Chapter 14: Discourse on “Uncommon Acala’s Teaching” (I)

Tibetan: Migoba
Japanese: Fudo Myo-o

By Living Buddha Lien-sheng (Grand Master Sheng-yen Lu).
Translated by Liu Runqing

Amchok Rinpoche, Kaxian Rinpoche, Masters, Reverends, fellow cultivators (audience applauded),
First of all, let us pay homage to Lineage gurus: Master Liao Ming, Master Sakya Zhengkong, HH the 16th Karmapa, Master Tuten Chargay. May all Masters give us reinforcement from above to make our discourse a great success.

Today we shall discuss “Acala’s Teachings”. These teachings were first taught in an open camp area of the Purple Lotus Society, San Francisco. What followed after the revelation was quite secret-no video tapes were released, no books were published because this method of practice was after all fairly secret. What will happen after today’s discourse? I leave it to everybody present here...

However secret it may be, it will get disclosed sooner or later. I hope that you will listen to this secret Dharma with a Bodhicitta, a desire to deliver sentient beings from their sufferings. No matter whether you have been empowered or not, let us all generate the Bodhicitta and satisfy all sentient beings.

When this method is spread, there are usually strange phenomena. Strange things appeared the first time it was revealed. I remember the discourse went on for two or three days and mysterious happenings occurred in the camp area which was an open place surrounded by trees. Many crows came flying down from high above and landed on the trees, some on the ground. They started singing together. The worshipping place was very simple-only a tent, surrounded by trees. It had been very quiet. Suddenly down came so many crows, on the trees and on the ground-hundreds of them started singing loudly-they were applauding for us (audience applauded).

When we first started, nobody applauded. Only the crows applauded. This was quite strange. It was a strong proof that the method was a good one.

All the crows that came down were black. Do you know what black means? Black is the colour of Vajra deities. Both black and blue are colours for Vajra deities. So we say it was a yoga response and a proof.

There was another mysterious phenomenon. During the discourse there was a statue of Acala on the desk. Strange enough, the sword in his hand was out there and it could not be restored. During the discourse, his sword was out of his hand three times (audience applauded). Again this was a yoga response.

In Tantric Buddhism, “yoga” means “response”. Many things have been proved by responses. When we paid respect to the litany of Liang Wu Di emperor, there were rainbows in the sky for three days, two of them each time. This was very rare! Indications of responses are not easily seen. But in our True Buddha Tantric School there have been many responses.

Kumarajiva was a great translator of Buddhist texts. He said of himself, “If my translation of Sutras is correct, my tongue would remain intact after I am cremated.” After his passing away, his tongue did survive the cremation while his body was reduced to ashes. This was also a kind of yoga. When he was still alive, he had said, “My tongue would remain intact after I am cremated.” This shows that his translation of the sutras was all correct.

Buddhist texts talk about yoga in Tantrism, and today we also talk about yoga in Tantrism. The crows came down to applaud for us by their wings and by their singing; the sword flew out three times at different intervals, all by itself. I was very impressed.

What about today? It has been raining for several days and we haven’t seen such a bright sun for a while. But today the sun has come out, big and bright (audience applauded)! There had been no rain for a month in Seattle, and so there had been a week of rain before our Dharma Ceremony. When our ceremony begins today, the sun shines brightly. Such signs of yoga responses are not easy to understand but not easy to change either. Brightness always falls upon our True Buddha Tantric School (audience applauded).

Acala’s teachings are extraordinary. His method of practice is unique. It is something special for Esoteric Buddhism to have wrathful deities as there are hardly any wrathful deities in Exoteric Buddhism. Wrathful deities are in fact incarnations of the Buddha.

Acala is a combatant edict orderly of Maha Vairocana. He is his wrathful incarnation. I have said before that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are all Bodhi-minded, very kind and compassionate to sentient beings. If they are protected by some wrathful deities, things should be perfect to my mind.

There is one little event I am fond of telling about. When I was spreading the Dharma in Taiwan, there was one man who wanted to carry my briefcase for me. He had just been released from prison and was emotionally moved by my books. I took a look at him. Wow! He looked like Acala! Why do I say this? You see, when he pulled up his trousers, wow! there were dragons on his legs (tattoo patterns). When he unbuttoned his shirt if it was hot, there were dragons on his chest, tattooed on the skin, looking even more powerful and solemn than the dragons on my clothes. Mine will be taken off when I take off my clothes, while his can never be taken off-he was really a dragon. At that time, I thought along the following line: It would be good to have a “protector” beside me. He was fierce-looking; if we walked together, we would be very impressive. If he carried my briefcase, I would be more courageous.

