The Proposal For Elegantly Embroidering the Portrait of

Shakyamuni Buddha 's Sandalwood Statue With Hairs Donated

by Worldwide Buddhist Believers

Amitabha Buddha!

Great Masters and Buddhist Believers ：

The Asian Buddhist Culture Exchange Association is a semi-civil international institution mainly engaged in Buddhist culture exchange,charitable salvation and social welfare activities.Its headquarters is in Cambodia and it has 32 branches around the world. Beijing Branch is the sole one in the Mainland of China.

The Asian Buddhist Culture Exchange Association has just sponsored a championship for collecting hairs donated by 490 lay Buddhists in Beijing to elegantly embroider a portrait of Manjushri Bodhisattva which is presented as a gift to the Wutai Mountain Buddhist Association on the occasion of the Second China Wutai Mountain International Buddhist Culture Festival. All participants were surprised for such an elegant artcraft that made a great furore among them and became a highlight in the Festival. The Wutai Mountain Buddhist Association considers this Manjushri Bodhisattva Portrait as a rare Buddhist Treasure, and then invited Great Masters to solemnly enlighten the Portrait for Buddhist Believers of the ten directions to worship in Bishan Monastery of Wutai Mountain forever.

The Asian Buddhist Culture Exchange Association conducts its cultural exchange activities acccording to the current situation, and meticulously explores Chinese traditional artistical techniques so as to elaborate Buddhist treasures, which are about to be circulated among Buddhist Monasteries to show Buddhist Dharmas for the sake of the living beings. Now the Association sponsors another championship for collecting hairs of 84000 Buddhist Believers around the world to elegantly embroider a portrait of Shakyamuni Buddha ' s Sandalwood Statue, which is about to be worshiped forever in Lianhua(Lotus) Monastery of Lianhua(Lotus) Mountain in Wuwei City of Gansu Province in China.

Lianhua Mountain is located in the west of 15 km distance away from Wuwai City of Gansu Province.It has magnificent Momentum with a subtle and profound atmosphere. There exist eight peaks around a basin like a lotus, so it is called “ Lotus Mountain ” . The Monasteries and Temples are established along the mountain slopes since Han and Tang Dynasties. It is a holy land of Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism. Therefore The Asian Buddhist Culture Exchange Association makes arrangement for this rare treasure of the hair-embroidered Portrait of Shakyamuni Buddha ' s Sandalwood Statue to be worshiped in this land.

The Source of Shakyamuni Buddha ' s Sandalwood Statue

This Shakyamuni Buddha ' s Sandalwood Statue is the beginning of Buddhist Statues, which was produced when Shakyamuni Buddha was alive in the world.The most surpassing feature is that Shakyamuni Buddha himself touched the head of the Statue and made it enlightening. According to the Buddhist Sutra, “ D uring the time when the World-honoured One was living in the world, he spoke Buddhist Dharmas to his mother in the Heaven for a long time. Everybody missed him very much,and told about the World-honoured One ' s sounds and appearances from time to time, and expected to see the World-honoured One as soon as possible. The King also missed the World-honoured One very much,and invited an experienced sculptor, who had ever seen and had a deep impression of the World-honoured One, to elegantly sculpt a statue of the World-honoured One with fine-quality sandalwood. After the completion of this sculpture, the Buddha Statue is worshiped in the King ' s Palace. The King paid homage to the Statue of the World-honoured One each day and thought the World-honoured One ' s Teachings as if the World-honoured One were with him. Three months later,the World-honoured One came back and saw the Buddha Statue, he touched the head of the Statue and made it enlightening, then praised:| “ Excellent! After the cessation of the Buddha,his believers could make offerings to the Buddha Statue, and commemorate the Buddha. ”

This is the source of the initial Buddha Statue in the world,and that is why we respectfully embroider this Portrait of the Statue as well.It is the most surpassing merit and virtue that the Portrait of Shakyamuni Buddha ' s Sandalwood Statue will be eleborately embroidered with hairs donated by 84000 Buddhist Believers around the world. The scale of the Championship, the faith of Buddhist Believers and the continuous interaction between the Buddha and his believers are what had never before. This hair-embroidered Portrait of 84000 Buhhist believers is an initiative in the world.It also meets the demand of the Great Vehicle of the Buddhism which is prevailing nowadays.

It is the mixture of Chinese ancient hair-embroidery art and modern technique method, which preserves original Buddhist artistical achievement and also sends forth a fresh flavour of modern philosophy, so as to make this ancient Buddhist Treasure refreshen more brilliance as sunshining and be full of vitality, and show Buddhist Teachings accordingly. The Portrait will be solemnly enlightened by Great Masters, which is about to be forever worshiped and paid homage to by worldwide Buddhist Believers in Lianhua(Lotus) Monastery of Lianhua(Lotus) Mountain in Wuwei City of Gansu Province in China.

