The secret on Padmakumara

By Living Buddha Lian-sheng. (page 2, True Buddha News, 118 issue, November 15-30, 1996) Translated by Yuan Zheng Tang. Let me begin with a verse: With a pure body, nothing arises, Nothing is more, and nothing is less, The difference between Dharma realms lies in gain and attachment, Padmakumara is his pseudonym.Having attained Buddhahood, I sit quietly in meditative stabilization. My body is the same as that of Buddhas of past, present and future lives - while my self-nature is illuminating. Entering into the "Seed senses" of Padmakumara, I feel like a cloud flying in the sky and a fish swimming at the bottom of the sea. Within seconds, a story begins to unfold : I see a myriad of sun rays shining at the palace of Heavenly kings, a purple fire burning in front of the Dharma Protector Hall. And Four Heavenly kings, three thousand "Kate", twelve celestial orbs and eighteen Sanghagara (Guardian spirits of a monastery) stood guard outside the Great Dharma Hall - a place which only those who can get rid of their affinity can reach. Inside the hall, thirty five Buddhas were having a secret discussion. The first Buddha was Shakyamuni Buddha and the last was "Bao Lian Hua Shan Zhu Bo Lo Shu Wang" Buddha. Let us skip the long proceedings of the meeting, and come to its conclusion. The main agenda - Many people have committed the five boundless actions, a great Buddha must be nominated to descend to the Samsara world to succor all the sentient beings. The decision reached - Amitabha Buddha of the Western Pure Land who is considered well-received by the Samsara world should be entrusted with the mission. "Xian Wu Yu" Buddha remarked : "That will not work ! Amitabha Buddha won't do !" "Why not ?" asked Shakyamuni Buddha. "Xian Wu Yu" Buddha explained : "All the cultivators recite the name of Amitabha Buddha all the time. If he really descends to the Samsara world. Many will consider him to be a fake. Hence before he can propagate, he will have to enter into nirvana. That is why I have doubts about this proposal. On hearing this, "Shan Yu Po" Buddha sighed loudly and asked : "Then, what can we do ?" Shakyamuni Buddha suggested : "Why don't we let him use Padmakumara as a pseudonym?" All the thirty four Buddhas nodded their heads and approved the suggestion. One of the Buddhas by the name of "Wu Yu De" asked : "What kind of Dharma must he propagate ?" "Jing Jin Jun" Buddha replied : "In the past, Shakyamuni Buddha used Tantrayana to teach Sutrayana, and now, I suggest, Amitabha Buddha should use Sutrayana to teach Tantrayana. Then Sutrayana and Tantrayana will complement each other." All the thirty five Buddhas were happy to hear this.

