We call Manjushri Bodhisattva the Wisdom Deity. He is also the King of Wisdom.

Don't consider Manjusri Bodhisattva to be just a Bodhisattva. From Indian Buddhism to Chinese Buddhism, Only China's Wutai Mountain is found in the Chinese Buddhist Canon. Wutai Mountain is also known as Qingliang Shan and is the bodhimanda of Manjusri Bodhisattva. Other bodhimandas, such as Samantabhadra's Mount Emei, Avalokiteshvara's Mount Putuo, and Ksitigarbha's Mount Jiuhua came later. In China, Wutai Mountain is the first of the four sacred mountains. Manjushri himself is the symbolic representation of prajna. He was once the teacher of seven Buddhas, the master of seven Buddhas. Since his background is not just as a Bodhisattva, he may have one hair knot, two hair knots, three hair knots, four hair knots, and five hair knots which represent his completely perfect and supreme wisdom. Thus, the King of Wisdom is himself the supreme wisdom.

How is the Zhi Wang (editor: means King of Wisdom in English) Cultivation Association going to expand in the future? Build a Lei Tsang Temple? No, this wish is still too small! Wutai Mountain has five plateaus and Manjusri's wisdom is complete and perfect. Manjushri Bodhisattva has ''five'' hair knots, east, south, west, north and central, but you only have ''one'' hair knot. It is not enough! Your wish is not big enough.

There is a joke that goes like this. A farmer says that the time is not right at present because the weather is not in our favor. This farmer says to a beggar: ''I'm a farmer which has four mouths in the family to feed.'' That beggar replies: ''You have four mouths to feed, I have four families to feed.'' The farmer asks ''You being a beggar, how can you have four families to feed?'' The beggar says: ''Yes, I have to feed one mosquito family, one tick family, one stink bug family and myself.'' Therefore he has four families to feed.

Why is Manjushri Bodhisattva the King of Wisdom? It is because he was once the teacher of seven buddhas. When Shakyamuni Buddha was about to pass away under the twin sala trees Manjushri Bodhisattva appeared and said: ''Why don't you stay in the Saha World and continue to turn the Dharma wheel?'' Shakyamuni Buddha replied: ''Did I ever turn the Dharma wheel?'' Having great wisdom, Manjusri realized that he had asked the wrong question.

Think about it. What is the ultimate wisdom? Shakyamuni Buddha's realization of the unexcelled state of perfect enlightenment is the ultimate Buddha wisdom. Manjushri Bodhisattva's prajna is also the ultimate wisdom. Today, Grandmaster Lu's realization is also the ultimate wisdom. (applause) There is no other wisdom surpassing this. When you understand the supreme state of perfect enlightenment, everything else is beneath it. Within the totality of boundless space there exists only you. You are one with the universe.

Today I have come to Zhi Wang Cultivation Association at Beigang. This chapter is King of Wisdom. I asked you why is this chapter called the King of Wisdom? You said that the King is Grandmaster. Let me tell you that the King is Shakyamuni Buddha. The King is Manjushri Bodhisattva. All of the Buddhas are the King. As long as you attain the state of unexcelled perfect enlightenment, you are the King. (applause)

Therefore, you continue to cultivate, study, and practice the buddhadharma. At the end, you must attain self-realization. You have to awaken your mind and see the original nature. Thereafter you must continue to practice and find your true Buddha nature. Although you are awakened and discover your true mind, you still have to practice and cultivate to see your true Buddha nature. After you have achieved self-realization, and through this cultivation process have eliminated all your obstacles, you will then be able to accomplish absolute universal enlightenment and wonderful enlightenment. When you reach wonderful enlightenment, you will become the true King of Wisdom. This will require extremely diligent practice.

Manjushri Bodhisattvas have five hair knots', four hair knots', three hair knots', and two hair knots' Manjushris. Five hair knots' Manjushri mean his wisdom is complete and perfect. The most critical point in cultivation is to bring one's wisdom to perfection. I'm not saying you need to build something like Wutai Mountain, that is, find five mountain peaks and build five Lei Tsang temples on them. It would, of course be great if you could build Zhi Wang Lei Tsang temples on five mountain peaks: Zhi Wang Lei Tsang Temple of the 1st plateau, Zhi Wang Lei Tsang Temple of the 2nd plateau, Zhi Wang Lei Tsang Temple of the 3rd plateau and Zhi Wang Lei Tsang Temple of the 4th plateau.

You see, it's written here ''the Light of Wisdom'' and the ''Light of Health.'' This ''Light of Wisdom'' needs to be blessed by Manjushri Bodhisattva and the ''Light of Health'' must be blessed by Medicine Buddha. I hope that in the future all of our True Buddha disciples will soon attain self-realization. (applause) In the future, everyone's cultivation will culminate in enlightenment. (applause) What I mean is really seeing the true Buddha nature, to actually see the buddha-nature. When one sees the buddha nature and is awakened to the state of true reality one has become the true King of Wisdom.

Today, I especially talked about ''what is the King of Wisdom?'' Manjushri Bodhisattva is the King of Wisdom. Shakyamuni Buddha is the King of Wisdom. All the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are King of Wisdom. We often chant ''Maha Prajna Paramita'' or ''Prajna Paramita.'' This is the King of Wisdom. Shakyamuni Buddha and Manjusri, as well as many other bodhisattvas and many saints are all able to attain enlightenment and witness wisdom. This wisdom is absolute, just like the vajra. The crossed vajra scepters represent immovability and firmness. It has the function of vajra. It can destroy everything. It is indestructible, infinite, and absolute. This is what the crossed vajras symbolize.

