The World Buddhist Headquarters received a letter today from three Buddhist disciples, including Li Yunfeng. The original text is as follows:
In fact, the questions you raised do not need any explanation. The headquarters has explained in the announcement the merits of conducting the Dharma listening sessions. It is to let many people hear the Dharma sound of the Third Supreme Dharma King and turn from evil to good. This merit is naturally great. Regardless of who conducts the Dharma listening sessions, there will be merits. The more people conduct the sessions, the more people will turn from evil to good, and the greater the merit. However, everything is dependent on causes and conditions. If the Dharma listening sessions are stopped, only the previous merits will remain. The merits of listening to the Dharma will not increase because there is no continuous listening to the Dharma, and the number of people turning from evil to good will not increase due to listening to the Dharma. If everyone is not allowed to hear the Dharma sound, then it is not a great merit, but a great sin. If, as you mentioned, the Third Supreme Dharma King's image is removed from the altar and replaced with one's own image, it is even more self-evident. Only those with confused minds and confused thoughts would dare to do such a thing. Since you have raised this issue, and it is a major issue, the headquarters will now respond to your inquiry:
Except for removing the images of the Third Supreme Dharma King (Samantabhadra Tathagata) and the Third Supreme Dharma King (Dorje Chang Buddha), no other Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or great saints dare to remove the images of the Three Realms' Refuge Altar and replace them with their own images. It should be known that the highest position in the Refuge Altar is the formless Dharma realm of Samantabhadra Tathagata and the Nirmanakaya Buddha, Dorje Chang Buddha. These two supreme and unsurpassed Buddhas are the teachers of all Buddhas in the ten directions. There are also the Ten Great Vajras, with Simhanada Vajra being the manifestation of Samantabhadra Tathagata, and Chakravartin Vajra being the highest and perfect holy realm of Shakyamuni Buddha's original source manifestation in the Shambhala Kingdom. Hayagriva Vajra is the incarnation of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. Even the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions can only pay respect with folded hands to this Refuge Altar image. No matter what level of holy person, they dare not remove the Three Realms' Refuge Altar. To remove the Three Realms' Refuge Altar is to insult Samantabhadra Tathagata and Dorje Chang Buddha, and it is a heinous crime! To remove the Refuge Altar is to blaspheme all Buddhas, in simple terms, it is a greater sin than cursing at the face of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The extent of this great sin is something you can think about. Even if you want to make offerings to Shakyamuni Buddha's image, you cannot remove the original images of Samantabhadra Tathagata and Dorje Chang Buddha. Moreover, Samantabhadra Tathagata and Dorje Chang Buddha must be placed on top of Shakyamuni Buddha's image, because all Buddhas come from Samantabhadra Tathagata and Dorje Chang Buddha. Therefore, Dorje Chang Buddha is also called the Primordial Buddha, the father of all Buddhas. Anyone who dares to insult the teacher of all Buddhas will surely receive eternal evil retribution in the Avici Hell!
However, it also depends on whether it is intentional blasphemy or ignorance, or if it is done with good intentions or due to physical and neurological illnesses, or if the Buddha hall is someone else's property and the owner needs to take it back, or if the altar for offering needs to be repaired or replaced with a better Buddha hall and altar. In addition, because it involves the Supreme Victorious Buddhas and the highest Vajras in the Refuge Altar, whether the altar for the Three Realms' Refuge Altar is consecrated, whether the ceremony of sending off the holy beings was conducted when the images were removed, and whether proper respect was paid after the removal, these are also the criteria for determining guilt or innocence. Committing such an unforgivable crime, unless Samantabhadra Tathagata and Dorje Chang Buddha personally forgive it, it cannot be explained away, because the Refuge Altar is the images of the two main Buddhas themselves.
