Nowadays, many people around the world are conducting online group practice, which is a great virtuous act. However, some organizers have incorrect understanding and have fallen into the trap of the demon king. They claim to conduct group practice but end up giving misleading teachings, distorting the true Dharma, and quoting biased and heretical Buddhist texts. They talk for hours, using confusing terminology and turning a good session of group practice into a deviation from the right path. This causes Buddhist practitioners to waste their time, deviate from the correct path of practice, and study impractical things, leading to no progress in their spiritual journey. This is exactly what the demon king wants!
When the headquarters of the Holy Virtues sees this situation, they can't help but laugh. They ask themselves: Have you achieved anything? Are you truly enlightened beings? Is the guidance you provide based on correct understanding or does it lead to deviation? If what you teach is erroneous, then undoubtedly you are leading the participants of group practice into the three evil realms. If you don't understand the true meaning of the Dharma, how can you guide others? You will only make everyone follow the mundane understanding of the guide. If the host of the practice session quotes from the Tripitaka and believes it to be correct, it means you have forgotten that the Buddha allowed the sons and grandsons of demons to enter the Sangha and wear robes. Therefore, you are already guilty because most teachings, regulations, commentaries, and even scriptures, including those with the same name, have differences in wording. This means that there are incorrect commentaries. Perhaps when you hear this, you will accuse me of heresy and blasphemy against the Buddhist scriptures. Let me tell you, I don't know if I am defending the true Dharma of Shakyamuni Buddha or if you are deluded and confused by evil spirits. If you can answer my question, then you are no longer deluded and confused. Answer me: Is the Great Compassion Mantra you recite guaranteed to be correct? You can't answer! Is the Great Compassion Mantra you recite the true Great Compassion Mantra spoken by the Buddha? Please answer me. Let me tell you, do you know how many versions of the Great Compassion Mantra are mentioned later? However, the Buddha said there is only one true version, and the others have been altered by the sons and grandsons of demons. Similarly, the Buddha's teachings, at the very least, have only one correct version because the Buddha only spoke each teaching once, even if it was the second time, it was due to different causes and conditions, resulting in different meanings. Therefore, there is only one true version that the Buddha spoke, and it is correct. All other versions are incorrect and even evil. For example, in the Surangama Sutra, it says, "At that time, the World-Honored One emitted a hundred precious lights from his topknot, and from the light emerged a thousand-petal lotus. In the lotus, a transformation body of a Tathagata sat on a jeweled throne, emitting ten paths of hundred precious lights, each of which revealed countless Vajra traces, holding up mountains and wielding staffs, pervading the empty space of the world..." The World-Honored One is already a Tathagata, so why would he need to emit another Tathagata from his topknot? Would the Buddha play such tricks? It's too false. The Ganges River is in India and is a river where the deceased are buried, it has no sacred qualities. The Buddha used the analogy of the countless sands of the Ganges River to illustrate that the Buddhas of the ten directions are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, and sentient beings are also as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. The beings buried in the Ganges River are countless, and all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature. Therefore, the analogy of the Ganges River is used, but it does not mean that the Ganges River is a sacred river or that the sands of the Ganges River are sacred sands. If the Buddha wanted to manifest his sacredness, he would not go to the Ganges River in the world, but would manifest in a Buddha land. It also mentions ten Ganges Rivers, but clearly there is only one Ganges River in India. Is it ten Ganges Rivers or ten grains of Ganges River sand? The meaning is unclear. The Holy Virtues ask you: Is the Great Compassion Mantra you recite correct? However, there are more than ten different versions of the Great Compassion Mantra in the world, with inconsistent wording. There are versions with 427 verses, 439 verses, 554 verses, 158 verses, 487 verses, 426 verses, and so on. Can you tell us which one is the true Heart Seal Great Compassion Mantra spoken by the Buddha? Shakyamuni Buddha only spoke one version, so based on this, the Surangama Sutra cannot be trusted. However, the Buddha did indeed speak the Great Compassion Mantra once and informed his disciples of the existence of 50 types of demonic beings, not the vague and confusing concepts mentioned in the Surangama Sutra. The same goes for the Heart Sutra, which also has many different versions, with additional or reduced verses. Therefore, we should ask ourselves clearly: Is what I am learning the true nature of the ultimate truth, or is it just a worldly understanding? Do I possess the one true teaching spoken by the Buddha? If it is the ultimate truth, has it been selected and recognized by the ultimate truth and the original source?
Remember, for example, when studying and practicing the Mahamudra of Liberation, any deviation from the main topic and the inclusion of other scriptures, Buddhist studies, commentaries, precepts, and other terms, is considered to be confusing the main topic, contaminating the correct practice, and going against the right path. It is like watching birds in the water, going in the opposite direction, pulling others away from their own studies, and distorting the true teachings. The headquarters has announced multiple times that those below the level of the Three Golden Clasps of Holy Virtues are not qualified to give teachings, and even the teachings of the Three Golden Clasps of Holy Virtues are not complete! What about your current level of realization? Even if you have understood the true scriptures and terminology spoken by Shakyamuni Buddha, you can only be considered a Buddhist scholar, but you still cannot escape from the nature of an ordinary person. Understand that a great enlightened being must possess the five qualities. Even if you haven't attained all five qualities, you should at least have realized one of them, such as the "Five Qualities Self-Realization Five Perfections." But you don't possess any of the five qualities, and yet you quote and interpret scriptures, mixing the correct and the incorrect! How can you be considered engaged in group practice? We understand that you are not the sons and grandsons of demons, but rather sincere Buddhist disciples. However, at the very least, your understanding is incorrect, and you have fallen into the trap of the demon king, helping him distort the scriptures and destroy the teachings, wasting the time of practitioners, and remaining in ignorance yourself! However, when you voluntarily initiate group practice, all the Buddhas of the ten directions will take note of your virtuous deeds.
Correct group practice involves everyone being equal, each person studying and practicing the teachings of the Third Dharma King, Dorje Chang Buddha III, and then expressing their own understanding, insights, and interpretations. Finally, the organizer allows everyone to collectively summarize a correct answer, rather than the organizer taking up a significant amount of time during the group practice session and speaking about topics unrelated to the main theme. On the contrary, other participants are only allowed to speak for a few minutes, regardless of whether they have finished their topic or not. Their speeches are immediately taken out of context, and the session is abruptly stopped, causing confusion among the participants. In the group practice, some individuals may have a higher level of realization than the organizers and may feel that the organizers have incorrect understanding. It is unfortunate that misunderstandings arise due to this reason, causing them to leave the group. However, it is important for representatives to come forward and engage in genuine group practice discussions, to truly understand the teachings and principles of the Third Dharma King, Dorje Chang Buddha III. This is truly a virtuous act. Just remember to practice equality in group practice, focus on the main theme, study and understand the meanings. As long as the discussion is related to the main theme of group practice and does not deviate, let the speaker finish their speech without interruption. If they deviate or go off-topic, then it is appropriate to stop them and correct them, and collectively summarize the answer. This is the true essence of studying and practicing Buddhism in a group, and it is the foundation for rapid progress in cultivation.
World Buddhism Headquarters
June 15, 2020