realization. Only those who sincerely engage in Buddhist practices, sincerely cultivate the Dharma, and benefit sentient beings can learn the profound teachings and achieve realization. If someone only pays lip service to sincerity but does not engage in actual acts of offering or cultivate a mind of offering, their respect for the Buddha and Bodhisattvas is merely superficial. They are deceiving themselves and their words may sound good, but their intentions are insincere. Such individuals cannot learn the profound teachings, and even if the teachings are given to them, the Buddha will not respond to them and will distance himself from them. Therefore, they will not attain realization.
The third point is that as long as one has sincere and genuine devotion, one can donate and contribute to the purchase of the temple by the United International World Buddhism Headquarters to the best of their ability, without harming their own wealth and resources, without causing themselves stress, and while engaging in the activities of offering the Dharma and benefiting sentient beings in a joyful and relaxed manner. I believe that such individuals will definitely learn the profound teachings.
As for the question of whether a large sum of money is required to learn the profound teachings, it is important to understand one thing: the amount of money is not the main factor; the sincerity and genuine intention behind the offering is what matters. Offering to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas must come from the heart, and one should offer according to one's ability. For example, if a person is a billionaire and praises the Dharma, encourages virtuous actions, and declares that all their activities are for the sake of contributing to Buddhism and benefiting sentient beings, but their offering for Buddhist activities is less than that of an ordinary person's basic living expenses, does this correspond to their aspiration? I don't need to say it; everyone will understand that their aspiration is not truly for the sake of contributing to Buddhism and benefiting sentient beings. How can such a person propagate the Dharma? On the other hand, if a person's assets are only enough for their own livelihood, with a surplus of a few tens of thousands, and they sincerely offer a portion of that money from the heart, I believe that this person is already making a sincere effort and their offering is truly meritorious. Such a person will definitely learn the profound teachings. If a person is struggling to meet their basic needs but still praises the Dharma, encourages virtuous actions, and declares that all their activities are for the sake of Buddhism and benefiting sentient beings, but they offer ten yuan, do you think this is a great merit? I assert that this is a wrong action, at least an incorrect understanding. Why is that? Their intention is to offer, even if it is just one cent, it is a kind of merit. However, in terms of their actual livelihood, it causes a reduction in resources, so it is a wrong action. Because their livelihood itself has already brought them great pressure, and their basic resources are not enough, they are adding to their own burden of hunger, cold, housing, and work. It should be understood that losing the two resources of merit and wisdom, one's mind will be restless, and how can one practice diligently? Due to the lack of resources, desires and afflictions become intense, and one must be busy with the struggles of life, making it difficult for the mind to be calm. How can one have time to study and practice the Dharma? Although it is only ten yuan, it is a fundamental reduction in the resources of merit and wisdom. How does the Buddha and Bodhisattvas feel about receiving their offering? Such a person's behavior is not that of a practitioner, and such a person cannot learn the profound teachings. How can such individuals learn the profound teachings? Those who are in such circumstances do not need to make monetary offerings. To make the Buddha and Bodhisattvas feel at ease and rejoice in the Dharma, they only need to sincerely engage in practice, praise the Dharma, refrain from committing evil, and encourage virtuous actions. This is the greatest merit, the complete offering, and they will be able to learn the profound teachings! Therefore, the amount of money and the act of offering for Buddhist activities do not have a fixed standard. Whether one can learn the profound teachings depends on whether one is sincere or insincere, whether one is making an effort or just going through the motions, whether one is engaging in virtuous actions or harmful deeds, and whether one is benefiting sentient beings or deceiving and harming them! Offering gold bricks from the Thirteenth Treasury to provide a golden path for lonely elders, even though they kept more than ten treasuries for themselves and only offered one treasury, the Buddha said that this is indeed a great merit that cannot be exhausted even in a hundred thousand kalpas. But even a child offering a handful of sand to the Buddha is also a seed of merit. If a person has enough money that they cannot spend in their lifetime and yet they engage in worldly activities without offering donations or contributions for Buddhist activities, claiming to be devout, but in reality deceiving themselves without even realizing it, such individuals, when faced with impermanence, will not be able to take a single cent with them, and all their possessions will be of no use to them. What is even more frightening is that there are no hotels or accommodations on the road to the afterlife, no food or shelter. They will be empty-handed and extremely lonely! Have they ever considered that such individuals, who cannot even learn the profound teachings, will they be able to selflessly benefit sentient beings after attaining liberation? Will they become good and virtuous beings? Is it due to their virtuous nature? Without this book, there would be no sale! Therefore, they cannot learn the profound teachings and cannot enjoy the benefits of the holy Dharma.
