Here is the reply to an inquiry letter.

Whether the person you notified us about was cremated into hard relics, we are sure about one thing – we have never heard that he had any holy capabilities or dharma power when he was alive.

After the world-famous Dharma Master Zhengguo [Translator’s note: 正果法師 in Chinese] died and was cremated, a lot of hard relics were found. But even when his disciples wanted to build a stupa on Mt. E-mei [Translator’s note: Mt. E-mei is one of the four major Buddhist sites in China and the Dharma site of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva] to house his relics, Master Pianneng [Translator’s note: 遍能法師 in Chinese], who was a great master in the Kosa Sastra, said: “How could his stuff, whatever it is, has any eligibility to be entered in a stupa at Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s Dharma site! Mt. E-mei will not accept it. Send it to the old site of the Sino-Tibetan Buddhist Teaching Academy [Translator’s note: 漢藏教理院 in Chinese] in Beipei, Chongqing. Dharma Master Zhengguo was a student in the fourth class at the Sino-Tibetan Buddhist Teaching Academy before.”

It is not important whether this person you notified us about is a dharma master. If that person has no holy capabilities or Dharma power, they are not worth being promoted. The hard relics found at a cremation cannot be admitted carelessly like that to a Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III’s Dharma Voice listening center and used as an offering. Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III’s Dharma Voice listening sites are where the Buddha’s true Dharma is. Anything not meeting the standard cannot be presented as offerings or promoted there. No matter whom they belonged to, these so-called holy things are not considered holy unless determined definitively via the Holy Determination process. We must first ascertain the person’s status, whether the person’s views and understanding were correct or evil, and whether the person was a holy being or an ordinary person before we can promote that person. One is not holy  just because one was cremated into hard relics. We must see if that person has dharma powers and holy capabilities. If not, then that person is not holy.

The Inquiry Center, the World Buddhism Association Headquarters
May 8, 2020

(Eric Huang worked on the English translation of this announcement. Justin Teaw, Swee Kit Siew, Frankie Kok, and Annie Wong reviewed the English translation.)