[America China News Agency, Los Angeles, June 30th] On June 30th and July 1st, the World Buddhist Headquarters, Shengji Temple, Huazang Temple, Charity Temple, and Shengge Lecture Hall held a grand and solemn ceremony to welcome the birth of the Third World Buddhist Emperor, Duojieqiang Buddha, and the "Collection of the Third World Buddhist Emperor Duojieqiang Buddha Sutra" in the City Hall of Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, USA. More than a thousand Buddhist disciples from various states in the United States, as well as Canada, Peru, Germany, China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other countries and regions participated in the ceremony. Buddhist disciples from all over the world gathered together to celebrate this event.
The welcoming ceremony on June 30th was extraordinary. In the ceremony hall, a huge statue of Duojieqiang Buddha, the Third World Buddhist Emperor, holding the scepter of the world Buddhist emperor, was enshrined in the center of the stage. At ten o'clock in the morning, dozens of monks and banners and ceremonial teams opened the two-day ceremony. Venerable Mozhi, the chairman of the World Buddhist Headquarters, held the incense case, Venerable Zhai Mang and Venerable Bodhiwinturu carried the scripture sedan chair carrying the "Collection of the Third World Buddhist Emperor Duojieqiang Buddha Sutra", and under the respectful welcome of the participants, they stepped onto the stage from the central stairs. Venerable Zhai Mang, on behalf of the Venerable Mo Zhi, placed the first three volumes of the "Collection of the Third World Buddhist Emperor Duojieqiang Buddha Sutra" that were first published in the world on the table. After the blessing ceremony in front of the Buddha, the audience recited the "Blessing Ritual" and the "Great Offering in Front of the Buddha". Buddhist believers in the audience showed their respect, made offerings, and practiced the Dharma, expressing their sincere gratitude for the Third World Buddhist Emperor Duojieqiang Buddha's teachings and guidance in this world.
Duojieqiang Buddha, the Third World Buddhist Emperor, is the second officially recognized Buddha in the history of the world. The previous Buddha was Shakyamuni Buddha, who was born more than 2,500 years ago in India. At that time, Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in India. However, Duojieqiang Buddha, the Third World Buddhist Emperor, is not a Buddha who attained enlightenment in any sentient world, but a Buddha who directly descended as the true body of the original Buddha in the Dharma realm.
According to the records in Buddhist scriptures, Shakyamuni Buddha preached for forty-nine years after attaining enlightenment. In the more than two thousand years after the Nirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha, Buddhist disciples gathered many times to compile Buddhist scriptures, and later generations of patriarchs wrote and explained the meaning of the scriptures, gradually integrating the three collections of sutras, vinaya, and abhidharma. In the history of Buddhism, the Tripitaka has been translated into many different languages, which inevitably led to problems of misinterpretation and mistranslation during the translation and printing process. In addition, when the emperors of different dynasties, modern Buddhism, and academic institutions re-edited the Tripitaka, they mistakenly included pseudo-scriptures, heretical theories, and teachings of external paths, which directly led to the confusion and difficulty in distinguishing between right and wrong in the teachings of various Buddhist sects in the Dharma-ending period.
Duojieqiang Buddha, the Third World Buddhist Emperor, is the only Buddha legally recognized in the world since the Nirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha. He is the highest leader of Buddhism in the world today and the only Buddha in the history of Buddhism who has left the most complete and top-level evidence of "completeness in both exoteric and esoteric teachings, profound understanding of the five wisdoms".
In the process of propagating Buddhism over the years, the World Buddhist Emperor Duojieqiang Buddha has given more than two thousand Dharma teachings in plain language according to the roots and conditions of sentient beings, and has published many Buddhist scriptures, such as "Essence of Buddhism", "Through the Mind Sutra to Explain the Truth", "Debate Sutra for Monastics and Laypeople", "Commentary on the Heart Sutra", "Discussion on the Ancestor Bodhidharma", "What is Practice", "Explanation of the Sutra", "Great Liberation Seal of the Supreme Holy", "Learning Buddhism", etc., revealing the truth of the universe and human life, and clarifying the correct principles of Buddhism from the basic level to the advanced stage. At the same time, Duojieqiang Buddha has corrected the misinterpretations of the scriptures by past patriarchs and translators, exposed the chaos in the Dharma-ending period of Buddhism, and pointed out the path to achieve liberation for people!
The "Collection of the Third World Buddhist Emperor Duojieqiang Buddha Sutra" is mainly based on the recorded scriptures of the Dharma teachings of Duojieqiang Buddha, and includes all the scriptures, poems, and works of the Buddha.
In his speech at the ceremony, Venerable Zhai Mang said, "The publication of the 'Collection of the Third World Buddhist Emperor Duojieqiang Buddha Sutra' is not only a manifestation of our gratitude and nostalgia for the Third World Buddhist Emperor Duojieqiang Buddha, but more importantly, countless sentient beings will attain liberation through studying the 'Collection of the Third World Buddhist Emperor Duojieqiang Buddha Sutra'! It can be said with certainty that the 'Collection of the Third World Buddhist Emperor Duojieqiang Buddha Sutra' will be the fundamental guide for all Buddhist practitioners to achieve liberation in the future! The 'Collection of the Third World Buddhist Emperor Duojieqiang Buddha Sutra' contains the essence and key points of all three collections and esoteric teachings of Buddhism, whether it is precepts, views, practices, or cultivation methods, whether it is Theravada, Mahayana, or Vajrayana, whether it is sentient beings, arhats, or bodhisattvas, Duojieqiang Buddha has pointed out the most direct and fastest direction for us. Moreover, even if it is any one of them, if we study it seriously and practice it practically, as long as we delve into it, it will definitely lead us to liberation."
After the completion of the ceremony, the holy monks of the World Buddhist Headquarters sprinkled blessed water on the audience, and the participants prayed together for the inheritance of the "Collection of the Third World Buddhist Emperor Duojieqiang Buddha Sutra", the continuous turning of the Dharma wheel, and the eternal residence of the correct Dharma!