The Buddhist Holy Virtue Examination this time can be said to be the strictest, most complete, and highest level among Buddhist examinations, as well as the highest specification and accuracy in its assessment. Compared to the examination for Geshe or PhD in Buddhist studies, it is far superior, and even the admissions for Lharampa Geshe or even the Russian Geshe cannot be compared. Because even the top-level Russian Geshe examinations do not assess the measurement of accomplishments, and the examination of the Five Sciences is not a broad assessment but rather a traditional assessment of the Five Sciences. The Buddhist Holy Virtue Examination I held in conjunction with the International World Buddhist Headquarters, in addition to examining the scriptures, monastic rules, and correct and erroneous views, also requires an assessment of the qualities of practice and the actions of holy virtue. More importantly, it assesses the path and accomplishments, and besides the human examination, it must also pass the holy examination, which is conducted according to the "Holy Examination Request Regulations."
The "Holy Examination Request Regulations" and the "Supreme Heart Essence of Great Perfection" are from the same lineage, representing the formal transmission of the Tathagata's great teachings, originating from the Dharma Body Buddha Samantabhadra, passed down from the Form Body Buddha Dorje Chang to the Five Buddhas of the Five Directions, and then to Vajrasattva. This is the heart seal transmission of the Indian lineage. Vajrasattva passed it to the Victorious One, then to Manjushri, and then to the seventh generation, the Auspicious Lion, who passed it to the eighth generation, Padmasambhava. Venerable Wangzha received the heart seal transmission from Dorje Chang, Manjushri, and Padmasambhava, bringing forth this hidden treasure of the Holy Examination practice to verify the holy virtue of the masters, benefiting sentient beings. In order to promote the teachings of Buddhism without sectarianism, demonstrating equality, and to subdue demons and eliminate evil spirits, to prevent the interference of heretical cults and sorcerers in the mandala, specific mantras such as the "Heart Sutra," "Diamond Sutra," "Shurangama Mantra," "Great Compassion Mantra," "Mahakala Mantra," "Ruhula Mantra," "Dudulma Mantra," "Kalachakra Mantra," "Purbha Mantra," "Vajrapani Mantra," and "Vajra of the Sky Mantra" are recited during the practice.
The practice of the "Holy Examination Request Regulations" has a hundred percent accuracy for obtaining holy virtue (but does not determine whether the admitted holy virtue will increase or decrease in the future practice process, except for those above the three-stage golden buckle who do not regress).
This holy examination is first conducted by high monks of holy virtue questioning the candidates, and ultimately confirmed by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, to prevent human favoritism. Human proctors may have issues, while Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are absolutely impartial. The examination of holy virtue is mainly divided into four parts: scriptures, treatises, and monastic rules, which constitute the first part of the examination. The second part assesses whether the candidates' conduct and qualities align with the behaviors of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, requiring examples to be presented, investigated by the Seven Saints and Ten Witnesses. The third part examines correct and erroneous views, verified by the 128 views taught by the Third Dorje Chang. The fourth part assesses the path and measurement of accomplishments, which is the final review of the first three parts, requiring Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to observe and examine the truthfulness and the qualities of the candidates. Candidates must possess true accomplishments and true path measurements, and must pass with genuine effort. During the examination, there are Seven Saints and Ten Witnesses strictly monitoring on-site; aside from divination, the most challenging aspect is the protective path of the righteous— the Eight Winds of Samsara. Candidates must first submit a written document specifying the exact category and item they wish to be examined on, and the content must be something they genuinely understand. This document must be read aloud and offered in the examination hall. If a candidate submits a false document, such as knowing only some terms but having no real understanding, in order to deceive others, they will inevitably be caught in the cycle of birth and death within the Eight Winds, and not only will they fail the examination, but the formation will also escalate on the spot, leading to a disastrous outcome for the candidate! This is the examination of holy virtue. If one is examining for the identity of an Arhat or Bodhisattva, a separate Vajra formation is set up. The Vajra formation may appear calm and peaceful, but the entire void within the formation is filled with the power of the disintegration of the four elements, posing immense danger, far more terrifying than the Eight Winds of Samsara; this is specifically used to verify the identities of Arhats and Bodhisattvas.
