On February 22 and 23, 2003 we held the Thousand-Buddha Confession Ceremony at Vairocana Monastery.  We prostrated the Thousand-Buddha from the past Magnificent Era.  This was the third year of the ceremony since 2001; the program was similar to the one of last year.  Each session we prostrated two hundred Buddha.  There were a total of five sessions for the entire Thousand-Buddha Confession Ceremony.  In order to allow some attendees coming from long distance to arrive home early for work on Monday, the ceremony was successfully ended at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

After the grand offering on the first day, Venerable Ta Yu gave a brief teaching based on the Prajna-paramita Sutra of the benevolent king for protection of the nation.  She told us that when people asked her: "How to prevent the possible war with Iraq", she answered: "If there were only 1% of people supporting the government to have war with Iraq, then there wouldn't be any war.  When there are now 35% of people supporting the government to have war with Iraq, the war is likely to take place."  Venerable Ta Yu said: "Depending on what kind of collective Karma that people have, they will produce a president of equal kind to rule their nation."

She continued the teaching based on the Sutra: "There will be some disorderly phenomena when a nation is about to decline; for example, huge disasters just like the torrorist attack on the world trade center in New York City on September 11, 2001.  Over three thousand people died in that disaster.  There also will be all kinds of calamities occurring in the nation, such as severe fires, flooding, hurricanes and snowstorms.  When a nation is headed toward chaos, the high officers criticize each other, the nature is upset, and sun, moon and stars appear out of time and place.  When these calamities occur, we must continue our good practice to face and accept them."

After lunch, accompanied by sacred chanting, the attendees continued their sincere prostration to the Thousand-Buddha of the Past Magnificent Era.  The first day of the Thousand-Buddha Confession Ceremony was completed around 5:00 p.m.

On the second day, Venerable Ta Yu continued the teaching after the grand offering.  She told a story from the Sutra of the benevolent king for protection of the nation.  There was a prince of Devala named Kalmasapada.  He believed in a non-Buddhist master named Shan-Shi, who baptized his head with holy water when he ascended to the throne.  Kalmasapada asked master Shan-Shi how to make his kingdom prosperous.  Master Shan-Shi told him that he had to kill one thousand kings and use their heads as sacrifice to make offering to the great black heavenly god, Mahakala in order to make his kingdom prosperous.  Kalmasapada had already caught nine hundred and ninety nine kings since he ascended the throne.  He only needed one more king to fulfill the sacrifice.  Therefore, Kalmasapada traveled ten thousand miles north to search for a king.  Finally he found one, whose name was Pu Ming.  King Pu Ming asked Kalmasapada to give him one day to worship the Three Jewels and to make food offering to Sanghas before he had to die.  Kalmasapada granted his wish.

Following the teaching of all the Buddhas in the past, King Pu Ming offered one hundred superior seats and invited one hundred Buddhist teachers to discourse on the myriad of Gatha of Prajna-paramita twice a day.   Hearing the discourse on the Gatha, King Pu Ming perceived and realized the Samadhi of emptiness and understood that body, mind, and kingdom are all unreal.  All of his retinue also obtained the Dharma-eye that was able to see the truth and attain liberation from reincarnation.

Afterwards King Pu Ming returned to Devala, the kingdom of Kalmasapada, and prepared to die.  He recited the Gatha of Prajna-paramita of all the Buddha in the past to all the kings in Devala, and they all perceived and realized the Samadhi of emptiness.  All the kings were now reciting the Gatha of Prajna-paramita.  Kalmasapada asked them what Gatha they were reciting.  King Pu Ming answered him that it was the Gatha of Prajna-paramita.  Once Kalasapada learned the Gatha, he also perceived and realized the meditative state of emptiness.  Realizing that he had been misled by the non-Buddhist master, he immediately released all the kings back to their kingdoms.  Afterwards, Kalmasapada invited Buddhist teachers to discourse the Prajna-paramita for him, became a monk and realized the unmovable truth of no arising and no extinguishing.

All the attendees in the ceremony were full of the joy of Dharma and started the journey home after lunch.  The Thousand-Buddha Confession Ceremony was successfully concluded with the enthusiastic participation of all the attendees.