A Silver Bracelet Led Me to Buddhism
There are many people who learn Buddhism, but the reasons they enter Buddhism vary greatly. Some seek spiritual faith to give their hearts a sense of comfort and support. Some do so for their health, while others pray to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for a happy family or a successful career. Of course, there are also those who enter Buddhism because they genuinely wish to understand the principles of Buddha Dharma, free themselves from the suffering of reincarnation, and benefit both themselves and others. Although people may have different reasons and purposes for entering Buddhism, they all come with the intention of learning Buddhism.
So, what led me to Buddhism?
Before I entered Buddhism, I knew virtually nothing about Buddhism. Yet I had always considered myself a believer in Buddhism simply because I occasionally visited temples to pay respect to the Buddhas. At that time, the little understanding I had of Buddhism was mixed with superstition.
That changed in December 2017, when I traveled to Yunnan with some friends and bought a silver bracelet engraved with the Six-Syllable Great Bright Mantra.
After returning home, I searched online for information about the mantra, including how to recite it. That was when I first learned about reincarnation within the six realms and the different karmic consequences of good and evil deeds.
When I read descriptions of the suffering in the three lower realms, I was deeply shaken. I began thinking about the cats, dogs, mice, birds, fish, shrimp, flies, mosquitoes, and other living beings around us. They clearly possess awareness. If you strike or frighten them, they immediately try to escape. When I thought about the possibility that these beings could have been humans in previous lives who were subsequently reincarnated, I found it frightening. The thought of the hell realm and the realm of hungry ghosts was even more terrifying.
Then I thought about human existence itself, with all its worries and troubles, endless toil, deception, and conflict. It too seemed filled with suffering.
I felt deeply saddened and thought, How wonderful it would be if I could become a Buddha or Bodhisattva!
Right then, I made a decision: In this lifetime, I would earnestly learn Buddha Dharma and seek liberation. I did not want to continue revolving endlessly through the six realms of reincarnation, lifetime after lifetime. I did not want to simply drift through this existence. I wanted to end the cycle of birth and death and attain liberation.
And that was how my journey of learning Buddhism began.
Early the next morning, I went to the most renowned Buddhist temple in my area and asked where I could learn Buddha Dharma. As it happened, the temple offered Buddhist classes, so I enrolled immediately.
For some time afterward, I traveled back and forth between two large, historic, and well-known local temples. One identified with the Caodong school of Chan Buddhism, while the other followed the Tiantai school.
I attended classes on both days of every weekend. I recited the Heart Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, and the Amitabha Sutra, and participated in morning and evening services. Whenever I had time, I volunteered at the temples. I also listened to monastics at the temples and to various people regarded as eminent Buddhist masters online as they lectured on Buddhist sutras and teachings.
As I continued studying, however, many questions began to arise.
When I attended lectures on the Lotus Sutra, the masters at the temple were unable to explain many of the Dharma principles in depth. They simply copied passages from commentaries written by patriarchs and asked us to write them in our notebooks.
Whenever we asked what a particular Buddhist term meant or how we should understand a certain passage concerning Dharma principles, the masters would simply tell us, “Just write it down.” They were unable to provide a clear explanation.
I also listened online to a well-known Buddhist master lecture on the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra. I listened carefully many times, yet the essential Dharma principles contained in those sutras still seemed obscure and confusing to me. I remained unable to truly understand prajna, emptiness, or the nature of our original state.
Then, in February 2018, a friend in Shenzhen learned that I was studying Buddhism and invited me to join a Buddhist study group organized by Dr. Xie, who worked in the medical field.
Dr. Xie frequently shared articles about the holy accomplishments of Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
I was astonished.
Could there really be a true Buddha living in this world?!
From the articles he shared, I read about numerous disciples of Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III who had attained accomplishments and liberation. I became deeply inspired and asked Dr. Xie:
“Doctor, are there books containing the H.H. Dorje Chang Budha’s teachings? Could you send me a few so that I can respectfully study them?”
Dr. Xie replied:
“Come and request them in person!”
The very next day, I bought a plane ticket and flew there.
Under Dr. Xie’s guidance, I went to the Buddhist practice center of a fellow practitioner who was a Rinpoche to listen to Dharma teachings.
It was a weekend, and many people had gathered to listen to the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s Dharma together. One recorded Dharma discourse was played twice.
The approachable and warm voice of Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III gave me an extraordinary feeling of closeness, almost like being reunited with a beloved family member after a long separation. The explanations were presented in such clear and accessible language that, to my surprise, even I could understand some of them!
I felt joyful and encouraged. During the group discussion afterward, I was even able to share a little of what I had understood.