Venerable Wangzha reported the Holy Examination Regulations to the Third Dorje Chang, who upon seeing the "Holy Examination Request Regulations" said: "Wangzha is a good disciple of the Buddha, engaging in the Bodhisattva's work for the benefit of sentient beings. As the examination proctor, it is a good thing to select virtuous teachers for sentient beings. In the end times, we need sincere holy virtuous beings like you. Your Bodhi heart, in conjunction with the International World Buddhist Headquarters, is commendable for its actions of discerning the right from the wrong for the benefit of life. However, why must you set up an Eight Winds of Samsara formation to select holy virtue? My practice is shallow, and although I do not understand your Eight Winds formation, I am concerned about the Holy Examination Regulations. Is this not too difficult and harmful for the candidates? The focus of the examination should be on scriptures, monastic rules, and the qualities of conduct and correct and erroneous views. If these three are done well, it will benefit society, humanity, and sentient beings, and practitioners will naturally become virtuous people and achieve success. You want me to bless your examination and serve as the overall proctor; I feel ashamed and cannot participate in your immeasurable merit of Buddhist affairs for two main reasons: first, I do not possess the ability to help you; second, seeing the formidable formation mentioned in your regulations, I am an ordinary and humble person, with shallow knowledge, not understanding the Eight Winds formation, let alone the Vajra formation, and I have no qualifications to inquire. Your examination formation cannot be the one described in the Investiture of the Gods, right? The Vajra seal cannot be the Heavenly Seal, right? That is written in Taoist mythological stories and is false. You are Buddhists; do not forget the purpose of Buddhism, which is to base on great compassion and Bodhi heart. How can you use formations to scare people? For me, who only knows to prioritize the Bodhi heart in practice, do not say I will be the overall proctor; even if I were to take the examination, I would not pass. Besides teaching everyone to practice, I will not participate in the formations you describe. However, I must say that there are too many evil teachers and deceivers in today's world, and ordinary people posing as saints are everywhere, all waving bright and powerful banners, making it impossible for practitioners to even entertain doubts; they can only fall victim to deception. Your examination to select virtuous teachers for sentient beings will be praised by all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the ten directions, and I also wish you success in selecting virtuous teachers. I remind you again to inform everyone that it is crucial to earnestly study the "Heart Sutra" and "Great Seal of Liberation," as if one deviates from these two major practices, even if they are holy, they will regress to ordinary beings. Wangzha should know what principles and laws your current achievements are based on." The three-stage golden buckle Wangzha said: "Look at my Buddha master, what a pure and supreme state, wholeheartedly benefiting the public, working hard without accepting any offerings, selflessly benefiting others, surpassing the supreme top of the Five Stars Sun and Moon Wheel. Today, there is no saint who can match him, yet he places himself in the most ordinary and humble position. In contrast, some living Buddhas only possess a one-star or two-star Sumeru Wheel (blue buckle one or two stages) and shamelessly boast of themselves as great Bodhisattvas; this is truly childish and ignorant! Such small shamans deserve only pity. The Buddha master’s teachings make me, Wangzha, this ashamed monk, bow my head. A supreme Buddha, a great saint of the Dharma realm, behaves in such a manner, yet I, a monk with a false name, have no qualifications to be the main proctor of the Holy Examination! I respectfully invite several saints of the Sun and Moon Wheel to assist me in this work! Indeed, the Buddha master has spoken what I wanted to say. In recent years, I have been in retreat in Tibet, learning the practices of the Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism. In recent years, I have been studying the teachings of Dorje Chang, which are the practices of Buddhism without sectarianism, and the speed of achievement is unimaginable; the merit of one practice surpasses that of hundreds of thousands. This is the truth, absolutely not false!!! The "Heart Sutra" and "Great Seal of Liberation" are indeed subtle treasures! One should listen more to the teachings of Dorje Chang. As for what Buddhist practices I have, they are of the highest level, but since they involve precepts, I will not speak of what teachings the Buddha master has passed to me."
