OFFICE OF H.H. DORJE CHANG BUDDHA III Announcement Number 43th (06/07/2014) Statement

The H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum in the United States formally opened to the publictoday. This is anextremely good thing. The world now has one more cultural and art museum. The world’s culture, art, civilization, and spiritual healthhas now been enhanced, and the public’s opportunity to enjoy beauty has now been increased. This museum is the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum. It will permanently exhibit some of the accomplishments of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.

However, it must be pointed out that there are many people who do not understand the true situation. They think that the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum is a personal orprivate organization of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. This is an extremely erroneous understanding. The fact is that the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum is a public-benefit, non-profit cultural and art organization. It is not a private or personal art museum. The museum does use the name of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. However, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is not a founder, leader, or member of this organization. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III does not take part in any of the museum’s operations, management or other activities. The only thing H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III did for the museum is, in response to the museum’s request, donate for free many works of art for exhibition by the museum,benefiting society by adding to the goodness and beauty found in culture, art, and religion. Therefore, to put it in very worldly terms, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is not making any profit through the museum. Moreover,His Holiness the Buddha is not receiving any compensation whatsoever for all of His donations to the museum. Instead, His Holiness the Buddha has actually sustained an economic loss due to such donations. However, this demonstrates the essence of a Buddha— sacrificing His own interests in order to benefit living beings.

As early as April of this year before the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum opened, the Office of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III (this Office),on behalf of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and this Office, signed an agreement with the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum on exhibiting artwork at the museum. The agreementclearly stipulated the following:

• All the artwork will be provided free of charge to the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum for permanent exhibition;

• The Office of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum are two separate organizations completely independent of each other;

• The H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum clearly understands that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and this Office will not participate in any of the operational, managerial, and other affairs of the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum or any activities of the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum.

H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III did not even attend the museum’s grand opening. The agreement also clearly states that there exists no cooperative relationship of any kind between the Office of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and the Office of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III are making voluntary contributions to the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum solely because the museum will promotegoodness and beauty in society. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and the Office of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III have no relationship with the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum in the areas of administration, work, operations, fund-raising, gift shop sales, personnel or any other kindof relationship. The H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cultural and Art Museum is solely responsiblefor its activities and the rights, duties, and interests related to those activities.