After returning home, I flew there two more times to listen to Dharma teachings of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. I also attended the Buddha Bathing Dharma Assembly in Hong Kong that May. Then, in June, I was fortunate enough to have an audience with Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
I will not elaborate here on the blessings I experienced. Instead, I would like to continue sharing my genuine experiences of learning Buddhism over these years.
After respectfully listening to the Dharma discourses of the Buddha, I came to understand many principles. In particular, I respectfully studied books in which the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III expounded prajna. The Buddha explained prajna in clear and accessible language and also taught us specific methods through which realization could be attained. He explained the relationship between cultivating oneself and practicing the Dharma and taught us how to cultivate ourselves.
These were things I had never learned at the local temples. Moreover, many of the questions that had previously puzzled me at those temples were answered through the Dharma discourses and writings of the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
At the same time, through studying the Dharma expounded by the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, I came to understand that those who have not attained the level of a great Bodhisattva at the stage of non-retrogression or higher are not qualified to expound the Dharma, much less those so-called “eminent monks and virtuous masters” who possess no actual realization or accomplishment.
Without genuine realization, they either merely repeat the knowledge of others or recklessly expound teachings that can mislead practitioners. This can lead living beings toward erroneous views and misguided paths and may even sever their opportunities to develop wisdom and attain liberation.
Having previously experienced a form of Buddhism that consisted primarily of burning incense, paying respect to the Buddhas, reciting mantras and Buddha names, chanting sutras, and practicing Chan meditation—and having heard only superficial theories presented as Buddhist knowledge—I came to appreciate even more deeply just how difficult it is to encounter genuine Buddha Dharma.
The superficial theoretical knowledge taught by those so-called “eminent monks and virtuous masters” provides no genuine Buddha Dharma to practice, nor does it offer authentic inner-tantric initiations. Therefore, it cannot enable one to end the cycle of birth and death.
The difference between learning genuine Buddha Dharma and learning false or incomplete Buddha Dharma is truly beyond description.
I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have encountered genuine Buddha Dharma.
This is the story of how I entered Buddhism.
Dear friends, I do not know how you will feel after reading my story. Are you as fortunate as I have been?
If you are still going around in circles within a form of Buddhism that consists only of burning incense, paying respect to the Buddhas, reciting Buddha names, and chanting sutras—or if you are merely listening to lectures that sound plausible but do not convey the true Dharma—then quickly pray for the blessings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas so that you may soon encounter the true Dharma of the Tathagata.
Only by learning genuine Buddha Dharma can we receive the blessings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and attain lasting happiness.
I also sincerely want to tell you this: How extraordinarily rare and precious it is for a Buddha to be living in this world. If you sincerely wish to learn Buddhism, you must not let such an opportunity pass you by. Otherwise, you may be left with profound regret and no opportunity to attain liberation.
Written by: Xiangyanghua
Edited by: Liju Bankai
Link: https://t.co/CVaS07GPJo
#DorjeChangBuddhaIII #Buddhism #BuddhistTeachings #LearningBuddhism #BuddhistCultivation #SixSyllableMantra
@TrueDharma01 Beyond surface wishes lies the ultimate goal: understanding true Dharma, ending the cycle of rebirth, and bringing benefit to all beings.
Holy Miracles Temple Commemorates Amitabha Buddha’s Birthday with a Grand Dharma Assembly in Pasadena
California Observer Contributor
December 29, 2025
To honor the Holy Birthday of Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha of the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss, four Buddhist organizations — the World Buddhism Association Headquarters (WBAH), Holy Miracles Temple, Hongfa Temple, and Sanger Mission — jointly hosted a Dharma Assembly at the Grand Hall of Holy Miracles Temple in Pasadena. The ceremony was presided over by Dharma Master Jiaozun Zhengda, Vice President of WBAH. Hundreds of Buddhists from across multiple nations attended the Dharma Assembly.
The assembly began at 10 a.m. on December 21. The Grand Hall resonated with solemn sutra chanting, creating an atmosphere of tranquility and reverence. Under the guidance of the Dharma Master Jiaozun Zhengda, together with Dharma Master Ruzun Ruohui — the abbess of Hua Zang Si Temple and Hongfa Temple — and other monastics, attendees paid homage to the Buddhas and recited The Buddha Speaks of Amitabha Sutra. This was followed by the Meal Offering Ceremony. Incense, flowers, lamps, fresh fruits, and various offerings were presented in sequence.
Attendees prayed for the blessings and protection of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, Amitabha Buddha, and all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions—may all calamities be pacified, may life unfold in harmony and joy, and may the merit and wisdom of all living beings ever increase, hastening their journey toward enlightenment.