We will absolutely follow the teachings of the Third Dorje Chang and will never forget the Buddha master’s guidance: "Do not commit any evil, practice all good, and base on great compassion and Bodhi heart for the benefit of sentient beings." Practitioners, please believe us; if we did not practice in this manner, how could we use the examination of holy virtue to help sentient beings? Our greatest concern is that Buddhists are deceived by evil teachers and fraudsters, which is why we come to help practitioners discern and differentiate between the right and the wrong, the true and the false. The Buddha mentioned that we, as practitioners of Buddhism, should not engage in Taoist formations. Here, we sincerely declare that the formations we use for the examination are Buddhist formations, unrelated to Taoism or any external paths. As previously mentioned, the practice is based on Buddhist mantras such as the "Heart Sutra," "Diamond Sutra," "Great Compassion Mantra," "Shurangama Mantra," "Mahakala Mantra," "Kalachakra Mantra," etc., and does not involve any external path habits. It is not the mythological stories described in the Investiture of the Gods but a real presentation of Buddhist formations. In fact, every Vajra practice in Buddhism has a corresponding formation, and even the Shurangama Mantra has the Shurangama Void Color Demon Subduing Formation, the Great Compassion Mantra has the Great Compassion Subduing the Underworld Formation, including the Tibetan Esoteric Fire Offering, the cessation of harm and increase, and the water and land great Dharma assembly of the exoteric teachings, which are also forms of crossing beings and subduing demons. It can only be said that their power is weak and does not present the reality on the spot. Moreover, many later high monks and great virtues have not inherited the complete teachings due to incomplete learning. The Buddhist formations are used to help sentient beings, benefit sentient beings, and cross beings to eliminate demons and subdue evil spirits. Only true Arhats and Bodhisattvas with energy levels can break through this formation. Especially the Vajra formation, while immensely powerful, will never harm Arhats or Bodhisattvas unless the Arhat or Bodhisattva raises their false level, in which case they will be punished by the formation. To be cautious, we invited a three-star Sumeru Wheel saint to experience the formation. As we just entered the formation gate, a force of the disintegration of the four elements suddenly came, spreading through each of our bodies, targeting within, making it unbearable! With our assistance, he barely escaped the formation, shaking his head and saying: "This formation cannot be entered; it is too terrifying! The entire void within the formation is filled with a tremendous power, too miraculous! Looking with my eyes, I see nothing, but the power is not on the ground, but in the void, as if it wants to dissolve me!" He reported this situation to the Third Dorje Chang, who severely criticized us for what we were doing! We explained to the Buddha that this formation would absolutely not harm sentient beings. So we accompanied the Buddha into the formation, and unexpectedly, as soon as the Third Dorje Chang stepped into the formation gate, all the powers of the activated Vajra formation instantly disappeared without a trace, including the powerful force of the disintegration of the four elements that was acting on the saint leading us. This left us puzzled, as the Buddha did not come to break the formation; instead, he was telling us not to commit any evil, practice all good, and not to confuse cause and effect, nor violate precepts. Now, a great living Buddha is facing difficulties due to incorrect views, and the consequences of his actions are difficult to change, leading to illness and death. The Buddha was discussing these matters with us, and at that moment, the power of the Vajra formation suddenly vanished. We looked and saw that the Buddha had just stepped into the formation gate; this was an unprecedented strange occurrence! Although this formation is incredibly powerful, in front of the Buddha, it turned into a pale and powerless empty frame!!! We were very shocked and knelt to ask the Buddha to explain why this already activated formation vanished upon the Buddha's entrance. The Buddha said: "Could you please stop being mysterious? I do not see anything in here. Of course, I know I am a humble person, not even qualified to open my eyes; if I cannot see, then so be it. I am not surprised; I still say, what I want is practice." However, we must say that our formation truly exists, and it is indeed extremely precise for examining holy virtue, verifying the true and false Arhats and Bodhisattvas. To achieve both safety and certainty in the examination results, we only use a small amount of the formation's power to test the authenticity and level of holy virtue. We are very clear that sentient beings are our relatives, and we have no intention of scaring or harming anyone; we only act to help practitioners avoid deception and evil, which naturally produces a fearful effect on evil teachers and fraudsters, making them afraid to enter the examination hall, allowing practitioners to see through their ugly essence of not daring to take the examination. The Vajra seal within the Vajra formation is not something that the trivial myth of the Heavenly Seal can compare to; from the surface of the Vajra seal, it is the fundamental seal of the impure Vajra manifested by Shakyamuni Buddha, and in fact, the seal is attached with eight great Vajra scepters. Therefore, this seal is also known as the Indestructible Vajra Seal, possessing the supreme bliss of the white Vajra, Kalachakra Vajra, Purbha Vajra, Great Might Vajra, Great Heruka Vajra, Unconquerable Vajra, Sky-covering Vajra, and Horse-headed Vajra, collectively dominating the Dharma realm, unmatched!
