WASHINGTON, June 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The World Peace Prize Awarding Council held a grand award ceremony on June 14, 2011 in the Gold Room at the U.S. Capitol to express our respect for the recipients of the 2010 World Peace Prize: H.H.Dorje Chang Buddha III, prominent leader of Buddhism in the world; Hon. Benjamin A. Gilman, former Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The ceremony, chaired by Dr. Han Min Su, founder of the World Peace Prize Awarding Council, was graced by the presence of Senator Mark Kirk, member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations; former Senator Steve Symms; Congresswoman Illeana Ros-Lehtinen, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States Congress; Congressman Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform; Congressman Steve Chabot, member of the U.S. House Committee on Judiciary; and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee, member of the Committee on Homeland Security; Congresswoman Corrine Brown, Chairwoman of the Transportation Subcommittee on Railroads. They all commented on the great achievements of the awardees, who have contributed tremendously to peace and enlightenment for humanity. This event, awarded for the 2010 recognition to those deserving recipients, is part of a continuing program by the World Peace Corps Mission to recognize the outstanding work of individuals who make major contributions for the establishment and maintenance of peace.
In view of some recent comments that the World Peace Prize Awarding Council has received from individuals and groups, expressing their misconceptions and misunderstanding. Our Council hereby issues this statement.
The co-founder of the World Peace Prize Awarding Council, Dr. Han Min Su, is a Christian leader from South Korea. The foundation of his entire life has been to preach Christianity and morality. He has spared no efforts in advancing world peace and furthering friendship and love among humankind. Wherever he goes, he is well respected within the international community as a minster of high moral character, a kind-hearted leader promoting inter-religious collaboration and world peace.
The Chief Judge of the World Peace Prize Awarding Council, Hon. Lester Wolff, is an experienced and distinguished statesman who has worked hard his entire life for world peace. His contributions to peace and development in Asian countries are especially remarkable. He is the author of the United States Congress “Taiwan Relations Act.” In 1978, he met with Deng Xiao-Ping, the Father of Modern China, and laid down the principles and foundation for diplomatic relations between the United States and China. At the same time, he successfully assured peace and development for both sides of the Taiwan Straits. He also introduced amendments to the White House sponsored Foreign Assistance Act of 1979 to restore the initiative for direct peace talks between Israel and the Arab States.
Dr. Suzi P. Leggett has been involved with politics and has worked in Congress over a long period of time. She has been the Chief of Staff of a former Speaker of the House. Her husband, the late Hon. Robert Leggett, was the co-founder of the World Peace Corps Mission, a legislator of great fairness, impartiality, and integrity. While in Congress, he served on the House Armed Services Committee and Budget Committee, and was Chairman of the Panama Canal Zone House Merchant Marine and Fishery Committee and co-chairman of the National Security Task Force.
H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, recipient of the 2010 World Peace Prize Top Honor Prize recipient, was recognized by more than 50 eminent dharma kings, regent dharma kings, and great rinpoches from major Buddhist sects around the world: H.H. Dharma King Dumu Qujie, the Root Master of the 17th Karmapa; H.E. Goshir Gyaltsab, a regent dharma king and national master; H.E. Sharmapa, a regent dharma king; H.H. Dharma King Trulshik, H.H. Taklung Tsetrul, and H.E. Chogye Trichen, all three of whom are Masters of the Dalai Lama; H.H. Dharma King Dodrupchen Thupten Trinle Palzang, H.H. Dharma King Penor, H.H. Dharma King Achuk, H.H. Dharma King Jigme Dorje, amongst others. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is the most widely recognized leader in the history of Buddhism.
In the past decade, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha has suffered greatly for withstanding long-term persecution for his religious activities. A member country of the Interpol has once requested the Interpol to issue a warrant for His arrest. The request was subsequently withdrawn voluntarily by this member country after some years. Upon thorough investigation, in October of 2008, the 72nd session of the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files withdrew the arrest warrant and the entire case against H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Interpol also issued a document stating in definite terms that the arrest warrant against H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has been cancelled and all of its member countries have been notified of the cancellation.