According to Buddhist scriptures, Amitabha Buddha is one of the Five Buddhas in Five Directions and is a disciple of the Primordial Buddha, Dorje Chang Buddha. In His past lives before becoming a Buddha, Amitabha Buddha made forty-eight profound vows out of boundless compassion, aspiring to rescue all beings from suffering and guide them toward rebirth in the Pure Land.
Dharma Master Jiaozun Zhengda called upon Buddhist disciples to emulate the vast vows of compassion made by Amitabha Buddha and the Buddhas of the ten directions to liberate all sentient beings. The merit accrued through this assembly was dedicated to the flourishing of the true Buddha Dharma, the well-being of all people, the prosperity of the world, and enduring peace among nations.
Buddhist nun Zhengqin Shi of Hongfa Temple shared reflections on her spiritual journey. After enduring many hardships, it was through studying the true Buddha Dharma that she discovered inner peace and joy. She emphasized that learning Buddhism is neither feudal superstition nor a search for the strange or heretically induced phenomena. The scripture Learning from Buddha has been her most cherished guide on cultivation and the practices of Buddha Dharma.
Participant Vicky Wu from Los Angeles expressed deep gratitude for the compassionate blessings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and for the rare opportunity in this lifetime to encounter the teachings of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. After more than a decade of practice, her faith in the law of cause and effect has grown steadily, giving her the composure to meet life’s challenges with ease.
As the Dharma Assembly concluded successfully, the Dharma Masters sprinkled blessed Dharma water upon attendees, offering prayers for the alleviation of misfortune, longevity, and continued growth in good fortune and wisdom. The temple grounds were filled with a sense of collective tranquility and spiritual renewal. Many expressed gratitude for the guidance provided by the esteemed monastics and the opportunity to share in the collective energy of the assembly.
The organizers observed that the Dharma Assembly was not only a moment of shared reverence but also an opportunity for participants to deepen their understanding of the Buddha’s teachings and commitment to compassionate action. They expressed the hope that the inspiration from this gathering will continue to illuminate each person’s path—encouraging the cultivation of virtue, nurturing harmony within families and communities, and bringing forth a peaceful and benevolent world.
Link: https://t.co/78uG9bkPYv
#DorjeChangBuddhaIII #MasterWanKoYee #AmitabhaBuddha #HolyMiraclesTemple #buddhism
@TrueDharma01 Over a thousand Dharma masters, rinpoches, and lay practitioners gathered in Glendale to celebrate the Holy Birthday of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III! Vibrant energy everywhere! ✨
Why the Best Rhythm in Life Is Neither Fast Nor Slow
When Zhang Yigong was young, he was an impatient man.
At the age of thirty, he became fascinated with the erhu. However, despite his enthusiasm, he struggled to master it. Determined to learn, he spent three months’ worth of wages on an old rosewood erhu and sought instruction from Master Liu, the most renowned erhu teacher in town.
On the very first lesson, Master Liu asked him to tune the strings.
Without hesitation, Zhang tightened the strings as much as he could. He thought to himself, “The tighter the strings, the greater the tension, and the brighter the sound. Surely that’s obvious.”
Master Liu said nothing and simply asked him to play A Beautiful Evening.
At the first stroke of the bow, the sound was as shrill as a rooster’s crow. At the second, the string snapped. The broken string lashed back across the back of his hand, leaving a bloody welt.
“Too tight,” Master Liu said as he handed him a new string.
The next lesson, Zhang remembered his mistake. Afraid of snapping another string, he loosened it excessively, so much so that his fingers nearly touched the neck of the instrument when he pressed down.
This time, the string did not break, but the sound was muffled, as though it were trapped beneath a blanket. All of the erhu’s charm had disappeared. Despite his efforts, the music remained weak and lifeless.
Master Liu smiled and took the instrument from him. As he adjusted the tuning pegs, he listened carefully tightening a little, drawing the bow once, tightening a little more, and drawing the bow again. Neither too tight nor too loose.
Finally, he handed the erhu back.
“Try again.”
Zhang drew the bow across the strings. This time, the sound was neither sharp nor dull. It was clear yet mellow, like an autumn breeze passing through a bamboo grove.
He was stunned.
“People have their temperaments, and strings have theirs,” Master Liu said. “If they’re too tight, they cannot bear you. If they’re too loose, you cannot command them. You must work with their nature and find that point that is just right.”
Later, Zhang approached his practice in the same way.
While learning Horse Racing, he was obsessed with speed, wishing he could produce a dozen notes in a single second. The result was a chaotic jumble of sounds. Master Liu told him to slow down, but he overcorrected, moving so slowly that he resembled an old ox ambling along.
