November 3, 2019, White Padmakumara Homa Ceremony in Malaysia
[TBS News]

On the afternoon of November 3, 2019, the White Padmakumara Homa Ceremony was successfully held at Malaysia's True Buddha Pinghe Nursing Home's Benran Education Building. This ceremony was organized by True Buddha Foundation (TBF) with the Federation of True Buddha School Malaysia.

TBF's Inspection & Disciplinary Head, Master Lianseng, presided over the ceremony. The other TBF Heads, together with other Masters, reverends, and believers from all over the world, went to Malaysia to lend their support to the ceremony. The homa offerings were varied and abundant, and they resembled creative pieces of artwork. Such meticulous and creative offerings came from the bottom of everyone's sincere heart. It was a touching sight to behold.

After the successful completion of the Homa ceremony, Master Lianseng thanked the TBF and the Federation of True Buddha School Malaysia for this extraordinary affinity to connect with everyone. Before coming to the ceremony, Master Lianseng was instructed by Grandmaster to send his regards to everyone on his behalf. In addition, Grandmaster gave Master Lianseng an emblem to use for empowerment of blessings at the ceremony -- the Vajra Sarira. Master Lianseng had asked Grandmaster what special visualization was required. Grandmaster's instructions were: visualize five-color lights to represent Calamity Eradication, Enrichment, Magnetization, Subjugation and Treasure. If one wishes for respect and harmony, and even family harmony, visualize red light; to eradicate disasters, visualize white light; to seek fortune, visualize yellow light and so on.

Master Lianseng then expounded on how to cultivate for blessings. Typically, the five kinds of blessings that most people seek are longevity, peace, fame, merit, and death with grandiosity. For the latter, just before a person's death, various preparations such as decorated hearses, wreaths, and funeral send-off logistics are done. However, do these five kinds of blessings bring about happiness?

In fact, Master Lianseng said, the real wealth is in being contented and at peace with oneself. Generally speaking, rich people are afraid of having insufficient money, and they are scared of being murdered. They are always uneasy.

Elsewhere, some people are sick and they are unable to die even if they wish to. Some want longevity but they are stricken with illnesses. Living becomes tedious. However, as one goes through life experiences, one will learn to be contented. If one remains non-contented, one continues to be unsatisfied, even if one were to stay in a five-star hotel daily. One just needs to change one's mindset, and one will feel contentment immediately.

The second kind of blessings is longevity. How do we live longer and what is the definition of longevity in Buddhism? Grandmaster once said, if one could "shine" in society, or if one could contribute to religious sects and to others, people would remember one in the depths of their hearts. The longer the masses remember a person, the longer he or she will live. Although Sakyamuni Buddha's physical body is no longer here today, we still remember the Buddha's benevolence even after more than 2,900 years. This is the Buddha's longevity. Therefore, longevity is about living with meaning. This is the real longevity. It is up to a person to live with meaning and altruism; only then, can he or she live in the hearts of all beings.

In addition, Master Lianseng reminded everyone that observing one’s mind is very important. The third kind of blessings is peace, the dharma of tranquillity. One must always observe one's thoughts and know when to transform one's emotions. Typically, the moment one gains blessings in this samsaric world, the next thing that happens is that one will fear losing them. Hence the blessings in this samsaric world are not true blessings. The kind of blessings that Grandmaster taught us is the dharma of tranquility and that’s the real kind of blessings. The dharma of tranquility teaches one how to bring solace to one’s heart, and to disallow circumstances from leading one by the nose – one should be controlling the circumstances instead. Whether the mind can rest on tranquility depends on oneself.

Next, Master Lianseng talked about fame. In this samsaric world, it is easy to get fame. All one needs to do is to donate money and one gets fame instantly. According to Buddhism’s Threefold Wheel of Essential Emptiness, when one performs a meritorious deed, one must forget about it -- there is no one doing the deed, nor is there anyone receiving the gift from the deed. Do not have expectations or anticipations of reciprocation. One's actions should be as natural as when we have our daily meals; one does not purposely count the number of grains that are consumed. Only with such a non-materialistic mindset can the greatest merit exist.

One year ago, at the Luo Tian ceremony in Oakland, Master Lianseng felt a sense of joy upon seeing the group effort of the entire sect. All the world’s chapters -- from Taiwan Lei Tsang Temple to True Buddha School (TBS) Vajrayana Association of R.O.C -- came together to lend support to the ceremony. The genuineness was contagious, and it was very heartening to see everyone viewing this ceremony as belonging to the sect, and not just to Vijaya Temple; hence the money offerings from this ceremony were all donated out. Master pointed out, this time in Malaysia, he also saw the same cohesiveness in spirit. The great teamwork left him with much gratitude from the bottom of his heart.

This “Ceremony of Offerings to the Sangha” is a collaboration between TBF and the Federation of True Buddha School Malaysia; the offerings received from the main supplicants would be given to TBF. Master Lianseng would like to thank the long-term support from the Federation of True Buddha School Malaysia to TBS and TBF.

Last but not least, there are also blessings upon death. Grandmaster is Amitabha. One must always think of Grandmaster and constantly chant the Padmakumara mantra. At the point of death, one must think of Grandmaster too, for Grandmaster will honor his vow to come and fetch one to the Buddha Pure Land. This is a kind of true blessings. It is much better than adorning a hearse lavishly.

When one becomes rich or famous, one will likely be bound [by wealth or fame] and cannot have self-mastery. When one is in control and possesses self-mastery, one has true blessings. This is not about hankering after the so-called blessings obtainable from a pompous or glitzy lifestyle.

The five types of real blessings are therefore: being self-contented, being beneficial to others, being in a state of doing-something-without-expectation, being in possession of the dharma of tranquility; and always thinking of the Root Guru and Yidam so that they will bring one to the Buddha Pure Land. Master Lianseng hopes everyone will attain the fruition of the "Vajra of Great Blessings" in the future. Together, everyone can go to the Maha Twin Lotus Pond.

After his interpretation of the cultivation of the five kinds of blessings, Master Lianseng bestowed the refuge-taking initiation on behalf of the Root Guru. He used our Root Guru’s lineage emblem, the Vajra Sarira, to confer the empowerment of blessings. The ceremony ended in an atmosphere of joy. This also marked the end of TBF’s week-long activities in dharma propagation in Malaysia. Next, the TBF will be holding a big event from 21 to 23 November in Indonesia. We hope to get the great support of everyone at the Kalachakra and Hevajra Ceremony at Borobudur!

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