We, in conjunction with the International World Buddhist Headquarters and Venerable Wangzha, have discussed and examined repeatedly, worried that if we do not adopt the final part, without Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to verify the law in the examination, what difference would it have from the examinations for Geshe or PhD in Buddhist studies? It is likely that some hollow Buddhist researchers, scripture students, and Zen practitioners, as well as fraudulent false saints, would emerge, causing harm to people, thus losing the significance of the Holy Examination for selecting virtue. Because the assessments of the first three parts of the examination are ultimately controlled by humans, if they cannot be conclusively verified in the Holy Examination, and not submitted to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for confirmation, it will inevitably not be precise. If human favoritism leads to an upgrade in the examination, what comes out will be false holy virtue, losing the purpose of protecting sentient beings and benefiting practitioners. Because only the examination of the fourth part cannot be faked or favored by humans, the main examiner of this part is only responsible for declaring the regulations and meanings, not for monitoring or performing the examination. The monitoring and performing of the examination are done by the void's main Buddha and Bodhisattvas and the protective Dharma guardians, and all causal responsibilities are borne by the main Buddha and the protective Dharma guardians. In the "Holy Examination Request Regulations," it is clearly stipulated that the main examiner must publicly announce in the examination hall: "…If the void's proctoring protective Dharma has any favoritism, all causal responsibilities will be borne by the protective Dharma. I, the main examiner, have shallow practice, thus only declaring the regulations and meanings, not bearing causal responsibilities." From this, it can be seen that this Holy Examination has absolutely no possibility of human favoritism; everything is based on cause and effect, strictly upheld by the main Buddha and Bodhisattvas and the protective Dharma. This fourth part of the Holy Examination is the most precise final determination, but it cannot guarantee that the holy virtue that passes will not regress to ordinary beings in future practice. History has proven that many holy virtues have regressed to ordinary beings due to incorrect views and breaking precepts.
As for the Eight Winds of Samsara formation and the Vajra formation set for the Holy Examination, although immensely powerful, we will open a gate of life to allow candidates caught in the formation to escape. The Eight Winds formation is divided into eight levels, and we have decided to only set one level of formation. The Vajra formation for examining the reincarnation identity of Arhats and Bodhisattvas is unparalleled in power. For candidates entering the formation with false documents, a Vajra seal will rise into the air, suppressing them and instantly releasing the power of the disintegration of the four elements, causing evil spirits and demons to be crushed into dust! However, for those who fill out true documents and are qualified Arhats or Bodhisattvas, it is as easy as moving Mount Tai or serving a plate. For safety in assessment, we will only set one-thousandth of the formation's power in the Vajra formation to determine its immense holy power and thus ascertain the true and false. The Vajra seal within the Vajra formation is not a mythological story like the Heavenly Seal in the Investiture of the Gods; it is real and without falsehood. If there are blue buckle three-stage holy virtues who want to explore whether they belong to the golden buckle Arhat fruit position, they can enter the formation for examination and experience one-thousandth of the Vajra formation.
These two Buddhist formations achieve the goal of accurately assessing holy virtue while allowing candidates to personally experience the power of the true Dharma. At the same time, they ensure that candidates safely receive lessons for their growth, allowing those who falsely claim to be Bodhisattvas to correct their evil actions and truly aspire to benefit the public. Even if they cannot reach the level of Dorje Chang, who selflessly benefits sentient beings without accepting any offerings, at least they will not deliberately deceive others. Only in this way can they shoulder the great compassion as the foundation for benefiting sentient beings in the Buddhist path.
One point to particularly inform the candidates is that although the examination is divided into four major categories, each category has many items. Candidates can choose to examine only one category out of the four or select a specific item within a category. They can take the examination for all four categories simultaneously, or take each category separately, or take each item within a category independently. Each examination of a category or item will be scored separately, so the levels obtained in each category may vary, and some may even score zero. However, for the sake of expanding Buddhist affairs and benefiting sentient beings, we will admit holy virtue identities under the most lenient conditions within the principles, using the highest score from any item as the candidate's holy virtue level for issuing certificates, rather than averaging the scores of all items. Other items with lower scores will only serve as references for candidates to recognize their shortcomings and understand which category or item requires further effort and practice.
