The Video Recording of Dharma Master Qing Ding Paying Respect to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III to Become a Disciple Was Taken by Me in Person

[See 7-1   Written testimony by Zhu Shiyong in translation of IBSA Forwarded article at www.xuanfa.net.

My name is Zhu Shiyong. I work at the Enterprise Production Department in Chengdu, China with the responsibility of video recording and photographing.

Master Wan Ko Yee is H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, as we know now.

One day in the summer of 1993, my department head summoned me into his office and told me to go to No. 19, West Xinhua Road to record a video. He said, “You fellow really have good luck. This opportunity today is very hard to come by. An elder monk with the age of over 90 will go there today to pay respect to Master Wan Ko Yee and to become a disciple. Even elder Zhao Puchu who is the chairman of the Buddhist Association of China is extraordinarily respectful to this elder monk. You should record the entire process and bring the tape back to let me watch it.”

So, I went to No. 19, West Xinhua Road in the morning. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III was very happy to see me coming and said to me, “Young Mr. Zhu, you came at the right time. We do need you today to record the video. You should make it good.” I immediately replied, “Master, you take it easy. I will definitely do it well.” I only knew that the video was to record the elder monk paying respect and becoming a disciple, but did not know who the elder monk was.

It was about 10 o’clock when a staff member came in to report to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III that Great Dharma Master Qing Ding, who was regarded as the first of the four greatly prominent monks of China and the abbot of the Zhaojue Temple in Chengdu which is a monastery with a history of over 1000 years, came with his personal assistants Monastic Yan Fa and Monastic Ming Nian and others to request respectfully meeting H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.

At that time, all other visitors were instructed to wait in the outer hall. Dharma Master Qing Ding went in by himself for the meeting. I dared not waste any time and turned on the video camera at the door of the Buddha hall of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III to be ready for video recording.

About one minute later, I saw a monk with a long beard holding the arm of Dharma Master Qing Ding and they walked toward the Buddha hall. I immediately began filming the video, starting from the time when they were on a bridge outside the Buddha hall. I stepped back gradually while filming and eventually went back inside the Buddha hall. When they stepped into the Buddha hall, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III was sitting on a sofa at the center of the room facing the door. There was a tea stand in front of the sofa, with a few oil lamps on it. Being held by the big-bearded monk, Dharma Master Qing Ding slowly walked to the center of the Buddha hall, facing Master Yee. At that time, my position of filming the video was at the right-front of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and the left-rear of Dharma Master Qing Ding.

While I was filming, I heard the big-bearded monk telling H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, “Master, Great Monk Qing Ding came to pay respect and become your disciple.”

At this time, Dharma Master Qing Ding was already before H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. He kneeled down to pay the homage as a disciple. Dharma Master Qing Ding rose and kneeled down again, and again …… He prostrated four times.

After that, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III let Dharma Master Qing Ding sit before Him on the carpet and expounded Buddha-dharma to him. Dharma Master Qing Ding listened very respectfully. It took about 10 minutes. Later, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III was about to perform the dharma to empower Dharma Master Qing Ding. So I turned the video camera off.

At last, after receiving empowerment from H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, Dharma Master Qing Ding made a request for initiation and dharma transmission. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III agreed on the spot. Then, Monastic Yan Fa and Monastic Ming Nian also came in to prostrate to pay homage to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. (Monastic Yan Fa is currently the abbot of the Zhaojue Temple.)

Next, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III was about to transmit the dharma to Dharma Master Qing Ding. So I stepped out of the Buddha hall. After about two hours, I saw that Dharma Master Qing Ding came out very happily, smiling all over his face. We asked him to sit on a sofa in the outer hall. He was very delighted to talk to us. I was not quite able to understand his accent from the region that included Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces. Anyway, I could tell that he was very happy with a full expression of joy. In the end, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III also invited him and his assistants Monastic Yan Fa and Monastic Ming Nian to have lunch in the Buddha hall.

The video camera I used at the time was a Panasonic 1/2 small video camera made in Japan. It was the kind that the viewfinder would generate a color signal. At that time, I held the video camera in my right hand to shoot the video. My left hand also held a fool-proof camera (meaning no focusing needed). So I also took quite a number of still photos in the process of recording the video.

The above descriptions are completely and absolutely true without any fabrication. I dare say that the authenticity of the tape I filmed can be examined by international experts. If there is anything false, I am willing to be punished by law. I can guarantee with my character and the good fortune and lives of me and my family that everything I stated here is true fact. I am willing to bear the responsibility before law.

 

Zhu Shiyong (signature, with fingerprint stamped on every page)

September 10, 2016