Explanation of the "Third Generation Dorje Chang Buddha" Buddhist Title#
On April 3, 2008, the book "The Third Generation Dorje Chang Buddha" published by the Global Buddhist Publishing House and the World Dharma Sound Publishing House held a solemn and grand launching ceremony at the Library of Congress in the United States. The Library of Congress officially collected this book, and people then learned that the highly respected Master Yi Yun Gao, Yang E Yi Xi Nu Bu Dafawang, who has been respected by everyone, has been recognized by the leaders or regents, and the great living Buddhas of various major Buddhist sects in the world. It is the third generation incarnation of the Buddha Dorje Chang, and the Buddhist title is the Third Generation Dorje Chang Buddha. Since then, people have referred to him as "Namo Third Generation Dorje Chang Buddha". This is similar to the fact that before Shakyamuni Buddha became a Buddha, his name was Prince Siddhartha, but after Shakyamuni Buddha became a Buddha, he changed his name to "Namo Shakyamuni Buddha". Therefore, we now call him "Namo Third Generation Dorje Chang Buddha". Especially on December 12, 2012, the United States Senate Resolution No. 614 officially named the Third Generation Dorje Chang Buddha as His Holiness (H.H. Third Generation Dorje Chang Buddha). Since then, the title of Namo Third Generation Dorje Chang Buddha has been officially established. Moreover, the Third Generation Dorje Chang Buddha is also the name recognized by the government, and the previous titles of "Yi Yun Gao" and Master, Supreme Dharma King no longer exist. However, this news was published before the Buddhist title of Namo Third Generation Dorje Chang Buddha was announced. At that time, people did not yet know the true identity of the Buddha. Therefore, in order to respect the truth of history, we still retain the names used before the Buddhist title was officially established in the news. But everyone should be clear that except for the name of H.H. Third Generation Dorje Chang Buddha, which is legal, the names used before the official establishment no longer exist.
Pure Land Dharma: Seeing Amitabha Buddha, Lung Cancer Patient Passes Away Painlessly with Hand Seals#
Taipei Pacific Daily, June 10, 2003, Tuesday
[Reporter Su Jingrong / Los Angeles Report] On June 1, Buddhist disciple Hou Yushan peacefully passed away at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 73. His wife, Hou Li Qingqiu, witnessed Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and Guanyin Bodhisattva coming to the sky to guide her husband to the Pure Land. Before his death, Hou Yushan urged his wife to follow his teacher and learn Buddhism in this life.
Hou Li Qingqiu, a licensed Chinese medicine practitioner in California and the wife of Hou Yushan, spoke to more than 20 monastic monks who came to the house to perform rituals on the day of Hou Yushan's passing. She talked about Hou Yushan's study of Buddhism and the process of his passing:
Hou Yushan had been studying Buddhism for many years. Four years ago, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and suffered from long-term painful treatments. A year and a half ago, Hou Yushan and his wife went to the International Cultural Foundation of Yi Yun Gao to listen to the teachings of Master Yi Yun Gao on audio tapes. They were shocked to learn that such a profound Buddhist teaching existed in the world. After hearing the true Dharma, Hou Yushan had infinite respect for Master Yi and was wholeheartedly devoted. Since then, he participated in the foundation's group practice and never missed a single teaching by Master Yi. He also volunteered at the foundation all day. His colleagues at the foundation greatly admired him and advised him not to overwork himself at the foundation and to go home and rest. However, he said, "No, I am doing Buddhist work, which you cannot understand. I only hope to see Master Yun Gao as soon as possible."
In February of this year, Hou Yushan and his wife, Hou Li Qingqiu, were led by Lama Jangchub Rinpoche of the International Cultural Foundation of Yi Yun Gao in the United States to take refuge in Master Yi Yun Gao. When they saw the master, Hou Yushan and his wife were surprised to find that Master Yi was completely different from what they had imagined. They had imagined that Master Yi was unapproachable, but after seeing him, they realized that Master Yi was very approachable. They sincerely requested empowerment and teachings, and offered their savings as offerings. Master Yi, without even looking, said, "I cannot set a precedent by accepting your offerings." He politely declined. But without hesitation, Master Yi gave them empowerment and transmitted the teachings to them. After receiving the teachings, Hou Yushan diligently practiced and quickly reached a deep level. His cancer pain suddenly disappeared.
Hou Yushan's Only Wish: To Be Reborn in the Western Pure Land
On the day of the Buddha Bathing Festival in May, Hou Yushan and Hou Li Qingqiu met Master Yi Yun Gao again. Master Yi asked him what he wanted this time. Although Hou Yushan was terminally ill, he did not ask for relief from his illness. He respectfully and sincerely asked his Vajra Guru, Master Yi Yun Gao, "I don't want anything else. I just want to know how to be reborn in the Western Pure Land smoothly. This is my only wish." Master Yi told him, "Since that's the case, you need to change your practice. You need to switch to the Pure Land School's method of reciting the Buddha's name, chanting 'Namo Amitabha Buddha' with your mouth. But the most crucial thing is that I will teach you a secret hand seal for rebirth. Soon, you will be able to see the realm of Amitabha." Saying this, Master Yi compassionately called Hou Yushan to sit beside him and secretly transmitted the hand seal to him. Hou Yushan received the profound method of reciting the Buddha's name and was extremely excited and happy.