One day, unexpectedly, he said he would not help me with my briefcase. What did he want to do? He said he wanted to buy some areca/gambier nuts. Of course it was okay for my “protector” to have some areca/gambier nuts. Well, what happened later...Well, finally he changed! He came to me because he was moved by my books, but later this “Dharma protector” became very difficult and rude. When I wanted him to buy something for me, he said he was tired and asked me to do it myself. And he wanted me to buy a portion of his (laughter). This “Dharma protector” became increasingly terror.

Finally, I had to speak very slowly, pleading him, “I beg you, please, go and have a look at ...” I remember it was some geomancy business. “Go and have a look at what is there.” He said to me, “Go and have a look yourself! Why don’t you go? I won’t carry your briefcase!” He was really fierce towards the end. He often had something hidden on him and played with it sometimes. I was really afraid when he was doing that. I said to my “Dharma protector”, “Now shall I carry your briefcase for you (laughter) ?”

This is a little incident I encountered. What I want to say is that I don’t need “Dharma protectors”.

Dharma protectors are to protect pure cultivators and Bodhisattvas. Dharma protectors are usually oath bound, unlike my protector, who had not vowed but acted on a moment’s excitement. A human being may change his mind, but Dharma protectors’ vow does not change. That is where the difference lies.

Today we learn the wrathful looking deity Acala. Once you get responses from Acala, he will go with you and protect you as he has made a pledge. He will never change his pledge unless you change your mind. This is an important point. As I have said before, once you have 5 Vidvarajas(Ming Wang)/ Khro-bos protecting you, you are closely connected with the Five Vidyarajas(Ming Wang) / khro-bos .

There are three roots in Tantrism: the root guru, the root personal deity (yidam) and the root Dharma protector (Dharmapala). Your root guru is the root for reinforcement; your root personal deity (yidam) is the root for the final achievement of your cultivation; and your root Dharma protector (Darmapala) is to help you throughout your sacred cause of spiritual cultivation and spreading the Dharma. These three form an iron triangular alliance with you, an triangular alliance by a pledge just as by a written contract (Samaya).

This wrathful deity of mine had no pledge; so he may leave me any time. He was not Dharma protector proper-he was a momentary friend. As everybody knows, a human being may change his mind, which is never permanent.

Ordinary people’s minds always change. This is something we know clearly without further examples. They change in relations such as husband and wife, teacher and student, parents and children, father and son, father and daughter, friends, relatives and buisness partners. Certain things with form always change. But your alliance with your root Dharma protector will become very solid. He will protect the Buddha Dharma and you will spread the Buddha Dharma. He will protect whatever you do in your sacred cause. This is the importance of Vidyaraja’s method of practice.

Acala’s vow is, (1)“He who sees me will generate the Bodhi mind;” (2)“He who hears my name will stop doing evil and begin doing good;” (3)“He who listens to my teachings will obtain great wisdom;” (4)“He who knows my mind will attain Buddhahood with the present body.” So if your mind gets responses from Acala’s mind, you will become a Buddha in your present life. This is his vow. You can see how great his vow is!

Acala is the first Dharma protector in our True Buddha Tantric School. In our True Buddha Tantric shrines, there are usually two protector deities. In the earliest shrines, including the one in Lei Zang Temple in Redmond, Seattle, there are, below the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Ucchusma Vajra and Acala who is our number one Dharma protector in the True Buddha Tantric Sect.

In principle I have a close connection with Acala. From the earliest days, I firmly believed that Acala was my Dharma protector. But later, things changed! It all began with an old aunty in Los Angeles... As you know, she was fantastic! She was, on the one hand, an outstanding business woman-she came to all the Dharma ceremonies our True Buddha Tantric School hold; on the other hand, she was a terrific snorer! Wow! Did she learn Acala’s teachings? During that Dharma ceremony at the open camp, her roommates protested wherever she was to share a room with other people. She came to me to complain about it. Why was she discriminated against? The reason was simple: If she falls asleep, everybody else has to stay awake!

