Buddahood Lineage

The word ‘Buddha’ means ‘Enlightenment’, ‘Complete Pure (pristine) Awareness’, or ‘Fully Awakened’. As Sakyamuni Buddha, he is the one who has achieved enlightenment, having discovered the essential mundane existence and the truth of life, and who has deep understanding of the Universe. Humanity Vehicle (Jen Chen) Buddhism is the teachings of the Wisdom that Sakyamuni Buddha preached to humanity. In our planet world, the founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni Buddha taught a total of five vehicles of Buddhism during his lifetime in this world:

Humanity Vehicle (pronounced as Jen Chen in Chinese)
Deva Vehicle
Sravaka Vehicle
Pratyekabuddha Vehicle
Bodhisattva Vehicle

“Vehicle” is an analogy for a mode of conveyance, like a car, ship or airplane which delivers people from one place to another. Because the conditions and levels of understanding among sentient beings differ greatly, Sakyamuni Buddha had to adopt different approaches to expounding the Buddha-Dharma, and hence, he taught a total of five different Vehicles of Buddhism.

In the Saddharma-pundarika Sutra (Dharma-flower Sutras, or Lotus sutras), it is stated that “In the Buddha Lands of the ten directions, there is only one vehicle of teaching; there is no second or third, unless you are speaking of the expedient teachings of the Buddha.” The Buddha expounded on five vehicles of teaching to cater for sentient beings’ different conditions and levels of understanding. But from the ultimate point of view, there is only one vehicle - the vehicle that leads to supreme enlightenment: the Buddhahood Vehicle. The earth is the hub of the human world, so the two forms of karma resulting from one’s past - one being the resultant person, and the other being the dependent condition or environment - are dominated by humanity. Hence, by learning and practicing Buddhism as humanity, and furthermore through practicing the Bodhisattva Way to attain supreme Enlightenment and being Fully-Awakened, then it is the right way. As such, the Buddhahood Lineage World Humanity Vehicle Buddhism (Jen Chen Buddhism) was established by Venerable Master Shen-Kai in 1993 in the U.S.A.; it has the mission to make known to the people in this world that the main purpose of learning and practicing Buddhism is to attain our innate Buddha-nature and become a Buddha; so in order to attain our innate Buddha-nature and become a Buddha, the only right way is to learn and practice Buddhism. By observing the Five Precepts and performing the Ten Virtuous Deeds, we lay the foundations which ensure our rebirth in human form lifetime after lifetime, so that we may continually practice the Bodhisattva Way and eventually attain Buddhahood.

Buddhahood Lineage World Humanity Vehicle Buddhism (Jen Chen Buddhism) promotes the original teachings of Humanity Vehicle Buddhism expounded by Sakyamuni Buddha. We pay homage to Sakyamuni Buddha and practice the Way of the Bodhisattvas.

The objective of the Buddhahood Lineage is to promote Humanity Vehicle Buddhism, to purify the human mind, unfold the innate wisdom of humanity, and establish a far-reaching culture of bliss that transforms our impure world into a blissful pure land.

Buddhahood Lineage World Humanity Vehicle Buddhism upholds the original teachings of Śākyamuni Buddha, venerating his wisdom and embracing the path of Bodhisattvas.

Throughout his lifetime, Śākyamuni Buddha, the revered founder of Buddhism, imparted teachings through five vehicles:

Humanity Vehicle (Jen Chen)
Deva or Heavens Vehicle
Śravaka Vehicle
Pratyekabuddha Vehicle
Bodhisattva Vehicle

These vehicles are akin to modes of conveyance, guiding individuals from one state of understanding to another. Humanity Vehicle Buddhism, also known as Jen Chen Buddhism, encompasses the wisdom teachings that Śākyamuni Buddha offered to humanity.

In the Lotus Sūtra, it is affirmed that amidst the myriad teachings, there exists only one ultimate vehicle leading to supreme enlightenment: the Buddhahood Vehicle.

The Buddhahood Lineage was established with the aspiration to emulate the Buddha's cultivation, awaken our innate pure nature, and embody Humanity Vehicle Buddhism. By adhering to the Five Precepts and practicing the Ten Virtuous Deeds, we pave the way for continual rebirth in human form, fostering the Bodhisattva Way and ultimately attaining Buddhahood.

The mission of the Buddhahood Lineage is to propagate Humanity Vehicle Buddhism, purify the human mind, awaken humanity's innate wisdom, and cultivate a culture of bliss, transforming our impure world into a realm of pure happiness.

(*For reference, the Five Precepts include refraining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and consuming intoxicants. The Ten Virtuous Deeds entail abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, mean or slanderous speech, greed, anger and hatred, ignorance and wrong views.)