The top secret files

This resolution was classified as "Top secret" and filed. Even Buddhas are not supposed to divulge it. I had to keep mum from twenty five years old to fifty two years old. And now the time is ripe for me to unveil Padmakumara ! In this article, first let me clear a few doubts.As the founder of Western Pure Land has descended to this Samsara world, is there another Amitabha Buddha in the heaven ? Those who have some knowledge on Buddhism will be able to answer this . All the Buddhas have three bodies (Trikaya) known as Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya. Amitabha Buddha in the Western Pure Land is himself a Sambhogakaya. His Dharmakaya is Mahavairocana. Amitabha Buddha is the reincarnated body of wisdom of discrimination - one of the five wisdom that a Buddha will have. And Lu Sheng Yen is one of the many Nirmanakaya of him. This is how Buddhism explains the Trikaya: When a moon appears in the sky, we can see it's reflection in the lake and river. Therefore, "there will be one thousand moons, if we are looking at one thousand rivers." The moon in the sky can be used to represent Amitabha Buddha's Sambhogakaya. And the moon we see in the river is Lu Sheng Yen, one of the Nirmanakaya of Amitabha Buddha. Having said that, we can consider Living Buddha Lian Sheng's lineage. Before this announcement it was : Mahavairocana - Buddha-eye Mother of all Buddhas - Padmakumara - Lu Sheng Yen. And now it is modified as : Mahavairocana - Buddha-eye Mother of all Buddhas - Amitabha Buddha - Lu Sheng Yen. Padmakumara is the de facto Amitabha Buddha. The second point I want to clarify : When Shakyamuni Buddha reaffirmed my Buddhahood, the title he gave me was "Flower Light Self-mastery Buddha." It had nothing to do with Amitabha Buddha, was there any special reason ? This is my explanation. Some details on this encounter were purposely omitted, although many of my disciples had heard them in my Dharma talks. At the Shakyamuni Buddha wrote the title as "Da Guang Zi Zai Fo" (Great Light Self-mastery Buddha). I disapproved it .(As the time was not right .) Then he wrote "Flower Light Self-mastery Buddha!" I nodded my head to accept it. By coincidence, in the future, Sariputra's Buddhahood will be reaffirmed by this Buddha. "Da Guang Zi Zai Fo" is closely related to Amitabha Buddha. It is said in Amitabha Sutra : "As Amitabha Buddha radiates the brightest light, he is also known as "Wu Liang Guang"(Unlimited light), "Wu Bian Guang"(Light without boundary),"Wu Ai Guang "(Light without hindrance), "Wu Dui Guang"(Light without comparison),Yan Wang Guang (Light of Fire King), "Qing Jing Guang"(clear light), "Xi Huan Guang"(Light of joy), "Zhi Hui Guang"(Light of wisdom), "Bu Duan Guang" (Uninterrupted light), "Nan Si Guang"(Difficult to imagine Light), "Chao Ri Ye Guang"(Surpass the moon and Sun light). The above-mentioned twelve Buddhas are collectively known as "Da Guang Zi Zai Fo". It is also mentioned in the Amitabha Buddha Sutra : "Sariputra, the Buddhas in the Western World are Amitabha Buddha, Wu Liang Xiang Buddha, Wu Liang Zhuan Buddha, Da Guang Buddha, Da Ming Buddha, Bao Xiang Buddha, and Jing Guang Buddha." "Da Guang", a manifested Buddha of Amitabha , is the abbreviation of "Da Guang Zi Zai Buddha." Let us read a hymn on Amitabha Buddha: Amitabha Buddha, His body is made of gold, He looks good and is full of clear lights that no one can rival, His eyes are as clear as the waters from the four seas, After the gyration of his clear lights, Many million Buddhas are born, So are countless of Bodhisattvas. Making 48 vows to succor sentient beings, Who are born into nine different grades of divine beings. In the one hundred and twenty spiritual books I wrote, Amitabha Buddha is used as metaphor in many instances. "Western Pure Land, Maha Twin Lotus Pond, Great White Padmakumara." "Namo 36,000,000,119,500 Amitabha Buddhas of the same name and title." The personal deity I enshrined is Amitabha Buddha. And the first image I brought from Taiwan is Amitabha Buddha. Lastly the three images I respect most are :Jade Pond Golden Mother, Amitabha Buddha, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. I am fully aware of the "top secret" file. As the time was not right, I had to keep it as a secret for twenty seven years. This is really unbearable- there are so many rumors about me going on. Today, I have the pleasure to unveil the true identities of "Padmakumara and Three-Mountain-Nine-Marquis" to the whole world!

