WASHINGTON, June 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The World Peace Prize Awarding Council held a grand award ceremony on June 14, 2011 in the Gold Room at the U.S. Capitol to express our respect for the recipients of the 2010 World Peace Prize: H.H.Dorje Chang Buddha III, prominent leader of Buddhism in the world; Hon. Benjamin A. Gilman, former Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The ceremony, chaired by Dr. Han Min Su, founder of the World Peace Prize Awarding Council, was graced by the presence of Senator Mark Kirk, member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations; former Senator Steve Symms; Congresswoman Illeana Ros-Lehtinen, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States Congress; Congressman Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform; Congressman Steve Chabot, member of the U.S. House Committee on Judiciary; and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee, member of the Committee on Homeland Security; Congresswoman Corrine Brown,
Chairwoman of the Transportation Subcommittee on Railroads. They all
commented on the great achievements of the awardees, who have
contributed tremendously to peace and enlightenment for humanity. This
event, awarded for the 2010 recognition to those deserving recipients,
is part of a continuing program by the World Peace
Corps Mission to recognize the outstanding work of individuals who make
major contributions for the establishment and maintenance of peace.
In
view of some recent comments that the World Peace Prize Awarding
Council has received from individuals and groups, expressing their
misconceptions and misunderstanding. Our Council hereby issues this
statement.
The co-founder of the World Peace Prize Awarding Council, Dr. Han Min Su, is a Christian leader from South Korea.
The foundation of his entire life has been to preach Christianity and
morality. He has spared no efforts in advancing world peace and
furthering friendship and love among humankind. Wherever he goes, he is
well respected within the international community as a minster of high
moral character, a kind-hearted leader promoting inter-religious
collaboration and world peace.
The Chief Judge of the World Peace Prize Awarding Council, Hon. Lester Wolff,
is an experienced and distinguished statesman who has worked hard his
entire life for world peace. His contributions to peace and development
in Asian countries are especially remarkable. He is the author of the
United States Congress “Taiwan Relations Act.” In 1978, he met with Deng Xiao-Ping, the Father of Modern China, and laid down the principles and foundation for diplomatic relations between the United States and China.
At the same time, he successfully assured peace and development for
both sides of the Taiwan Straits. He also introduced amendments to the
White House sponsored Foreign Assistance Act of 1979 to restore the
initiative for direct peace talks between Israel and the Arab States.
Dr. Suzi P. Leggett has
been involved with politics and has worked in Congress over a long
period of time. She has been the Chief of Staff of a former Speaker of
the House. Her husband, the late Hon. Robert Leggett,
was the co-founder of the World Peace Corps Mission, a legislator of
great fairness, impartiality, and integrity. While in Congress, he
served on the House Armed Services Committee and Budget Committee, and
was Chairman of the Panama Canal Zone House Merchant Marine and Fishery
Committee and co-chairman of the National Security Task Force.
H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, recipient of the 2010 World Peace Prize Top Honor Prize
recipient, was recognized by more than 50 eminent dharma kings, regent
dharma kings, and great rinpoches from major Buddhist sects around the
world: H.H. Dharma King Dumu Qujie, the Root Master of the 17th Karmapa;
H.E. Goshir Gyaltsab, a regent dharma king and national master; H.E.
Sharmapa, a regent dharma king; H.H. Dharma King Trulshik, H.H. Taklung
Tsetrul, and H.E. Chogye Trichen, all three of whom are Masters of the
Dalai Lama; H.H. Dharma King Dodrupchen Thupten Trinle Palzang, H.H.
Dharma King Penor, H.H. Dharma King Achuk, H.H. Dharma King Jigme Dorje, amongst others. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is the most widely recognized leader in the history of Buddhism.
In the past decade, H.H. Dorje Chang
Buddha has suffered greatly for withstanding long-term persecution for
his religious activities. A member country of the Interpol has once
requested the Interpol to issue a warrant for His arrest. The request
was subsequently withdrawn voluntarily by this member country after some
years. Upon thorough investigation, in October of 2008, the 72nd
session of the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files withdrew
the arrest warrant and the entire case against H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Interpol also issued a document stating in definite terms that the arrest warrant against H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has been cancelled and all of its member countries have been notified of the cancellation.
Although H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III long
ago received official notification of the withdrawal of the arrest
warrant and the removal of the entire case, He has never shown such
documents to prove His innocence. Regardless of the slander He has
endured, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III did not disclose such ironclad evidence. When the World Peace Prize Awarding Council found out, and asked H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III
about this, He responded by saying that what He must do is bear all of
the karmic offenses committed by living beings and give to living beings
all of the good karma and merit that He has planted. He said that if He
proved His innocence by showing those documents, then those who
slandered Him would no longer be seen as innocent. Who, He asked, will
bear their karmic offenses?