Hair-embroidered Buddhist Portrait makes the Heaven

and the Earth moved.

The hair-embroidery is an Ancient Chinese traditional embroidery art in particular,nor has other counterparts in the world.It was called “ Black Embroidery ” or “ Black Silk Embroidery ” , which arosed in Tang Dynasty when Buddhism was in vogue and has a history of over one thousand years.

According to legend, during the mid-period of Tang Dynasty when Buddhism became the National Religion,a female believer named Mi terribly worried about her mother-in-law ' s disease which had troubled her mother-in-law and couldn ' t been healed for a long time. She cut a bunch of her own black hair by herself and embroidered portraits of Guanyin Bodhissattva and the Buddha with her black hair on a cloth of silk with the foremost faith in the Buddha. She worshiped on bended knees for a long time before the Portraits she made. She was so faithful that her prayer made the Heaven and the Earth moved. Consequently, her mother-in-law was soon magically healed. This deed was praised immediately far and wide. Her hair-embroidered portraits were introduced to the Emperor Palace and the Empress Wu Zetian praised her highly after her comtemplation. Therefore the hair-embroidery art in Buddhist Portraits quickly spread nationwide. The believer Mi made a surpassing merit and virtue for this action and attained a continuous interaction between the Buddha and her.

Great Merit and Virtue for Donating Your Own Hair

to Embroider the Buddha Portrait.

Chinese Ancients said: “ The heart produces blood,and blood produces hair. ” Hair is the crystallization of human body. So the heart is hair, and hair is the heart. The Buddha Portrait embroidered with your own hair implicates that your whole body and mind harmonizes with the Buddhist Nature. Thus you are no other than the Buddha, and the Buddha doesn't differ from you. You have attained the supreme Bodhi realm. Therefore, you would attain the foremost surpassing merit and virtue if you donate your own hair to embroider the Buddha Portrait and dedicate your merit to the Universe in order to purify the Human Realm.

Although your hair donated is few, that meaning is great and profound.Chinese Ancients said: “ To draw a string of hair will remove the whole body. ” Moreover, hair is the crystallization of the heart, this hair donated by you is a link with your whole body and mind. This expresses your foremost faith in the Buddha,consequently your body and mind enters into the Great Buddhist Brilliance. In 1930s, one of the Greatest Master Yin Guang said: “ The more faith in the Buddha, the more interaction with the Buddha. ” Therefore, you will attain the surpassing response from the Buddha for your foremost faith, and be protected and cared for by the Buddha. From this view of point, the donation of your own hair has profound meanings and immeasurable merit and virtue.

Buddhist believers who is mindful of the Buddha will be protected and given favors by the Buddha.Each one gives forth the Buddhist Brilliance of an area of 20km around him and all Living Beings within this area gain benefits for that enlightening without any knowledge. As the same case,you donate your own hair to embroider the Buddha Portrait with the foremost faith, and Great Masters give the Buddha Portrait enlightening. For there exists your own hair in the Portrait, the Buddha continuously protects and cares for you with his immeasurable merit and virtue, and makes you remind of the Buddha. As a result,you will also give forth the Buddhist Brilliance of an area of 20km around you under the protection and favor of the Buddha, and attain the peace and happiness in your whole life. The conditions you rely on will be changed upon your own will without any knowledge. Moreover, you have planted a seed to attain the Buddhahood at this rare and superior opportunity. Therefore,you will certainly become a Buddha in future.

In addition, your name will be filed into the computer, and are warmly welcome to visit Lianhua Mountain and participate Buddhist activities. Moreover,you will enjoy favored treatment for the rest of your life because of the donation of your hair.

May every Buddhist Believer be delighted in donating his/her own hair and make a vow to complete the merit and virtue of the hair-embroidered Portrait of Shakyamuni Buddha ' s Sandalwood Statue. Homage to Amitabha Buddha!

Dedication of Merit: “ May the merit and virtues accrued from this work, Adorn the Buddha's pure land, Repaying the four kinds of kindness above, and relieving the sufferings of those in the Three Paths below. May those who see and hear of this, All bring forth the heart of Understanding, And live the Teachings for the rest of this life, Then Be born together in the land of Ultimate Bliss. ”

Sponsors: The Asian Buddhist Culture Exchange Association

The Wuwei Municipal Liangshang District Travelling

Development Co., Ltd. of Gansu Province

16th, Sept,2005