Although H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III long ago received official notification of the withdrawal of the arrest warrant and the removal of the entire case, He has never shown such documents to prove His innocence. Regardless of the slander He has endured, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III did not disclose such ironclad evidence. When the World Peace Prize Awarding Council found out, and asked H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha IIIabout this, He responded by saying that what He must do is bear all of the karmic offenses committed by living beings and give to living beings all of the good karma and merit that He has planted. He said that if He proved His innocence by showing those documents, then those who slandered Him would no longer be seen as innocent. Who, He asked, will bear their karmic offenses?
His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III is more than deserving of the Top Honor Prize as He exemplifies the nobility of selflessness; a model of morality for all to emulate. He also demonstrated how peace is often attained by determination, humility and the perseverance to advance its cause in the face of adversity.
Hon. Benjamin A. Gilman, also recipient of the World Peace Prize Top Honor Prize, is a distinguished statesman who served as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee for a long period of time. He is a life-long champion of human rights: fighting world hunger, narcotic abuse and trafficking. He has made many successful efforts to bring about “prisoner exchanges” which resulted in freedom of American citizens in East Germany, Mozambique, Cuba and several other countries. Congressman Gilman served 15 terms, a total of 30 years in the U.S. Congress. Prior to that, he served 6 years in the New York State Legislature as Assemblyman, and several years as Assistant Attorney General in the New York State Department of Law. While in Congress, he served as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and as Congressional delegate to the United Nations with title of Ambassador, and later the Ukrainian Famine Commission and Vice Chairman of the Committee on POW’s. Mr. Gilman has been a recipient of numerous honors including the President’s Certificate of Outstanding Achievement “for continued, demonstrated vision, initiative, and leadership in the effort to achieve a world without hunger” and has annually received the “Peace Through Strength” Award presented by the American Security Council.
The World Peace Prize Awarding Council operates according to the core spirit of advancing peace and justice and inter-religious collaborations. The Council is led by co-founder and executive judge Dr. Han Min Su with esteemed members including Chief Judge Hon. Lester Wolff, former Chairman of the United States Congress Asian Affairs Committee; Dr. Suzi P. Leggett, advisor to one of the former Speaker of the United States Congress; Hon Asher Naim, former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations; Hon. Bhupatry M. Oza, former Ambassador of India; Hon. Peter Lewis, former Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly; Dr. Kong Shiu-Loon, former advisor to the UNESCO; General Gennady P. Turmov, retired General of Russia.
Preaching and promoting peace is an arduous and sometimes thankless task. Those in the vanguard continue to become targets of others who lurk in the darkness to attack the peacemaker and attempt to undermine their efforts. That is why we established the World Peace Prize, to encourage continuing efforts towards peace and to defend the Peacemaker against scurrilous diatribes that put into question the motivation of well meaning and dedicated individuals.
Five Key Points about the Buddhist Spiritual Leader
Buddhism is among the largest religions in this world. The original founder of Buddhism and the religion’s highest spiritual leader in the universe is Dorje Chang Buddha. He is worshiped by all major sects and schools of Buddhism as the earliest primordial Buddha.
Buddhists belong to a religious belief that understands the universe’s nature of no-birth and no-annihilation and human beings’ original nature of true such-ness are one and the same. They believe in the cycle of transmigration driven by the law of cause and effect. They believe that after one’s biological death, the spirit or soul will incarnate and be reborn into a new being. In the case of the primordial Buddha, He has now incarnated to this world for the third time as His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III. The highest spiritual leader in Buddhism alive today currently lives in the United States of America.
His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III is not one who seeks publicity. Even when awarded the Presidential Gold Award, the Dr. Martin Luther King Legacy Award for International Service and Leadership, and many other prestigious prizes, He did not attend the award ceremonies to receive the prizes in person. He is well known for loving-kindness and compassion, and has made a vow of only helping others and never accepting any offerings from anyone.