What then does it mean to symbolize wisdom in this way? You will know once you have validated this wisdom. There is no other higher wisdom. There is nothing which surpasses this enlightenment so it's called ''unexcelled perfect enlightenment.'' ''Unexcelled'' means that there is no wisdom higher than this wisdom. Today, you must all break through to the meaning of unexcelled, ultimate wisdom.

Once I went to India to worship the eight major sacred sites. I saw many people meditating at Buddha-gaya, Bodhgaya, under the Bodhi tree, and around the Big Bodhi Temple. They were all meditating and contemplating ''what is the unexcelled state of perfect enlightenment.'' They all wanted to seek the unexcelled state of perfect enlightenment.

Today, in our True Buddha School, some have already attained the unexcelled state of perfect enlightenment. (applause) In the future, Reverend Liangshan will also take part in attaining the unexcelled state of perfect enlightenment. You must practice well because True Buddha Foundation has given you the name Zhi Wang. The responsibility is enormous because you must uphold this responsibility of Zhi Wang. Pray to Manjushri Bodhisattva every day in hope that he will open up your wisdom. Use Manjushri Bodhisattva's sword to make your entire body transparent and allow your wisdom to manifest. Don't waste this life. Come to a profound realization of ''what is the unexcelled state of perfect enlightenment.'' When you achieve realization then practice this unexcelled state of perfect enlightenment and you will become Manjushri Bodhisattva, the King of Wisdom. Om Mani Padme Hum.

If I want to invite Manjushri Bodhisattva or Yamantaka for empowerment, it is very easy, but these three empowerments are all first level empowerments. True Buddha School has always been pretty easygoing about empowerments. In short, way too casual. I already spoke about this at Shang Hua Chapter. When construction is not yet finished and the Kalachakra shrine is not yet established, bestowing the Kalachakra empowerment without adhering to the sadhana is too casual. With Grandmaster's own power, I'm able to invite Kalachakra here. Today, using my own power it is easy for me to invite these three bodhisattvas who are very close to me personally. With Grandmaster's power, it is easy to invite them because Amitabha is my personal deity and Long Life Buddha is a transformation of of Amitabha buddha. Manjushri Bodhisattva is the embodiment of Amitabha's wheel of the true Dharma. Accordingly, they are connected. This means that if Amitabha comes I will of course be able to invoke Manjushri Bodhisattva here as well. Yamantaka is the embodiment of Amitabha's wheel of injunction. Therefore, it is really easy for me to invite them. However you did not perform the sadhana here.

In Tibet, if you seek to acquire the empowerment of Yamantaka, you must recite the Yamantaka Sutra for 7 days. To invite him, you have to build his mandala. This is the rule. If you want to receive the empowerment of Kalachakra, you must establish Kalachakra's mandala. To invoke Kalachakra you must recite the sutra for 7 days and after seven days of reciting you must definitely make offerings every day to the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and wrathful deities. You can't just casually say ''Today I am requesting three empowerments.'' Unless the sadhana is finished in its entirety you have broken the tantric law. Just as Shang Hua Chapter did not follow the tantric law on that occasion and establish a Kalachakra shrine. When we spread the dharma in places all over the world you can see that when we bestow the Kalachakra empowerment we construct an entire Kalachakra shrine with Grand Master seated at the center. Then we can bestow the Kalachakra empowerment. This is what the rule is. Therefore today you must perform Amitabha's homa, Yamantaka's homa, and Manjushri's homa. After finishing all the offerings, you then invoke them. This is the proper practice, and this is how the procedure should be.

So, today I'm telling you that in the future, no chapters should just casually request that, ''I want to acquire empowerment of Primordial Buddha, Adibuddha.'' I will say: ''I can't perform empowerment because you don't have a mandala. Where is your mandala?'' To construct Yamantaka's mandala, it will have to be square on the outside and round on the inside. In the center will be Yamantaka. All Yamantaka's retinue need to be arranged. The same goes for Amitabha. You must have Amitabha's mandala. Manjusri Bodhisattva must have Manjusri Bodhisattva's mandala and retinue. This is all definitely required. Today our True Buddha School is taking empowerment too casually, having empowerment for three deities, three empowerments in one, four empowerments in one, five empowerments in one, one hundred empowerments in one. Then in the future a thousand empowerments in one. Just one empowerment will take care of all empowerments. This is not permissible. If you want an empowerment, just one deity at a time is allowed. Today I have been speaking soley about Manjusri Bodhisattva and there will just be an empowerment for Manjusri Bodhisattva.

What you have is also a mandala, Golden Mother of the Jade Pond's mandala, Taoism's mandala. This is Kurukulle's thangka. It is not called a mandala, although it can be counted as such. That is Four-Armed Guan Yin. Actually, if you want to receive the empowerment of Mahamayuri Vidyarajni, then all Mahamayuri Vidyarajni's family members and retinue need to be displayed. All need to be invoked, and the offerings must be sufficient. Don't just casually arrange three mangoes, durians, and a few flowers. Of course you must have basic items such as incense, flowers, lamps, tea, and fruit.

In fact, you probably don't know the importance of offering. If you really want to have a great empowerment, the mandala must be built first, then all the offerings placed on the side. The mandala must be very dignified and stately. Because I spoke about Manjushri Bodhisattva today, we will perform the empowerment of Manjushri Bodhisattva and invoke him.

Translated by TBTTs (Only those sections of the article which are relevant to Manjushri)
Translator: Amy Lin
Translation Accuracy Editor: DJ Chang
English Proficiency Editor: Henry Wolf