Taking refuge is an important undertaking in life. It is a commitment to spiritual cultivation and an aspiration to live a more more noble and meaningful life.
His Holiness Living Buddha Lian Sheng has the dharma title of “Great Blessing Vajra” and he is the founder and Root Guru of True Buddha School. When one takes refuge in the Root Guru, one receives the lineage transmission, the dharma stream that flows and originates from the Root Guru’s blessings and empowerments. Vajrayana Buddhism places great importance on lineage transmission and regards the act of respecting one’s Root Guru as the most important. Without the blessings and empowerments from the Root Guru, one cannot receive the Vajrayana teachings and cultivate the teachings.
The Root Guru is the embodiment of the Triple Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. He is the origin of all blessings and empowerments because all future accomplishments in one’s cultivation of Buddhism originate from the Root Guru. As a spiritual cultivator with genuine realization, the blessings and empowerments he bestows are the same as those bestowed by the Buddha.
For these reasons, one should get to know Living Buddha Lian Sheng through his writings and teachings and develop sincere reverence for him.
True Buddha School welcomes all regardless of race, nationality, gender, religion, and so on. From reincarnated masters to sinners looking to reform, all are equally welcome. Services are offered on a donation basis with no set fee, making participation accessible to anyone. Those who wish to join may join, and those who wish to leave may leave, without any manipulation or obstruction.
True Buddha disciples who cultivate the Root Guru Practice can attain spiritual union and responses from the Root Guru, which is a great blessing. With the Root Guru’s blessing, one can gain health, longevity, a harmonious family, prosperity, wisdom, and the fulfillment of worldly aspirations. In the transcendental realm, one attains bodhisattvahood.
According to the Sutra of Consecration, those who take refuge are protected by thirty-six guardians sent by the Four Heavenly Kings (devarajas). If they also also cultivate the Root Guru Practice, Vajrayaksa, his retinue of five hundred, and countless bodhisattvas will also provide protection.
Students who take refuge and receive the necessary empowerments will, through the diligent cultivation of the Root Guru Practice, benefit both themselves and others due to its boundless merits. All transgressions will be extinguished, and negative forces will recede. The Root Guru Practice is the most efficacious of all practices and should be widely propagated.
Online:
At 7:00 a.m. (your local time), on either the first or the fifteenth of every lunar month, face the direction of the rising sun. With palms joined, reverently recite the Fourfold Refuge mantra three times: “Namo Guru bei, Namo Buddha ye, Namo Dharma ye, Namo Sangha ye. Seeking Living Buddha Lian Sheng’s guidance, I am taking refuge in the True Buddha,” and prostrate three times.
Then, complete the refuge form. His Holiness will perform the refuge empowerment remotely, and you will receive a refuge certificate and guidance on practice by post.
In Person:
You may obtain the refuge empowerment personally from His Holiness by attending the Saturday night group practice at the Ling Shen Ching Tze temple in Redmond, Washington, USA, or from a True Buddha acharya who confers the empowerment on his behalf by visiting a True Buddha temple, chapter, or cultivation group.
In Writing:
At 7:00 a.m. (your local time), on either the first or the fifteenth of every lunar month, face the direction of the rising sun. With palms joined, reverently recite the Fourfold Refuge mantra three times: “Namo Guru bei, Namo Buddha ye, Namo Dharma ye, Namo Sangha ye. Seeking Living Buddha Lian Sheng’s guidance, I am taking refuge in the True Buddha,” and prostrate three times.
Send a letter to the True Buddha Foundation to indicate your wish to receive the refuge empowerment. State your name, address, age, and enclose a voluntary offering. Upon receiving the letter, His Holiness will perform the refuge empowerment remotely, and you will receive a refuge certificate and guidance on practice by post.
The address is:
True Buddha Foundation
17102 NE 40th Ct.
Redmond, WA 98052
USA