However, His accomplishments and accolades are widely-reported. The following are five of the most interesting things that you may not have known about His Holiness the Buddha:
International Buddhism Sangha Association
1. Buddhism classifies all material and spiritual matters and knowledge in the universe into five aspects. Complete mastery of these five aspects is called having realized the Five Vidyas (vidya is a Sanskrit word meaning brightness). Buddhas and Bodhisattvas must possess the Five Vidyas. The Five Vidyas include: the Vidya of Causality, the Vidya of Healing, the Vidya of Sound, the Vidya of Craftsmanship, and the Vidya of Inner Realization. Looking through the entire history of Buddhism, His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III is the first holy one to perfectly manifest real accomplishments in the Five Vidyas, meeting the highest standard of Buddhism. For this reason and more, His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III is the one and only individual in history to receive recognitions and corroborating recognitions from over 60 of the highest present-day dharma kings and regent dharma kings from various Buddhist sects.
2. His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III was awarded the Top Honor Prize during the World Peace Prize Ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on June 14, 2011. The World Peace Prize is an initiative to promote world peace and understanding between different nations, ethnicities, cultures and religions.His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III was recognized for receiving this Top Honor Prize by the 112th Congress in U.S. Senate Res. 614, commending His Holiness the Buddha for his role in advancing peace, justice and inter-religious collaboration.
3. His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III has long been an internationally renowned artist. His paintings are not limited by subject or themes and are of many types, from water-ink paintings to oil paintings. Specifically, the subject matters include human figures, animals, flowers and birds, mountain and water scenes, fish, insects, and so on. Within the wide range of styles, there is fine brushwork, drawing with lines and strings, splash-ink, bold freehand brushwork, small freehand brushwork, and others. Altogether, He created 16 unique painting styles or schools, representing an unprecedented pioneering achievement in the history of art. His paintings are on permanent exhibition at the International Art Museum of America in San Francisco, the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum in Los Angeles County, and other art museums. His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III’s paintings are extremely valuable and rare. As early as in 2000, His artworks were sold for more than two million U.S. dollars each. He became the artist whose paintings commanded the highest prices compared to the prices for paintings created by all ancient and modern Chinese artists. Last March, an ink painting of His was sold at the New York Spring Auction for $16.5 million, which was the highest price realized at the 2015 Spring Auction of all artworks by ancient and modern artists worldwide. He is the world’s first inventor to create a class of artworks that cannot be duplicated by anyone or with any method — Yun Sculpture. Only after that, the world now has un-duplicable artworks. Experts predict that His paintings will become increasingly valuable as His Holiness plans to focus solely on Buddhist activities.
4. In 2011, the then Mayor of Washington, D.C., Vincent Gray, proclaimed January 19th as “H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Day.” The mayor called on D.C. residents to join him in saluting “His selfless and exceptional work to spread the word of peace to all those in His presence.” The Unites States Postal Service also issued a commemorative cover in celebration of “His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III Day.”
5. His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha is a Fellow of Britain’s Royal Academy of Arts, making Him the first internationally distinguished artist appointed to a Fellowship in the Academy’s history of more than 200 years. The title of Fellow was awarded by the Academy’s President, Phillip King, at a ceremony in the British Embassy in Washington.
Unless you are an astute follower of Buddhism, you may not have known that His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III has been recognized as the third incarnation of the original Buddha. His accomplishments clearly transcend religion, healing, art, philosophy, and literature. He continues to devote His time to a wide scope of cultural, religious, and various other domains directed at helping people in communities across the globe. His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III has made the following vow: “I will bear all of the karmic offenses committed by living beings, and I will give everyone all of the good karma and merit that I plant.” His Holiness the Buddha has been executing it exactly as is.
Steven Meyers received his bachelor’s degree in Chinese language from Brown University, where he graduated magna cum laude. After graduating, Mr. Meyers spent a year at the Stanford Center in Taiwan furthering his study of the Chinese language. Later, he received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan and is now an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of California. He has been providing legal advice to California non-profit corporations since 1996. His current focus is translating Buddhist material from Chinese into English.
頂禮 H.H. 第三世多杰羌佛-- 正教 