Gratitude brings peace to the heart. In life, people often focus on what is missing, what is difficult, or what has not gone according to plan.
In life, people often focus on what is missing, what is difficult, or what has not gone according to plan.
But when we learn to be grateful, our perspective begins to change. We become less burdened by dissatisfaction and more aware of the blessings already present in our lives.
Gratitude is not merely a polite feeling. It is a form of inner cultivation. When we appreciate the kindness of others, the support we have received, and the opportunities to learn through hardship, our hearts naturally become softer and more peaceful.
In the teachings of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, true cultivation is reflected in how we transform our minds and conduct ourselves in daily life. A grateful heart helps us reduce arrogance, complaint, and resentment, and allows humility and kindness to grow.
When we live with gratitude, we do not take life for granted. We become more mindful of every condition that supports us, and more willing to repay kindness through good thoughts, good words, and good actions.
Let us begin today by giving thanks sincerely, living more humbly, and cherishing each day with a grateful heart.
My family name is Chen. I live in Chiayi, Taiwan. Recently, I have heard about some stories of people cruelly killing animals and then encountering horrible retributions. I have no way to forget them from my memory. Therefore, I wanted very much to put these incidents into writing, to cause people in the world to raise their vigilance.
The first one was told recently by a friend of mine living in Sihu. It was about a deceased old farmer who was his next-door neighbor. While he was alive and making living from farming in the past, he often spread his harvested grains in his yard to dry under the sun. Sometimes, chickens and ducks of his neighbors came to eat the grains. This farmer was very furious to see that and immediately used a bamboo stick to expel them. However, the chickens and ducks still came to steal the food when he was not around. Due to his anger, this neighbor used a big fishing net to catch the chickens and ducks which stole food. Whenever he caught any of them, this farmer would break one leg of each of them by brutal force. Thus, those chickens and ducks would be in a miserable state of unable to walk. Since he was using such cruel means, many people tried to persuade him not to crucify animals in this way. However, he was still stubbornly indifferent and continued his acts. No one could have imagined that a few years later, this farmer was suddenly no longer able to walk. His two feet started to swell and then the muscles began to putrefy. The tremendous pain that he was experiencing often caused him to scream miserably. Although he looked for treatment everywhere and even tried to seek help from divination and other alternatives of spiritual power, there seemed to be no effect from any of these. He suffered in such torment for six years or more before he passed away.
According to many neighbors, during the last several months of his life, the farmer often shouted while on his sickbed, “Shoo! Shoo!” Meanwhile, his hands were also making the movement of pushing animals away. When people asked what he was doing, he said that he “saw” a group of chickens and ducks with broken legs coming and surrounding him. Moreover, each of them used its sharp and hard beak to hit and bite his legs, causing the skin and muscle on his legs to break and bleed and bringing him tremendous pain. That was why he had to often wave his hands and shout loudly to try to get rid of them. Unfortunately, such efforts were all futile and useless. Not long after, this farmer ended his miserable life under the torment of such pain and suffering.
In our world, Buddhism can be divided into Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana based upon the differing aspirations behind cultivation as well as the magnitude and speed of accomplishment in the dharma. Further divisions can be made based upon sects or schools. Tibetan esoteric Buddhism can be divided into twelve sects, such as Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, Geluk, and Jonang sects. There are also many branch sects. Within Buddhism there is also esoteric Buddhism taught by Sakyamuni Buddha contained in the Tripitaka, the Shingon sect, and exoteric Buddhism, which includes Zen Buddhism, the Pure Land school, and the Vinaya school, and many other schools.
However, whether it is Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana, or any of the aforementioned sects or schools, they have all received their lineage from Dorje Chang Buddha. With respect to all of Buddhism in the dharma realm, Dorje Chang Buddha is the true primordial ancestor with form. Without Dorje Chang Buddha, there would be no Buddhism, no Buddha-dharma, no Buddhist studies, no Buddhas, no Bodhisattvas, no dharma kings, no rinpoches, no dharma teachers, and no Buddhists. There would only be the concept of the absolute truth of the universe that is not born and does not perish. This is the formless dharmakaya Buddha known as Samantabhadra Tathagata or Adharma Buddha. The dharmakaya has no form. It has no sound and does not speak. This dhamakaya is called Buddha-nature, which is not Buddhism. It abides in perfect stillness. With the dharmakaya, there is no subject who can expound the dharma.
The dharmakaya of Samantabhadra Tathagata generated the sambhogakaya Dorje Chang Buddha with form. Dorje Chang Buddha originated Buddhism in the dharmadhatu and began to spread the teachings of Buddhism in the three spheres of existence. Dorje Chang Buddha has come to this world twice. The first time was in the form of the holy and venerable Vimalakirti, who was Dorje Chang Buddha II. The second time was in the form of H.H. Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu, who is Dorje Chang Buddha III. The original leader of all of the sects within all of Buddhism, whether esoteric or exoteric, is Dorje Chang Buddha. No matter what Buddha dharma it may be, it was originally transmitted by Dorje Chang Buddha because Dorje Chang Buddha is the only primordial ancestor of Buddhism. Dorje Chang Buddha transformed into the ancient Buddha Dipankara, Vajrasattva, and others. The ancient Buddha Dipankara taught dharma to Sakyamuni Buddha. Sakyamuni Buddha was the first to teach the dharma in the earthly realm. However, the source of all Buddha-dharma is the original ancestor of Buddhism, Dorje Chang Buddha. If you cross-reference the names and numbers on the list with the numbers on the lineage refuge tree, you will have a rough understanding of this. Thus, the three primordial Buddhas in the dharmadhatu are called dharmakaya-Buddha Samantabhadra Tathagata ( Adi Buddha aka Adharma Buddha), sambhogakaya-Buddha Dorje Chang Buddha (Buddha Vajradhara), and the nirmanakaya Vajrasattva.
