The Third Dorje Chang Buddha, the Highest Leader of Buddhism, Receives the Highest Honor of the World Peace Award#
Chairman Park Jun-kyu of the World Peace Delegation presents the World Peace Award to the Third Dorje Chang Buddha, the highest leader of Buddhism (right).
Washington News
The World Peace Award, established by the World Peace Delegation, held its 2010 award ceremony on June 14th at the Rayburn House Office Building in the United States Capitol. This year, the World Peace Award, the highest honor at the head-of-state level, was awarded to two recipients. The first recipient was the Third Dorje Chang Buddha (H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III), the highest leader of world Buddhism and a master artist, making him the first to receive this medal, representing the world's spiritual leaders. The second recipient was former Chairman of the U.S. Foreign Affairs Committee, Hon. Benjamin A. Gilman, who represented political leaders dedicated to world peace through his lifelong contributions as a human rights advocate. The Ambassador of Peace Medal and Medal of Honor were awarded to the Civil Air Patrol, a non-profit organization affiliated with the U.S. Air Force, represented by Commander General Amy S. Courter. More than ten U.S. congressmen attended the award ceremony and delivered speeches.
The World Peace Award is a world-renowned award presented by the World Peace Delegation, and its recipients must have made significant contributions to world peace, such as ending wars, reducing famine, and promoting human development. The World Peace Award was established in 1989 to promote world peace and mutual understanding among different ethnic and religious cultures. The World Peace Award is divided into three levels: the highest honor award, the harvest award, and the Ambassador of Peace award.
According to the official handbook released by the conference, the recipients of the highest honor award include former U.S. President Reagan, Indian spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi, former Israeli Prime Minister Rabin, Philippine President Ramos, former Nigerian President Yakubu Gowon, South Korea's first President Lee Seung-won, former Indonesian President Wahid, Mongolia's first President Punsalmaa Ochirbat, former Egyptian President Mubarak, former Palau President Nakayama, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. The first recipient of the highest honor award in 2010 was the Third Dorje Chang Buddha, and the second recipient was former Chairman of the U.S. Foreign Affairs Committee, Benjamin Gilman. The World Peace Award ceremony is usually held in the recipient's country. This is the first time it was held in the U.S. Congress.
Hon. Lester Wolff, the chief judge of the World Peace Award, pointed out that the creation of the World Peace Award has a long history, and the recipients of the award are either well-known or not very famous, but they have made substantial contributions to peace. The founders, former U.S. Congressman Hon. Robert I. Leggett and Korean religious leader Dr. Han Min Su, were looking for leaders who could lead humanity towards peace. Presenting the award to the Third Dorje Chang Buddha at this ceremony further exemplifies their founding intention. The Third Dorje Chang Buddha is a spiritual leader who actively integrates people from different backgrounds into a common goal of peace through his teachings. Benjamin A. Gilman, the former Chairman of the U.S. Foreign Affairs Committee, is a political leader who, through effective mediation among world leaders, has successfully resolved conflicts, reduced political tensions, and avoided potential disasters through peaceful means. These two leaders, one a spiritual leader and the other a political leader, reflect the diverse aspects of peace.
The World Peace Award bridges religious differences. Han Min Su, a Christian evangelist, awarded the World Peace Award to the world leader of Buddhism, the Third Dorje Chang Buddha, and Jewish politician Benjamin A. Gilman. This form of combining church and state can make the world safer.
The Third Dorje Chang Buddha personally attended the award ceremony and received the World Peace Award medal from Chairman Park Jun-kyu of the World Peace Delegation and delivered a speech. In his acceptance speech, the Third Dorje Chang Buddha said, "I believe that receiving this award is not a recognition of me personally, but a recognition of the pursuit of peace, happiness, freedom, and equality for all of humanity. It is a recognition of all selfless acts and help to others. Therefore, I will always fulfill my vow: I will bear all the sins of all sentient beings, and I will give all the merits of my good deeds to all of you." The audience was moved by the Third Dorje Chang Buddha's vow and applauded for a long time, admiring his selfless and noble Buddha's morality.
The World Peace Award Committee recognized Benjamin Gilman's lifelong dedication to improving human rights and his involvement in the fight against world hunger, drug abuse, and trafficking. He has facilitated multiple prisoner exchanges, helping American citizens regain their freedom from East Germany, Mozambique, Cuba, and other countries. Gilman served as a U.S. Congressman for thirty years and served a total of thirty terms in Congress. Prior to that, he was a New York Court Councilman and Assistant District Attorney in New York. During his tenure in the House of Representatives, he served as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Ambassador to the United Nations at the level of Congress. He later participated in the Ukraine Famine Commission and became Vice Chairman of the POW Committee. Gilman has received numerous honors, including the President's Distinguished Achievement Certificate, commending him for "actively leading and continuously striving for a world without hunger with foresight and initiative." He still receives the "Strength in Practice Peace Award" from the U.S. Security Council every year.
Benjamin Gilman served as a U.S. Congressman for thirty years, served as Ambassador to the United Nations at the level of Congress, and served as Chairman of the Congressional Foreign Affairs Committee. He is revered by the World Peace Award Committee as a lifelong human rights advocate: he waged war against hunger, drug abuse, and trafficking in the world. He facilitated successful international prisoner exchanges, enabling American citizens to gain freedom from East Germany, Mozambique, Cuba, and several other countries.