Additionally, Buddhist disciples wanting to understand the level of a certain teacher's rank cannot only look at the rank of the robes they wear. While observing the rank, they must also see which item or category the holy virtue teacher is being examined on. Because the vast majority of Buddhist masters in today's world are not well-versed in scriptures and treatises, and their conduct is lacking, yet some can still achieve holy virtue positions. The main reason is that some practices are very significant, such as the Lion's Roar Avalokiteshvara and Kalachakra Vajra transformation meditation transmitted through empowerment; as long as they reach the generation stage, they will at least achieve blue buckle two-stage. For example, the Sky-covering Vajra, as long as the teachings learned through empowerment have opened the crown, will also achieve at least blue buckle two-stage holy virtue. Therefore, we must understand which category and item the teacher has taken, clarifying what law or practice they were examined on, and what their shortcomings are. This can be checked from the examination document they submitted. When submitting the examination document, the candidate themselves would not dare to write incorrectly; otherwise, they would not even pass the lowest level. They must clearly state which category and item they are applying for, which is very important. They cannot write randomly; no matter how arrogant or boastful a master may be, they know they cannot make false claims in the examination hall. If they deceive the main Buddha, the Peacock King Tathagata, and the great protective Dharma, they will inevitably fail the examination, and the candidates will certainly be caught in the Eight Winds of Samsara formation, revealing their ordinary nature. More seriously, those who break the Vajra formation must personally enter the formation. If a candidate is not a true Arhat or Bodhisattva but pretends to enter the formation for examination, the Vajra seal will suppress them, and the candidate will be exposed on the spot, losing face and ending in a miserable state! If they are truly an Arhat or Bodhisattva, they can easily break the formation and will certainly enter the one-star Sun and Moon Wheel golden buckle holy virtue. Reincarnated Arhats and Bodhisattvas can also confirm their true identity directly using the Vajra empowerment without going through the Vajra formation.
Today, there are many living Buddhas, Dharma kings, venerables, masters, acharyas, and lay practitioners, all claiming to have lineage and pretending to be holy virtues, while in reality, they are ordinary fraudsters, posing as saints, deceiving people in all directions, causing suffering to sentient beings. Not to mention holy verification, these people cannot even understand or communicate the scriptures. To help Buddhist disciples avoid falling for such individuals and to protect them from harm, we remind everyone again: remember, regardless of how grandiose the claims of the teacher or their followers may be, or how they display miraculous and strange abilities to arm themselves as great saints, do not believe them. Instead, base your judgment on the rank of the robes they wear. If they do not have the robes of Dharma, yet they claim to be saints, it indicates that this person is a counterfeit, a fraud, and they do not dare to enter the examination hall to face the truth. In addition to observing the Dharma robes, practitioners should focus on clarifying what items they are being examined on, their strengths and weaknesses, so that you can clearly discern what virtues and abilities this person possesses, whether they are true or false. The International World Buddhist Headquarters has recordings of each candidate's submission of documents in the examination hall, and practitioners can apply to review these to understand the categories the teacher was examined on for making informed decisions.
The International World Buddhist Headquarters sees the rampant evil teachers and the suffering of deceived sentient beings, feeling very sad, and thus must conduct the Tathagata's righteous law to assess the true and false teachers, the true and false holy virtues, and the levels of path accomplishments to help everyone discern and serve practitioners by safeguarding them from deception. Please note that only those who pass the Holy Examination Request Regulations and qualify as holy virtues are the true holy virtues, worthy of being relied upon as teachers!
Here, I respectfully quote a verse from the original text of the "Holy Examination Request Regulations" for your reference, to aid in the correct path of practice:
Practitioners rely on their own hearts,
Do not be deceived by wild teachers posing as great saints.
Clarify the true and false, verify,
Examination ranks are divided into four categories.
Each category lists many items,
Look at which category the virtuous person examines.
Daily claiming to be a great immortal,
See which levels they have passed.
If the teacher loves to boast,
Be cautious of false pretenses.
True gold fears not the fire's refining,
Entering the examination hall reveals the true source.
What is seen today is the truth,
Daily flattery is deception.
How many stars and ranks have been revealed,
The Dharma robes indicate the level.
Do not touch strange powers and spirits,
Fraudsters, witches, and evil classes.
Practitioners must remember to be cautious,
Do not recognize feudal superstitions.
For the teacher, prioritize Bodhi,
Selflessly benefiting others comes first.
International World Buddhist Headquarters
June 10, 2015
https://www.wbahq.org/ch/hq-announcements/a20150104/