It was this old aunty who brought a Thangka of Yamantaka Vajra. I put the Tangka over my bed. Out of my expectation, when I went into concentration, I started getting responses, not from Acala, but from Yamantaka Vajra. Yamantaka Vajra was illuminated, displaying great powers which shook the entire Universe, including the Dragon Palace, Hell and Void.

Only then did I learn that Yamantaka Vajra was my Dharma protector. Naturally I was very grateful to the old aunty, whose Thangka of Yamantaka Vajra had that great effect on responses.

Why Acala is not my Dharma protector? Why is it Yamantaka Vajra? According to them, it is because of prearranged causes and relations. It has been proven that I came from where Maha Vairocana stays. A famous Rinpoche in mainland China, Living Buddha Gong Tangcang, saw Maha Vairocana in his meditation, and he said that he saw a man walking out of Vairocana-that man was Lu Sheng-yen (audience applauded).

If I came from where Maha Vairocana and Acala is the wrathful incarnation of Maha Vairocana, I should have some close relationship with Acala. Why should Yamantaka Vajra be my Dharma protector? He said that Maha Vairocana became Buddhamatrka Locana; Buddhamatrka Locana transformed her twin Lotus Pond into Maha Padmakumara (the lotus child); Maha Padmakumara became Lu Sheng-yen who came to the human world (audience applauded).

So my origin is like this: Lu Sheng-yen is Maha Padmakumara, who comes from Buddhamatrka Locana, who comes from Maha Vairocana. Maha Padmakumara or the lotus child is not a new term. Do you know my newly published book, New Realms of the Buddha King? You all know which Buddha is symbolized by lotus. The lotus part of the Western Paradise of Amitabha has made lotus as its symbol (audience applauded). Amitabha transformed himself into Manjusri... So I get three personal deities. Amitabha, Manjusri and Yamantaka. They are closely connected.

There is a principle of connection here-there is the wheel of the Righteous Dharma, the wheel of combatant edict orderly, and the wheel of self nature. The three wheels are not separable, nor are Amitabha, Manjusri and Yamantaka. Since the Padmakumara comes from Amitabha, the relationship between Yamantaka and myself is closer than my relationship with Acala though we are also fairly intimate.

So I was told that my root Dharma protector is Yamantaka Vajra. The predetermined relations can be closer or more distant; such fine differences are difficult to explain. We can improvise such an explanation: Yamantaka is the eldest; Acala is the second. In Hong Kong, they have number one soup and number two soup-number two soup is a concubine; number one soup is the wife.

I hope this comparison can help make things clearer. Yamantaka is number one and Aksohbya is number two. My relationship with Yamantaka is a little bit closer than that of Acala.

Masters and reverends, it is up to you to decide which deity is most closely connected with you. In the course of your cultivation, you will prove that you get yoga responses from a particular deity, who will be your root Dharma protector. No one can tell you beforehand who is your Dharma protector. Your protector is the deity who is closely related to you, intimately connected with you, and who sends you responses. This is the most important point in talking about Dharma protectors today.

Of the five Vidya-rajas, I have met Acala. That was in a Japanese Acala(Fudo Myo-o) Temple... Acala is worshipped widely in Japan-There is Acala in almost every temple there. In Eastern Esoteric Buddhism (Shingon), Acala is held in reverence while in Tibetean Tantric Buddhism he (Migoba) is less popular. In Shingon, Acala(Fudo Myo-o) is seen everywhere, both in Esoteric and Exoteric temples.

When I paid homage to Acala, I went into concentration, with eyes closed. Then before my eyes there were layers and layers of red lights, forming as it were a big circle of red lights, then a smaller circle, then a still smaller circle, and still smaller ones...until to the very end of it stood Acala in blue colour. The lights surrounding the standing statue of Acala were fine, making Acala life-like-it was definitely not an illusion, nor an imagination or a dream. If you see it, you know it is a manifestation, so different from your imagination or visualization. You will learn about this difference later by yourself. Those lights were beyond description, inconceivable.

I saw Acala in Japan. Our Acala practice has many functions. We know that all Vidya-rajas or Dharma protectors can set boundaries. Setting boundaries is important in Esoteric Buddhism. I mentioned the problem of boundary-setting in my book The great exposition of Tantra by Lama Tsongkhapa. We set boundaries to places, to altars and shrines, and to our body, to temples, and even to the Void.

