Lu Sheng-yen
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Lu Sheng-yen | |
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盧勝彥 (蓮生活佛) | |
Title | Grand Master |
Personal | |
Born | (5th month, 18th day of the Lunar Calendar) United States | June 27, 1945
Spouse | Lu Li-hsiang (Lian Hsiang) |
School | True Buddha School |
Other names | Living Buddha Lian Sheng Grand Master Lu Huaguang Zizai Fo White Lotus Padmakumara |
Senior posting | |
Based in | Redmond, Washington State |
Website | TBSN |
Lu Sheng-Yen (Chinese: 盧勝彥; pinyin: Lú Shèngyàn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lô Sèng-gān, born 27 June 1945), commonly referred to by followers as Grand Master Lu (師尊), is a Taiwanese-born American Buddhist teacher who is the founder and spiritual leader of the True Buddha School, a new religious movement with teachings from Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.[1] Lu is known by the sect as Living Buddha Lian Sheng (蓮生活佛, Liansheng Huófó) and is revered by his disciples as a Living Buddha.
Lu’s sect claims to have more five million followers worldwide, of whom the majority hail from Taiwan, China, Macau, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.[2] Lu Sheng-Yen holds dual American and Taiwanese citizenship, and often travels between the two countries.[citation needed]
Life
Lu Sheng-Yen was born in
In a biography, Lu wrote that he had a Zen-style instant awakening to the first stage of enlightenment by the Golden Mother of the Jade Pond in 1969, who opened his third eye during a visit to a Taoist temple, revealing to him his true nature and purpose. She directed him to follow the instructions of Reverend Liao Ming 清真 (of the Taoist Ching Zhen Sect, also a lineage holder of the Kagyu school of Vajrayana Buddhism)[4] and the Three Mountains and Nine Marquis.
Lu is a prolific author and has produced a large body of work over a span of 40 years. This has resulted in 240 books published in Traditional Chinese.[5]
Personal life
Lu Sheng-Yen is married to Lian Hsiang, who is also a vajra master, and is referred as Shimu in Chinese, which translates as Grand Madam in English, the standard Chinese title for a woman married to a Grandmaster. Prior to becoming a monk, the couple already had two children.[6]
Controversies
Differences between teachings and other Buddhist sects
In 2007, the Buddhist Federation of Malaysia, the Malaysian Buddhist Youth Association, the Malaysian Buddhist Dharma Promotion Association, the
Allegations of money-making fraud
In 2007, seven Buddhist groups in Malaysia criticized Shengyan Lu's gatherings for conducting monetary transactions in a statement. For example, the Buddhist hat worn by Shengyan Lu was priced at 300,000
Collective cash donation to then-Governor Gary Locke
Lu made headlines during an investigation by the
Criticism
In 2007, the Buddhist Federation of Malaysia, the Malaysian Buddhist Youth Association, the Malaysian Buddhist Dharma Promotion Association, the International Buddha's Light Association Malaysian Association, the Ceylon Buddhist Advancement Association, Buddhist Tzu Chi Merit Association and Malaysian Vajrayana Buddhist Association issued a joint statement, criticizing the True Buddha Sect as a Buddhist heretic rather than orthodox Buddhism, and stating their view that Lu Sheng-yen claimed to be Buddha and claimed the supreme power of Dharma.[7]
Prof. Wai Lun Tam of the Chinese University of Hong Kong has conducted on-going research into True Buddha School and his studies question the use of the term "new religion", finding instead that it was simply "a new Buddhist movement".[1]
Notes
- ^ a b "Re-examining the True Buddha School: A 'New Religion' or a New 'Buddhist Movement'? | South and East Asian Religions Collection". 2022-11-25.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ Administrator. "Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple Seattle - The lineage root guru of True Buddha School: Living Buddha Lian-Sheng". www.tbsseattle.org. Retrieved 2017-09-09.
- ISSN 1744-9014.
- ^ Net, True Buddha School. "關於蓮生活佛-真佛宗TBSN". True Buddha School Net - TBSN (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- .
- ^ Rev. Pi Yan (2006). "Grand Master and Grand Madam visited LSCT Temple Chicago Chapter on Nov 11, 2006". True Buddha School Net. Archived from the original on February 14, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2007.
- ^ a b ""True Buddha Sect is a cult attached to Buddha". The seven major Buddhist groups list six illegal evidences". Sinchew.com. 2007-10-25. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
- ^ ""True Buddha Sect is a cult attached to Buddha". The seven major Buddhist groups list six illegal evidences". Sinchew.com. 2007-10-25. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
- ^ "Promote Dharma and speculate in stocks?! The leader of the True Buddha Sect has made hundreds of millions of dollars". China Television Corporation. 2012-11-02. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
- ^ "Untangling The Locke Campaign-Fund Probe -- Confusing Series Of Events Began At Buddhist Temple | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ Rick, Anderson (2001-09-05). "Sex and the buddha". seattleweekly.com. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
See also
References
- Lu, Sheng-yen (1995). A Complete and Detailed Exposition on the True Buddha Tantric Dharma. San Bruno, CA: Purple Lotus Society. ISBN 1-881493-04-0