White Tara said:
“There are many Buddhist practitioners who claim attainments they do not have and claim realization they have not achieved. These claims are inflated and false. Grandmaster Lu, you know this violates the precepts. Such false statements break the samaya of speech!”
When I heard this, I broke out in a sweat!
Because in the Highly Confidential Register of Those Fallen into the Three Lower Realms, far too many people have made exaggerated and false claims.
Therefore, it is essential to seek and follow a teacher of real virtue to avoid the influence of mara.
There was a “Boastful Dharma King” who was full of grandiose claims and self-aggrandizing assertions, and almost everything he said was an exaggeration.
This boastfulness went too far!
For instance:
The Boastful Dharma King said:
“Adi-buddha (the primordial buddha) manifested and called me his father. He paid homage to me, made offerings, and prayed for my blessing. Indeed, I am the unsurpassed buddha who existed before him.”
(In fact, the Boastful Dharma King did not really know much about Buddhadharma.)
The Boastful Dharma King said:
“My supernatural abilities are unexcelled, and I created the universe. With limitless spiritual power, the Five Dhyani Buddhas and even innumerable buddhas were all taught and trained by me so that they could become buddhas.”
(In fact, the Boastful Dharma King had never cultivated any dharma practices.)
The Boastful Dharma King said:
“Grandmaster Lu is a person with some supernatural power, but I am the one who gave him that power. I have the ability to end his life with just a breath. He should seek refuge in me for his safety. He is only alive because of my compassionate heart. There is no need for me to exert excessive effort over this simple matter. With just a single thought, I can bring him into nirvana!”
The Boastful Dharma King said:
“Although Padmasambhava, Nāgārjuna, Virupa, Naropa, and Tsongkhapa wished to become my disciples, I actually refused their requests. Their natural capacities are all too inferior, and I attained buddhahood earlier than they did. Unlike them, I did not need to practice meditation, and I had already become a buddha, whereas they all needed to practice meditation before they could become buddhas.”
(To become a buddha without meditation is indeed strange!)
The Boastful Dharma King said:
“I do not need dharma lineage, because I am the origin of the lineage. Below me, the masters of the Nyingma, Gelugpa, Kagyu, and Sakya schools are all my disciples and disciples’ disciples. True Buddha School’s Grandmaster Lu is a distant disciple of mine, and he ought to come and serve me.”
(To claim accomplishment in the absence of dharma lineage is an extreme exaggeration.)
The Boastful Dharma King said:
“I do not need Buddhadharma, because I am above Buddhadharma. I do not need Dharma teachings, because those are only necessary for people of inferior capacities. I do not need to keep precepts, because I am above precepts. From the very beginning, I have already attained liberation and enlightenment. Buddhadharma and precepts are all just garbage in my eyes.”
(No Buddhadharma, no precepts. Sutras, Vinaya, and treatises are all rendered void by him!)
The Boastful Dharma King said:
“Learn liberation from me, and you don’t need to practice any dharma. You only need my blessing power, and you can quickly become a buddha. Even if you are in the three lower realms, if I call out your name, you will be liberated and become a buddha. As for hell, it is within the nail of my little finger; all I need is a mere snap of my fingers.”
The Boastful Dharma King said:
“There is no need for the six paramitas, and no need for effort or diligence. Whether one succeeds or fails depends entirely on me, the Dharma King. There is no need to go through tribulations. If I think about you, you will become liberated.”
The Boastful Dharma King said:
“The path of liberation is just a name, and the path of bodhi is just a name. What is real is my blessing empowerment.”
Oddly enough, while some people were stunned by these claims, others actually believed the Boastful Dharma King.
However, real Buddhist practitioners must keep this in mind:
Listen to Dharma teachings.
Understand Buddhadharma.
Practice Dharma with single-minded focus.
Receive lineage empowerment.
Abide by and uphold the precepts.
Cultivate meditative states and validate enlightenment.