When I ring the Vajra bell (Master demonstrates the shaking of the bell), it is setting the boundaries. When I ring the bell, I am not selling ice-creams.

If I shake the bell in the air, I visualize a huge canopy (parasol) enveloping the meeting hall, thereby fixing the territory of the meeting place.

We should set our territory whenever we do our cultivation practice. But there is one occasion on which you need no boundaries, that is, “no-shelter meeting”. In Buddhism, “no-shelter meetings” are gatherings which all deities and ghosts can attend without invocation. For other meetings, if you do not set the limits, there may be trouble when you are not powerful enough. If ten thousand deities and ghosts have come, and you have enough offerings for only one thousand, what should the rest of them do? If you hold a “no-shelter meeting”, you may invite trouble. Our masters may also invite trouble. He may say, “Don’t set the limits. If spirits or non-humans come, I’ll deal with them, since I am capable of various changes and possess many powers.” Well, if you change, the non-humans also change. If they are capable of more changes, they will get rid of you. So when the limits are not fixed, unexpected things may happen.

So we need to define our territory for our Dharma ceremonies and cultivation session. I set boundaries to my shrine at home, to my bed area when I go to bed. I set my territory by visualization. Before I do anything, I always clean myself and set limits to the place. In setting your territory, you can ask Acala for help.

It is like this. I form a mudra and chant the personal deity’s mantra, “Namo San manto Vajra, Han”, then transform it into fire, which will surround my bed very tightly. This fire is Acala’s fire that burns around my bed. Then my bed becomes a fire lotus. I sleep in the fire lotus and visualize myself becoming the Vajra, indestructible, lying in the fire lotus. Then I chant the three-syllable mantra “lang, yang, kang”. This will make things safe. I do all this every night.

It is important to have your boundaries defined. Last time when we had a Dharma ceremony, even I was made to worry. Several masters and reverends rushed to me, “Grand Master, a disciple is walking behind you, digging up all the earth you walked on! He wraps it up in a paper bag... Is that serious?” I told them, “It doesn’t matter. I have adequate powers for that (applause from audience).”

There is one thing to remember. That is, if other people get something from you during your Dharma ceremony, they can do their own practice with it. If they can’t get some of your hair, finger nails or pieces of clothing you have worn, at least they can get the earth you have walked upon. I have been very careful about this. I always set my boundaries, so I have my Dharma protectors, who set my mind at ease. The point for attention is: Don’t assume that you have adequate powers and you need not have your territory clearly limited. It is quite easy for deities, ghosts and non-humans to come and bully you.

So, don’t presume that you have cultivated well enough and that you need no boundaries and that you can hold a “no-shelter meeting”.

Apart from its use for setting boundaries, Acala’s method is also used to subjugate, including subjugating oneself! Wow! You may want to ask, “Aren’t you making a mistake? How can you subjugate yourself? Subjugating oneself is to put an end to oneself. If you ask Acala to subdue you, you will be crushed to death in one blow!” No, it is not that. I am talking about subjugating your greed, passion and ignorance.

In a man’s life, the worst thing is his greed. A pure cultivator may fall down once he is greedy. Here is an allusion. One day Shakyamuni Buddha was talking in the fields. Suddenly he saw something in a pile of newly turned earth, and said, “Oh, poisonous snakes!” Just then a farmer ran to him, a hoe in hand, intending to kill the snakes. By then, Shakyamuni Buddha was gone. Since he said there were snakes, the farmer began to turn the earth. Wow! It was silver! A whole cistern of silver! The farmer remarked, “You see, Shakyamuni said there were poisonous snakes. When I dug up, there were no snakes. It is a cistern of silver!” So he took the silver home and made it his own. He worked out a beautiful plan-he was going to buy some land, some field, build new houses and find a wife, buy some real estate, a car... Oh, no, there were no cars yet at that time-he was going to buy some cows and horses, or whatever he needed. When the news got out, the local magistrate came to him, saying, “Whatever you dug up, turn it to the local court.” So he gave some gifts to the local magistrate. Then the county reported the matter to the province who in turn reported to the higher court, until to the Emperor himself. The Emperor ordered that whatever was dug up had to be turned in to him. At the end, the farmer not only handed in all the silver he got from the field, but also sold his land, fields and houses to buy gifts for the officials, big or small, himself becoming a beggar.

