Shangzun said, “The explanation about Famen Gongyu that this Headquarters announced on October 1 is too short and simplistic; people don’t understand where it comes from. Since it is mentioned, its description needs to be more detailed.

“Some people seem to think Famen Gongyu is something from the Daoist religion. They only have a smattering of the mundane meaning of Buddhism and do not know the holy meaning of Dharma at all! They only know the Dharma instruments used in the mundane sense, such as the bell, pestle, hook, light, chime, drum, wooden knocker (muyu 木魚), inverted bell (yinqing 引磬), rope, fork, khaṭvāṅga (喀章嘎/天杖), mala beads, khakkhara (pewter staff 錫杖), prayer wheel (轉經筒), stupa (寶塔), gawu box (嘎烏盒), Gabala drum (手鼓), Dharma rope* (法繩), symbolism* (符令), and so on, which are just everyday Dharma instruments. They have not smelled the aroma of the holy Dharma at all; how could they speak of having seen it? How could such people, who don’t know how shallow they are, randomly comment on the holy instrument?

“Famen Gongyu is an important Dharma instrument for the holy inner-tantric Buddhism. It differs from the other holy Dharma instruments in that it has two Yidams, while the other Dharma instruments have only one Yidam. The two Yidams are Mahāmāyūrī Vidyārājñī (孔雀明王), whose Dharma instruments are two peacock feather tips, one black and one white, and Maitreya Bodhisattva from the Inner Court of Tusita Heaven (aka Tushita Heaven, 兜率天), whose Dharma instrument is the Adamantine Command (金剛令). The Peacock Feathers and the Adamantine Command combined are called Famen Gongyu.”

“The Adamantine Command is the size of a thumbnail. It was sculpted from an ancient piece of white jade and came into being after a Dharma was practiced. A vajra rope is stringed on the top of it. Its shape is like a jade pendant hung on the neck. There are two sides: one side is the Vajra Mind Mantra of the Tusita Heaven Court, manifested by Maitreya Bodhisattva, and the other side is the Dharma Command manifested by Mahāmāyūrī Vidyārājñī. The ritual of practicing this Dharma was born in the Inner Court of Tusita Heaven—the Maitreya Palace. Famen Gongyu is primarily used to determine the karmic origin and the empowerment of a holy Dharma. In this year’s Holy Test, Famen Gongyu is hung at the gate of the Eight-wind Array to check if the candidate is qualified to enter the array to take the test.

“Famen Gongyu has the same effect as Manjushri Bodhisattva’s Divination, except that the manifestation in real form by Famen Gongyu is more direct. The Dharma instrument of Famen Gongyu can automatically provide an answer to the inquiry regarding a thing, a person, or a dharma. No one operates the Dharma instrument. It is hung on the Dharma platform. Once you write down the matter that you would like to inquire about, or an issue of principle to check if it is approved or disapproved, on a piece of paper and read it in front of Famen Gongyu, Famen Gongyu will immediately manifest a holy state and let the public know what the answer is. It will present the white peacock feather to you if what you asked is correct and approved, and it will present the black peacock feather to you if it is incorrect or not approved. Sometimes, it will not even answer you if your request can not be considered.”

The difference between Famen Gongyu and Manjushri Bodhisattva’s Divination is that one automatically shows the result without involving any human, and the other reveals the result by a person rolling the dice to draw the answer.

The Famen Gongyu used in this Holy Test is a Holy Dharma Instrument that Wangzha Shangzun received from a lineage. It was passed down from Yuwangsiluo* (宇王斯羅) to Jampa Geshe, then Jampa Geshe transmitted it to Wangzha Shangzun. A holy Dharma instrument is never something the mundane Buddhists could understand because it is used only for the Inner-tantric Dharma. It is not used publicly except in special Dharma assemblies. For example, in this year’s Holy Test, many candidates had the karmic condition to see it. Because Wangzha Shangzun is the leading great holy guru presiding over the Holy Test this time, He decreed to have Famen Gongyu hung at the gate of the array as the first check in the Holy Test to make the process a very solemn and serious one. Anyone rejected by Famen Gongyu cannot enter the array through the main gate. They can only go through the side gate to watch other candidates take the test. If one is not qualified to enter the array through the main entrance, one is not eligible to take the holy test.

The United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters

October 2, 2015

*translator’s note: the English names of these terms require further confirmation

(Eric Huang translated this announcement into English. It was last revised on 2024-08-31.)