As for the "Surangama Sutra," it cannot be compared to the "Heart Sutra." The "Heart Sutra" is the essence of all the sutras spoken by the Buddha, and it is listed as one of the top three sutras. However, it is difficult for ordinary people to comprehend its true meaning. Of course, it is best to study the "True Meaning of the Heart Sutra" by the Third Supreme Dharma King, as it explains the meaning of the Heart Sutra in plain language, including the true nature of Dharma, cultivation, Dharma body, precepts, and protection against demons. It is complete and easy to understand, the highest and most wonderful treasure. But the main benefit of the "Surangama Sutra" is to understand and counteract the fifty kinds of demonic hindrances. However, there are also corresponding serious drawbacks, often leading those who only have a superficial understanding to commit evil deeds. Many people who specialize in studying the "Surangama Sutra" commit the three evil paths of karma due to their incomplete understanding of the principles. The problem lies in not understanding the transformation of the mind king, mind object, and mind consciousness into the delusion of floating appearances, ignorance, and dust particles, and not truly understanding the profound meaning of the "Surangama Sutra." Most so-called experts in the "Surangama Sutra" only stand on the one-sided view that all phenomena are devoid of self-nature, not grasping or attaching to anything. If they encounter a superior realm, they will be influenced by evil spirits. Therefore, most of these so-called professionals commit crimes and fall into degeneration because they have misunderstood this profound meaning, and they regard all phenomena as false. This leads to falling into the view of annihilation. Once they fall into the view of annihilation, they regard all phenomena as illusory, and they simply believe that as long as they do not grasp, everything is a true superior realm. Little do they know that they have been controlled by the Surangama demons, so they regard the Buddha and Bodhisattvas in temples as useless clay, wood, and bronze statues. They believe that Buddha statues can be destroyed, temples can be demolished, and sutras can be burned. In extreme cases, they believe that they don't need to eat or wear clothes, as everything in the world is illusory. They believe that there is no such thing as cultivating merits and virtues, and they even view the supreme realm mentioned by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva as a demonic realm. They even reject all the teachings and practices mentioned by Shakyamuni Buddha in the sutras, believing that they can attain liberation by believing in the three kinds of wisdom and six kinds of supernatural powers of the Arhats. They even regard all the sacred realms and manifestations mentioned by Shakyamuni Buddha in the sutras as contradicting the Surangama Sutra and being influenced by evil spirits. Once they are influenced by superior realms, they fall into the view of annihilation. These people are completely trapped in the view of annihilation and will inevitably fall into the Avici Hell, suffering eternal retribution. Therefore, for over a thousand years, there have always been people who believe that the "Surangama Sutra" is not a sutra spoken by the Buddha. There is a lot of data available online to verify this.
The headquarters believes that it is possible to study the "Surangama Sutra," but it is very dangerous to study it with only a superficial understanding. If you want to avoid danger, the prerequisite for studying the "Surangama Sutra" is to understand the relationship between the mind king, mind object, and mind consciousness in the cessation and extinction of the eighteen kinds of consciousness, and to grasp the discernment and analysis, and to investigate and discern knowledge and views. Only by holding onto the right view can one study the "Surangama Sutra" without falling into the fear of having only two extremes. As the Yongjia Zen Master said in the Song of Realization: "Cultivation is afraid of falling into the pit of annihilation." Only then can one avoid falling into the view of annihilation and denying the reality of cause and effect. Only then can one avoid mistaking the false for the real and regarding the real as illusory. Only then can one avoid treating the arrival of Amitabha Buddha as a demonic obstacle and refusing to accept the offering of the alms bowl, thus committing the crime of slandering the Dharma and defaming the sutras, and sinking into the emptiness of reality, where good and evil are equal and illusory, causing one to fall into sin. Because you are still an ordinary person and have not attained the true nature of the Dharma body, if you do not eat or drink, you will starve to death. If you do not seek medical treatment for an illness, the illness will worsen. If you regard good and evil as the same, you will still receive karmic retribution for doing evil deeds. If you fall into the view of annihilation, you will fall into the Avici Hell. This is the dangerous drawback!
Why did Shakyamuni Buddha speak of the eighty-four thousand Dharma doors, the vast collection of the Tripitaka, and the essential teachings of cultivation and practice? Why didn't he use just one sutra, the Surangama Sutra, to resolve the various delusions of sentient beings? On the contrary, the Buddha presented a large number of sutras and clearly stipulated the need to delve deep into the sutras in order to attain wisdom as vast as the ocean. The reason is that the Buddha was concerned that sentient beings would fall into the extremes of annihilation and permanence due to their lack of understanding of the correct principles. Therefore, it is not the "Surangama Sutra," nor is it simply relying on entering into the clear mind and seeing one's true nature to prevent the arising of demonic obstacles, that can solve the achievement of great matters. Not only will it not achieve anything, but it will instead lead to the madness of the view of annihilation and wisdom demons, and ultimately fall into the Avici Hell. To achieve success, one must understand the principles of the Dharma, cultivate, study the Dharma, and observe precepts. None of these can be lacking. Otherwise, if one has a superficial or incomplete understanding of the "Surangama Sutra," without understanding the empty nature of the mind and form, the discernment and analysis of the eighteen kinds of consciousness, one will not only fail to attain liberation, but will also create negative karma and fall into evil retribution.
World Buddhist Headquarters
May 28, 2017