After months of practice and reflection, he finally came to understand: the fast passages should be played with crisp precision, while the slow passages should unfold with ease and composure. Between speed and slowness, the flow of the music must never be broken.
The day he finally mastered Horse Racing, Zhang closed his eyes and felt as though he was no longer playing the erhu but riding a horse across an open grassland. Neither too fast nor too slow, every step fell perfectly in rhythm, and his heart seemed to resonate with the melody itself.
Many years later, Zhang Yigong became a teacher himself.
One day, a student asked him, “What is the secret to playing the erhu well?”
He pointed to the tuning pegs and replied:
“The key is tuning the strings properly. Too tight, and they break. Too loose, and they make no sound. Everything in life is the same. If you’re too hasty, things fall apart. If you’re too slow, opportunities are lost. Only when things are just right can they be accomplished.”
The wisdom expressed here echoes a teaching by Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III in Philosophical Sayings About Worldly Matters:
“Undue haste causes delay, and procrastination causes loss. With this point of view, one shall choose the Middle Way as a principle. When a violin is tuned too low, its strings produce disharmony, but when it’s tuned too high, the strings are likely to snap.”
Once we understand this principle, we realize that life is much like the strings of an instrument. Stretch them too tightly, and they will snap. Leave them too loose, and they will remain silent. Only by avoiding extremes—neither hurried nor sluggish, neither excessive nor deficient—can we produce our own harmonious melody.
Remember:
Speed is not the skill. Slowness is not the skill. The true skill lies in being just right.
May all who have the opportunity to read this article take these words to heart. In the days ahead, may we approach our work without haste, without impatience, without procrastination, and without laziness. May we each discover our own Middle Way.
And always remember:
The best rhythm in life is neither the fastest nor the slowest—it is simply the one that is just right.
Written by A Humble Buddhist Practitioner
Link: https://t.co/eBnS3V5djn
#DorjeChangBuddhaIII #MasterWanKoYee #PersonalGrowth #LifeBalance #buddhism
Before You Complain Today, Read This
We often hear people complain that life is not going their way: their salary is not high enough, their house is not big enough, or their luck is not good enough. Their brows are furrowed as though the entire world were working against them. Yet, when we look carefully at their circumstances, their bodies are healthy, their families are safe, and they have food to eat and clothes to wear, we may wonder: Why are they filled with so much dissatisfaction?
Many people spend their lives taking their blessings for granted.
Human beings have a peculiar tendency: we quickly grow accustomed to what we possess yet remain constantly preoccupied with what we lack. When we are healthy, we rarely think of effortless breathing as a gift. Only when a cold leaves us congested do we understand how precious it is to breathe freely. When we are young, we seldom consider strong and agile legs a blessing. Only when our knees begin to ache do we miss the freedom of running.
Happiness is much the same. It quietly surrounds us and seems as natural as the air we breathe. Only after it is lost do we suddenly realize that it was there all along.
I once knew a friend who had just recovered from a serious illness. In the past, he often complained—about the demands of his job, his limited income, and the dullness of everyday life. Yet after leaving the hospital, he seemed like a different person. The morning sunlight moved him deeply. A simple bowl of plain rice porridge brought him contentment. The sound of his child’s laughter brought tears to his eyes.
He said:
“While I was lying in the hospital bed, I could think of nothing else. I only wanted to recover—to be able to walk normally and eat normally again. Now that I have regained these things, I finally understand that an ordinary life is the greatest blessing of all.”
This reminds me of a teaching given by Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III in Philosophical Sayings About Worldly Matters:
“A person not appreciative of the good life he is living is one who has forgotten his past miseries. A person in good health is not aware of its blessings until he loses it.”
This means that some people live amid blessings without recognizing them. Although their circumstances are good in many ways, they remain dissatisfied, finding fault with one thing after another. They are filled with complaints and self-pity.
The main reason is that they have become immersed in favorable conditions and have forgotten the existence of hardship. While enjoying happiness, they forget the difficulties they once endured. In the same way, strong and healthy people often fail to understand the suffering of illness. They neglect to protect their health and do not cherish their strong bodies. Only after falling ill—confined to bed, unable to move, and without an appetite—do they finally understand the joy and blessing of good health.
The Buddha has long revealed this truth to the world. Regrettably, not everyone has the good fortune to respectfully listen to the authentic Buddha Dharma personally taught by Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Many people pass through life in confusion and unawareness. Only when illness comes do they understand the value of health, and only after something is lost do they recognize the happiness they once possessed.