When it comes to offering, there is also the issue of the recipient of the offering. Offering to the wrong recipient can bring immeasurable negative karma. If one offers to a false or fake guru, or a guru who comes from an authentic lineage but teaches and behaves with wrong views and biases, offering to such individuals not only does not generate merit but also brings negative karma to the donor. For example, if one builds a temple where there are no genuine monks and no genuine Dharma, only teachings that are based on wrong views and wrong interpretations of scriptures, then those who offer to build the temple not only do not generate merit but also accumulate negative karma. This is because by establishing a place that provides a platform for deception and supports those who deceive others, one is aiding and abetting evil, protecting evil and harming goodness, disrupting the wisdom and life of sentient beings, and committing great sins. On the contrary, if one offers to a temple where genuine great masters preside over the teachings of authentic Buddhism, then it is meritorious. Why should one offer to temples presided over by genuine Buddhas, great masters, and great masters? Because those who sincerely offer to great masters are the ones who truly aspire to attain realization, and those who truly aspire to attain realization will truly practice. By using the 128 points of understanding as a measure, one can discern the true and false origins of correct and incorrect views, and make offerings, donations, and practice in accordance with the truth. One can learn any profound teachings. Otherwise, one cannot even learn the lesser teachings. It should be clear that the Dharma cannot be obtained through insincere intentions; it can only be attained through sincere practice. False intentions and actions may deceive others, but they cannot deceive the Buddha and Bodhisattvas or the true nature of the practices one engages in!
Here, I am only explaining the truth of the Dharma. For me, I do not accept offerings. I have spoken extensively in the teachings. I will not say more today. In short, regardless of whether it is a large sum of money or a small sum of money, I will not accept it. I am only telling you the correct understanding. If I don't make it clear to you, you will not have the true answer. I pray that you will establish a temple as soon as possible so that the great masters and the Buddha can propagate the authentic teachings of the Buddha and benefit sentient beings.
With this, we have answered the questions raised by the United International World Buddhism Headquarters using the teachings of the Third Dodrupchen Rinpoche and the authentic teachings of the Buddha. Some may wonder: in this world, every living Buddha and great master claims to propagate the authentic teachings of the Buddha, so who is the authentic teaching of the Buddha? We can clearly answer: we will not comment on whether other living Buddhas and great masters are the authentic teachings of the Buddha, but we must say that our Buddhism is the authentic teaching of the Buddha! We study the teachings of the Third Dodrupchen Rinpoche and Shakyamuni Buddha, as well as the supreme and unsurpassed authentic teachings of the Buddha! We provide a few points for you to understand, and once you understand, you will realize that what our headquarters is practicing is the authentic teaching of the Buddha. Just look at the achievements in the book "The Gospel of the Supreme Treasure," who can achieve that? After you have thoroughly read the announcements and explanations on the website of the office of the Third Dodrupchen Rinpoche, you will understand who the true authentic teaching of the Buddha is, who is truly benefiting and saving sentient beings, and who are the charlatans and false teachers. It will be clear at a glance! Furthermore, let's not talk about whether our headquarters dares to say that we can truly invoke the Buddha to descend with the true nectar in the empty space. Which other Dharma kings or great masters dare to say such things? If they are not the authentic teaching of the Buddha, would they dare to say such things? Let alone the countless authentic signs of the Dharma that we have. Let alone the fact that the Third Dodrupchen Rinpoche is truly the pinnacle of the union of the three transmissions, the highest level of wisdom in thousands of years of Buddhist history. Just by seeing the rejuvenation of the Third Dodrupchen Rinpoche, which no other Buddhist figure has achieved in thousands of years, isn't it the authentic teaching of the Buddha? We sincerely hope that everyone will have the merit and exceptional conditions to donate some money while living in a comfortable condition, to contribute to the purchase of a legitimate temple by the United International World Buddhism Headquarters. This merit is pure and your offerings will not be used for non-Buddhist purposes. We make this vow to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas: we will use the money raised from the public to purchase temples, create Buddha statues, establish Dharma centers, and hold Dharma assemblies. If we violate this vow, we will receive negative consequences and fall into hell! As for the use of the funds raised, we will