His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III
is more than deserving of the Top Honor Prize as He exemplifies the
nobility of selflessness; a model of morality for all to emulate. He
also demonstrated how peace is often attained by determination, humility
and the perseverance to advance its cause in the face of adversity.
Hon. Benjamin A. Gilman, also recipient of the World Peace Prize Top Honor Prize,
is a distinguished statesman who served as Chairman of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee for a long period of time. He is a life-long
champion of human rights: fighting world hunger, narcotic abuse and
trafficking. He has made many successful efforts to bring about
“prisoner exchanges” which resulted in freedom of American citizens in East Germany, Mozambique, Cuba and
several other countries. Congressman Gilman served 15 terms, a total of
30 years in the U.S. Congress. Prior to that, he served 6 years in the New York State Legislature as Assemblyman, and several years as Assistant Attorney General in the New York State Department
of Law. While in Congress, he served as Chairman of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee and as Congressional delegate to the United Nations
with title of Ambassador, and later the Ukrainian Famine Commission and
Vice Chairman of the Committee on POW’s. Mr. Gilman has been a recipient
of numerous honors including the President’s Certificate of Outstanding
Achievement “for continued, demonstrated vision, initiative, and
leadership in the effort to achieve a world without hunger” and has
annually received the “Peace Through Strength” Award presented by the
American Security Council.
The World Peace Prize Awarding Council
operates according to the core spirit of advancing peace and justice
and inter-religious collaborations. The Council is led by co-founder and
executive judge Dr. Han Min Su with esteemed members including Chief Judge Hon. Lester Wolff, former Chairman of the United States Congress Asian Affairs Committee; Dr. Suzi P. Leggett, advisor to one of the former Speaker of the United States Congress; Hon Asher Naim, former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations; Hon. Bhupatry M. Oza, former Ambassador of India; Hon. Peter Lewis, former Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly; Dr. Kong Shiu-Loon, former advisor to the UNESCO; General Gennady P. Turmov, retired General of Russia.
Preaching and promoting peace is an
arduous and sometimes thankless task. Those in the vanguard continue to
become targets of others who lurk in the darkness to attack the
peacemaker and attempt to undermine their efforts. That is why we
established the World Peace Prize, to encourage continuing efforts
towards peace and to defend the Peacemaker against scurrilous diatribes
that put into question the motivation of well meaning and dedicated
individuals.
(莫知尊者合掌恭敬而白羌佛提問:First of all, I, Disciple Mozhi, prostrate to my Buddha Master, Namo Your Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III!
Today, I would like to beseech
Buddha Master to impart a Dharma. I know that in the course of imparting
Dharmas Buddha Master often revealed unfavorable opinions toward
Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism. However, in my poor knowledge, there are many
Dharmas within Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism. According to my
understanding, the Vajra Dharmas in the Tantric Division are the highest
Dharmas. The ten major Vajra Dharmas are the core and key constituents
commanding the entirety of Buddha Dharma for attaining accomplishment.
Therefore, I beseech my Buddha Master to impart the Dharma that tells us
Buddhist disciples: What should we do to be able to learn the best and
highest Vajra Dharmas, in order to ensure attaining accomplishment in
this current lifetime? Additionally, do these Vajra Dharmas all have
rituals and detail procedures or steps of practicing? How should we
practice these Dharmas?)
(莫知尊者再度合掌恭敬白羌佛提問:Thank you, Buddha Master. Namo Your Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III!
After hearing the impartations from my Buddha Master, off the many
Vajra Dharmas in various sects of Esoteric Buddhism, we are truly
astounded and are like being brought to a new world. Then, how can we
accurately distinguish and correctly select with a one-hundred-percent
certainty among all those Vajra Dharmas, in order to truly achieve great
accomplishment and liberation? Also, how do we know the right or wrong
of our own Dharma practice? How do we know if we have made progress to
develop accomplishment through our practice?)
(莫知尊者合掌恭敬而白羌佛說:I am so grateful to the kindness of Namo Your Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III!
Thank You, my beneficent Buddha Master. Thank you so much for opening
the door to the supreme true Buddha Dharma today for us Buddhist
disciples. This is actually the Invincible Vajra Dharma! This Dharma is
more than sufficient for enabling living beings to become liberated! I
am so extremely grateful! I am so grateful!)