Many places are arranging to hold “the One Hundred Holy Assemblies.” Using that name for their Dharma assemblies is a joke. People are making a mistake because they don’t understand what the “One Hundred Holy Assemblies” really are. What you are having is not officially named “the One Hundred Holy Assemblies” but just a type of Dharma assembly. It is OK to hold one hundred Dharma assemblies. That is a good thing to do. But, having “the One Hundred Holy Assemblies” is not acceptable because “the One Hundred Holy Assemblies” are the holy assemblies formed with certain sacred people, a specific origination, a particular place, a certain time and specific meritorious power.
First, you must understand “the One Hundred Holy Assemblies.” “The One Hundred Holy Assemblies” is the name of a grand Dharma assembly organized by a Tremendously Holy Guru and is a proper name. The Holy Assemblies are the Dharma Assemblies organized by a Tremendously Holy Guru; therefore, they are named Holy Assemblies. The “One Hundred Holy Assemblies” are holy assemblies formed by a particular causal origination. You cannot call it “one hundred holy assemblies” just because you hold one hundred Dharma assemblies. Otherwise, if you do one thousand dharma assemblies, they would be called “one thousand holy assemblies,” wouldn’t they? Many prominent temples have morning and evening chanting sessions. Each chanting session is a Dharma assembly. Some people have attended several thousand such Dharma assemblies; why haven’t they been qualified to receive the Yidam Dharma Affinity Initiation, in which the Yidam meets the disciple and tells the disciple what their Dharma affinity is? Why have the Yidam in the space not complied with them face to face once? That is because even though they have participated in many Dharma assemblies, they do not have the merit of the “One Hundred Holy Assemblies!”
You need to understand one thing further. The “One Hundred Holy Assemblies” were held at an oracle in a holy place, with blessings personally bestowed by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. At that time, before H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III came to give His blessings, dark clouds had been covering the sky, and torrential rain had been coming down. As soon as the Buddha started to practice and apply the Dharma, all dark clouds disappeared, and the heavy rain stopped immediately. It became a completely cloudless blue sky all of a sudden. Right then, over one thousand Vajra parrots flew over from afar, surrounding the Hall of Avalokiteshvara, which was being blessed. That was the place planned for placing the flesh of Elder Monk Yinhai for worship. The parrots’ voices were deafening, and it seemed their joyful squawk shook all the buildings and the ground. Even the cup of tea on the table was rippling in resonance with the shouting voices of the parrots. The sound was louder than several tens of cars honking their horns at the same time. After circling a few rounds around the hall, the parrots rested on the trees nearby. There were over one thousand parrots! That was indeed unprecedented, and it started as the prelude to the Holy Assemblies.
The Holy Assemblies had two hosts: Senior Monk Yinhai and Wangzha Shangzun, who is of Gold Button Level 3. How could Senior Monk Yinhai have hosted the Holy Assemblies since he had already passed? We all know that Senior Monk Yinhai started undergoing a divine transformation ten days after his passing. His bones transformed. Not only did his nails grow, but his fingers also became longer. All those holy instances smashed the records in Buddhist history. That is how he was partially hosting the Holy Assemblies.
When Senior Monk Yinhai’s flesh was placed for worship in the holy location, the Dharma of the Holy Assembly manifested itself with several tens of eagles flying over the top of the Holy Assembly. They were only a few stories higher than people, signifying the arrival of Shakyamuni Buddha’s Dharma Protector, the gold-winged Garuda. Also, the crows signifying Mahakala, the Dharma Protector, started flying around in a flock and singing songs. Moreover, every day when the Holy Assembly began, the eagles and the birds always came flying around singing praises. That was how Senior Monk Yinhai showed Dharma’s power, displayed holiness, and was a part of His hosting the Holy Assemblies. More importantly, the “One Hundred Holy Assemblies” must be one hundred Dharma assemblies held and completed on the Dharma site where the Senior Monk was!
Let’s use an improper example since the senior monk cannot compare with Buddha. But to make it easier for people to understand, let’s borrow the Holy Assembly of the supreme Buddha for illustration. The “Vulture Peak Dharma Assembly,” which Shakyamuni Buddha held, was no more when it was over. No other master or holy virtuous person could have a “Vulture Peak Dharma Assembly” by themself at any place because the “Vulture Peak Dharma Assembly” is one-and-only. As another example, the “Buddhist Council” at the Saptaparni Cave was no longer after it ended. Even if two hundred holy Arahats go and sit there again to discuss sutras and teachings, it cannot be called the “Buddhist Council.” The “Buddhist Council” was a definitively unique Dharma assembly with a particular time, a special place, a special dharma mission, and a special administering holy one. The “One Hundred Holy Assembly” is the same.
Dharma masters, rinpoches, and masters can organize their disciples to chant the sutras, keep mantras, sing praises, make offerings, and return merits. That is meritorious! But you must be clear what you do is not the “One Hundred Holy Assemblies.” They can only be called the assemblies to celebrate Holy Venerable Yinhai’s merit respectfully. Assemblies of this sort have nothing to do with the “One Hundred Holy Assemblies.” Wangzha Shangzun once publicly announced: “Those people whose levels will be incremented and can receive the Yidam Dharma Affinity Initiation are the people who have participated in and fulfilled the ‘One Hundred Holy Assemblies.’ They are not the people who attended the assemblies to celebrate the Holy Venerable’s merit respectfully.” Of course, going to the assemblies to respectfully commemorate the Holy Venerable’s merit, releasing captured lives, doing charity work, helping the poor, relieving disasters, and cultivating oneself with a pure heart can increase one’s merit. Once you have cultivated yourself well and become kind, your causal conditions will naturally be complete, and you will receive the inner-tantric initiation! Inner-tantric initiation means the master giving the initiation must have the ability and power to obtain Bodhi Holy Water. Only this Holy Water can be used as the Mother of Dharma Water in the initiation and the transmission of Dharma. If not, any excuse is futile. Any inner-tantric Initiation without the Dharma Mother Water, i.e., the Bodhi Holy Water, is phony.
We suggest you release captured lives, do charity work, and return merits. You will earn more merit that way than attending a one hundred Dharma assembly! You must, of course, do all that by yourself. Other people cannot do that for you.
World Buddhism Association Headquarters
March 5, 2017
(Eric Huang worked on translating this public announcement from Chinese to English. It was last edited on 2024-07-15)