report truthfully to the great masters and the management personnel. We are the only organization in the world that dares to openly make this vow to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, sincerely benefiting sentient beings. Please generate the aspiration to accumulate merit. For the main merit of offering, we will report it to the great masters, great masters, and Buddhas truthfully, so that you can receive corresponding blessings and Dharma connections. After we purchase the temple, those who have made great offerings will definitely have the opportunity to witness the descent of the Buddha's true nectar and receive empowerments, and they will learn the profound teachings. This is the unerring law of cause and effect! Of course, we are not qualified to invite the Buddha to descend with the true nectar. However, the Third Dodrupchen Rinpoche said, 'I am just a humble person and do not have the ability to invite the Buddha to descend with the true nectar. You should sincerely invite the great masters and the Buddhas together, recite the Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra, and authentic scriptures, without needing to recite any mysterious mantras. As long as you are sincere, I believe that the Buddha will be moved.' We must sincerely invite the great masters and the Buddhas, relying on the pure intentions and actions of the great masters, we will definitely be able to invoke the Buddha to descend with the true nectar. The Buddha is not influenced by evil curses or invited by written mantras. The Buddha's great compassion benefits sentient beings. We can invoke the Buddha with sincere intentions."
Here, I have only explained the truth of the Buddha's teachings. As for me, I do not accept offerings. I have spoken extensively in the teachings. I will not say more today. In short, regardless of whether it is a large sum of money or a small sum of money, I will not accept it. I am only telling you the correct understanding. If I don't make it clear to you, you will not have the true answer. I pray that you will establish a temple as soon as possible so that the great masters and the Buddha can propagate the authentic teachings of the Buddha and benefit sentient beings.
This is the announcement from the United International World Buddhism Headquarters regarding the fundraising for the purchase of a temple.
The United International World Buddhism Headquarters is a non-profit Buddhist organization based in the United States and open to the world. This organization promotes pure and correct understanding of Buddhism. It is the most powerful Buddhist organization in the world in terms of Buddhist, Buddhist studies, and Buddhist Dharma. It has appointed great masters, grand masters, and masters at various levels to propagate the Dharma. It is the only organization in the world with such strength, making it the top Buddhist organization in the world. This organization has done a lot of Buddhist work for the benefit of sentient beings, and the chairman, vice chairman, and the great masters and grand masters who have been appointed have never received any money from the United International World Buddhism Headquarters since its establishment many years ago. They have always served sentient beings voluntarily in accordance with the teachings of the Third Dodrupchen Rinpoche.
Now, in response to the widespread feedback from Buddhist disciples that it is difficult to receive empowerments and teachings of the highest quality, we must inform everyone that the main reason for this is the lack of a legitimate and suitable temple for bestowing empowerments and transmitting the Dharma in Los Angeles. Recently, the United International World Buddhism Headquarters has decided to purchase a legitimate temple in order to benefit sentient beings and allow everyone to learn the highest teachings of Buddhism as soon as possible. Based on our investigation, this place is both legal and suitable, so we have made the determination to strive to purchase this place in order to benefit the public. Therefore, we hope that everyone can donate some funds for the purchase of the temple. However, it must be remembered that if you are struggling to make a living, please do not donate!
Please rest assured that this fundraising is dedicated to a specific purpose and will be used entirely for the temple and Buddhist activities. Not a single cent will be misappropriated for personal use! The funds you donate will be given to you in the form of a receipt.
We will definitely report your aspirations and merits to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas!
United International World Buddhism Headquarters
Chairman: Lhundrup Zang
February 19, 2013
The following are the donation methods:
- Direct bank transfer to the headquarters:
Account Name: United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters
Account Number: 325002080428
Bank Name: Bank of America
Routing Number: 026009593
Swift Address: BOFAUS3N
Bank Address: 100 West 33 Street, New York, NY 10001, USA - General check, money order, cashier's check, or traveler's check:
Payable to: United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters - Cash
Please refer to the attached images for more information on the donation process.