One day he saw Shakyamuni again and complained to him, “Dear Buddha! You cheated me last time. You said there were snakes, but actually it was silver. See what you have done to me, making me suffer like this!” Shakyamuni Buddha said, “Just think! Wasn’t it a poisonous snake?” Just think, everybody! It was indeed a poisonous snake! Shakyamuni was correct. Silver is a poisonous snake! Too much greed will send one to bankruptcy...

“What I said to you was correct,” Shakyamuni said, “I said it was a poisonous snake, but you refused to believe me. You insisted on digging it up.” Today, I tell you people that two thousand five hundred years ago Shakyamuni said money was a poisonous snake. Even now, too many people are bitten by this poisonous snake. And they are bitten again and again until they are so addicted to it, so confused by it that they unscrupulously love money-they not only want their own money, but also other people’s money, even money belonging to the whole world.

We can ask them, “How much money do you want in order to be satisfied? When can you get your satisfaction?” Never will they get satisfied! This is what greed is like.

You can use Acala’s method to conquer your greed. We can’t say that cultivators are not greedy. They are greedy all the same. As if the Buddha’s warning is not serious enough, they are bitten by this poisonous snake every day, and yet they are still so fond of it.

Cultivators should not be covetous. They should be content with what rightfully belongs to them. One step beyond what you are entitled to is covetousness. One should keep oneself within limits.

Acala is a fearsome-looking deity. His intention is to subjugate one’s own worries, greed, passion, and ignorance. Greed and ignorance must be removed by Vajra fire. So remember to subjugate oneself. The worst enemy is no one else but oneself!

Besides, you can also use Acala’s method to help other people. Using the Vajra fire, you first change yourself into Acala. Then you form mudras to make the Vajra fire to burn yourself and to touch other people. Touching others with the fire can remove their illnesses.

I also use this method. Forming the “pointing mudra”, I chant, “The first stroke is a stream, the second stroke is a river, and the third and fourth strokes make a golden well. This touch is no ordinary touch, but the touch by the scholar Lu Shan. If he touches the sky, it becomes clear; if he touches the earth, the earth has responses; if he touches a man, the man lives long; if he touches a ghost, the ghost dies.” “Ghost” can refer to some illness. If he touches an illness, the illness gets cured. The Vajra fire comes off the sword to burn the body of the other person, who will get rid of his illness.

If you learn this method well, you can cure other people’s diseases or give yourself treatment.

The Vajra method can also be used to subdue demons. In Tantrism, the gold well method can be employed to subdue demons. “The first stroke is a stream; the second stroke is a river, and the third and fourth strokes form a golden well, which summons all nearby non-humans and deities and ghosts.” They are summoned into the well. Stir the well with the Vajra and ghosts are ground to dust. Poo! Just blow hard and they are gone (audience applauded)! This is called subjugation. In Vijaya Lei Zang Temple, I got a rice basin and wrote the Chinese character “well” on the rice. Then I formed some mudra and chanted some mantra and summoned all ghosts and gods nearby into the well. Then I used the Dorje to grind them into dust. Finally I asked Vidyarajas to take them to the Yamaraja, where they got their rebirth.

However, to someone with a Bodhi mind, demons and ghosts are also sentient beings. A cultivator may lose his kind-heartedness and compassion if he should destroy demons and ghosts body and soul. So in most cases the cultivator helps them to get their rebirth in another realm.

I teach you this method today, but from this instance you should be able to draw inferences about other cases. Confucius once said that he who could not draw inferences about other cases from an instance was hopeless! I once told this story: You give an orderly a piece of cloth and tell him, “That corner of the table is dirty. Take this piece of cloth and clean it!” The orderly cleans that corner only! This shows his inability to draw inferences about other cases. What should the orderly do? He should take the cloth and clean the whole table! We cultivators should draw inferences from this story about other situations.

So when you go back home, you should know how to make use of this method and put it to use at once. It can help you in many cases... (Dharma protection is essential and very effective.)

We need also consider the date for our Dharma practice sessions. For treatment of illness, it is best done on “removal days”. This is to achieve astrological and geographic harmony and obtain responses. To do anything kind and virtuous, it is better to choose a “constructive day”. To subjugate demons and evil spirits, it is preferable to choose “destructive days”.