Master Yi Yun Gao Transmits the Dharma of Amitabha Buddha
Since receiving the transmission of the Dharma of Amitabha Buddha on the day of the Buddha Bathing Festival, Hou Li Qingqiu, who is a doctor, has seen golden light emitting from her husband's head and back at all times, composed of yellow and red colors, shining brightly and auspiciously. He no longer looked like a cancer patient! From that moment on, all the pain and symptoms of cancer disappeared. The pain, swelling, and even the morphine painkiller prescribed by the hospital were no longer needed. One day, he asked his daughter Lily, who works as an anesthetist in the hospital, "How does my complexion look, Dad?" His daughter replied, "Dad, your complexion is really good, you are in good spirits, you don't look like a patient." On the morning of May 25, Hou Yushan told his wife, "Last night, while I was practicing, I entered the Samadhi state and went to the Pure Land. The Pure Land is truly beautiful. The red color there is indescribably beautiful, as is the yellow color. I can't describe how beautiful the green color, purple color, and so on are to you." Hou Li Qingqiu asked, "Can you give me an example of how beautiful it is?" After thinking for a moment, Hou Yushan said, "The colors in the Pure Land are beyond comparison in this world. As for the scenery, do you remember when we were young and went to West Lake? The early morning at West Lake, the colorful scenery that appeared through the mist on the lake surface? The scenery in the Pure Land is much more beautiful than that, and the Buddha told me that he will come to take me in seven days and asked me to tell the world that the best Buddhist teachings are with our teacher. I have to tell people to learn Buddhism well."
Single-mindedly Reciting the Mantra: All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas Come to Guide
On May 31, Hou Yushan made all the arrangements for the affairs at home and left a message for his daughter, saying, "Don't blame your mother for anything she did in her life. But there is one thing you can criticize her for, and that is if your mother deviates from Buddhism and does not follow our Vajra Guru (Master Yi Yun Gao) when she is about to pass away, you must criticize and remind her to seriously practice Buddhism with our Yun Gao Guru and never regress." Then, he said to his wife, Hou Li Qingqiu, with great emphasis, "In your life, it doesn't matter if you do things right or wrong, but there is one thing you cannot get wrong, and that is to follow our Vajra Guru and practice Buddhism well. Only by following his teachings can you truly practice Buddhism." After finishing his final arrangements, Hou Yushan told his wife that he would pass away tonight and told her, "Tonight, you must be alert. At the moment of my passing, I am afraid of falling into a state of unconsciousness and entering a demonic realm. You must not sleep and must remind me to visualize the Vajra Guru above my head and visualize Amitabha Buddha above my head. Recite the mantra with single-mindedness." That night, in their seaside home, Hou Li Qingqiu had already foreseen that her husband, Hou Yushan, would be reborn in the Buddha's land. Therefore, she set four alarms at different times, each ringing every hour. Sure enough, at 6:15 a.m. on June 1, Hou Yushan's pulse slowed down, and his breathing became slow. Hou Li Qingqiu shook his bed and both of them continuously chanted, "Namo Vajra Guru! Namo Amitabha Buddha!" Hou Yushan performed the secret hand seal transmitted by Master Yun Gao. At this moment, Hou Li Qingqiu suddenly heard celestial music playing, and Hou Yushan's body emitted increasingly powerful golden light. She saw Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, and other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas appearing in the sky by the seaside. The light of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas merged with the light of Hou Yushan, becoming stronger and stronger. After about five minutes, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas disappeared, and the celestial music also disappeared. It was at this moment that she remembered to quickly feel Hou Yushan's pulse. Hou Yushan's pulse and heartbeat had already stopped.
Rebirth with Secret Hand Seals, Passing Away Without Pain
Zhang Tianyou, the president of the International Cultural Foundation of Yi Yun Gao in the United States, was the first to arrive at Hou Yushan's home after his passing. He saw Hou Yushan leaning on the bed, as if he were sleeping, with no signs of pain on his face, and his hands were still in the hand seal for rebirth. His expression was very peaceful. Master Longhui, the chairman of the International Buddhist Sangha Association and the abbot of Huazang Temple, was deeply moved by this and praised the greatness of Master Yi Yun Gao. She said that she often saw the pain of cancer patients at the end of their lives, especially lung cancer patients, which was indescribable. They couldn't even recognize people, let alone receive hand seals and recite the Buddha's name. However, the Pure Land recitation taught by Master Yi Yun Gao allowed a lung cancer patient to have such auspicious and magnificent golden light surrounding him in less than a month, with the pain and symptoms of the disease disappearing, and being personally guided by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to be reborn in the Pure Land. Such a great Dharma of the Tathagata cannot be described in words!
The night before his passing, Hou Yushan personally packed a gift and 5,000 yuan in gold and told his wife, "The teacher has never accepted offerings from me during my lifetime. Since I will pass away tonight, tomorrow you should take these offerings to the teacher and ask him to accept them." On June 1, Hou Li Qingqiu followed her husband's instructions and took the package of offerings to Master Yi Yun Gao. She knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, and earnestly pleaded with Master Yi Yun Gao to accept the offerings, loudly saying, "My highest and supreme Buddha Vajra Guru!" Master Yi told her, "You don't need to address me like that. I am not a Buddha or a Guru. I am just an ordinary practitioner like everyone else." Hou Li Qingqiu explained that this was Hou Yushan's testamentary offering. Master Yi said, "It seems that there is no other way. I can't refuse to accept it anymore." He had to accept the offerings and arranged for Hou Yushan's belongings to be displayed in the temple. They cannot be used for personal purposes. He also immediately took out $6,000 from his own living expenses and sent it to Hou Yushan's home as a burial subsidy, and informed the monks from two large temples to come and assist in accumulating merit.