The righteous Dharma was invaded by Maras

At the age of 25, my Deva-eyes were initiated; and Three-Mountain-Nine-Marquis become my spiritual teacher. Unpolished, I innocently revealed that I was the reincarnated body of Padmakumara.Two Chinese sayings matched my nemesis. "Wrong speeches will only make others angry." "When agitated, people will harbor ill-will and be emotionally aroused." In the heaven realm: A spiritual war was waged, as a result I had to face all kinds of obstacles in my cultivation. In the Samsara world: The situation was even worse. People from cultural, religious, and political circles joined force to encircle and suppress me. There were many instances of groundless accusations. When I was in deep trouble, miracles always happened. Some one will give me a helping hand, and turn ill luck into good. Once in my deep meditation - An old Mara wanted to chop off my head with a sharp sword. At that critical moment, a gold head appeared on top of my head, to block the sword, and there was a loud noise after the collision. It was "Golden Head Kate" who came to my rescue. Failing to kill me, the old Mara quickly ran away. "Golden Head Kate", shook his body, and rode an auspicious cloud to go after him. I learnt to have meditative stabilization: Clear is the mind when nothing is in it, No thoughts arise when all is quiet and still. Restless and whimsical mind must be tightly controlled, Tread cautiously and never be in the lime light. Eradicate the six gunas and fully understand the three vehicles (of Buddhism), Forget about the affinity, the self nature becomes evident. In the region of reality, all the evil and material worlds have ceased, Enjoy the spiritual fruit at the Western Pure Land. Let us ponder over this. Just by saying I am the reincarnated body of Padmakumara, I almost lost my life. If I have said I am the reincarnated body of Amitabha Buddha, what would happen ? Probably I will be drowned by the saliva spit by the many reverends and high monks. Many people may not believe that the righteous Dharma can be invaded by the Maras. Why not ? Think about it. During cultural revolution, the communists advocated "Eradication of four old-wrongs." Many temples were destroyed, the limbs of Buddha and Bodhisattva images were removed. Words such as "Old monster", " Superstition" , and "Bring calamity to the country and people" were pasted on the images. Many monks and nuns were forced to renounce their monastic life. In the process, many important Buddhist documents were burned. This was a great disaster in Chinese history, even temples at the remote areas were not spared. I have been to Mainland China once. I was told : "Luckily, there were a few educated people, who used the pretext of preserving "important documents" to hide these historical items, Buddha images, and Sutras in remote areas . Hence they were not destroyed . The cultural revolution was really pitiful !" My observation showed that the tragedy was not the fault of Jiang Qing or the gang of four. Mara was the big wig behind them. They had to take instructions from the Isvara heaven; and Mara was the real culprit who caused this tragedy. I considered this : "The righteous Dharma was invaded by Maras", as Maras were seizing the opportunity to destroy Buddhism. The consciousness that Mara sprayed into the space is really powerful. This public consciousness so formed can incite people to go mad. I can still recall I had a debate with the Mara King in the heaven realm - Mara King said : "I shall enter into the minds of your relatives and your disciples, and make sure that they will betray you. And your succoring mission will fail. I shall enter into the minds of your teachers, so that they will disown you." I replied : "By giving all kinds of alms, I am able to maintain my Bodhi heart." "If you said so, then let it be tested," Mara King said. "Using meditative stabilization and wisdom as wings, I am able to fly in the space . I will return to Maha Twin Lotus Pond eventually." I said affirmatively to the Mara King. Surely I know, it is my fate that my teacher will disown me, my disciples betray me, and my relatives turn their backs on me. I used "immeasurable alms-giving" and "immeasurable kindness" to preserve my Bodhi heart. I assumed the identity of "Trailokya-Vijaya-Raja" to step on the evil couples from the Isvara heaven. There are three images of "Trailokya-Vijaya-Raja" in the Garbhadhatu. The first one is in the court of Vajrapani, the second one in the court of Acala and the third one in the court of Ksitigarbha . These three Rajas are considered Mara busters. In other words, I am able to enter into their Samadhi!

The Karmic affinity of Padmakumara

Padmakumara is Amitabha Buddha !You can find the following splendors in Maha Twin Lotus Pond too : Seven layers of barriers, Seven rows of trees lining the ways, Seven treasure ponds, Eight meritorious waters, Divine music playing all the time, The floors are tiled with gold, Treasures hanging on the trees, Endless rays of brightness Longevity ........ The three main characters in Amitabha Sutra: Preacher : Shakyamuni Buddha Listener: Sariputra Main Cast : Amitabha Buddha Taking these three main characters in Amitabha Sutra and comparing them with the previous lives of Living Buddha , the implication will be very clear. Padmakumara - Amitabha Buddha Sariputra - Lu Sheng Yen Three-Mountain - Shakyamuni Buddha (Trikaya) Nine-Marquis - Five Buddhas and four Bodhisattvas. If we use the past lives to explain it , then it is nothing unusual for Lu Sheng Yen to have received empowerments from Shakyamuni Buddha and the five Buddhas and four Bodhisattvas of the Garbhadhatu. This karmic affinity is a logical explanation. And now, I (Living Buddha Lian Sheng) have more than four million disciples, thirty-odd Lei Zang Si, and three hundred over chapters worldwide. I have also written 120 spiritual books. My Dharma talks and discourses have been compiled into numerous books and video tapes. There are reasons for this. I know it very well. Those who had luminous background in the past will have to shoulder a greater responsibility in propagation this life. Why must I propagate ? Let me write a verse ! Triple gem is lofty, and we honor the path, Four saints and six ordinary rebirth, all I criticize, My mind is enlightened, and I fully comprehend all the Dharma on earth and in heaven, Self nature emerges, I come to pass the wisdom lamp. Frankly speaking, without high aspiration, I did not shine when I was young. As I liked to write, I wanted to be a poet, a writer, or a news reporter in high school. I learned surveying in the university, and stayed on as engineer for more than a decade. While working, my life took a drastic change, I had an affinity to learn about Taoism and Buddhism. I have never looked back even since. After indulging myself in the Sutras, I found they contained the essence of life, the key to life, and the value of life. I have no regrets dedicating my life to this cause. I know for sure that it is only a matter of time, that my unusual identity, affinity, and spiritual attainment will come to light.

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