The best hours of the day for practising Acala’s method are from three to five in the afternoon.

Acala has his own mantra. The short version is, “Namo, san man duo, fu ri la, han”. This “han” is the seed syllablus. Acala has his essence image, his mantra, his visualization and his mudra (Grand Master’s demonstration). It is sheath-sword mudra-this is the sheath and this the sword and this the mudra. So the mantra, the mudra and the visualization are the three essential elements of Esoteric Buddhism.

Acala has his manifestation image. I once imitated his image and someone took a photo for me. He looks fearsome, with his left eye blind and closed, right eye open, and the lower lip biting the upper lip. He forms his mudras, holding his sword in the right hand. Many disciples took photos of me and liked that photo very much, printing it on many books, but in fact the photo looks very ugly. I myself am not that fearsome- looking, but I can pretend to be very fearsome.

An important feature of his image is that his upper teeth protrude downward while his lower teeth protrude upward. His lower lip bites his upper lip. His right hand holds the sword and his left hand holds the Vajra rope. It is difficult to describe. Let me demonstrate to you once again (audience applauded). I once taught a Japanese disciple to imitate Acala’s image, because her husband often beat her. I told her to chant Acala’s mantra and form her mudra. When she went back home, she was looking like this (Grand Master’s demonstration), very much like Acala. Her husband was afraid of her. He was afraid that his wife had suffered a stroke of paralysis, as her mouth and eyes were all distorted (laughter).

There are ritual procedures (Sadhanas) for all Dharma practice sessions. There are many Dharma teachings in Esoteric Buddhism. Our Lineage gurus have left us one hundred and eight different methods of cultivation. Lineage gurus of the Gelupa Sect, the Nyingmapa Sect, the Sakyapa Sect and the Kagyupa Sect all have left many methods of cultivation, (Sadhanas).

Acala’s method has its special ritual procedures (sadhanas). In Esoteric Buddhism, ritual procedures combine mantras, mudras and visualizations. We have many procedures for cultivation in True Buddha Tantric School. In these procedures, the preparatory steps are usually the same, the steps for cultivation proper are different. The transference of merits is basically the same with slight differences. So the most important differences lie in the essential part. In worshipping the White Wealth Deity (Sita-Naga Vahana Jambhala), a special offering is made, that is, some particular water bathes. In worshipping the Elephant headed Wealth Deity (Ganesh), the most important thing is to touch his head with the Vajra/Dorje. In worshipping the Yellow Wealth Deity (Vaisravana ), remember to attend to his toe on his left foot. And for the Black Wealth Deity (Krsna Jambhala), it is his heart that must be satisfied. So all these ritual procedures have some peculiarities.

These procedures are handed down from the various Lineage Gurus and have been revised again and again by the later generations of Lineage gurus. If you can grasp the most essential points, you can get responses. For example, you can feel the advent of Acala. You can feel you are merging with Acala. With the final achievement, you will be like him in whatever you do.

When I worship Yamantaka Vajra, I often visualize that I grow two horns on my head. When I cross a threshold, I even take care not to hit anything with my horns. Having two horns is like wearing a tall hat as I am doing now. If the door is not high enough, I have to be careful about it.

So you keep your mind focused on your root guru who is reinforcing you. You keep thinking that your personal deity is merging with you. You keep visualizing that your Dharma protectors are always around you or above you. From these procedures, you are to discover the most essential points and practise them again and again. Many people ask me if they have got responses. I have said again and again that such responses are very delicate. You have to experience them yourselves. When the time comes, you will know you are responding to your root guru, your personal deity and your Dharma protectors.

Get your procedure complete. When you follow a complete procedure, you will generate Dharma power because you are using your body, mind and mudra. You form Acala’s mudra, chant his mantra and keep in mind his thought. When your body, speech and mind are all focused on one thing, they generate some Dharma power.

When people keep their mind focused, they get Dharma power. This is an extraordinary power. There was once a lot of talk about extraordinary power in mainland China. Where do they come from? From keeping your mind focused.

There is a strange mantra that goes like this, “Little hand, come quickly. Little hand, come quickly. Take Granny’s things away!” There is a story behind the mantra. In China there was once a little girl who could catch things in the air. If she kept her mind concentrated and chanted this little mantra, she could snatch her Granny’s purse in the air. In terms of modern sciences, this is inconceivable. It takes a long time to prove this. But extraordinary powers do exist.