For more than two thousand years, different Buddhist sects have mixed together and have originated from one another. Patriarchs have taught dharma to one another and have learned from one another during these more than two thousand years. This has caused the network of lineages within all of Buddhism to become extremely large and complex. Such a lineage refuge tree surely cannot be clearly depicted in just a few pages. Because of space limitations, it was not possible to include in this lineage refuge tree all of the Buddhist sects, all of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and all of the great patriarchs. Thus, this lineage refuge tree only includes a few percent of them in a representative capacity. Nonetheless, everything stated above regarding lineages is accurate and unbiased. International Buddhism Sangha Association
I established a Buddhist altar at my home in Thailand on January 16, 2005. On that day, a fellow-disciple brought me a small glass bottle containing several individual strands of the hair sariras of my Buddha Master, Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu Holiest Tathagata. Each hair was roughly one centimeter long. I respectfully placed a blue semi-precious stone inside the bottle and set the bottle onto my altar.
A few months later, I decided to replace the glass bottle with a Venetian crystal bottle. When I opened the glass bottle, I noticed that the originally short hairs were longer than before. Although I was taken aback, I did not think much of it at first. However, the hairs continued to grow, and recently the difference has become unmistakable. Some of the hairs have grown as much as five or six times their original length and now are five or six centimeters long. Some hairs were pinned down on both ends by the stone, and their middle section had grown into a loop. How truly amazing!
From a scientific point of view, hair cells die upon being cut. How could short severed hairs continue to grow? Let the continuing growth of the hairs strengthen our conviction. This is a genuine manifestation of the power of the Buddha-dharma!
Buddhist disciple,
Shu-Hui Chen
(This is a complete translation of the Chinese text that follows originally written and signed by Shu-Hui Chen.)
Photo Courtesy: Joyce Lee (Holy Miracles Temple and Sanger Mission donated pet food and care supplies to the animals at the Lange Foundation)
During the 15-day Lunar New Year celebration characterized by familial reunions and time-honored rituals, Holy Miracles Temple in Pasadena and Jen Chen Buddhism Sanger Mission organized the charity campaign “Charitable Acts to Benefit Our Community Together.” This long-running initiative partners the temple with local non-profit organizations to promote and distribute the donation of goods, bringing warmth and hope to those in need.
The Holy Miracles Temple upholds the teachings of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, by cultivating the Four Immeasurable Minds – kindness, compassion, joy, and almsgiving. The Temple extends the compassionate embrace beyond its halls, spearheading an initiative to collect essential provisions for the less fortunate. The donation drive focused on clients of local non-profits. Devotees and volunteers worked throughout the Lunar New Year Festival to gather donations for people and animals in need.
Photo Courtesy: Joyce Lee (Holy Miracles Temple and Sanger Mission donated personal care supplies, baby diapers, and other essential materials to Elizabeth House, an organization dedicated to supporting pregnant women and mothers)
Collected items included high-protein foods (meat, legumes, dairy), non-perishable goods (rice, flour, canned foods), children’s and infant products (diapers, formula milk), as well as hygiene products (soap, toothpaste, toilet paper). All goods were donated to three organizations in nearby communities: the Lange Foundation, Friends In Deed, and Elizabeth House.
Tim Nistler, the Program Director for the Friends In Deed Food Pantry, expressed deep gratitude for the donation drive initiated by Holy Miracles Temple and Sanger Mission. Friends In Deed Food Pantry currently provides food to about 700 households weekly. They could not carry out this relief work without the communities’ support. With the motto ‘Together we can do what we cannot do alone,’ the organization notes that its core values align with the Buddhist principles of compassion and altruism.
Photo Courtesy: Joyce Lee (Tim Nistler, the Program Director for the Friends In Deed Food Pantry, expressed deep gratitude for the donation drive initiated by Holy Miracles Temple and Sanger Mission for three consecutive years.)
Megan Fenner, the executive director for Lange Foundation, a non-profit animal rescue, explained that the Foundation rescues animals that require medical care and are less likely to be adopted from the city shelters. She said that they were extremely grateful to receive a substantial donation from Holy Miracles Temple and Sanger Mission.
Terry Bright, the Interim Executive for Elizabeth House, also thanked the Temple and Mission for the donations of personal care items, diapers, and other supplements. Having served the San Gabriel Valley for 30 years, Elizebeth House supports pregnant women aged 18 and over — many with children 5 and under — providing care from pregnancy through 4 months postpartum and helping them transition to more independent living or transitional housing. On behalf of the organization, Terry expressed sincere appreciation to everyone who chose Elizabeth House to receive these donations.
Holy Miracles Temple propagates the teachings of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, wishing that all sentient beings will be liberated from suffering. Temple representatives stated that Buddhists cultivate compassion by helping others. The Temple has been active in community public welfare through partnerships with various local organizations. Its ongoing charitable activities not only provide substantial aid but also demonstrate the power of cross-sector cooperation, inspiring more people to care for society and bring greater warmth, hope, and peace to the world.
頂禮 H.H. 第三世多杰羌佛-- 正教 