The Peace Ambassador Award in 2010 was awarded to the Civil Air Patrol, a non-profit organization affiliated with the U.S. Air Force, which was established during the Pearl Harbor incident. This organization has over 60,000 members nationwide and is dispatched by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center to conduct 90% of domestic search and rescue operations. It has made significant contributions in various communities in the United States, saving countless lives and making great efforts to defend freedom. According to records from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, the rescue team saved the lives of 113 people in 2010. The rescue team is often the first to arrive at disaster scenes, transmitting digital images around the world via satellite and providing disaster relief and emergency services. In recent years, they have participated in large-scale rescue operations, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma, tornadoes in the Midwest and South, floods in North Dakota, and the 2006 earthquake in Hawaii, as well as humanitarian missions on the U.S.-Mexico border. The rescue team has been serving in the United States for 69 years.
Several congressmen attended the award ceremony, including Senator Mark Kirk, Representatives Corrine Brown, Darrell Issa, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and Steve Chabot. Brigadier General Mark Beesley also attended. The founder of the World Peace Award, Han Min Su, and the widow of the late founder, Susie Leggett, were also present at the event.
※ Introduction of the recipient of the World Peace Award, the Third Dorje Chang Buddha
The World Peace Award Committee recognizes the Third Dorje Chang Buddha's selfless and extensive dedication to saving various communities and races around the world. His wisdom and compassion embrace all nations, races, cultures, and religions. Wherever he goes, his humility and compassion bring people together. His contributions to humanity are a tangible embodiment of the compassion of the Buddha's spirit, and he is an example of humanitarian practice that everyone should learn from. His noble character is reflected in his teachings, healing, art, charity, and leadership, inspiring people from all walks of life and different parts of the world to embark on the path of noble morality and charity. His thoughts and achievements have become a spiritual and cultural treasure for all of humanity.
The Third Dorje Chang Buddha is also an outstanding artist who, through his teachings, practice, art, and poetry, points out a bright path of non-violence, charity, and love. He has received many awards, including the Presidential Gold Medal for his contributions to art, medicine, morality, leadership in Buddhism and spirituality, and contributions to American society. The Third Dorje Chang Buddha is the first Buddhist leader to receive the World Peace Award.
According to the introduction by the World Peace Award Committee, the Third Dorje Chang Buddha is the highest leader in Buddhism: the "Vajra Holder Buddha" is the incarnation of the original Buddha, certified by the Buddhist Dharma. His outstanding mastery of Exoteric Buddhism, Esoteric Buddhism, and the Five Sciences is unprecedented in Buddhist history. Many of his disciples are great Dharma Kings and internationally renowned figures. However, he is very humble and always sees himself as a "servant of sentient beings."
He teaches everyone to start with themselves, change their environment, protect the earth, protect humanity, and promote peace and happiness among all sentient beings. In doing so, they will be liberated from suffering and gain respect and joy. Institutions and organizations around the world have established schools and courses to study his recorded teachings.
The Buddha sets an example every day by practicing selflessness, charity, and humanitarianism. People around the world take the Third Dorje Chang Buddha as their role model, his spiritual appearance as their standard, and his teachings as their guide. The Third Dorje Chang Buddha's teachings have become a vibrant social ideology and philosophy. Those who practice according to his teachings naturally engage in charitable acts, bringing joy and relief to local and international communities and promoting human peace and equality.
Wherever he goes, the Buddha brings people together with his humility and compassion. In 1995, the Third Dorje Chang Buddha visited Taiwan for the first time from mainland China and received an extremely touching welcome from the local people. More than 10,000 people greeted him at the airport, and a convoy of over 1,700 cars traveled from the airport to the city. This was the largest welcome ceremony in Taiwan's history. Secretary-General Jiang Yanshi of the Presidential Office of Taiwan presided over the opening ceremony of the art exhibition held by the Third Dorje Chang Buddha at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. During his brief three-week stay, the Third Dorje Chang Buddha received deep respect and emulation from the people and government officials of Taiwan. Many prominent figures sought to learn from his sublime ethics, morality, thoughts, and practices.
The revered Buddha vows to bear the suffering of all sentient beings. In his published Great Seal of Liberation, he states, "When other sentient beings and I suffer at the same time, I will let other sentient beings be liberated from suffering before me... I dedicate all the merits and achievements of my practice to all sentient beings, hoping that they will be liberated from suffering." Many people offer great wealth to express their gratitude for the Buddha's teachings, but the Buddha's unchanging principle is to never accept material offerings from anyone. Instead, he never hesitates to provide assistance and relief to those in need.
People from different countries, regions, and ethnic groups seek to learn the profound wisdom, respected ethics, selfless love, steadfast principles, and promotion of peace and equality among all sentient beings from the Third Dorje Chang Buddha. Wherever he goes, the Third Dorje Chang Buddha tirelessly benefits people regardless of race, nationality, social status, age, religion, or culture.
He is also an outstanding artist, poet, scholar, and philosopher. In 1994, intellectuals from 48 countries and regions awarded the Third Dorje Chang Buddha the "Super International Master" at the World Poetry and Culture Congress. The Third Dorje Chang Buddha was appointed as a Fellow by the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts in the United Kingdom. He is the first international artist to receive this honor in the academy's 200-year history. His exceptional artwork is permanently exhibited at the Fine Arts Museum in San Francisco.
Through his teachings, practice, art, and poetry, the Third Dorje Chang Buddha points out a bright path of non-violence, peace, charity, and humanitarianism. This is also a path of pursuing personal success, a happy family life, human peace, social progress, and civilization development.