In Taoism there is “Five Ghosts’ transportation method”. Its mantra is similar, “the five ghosts, come quickly. The five ghosts, come quickly. Bring something here.” Then you catch the thing in the air. This is the power from concentration of mind!

The point I want to make is that in your cultivation, you should always keep your mind focused. How long does it take you to get responses? It depends both on your affinity and on your concentration of mind.

When your mind in concentration produces effect, you will feel that Acala comes to touch your head, make an appearance or show you various strange changes. When you see these miraculous changes, do not feel afraid. You should know they are illusory. When you see these changes, you know your heart is responding to the heart of Acala and you know who is your basic Dharma protector. Then you can make a friend with him and ask for his help by praying to him.

In the Nyingmapa(Red sect), they used to have the “non-human” method which had been kept as a secret and which was very much like “the Five Ghosts’ transportation method” in Taoism. They sent out “non-humans”, instead of deities, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas or Vajras to do the job. What are “non-humans”? They are evil ghosts. In the Nyingmapa(Red sect), using “non-humans” was in fact to get someone killed without leaving any traces. Othodoxical people would not use this method, though there were many things like it in the old days of the Red Sect. There are now different opinions about it. There is much resemblance between “non-humans” and “Five Ghosts”.

At the beginning of the ritual, we chant the Purification Mantra and the Invitation Mantra to invite “Namo Acala Vajra” to descend to our altar, “Namo Great Central Sage Acala” to descend to our altar. We say all this three times. After that, we do the prostration, piously entreating Acala to conquer all our Karma, our greed, passion and ignorance, all desires. We sincerely request Acala to enable us to reach his heart, to reach Vajra Samadhi. We sincerely beg Acala to issue light and light up a Vajra fire to burn our greed, passion and ignorance. Om Mani Padme Hum!

After that, we have “True Buddha Great Offerings”. A distinction is made between inner shrine and outer shrine in our offerings. Acala method belongs to the inner shrine, which is more secret while the outer shrine is seen by everyone. I have said before that to all vidyarajas (Dharma protectors), we can offer wine and meat because there is a lot of energy there. I still remember Tripa Rinpoche, founder of the GandenTripa group from the Gelupa(Yellow sect) came here. He said that day was a day to worship the Dharma protectors. So he asked Master Lian Zhi to buy meat and wine for his offerings. Dharma protectors are very strong-they have big muscles and great power. Those wrathful deities are to work hard. If you offer them vegetables only, they will be weak and faultering. How can they subjugate evil spirits or ghosts?

If you just offer the Dharma protectors a few peanuts-well, peanuts may still be all right, if you just give them a few vegetables, they will soon become a bag of bones. We should offer them meat and wine as Tripa Rinpoche did.

In our True Buddha Great Offerings, we also offer meat and wine. We also chant the four-fold refuge mantra and do the “armor protection” practice. Armor protection is in fact setting boundaries to oneself. You visualize that you are wearing a helmet and armor, and protectors’ fire burns around you. We chant, “Om, po ru lun zhe li” and visualize that Vajrasattva/Vajrapani appears in the space, Vajra in his right had and bell in his left hand emitting strong lights to define your boundaries. This is what “armor protection” is for!

In our True Buddha Tantric School we hold The High King Sutra in great respect. So apart from chanting the mantra for a rebirth in a Buddha’s land which brings benefit both to oneself and to other sentient beings, we also chant The High King Sutra. This sutra contains the names of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, with no one missing. In chanting The High King Sutra, you are chanting the name of each and every Buddha and Bodhisattva from the ten directions and three times. So we say this sutra is really something extraordinary. For each reading or reciting of this sutra, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will emit lights to give you blessing, happiness and wisdom.

The High King Sutra has a few very important sentences. They remove all your misfortune and suffering in life and death. One sentence is “I enjoy eternal pleasure and tranquillity, and remain affiliated with the Buddha Dharma”. Another sentence is “Eliminate all bad effects, and put an end to sufferings from life and death”. You will have no more worries about birth and death. You are at least an ARAHAT!. This is a wonderful sutra and we should keep reciting it, which will generate great power and light.

That’s all for today. Tomorrow we shall discuss Acala’s method proper.

Om Mani Padme Hum!

End of Discourse on “Uncommon Acala’s Teaching”......

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