文／蓮生活佛 盧勝彥
《真佛宗》本尊—蓮花童子手印的來源，是蓮生活佛入本尊三昧地時，自動結出的手印，右手說法，左手持蓮，其表徵是：
說法印——表示善說一切法。
持蓮印——表示六根清淨、身口意清淨，離垢如蓮花。
有人問：「蓮花童子就是蓮花童子，何以又是阿彌陀佛的轉化？」
我說明如下：
以觀世音菩薩來說，這尊菩薩就有很多化身，像六觀音就有六尊。千手千眼觀音、聖觀音、馬頭觀音、十一面觀音、准提觀音、如意輪觀音。觀世音菩薩還有三十二應身，其轉化無盡，是不可思議的。
而蓮花童子真正說來，是大日如來出生，住於佛眼佛母，阿彌陀佛應化，可算是大日如來、佛眼佛母、阿彌陀佛，三身合一的轉化了，如此更是殊勝。
另有人問：「《真佛宗》的鈴杵搖法，與藏密、東密等均未必相同，何以故？」
我回答：
這也是蓮生活佛入本尊三昧地時，進入金剛薩埵的心，手持金剛鈴、金剛杵時，變化為金剛手菩薩，於是菩薩搖動鈴杵而傳授下來的。
鈴杵搖法是得自虛空傳承，並非人間傳承的緣故，所以搖法與眾不同。
〈真佛密法〉與密教各宗派，有所謂的共法及不共法，而蓮花童子悉地（淨土），蓮花童子本尊、手印、真言及金剛鈴杵搖法，可以說僅是《真佛宗》才有，所以是不共法。
蓮花童子本尊，因是不共法，是真正稀有的。
The Padmakumara Mudra
and the Method of Using the Bell and Vajra
Written by Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Cheng Yew Chung edited by Victor Hazen
True Buddha Translation Teams
The origin of the mudra of Padmakumara, the personal deity of the True Buddha School, stems from an occasion when Living Buddha Lian-sheng entered into the Deity Samadhi and automatically formed the mudra. The right hand gesture signifies the expounding of Dharma while the left hand indicates the holding of a lotus.
The Dharma Expounding Mudra symbolizes the fluent elucidation of all dharma while the Lotus Holding Mudra represents the purity of the six senses, the purity of body, speech and mind as uncontaminated as the lotus.
Someone asked, 「Since Padmakumara is Padmakumara, why should he be the transformation of Amitabha?」
Let me clarify this. Take Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Guan Yin) as an example. This bodhisattva has many emanation bodies. In the case of the Six Guan Yin Bodhisattvas, there are already six: the Thousand Arms Thousand Eyes Guan Yin, Holy Guan Yin, Horse Head Guan Yin (Heyagriva), the Eleven-headed Kannon (Ekadasamukha), Cundi Guan Yin, and Nyoirin-Kannon (Cintamani-cakra). Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is known to have thirty two manifested bodies, and is capable of infinite transformations. It is indeed inconceivable.
As for Padmakumara, this Buddha is born out of Vairocana Tathagata, abides in Buddha Locana, and is manifested through Amitabha Buddha. You can say that he is the combined manifestation of Vairocana Tathagata, Buddha Locana and Amitabha Buddha, whose lineage is even more extraordinary.
Another person asked, 「The method of using the bell and vajra in the True Buddha School is different from that of Tibetan Buddhism and Japanese Shingon Buddhism. Why?」
My reply was that when I entered into the Samadhi of my personal deity, I reached into the heart of Vajrasattva, and as I was holding the bell and vajra in my hands, I was transformed into Vajrapani. When Vajrapani exercised the method of using the bell and vajra, the method was transmitted.
The reason it differs from others is that the method of using the bell and vajra is transmitted from the spiritual lineage, and not from the human lineage.
Included in the True Buddha Tantric Dharma and the teachings of other Vajrayana schools are the common and uncommon practices. Since the Padmakumara Siddhi (Pure Land), the Padmakumara deity, its mudra, mantra, and the method of using the bell and vajra are available only in the True Buddha School, they are designated as uncommon practices.
The inclusion of the personal deity, Padmakumara into the teaching as an uncommon practice is evidently rare.