Those who fail to appreciate their blessings may not necessarily be ungrateful by nature. Perhaps they have simply forgotten that adversity exists. Having grown accustomed to favorable circumstances, they begin to regard them as something they are naturally entitled to. Having forgotten their former hardships, they become blind to the peace and stability before them.
It is like someone who has lived for so long in a room filled with orchids that they no longer notice the fragrance. In the same way, those who remain surrounded by happiness for too long may cease to recognize it.
In truth, happiness does not require luxurious clothing, fine food, fame, or worldly success. It is hidden within every ordinary day: waking in the morning without illness, having a home to return to at night, having food when hungry, clothing when cold, and someone to rely upon when weary.
May we all pause in our habit of complaining. Tonight, before going to sleep, take a moment to count what you possessed today: one easy breath, one warm meal, one word spoken and answered—and the opportunity to learn the authentic Buddha Dharma.
Then quietly remind yourself:
This, too, is a blessing.
Written by Yijie Xue
Link: https://t.co/fkOgHtDfe4
#DorjeChangBuddhaIII #MasterWanKoYee #BuddhistTeachings #BuddhaDharma #StopComplaining #buddhism
A Profound Realization of Impermanence
Last December, on a particularly cold day, I was at home when I suddenly felt a sensation like an electric current surging through the left side of my body, from the sole of my foot all the way to my left shoulder. At the time, no one else was home. Somehow, I still had enough awareness to go upstairs and look for my neighbor, who happened to return home just two minutes later.
I live in a mountainous area where ambulances are not normally nearby. Yet on that very day, an ambulance happened to be on standby at a nearby nursing home.
By the time I saw my neighbor, I could no longer speak. The emergency personnel quickly asked me a few simple questions, and within approximately ten minutes, I had arrived at General Hospital. Because it was very late, only intern physicians were present in the emergency room. By then, I had already lost much of my consciousness. Shortly afterward, my family arrived.
The hospital urgently contacted an attending physician, who rushed from home to examine my condition. After reviewing the extent of the bleeding in my brain, the doctor believed that my chances of survival were very slim.
Because I was still relatively young, the doctor informed my family that emergency brain surgery needed to be performed immediately if there was to be any hope of saving my life. My family decided to take the risk and proceed with the operation.
I do not know how much time passed before I was taken into surgery. When I regained consciousness, the operation had already been completed. It had been a major procedure, leaving me with an incision nearly thirty centimeters long across my head. Although my life had been saved, the doctors believed my prognosis would likely be poor and that I might be paralyzed.
Fortunately, the blood vessel that ruptured was located in the left side of my brain, and because I am left-handed, I was still able to write and did not suffer paralysis. I experienced only mild aphasia. Miraculously, I could still walk and climb stairs. Although I felt weaker than before, my physical functions remained largely intact.
Just a few days later, I was discharged from the intensive care unit. Everything throughout the process went remarkably smoothly. Even my attending physician commented that my recovery had far exceeded his expectations.
I offer my deepest gratitude to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Through this experience, I profoundly felt the presence of an unseen force of blessing that saved my life. Had it not been for the compassionate blessings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, if even one step in the chain of events had not occurred in time, I might no longer be in this world and would have lost the opportunity to continue learning the true Buddha Dharma of Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
I also understand clearly that this was originally a severe karmic consequence. Yet, through the blessings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, together with my efforts in learning the True Buddha Dharma of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and engaging in cultivation, what should have been a grave punishment was lessened. Normally, such a stroke would have resulted in devastating consequences. Yet today, I am still able to speak, walk, and even climb stairs, with very little impact on my daily life.
Even my employers have been willing to wait for my return to work, so my source of income has not been interrupted. Although the surgery involved substantial medical expenses, I have not had to worry about financial hardship because I have been able to continue supporting myself.
Every day, I recite the Six-Syllable Great Bright Mantra, The Sutra Spoken by the Buddha on Healing Hemorrhoids, and The Universal Gate Chapter of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. I also do my best to respectfully read The Expounding the Absolute Truth Through the Heart Sutra by Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III daily. Following my teacher’s guidance, I dedicate the merits of my daily practice to all sentient beings throughout the Dharma Realm and to my karmic creditors.
I am deeply grateful to Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, Namo Yuhua Shouzhi Wang Holy Mother the Great Mahasattva, Namo Great Compassionate Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, and all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Mahasattvas for their compassionate blessings, which allowed me to escape death and continue this precious life.
Respectfully submitted by Buddhist disciple Jin Yucen
(With palms joined in reverence)
Link: https://t.co/DT8wUFCoCM
#DorjeChangBuddhaIII #MasterWanKoYee #Impermanence #BuddhistTeachings #BuddhaDharma #buddhism