Lu Sheng-yen
Lu Sheng-yen 盧勝彥 (蓮生活佛) | |
|---|---|
| File:蓮生活佛.jpg Lu in 2004 | |
| Title | Grand Master Rinpoche |
| Personal | |
| Born | (27 June 1945; 5th month, 18th day Lunar Calendar} |
| Religion | True Buddha lineage Pure Land Buddhism Vajrayana Taoism |
| Nationality | Taiwanese |
| Spouse | Lian Hsiang |
| Other names | Living Buddha Lian Sheng Master Lu Huaguang Zizai Fo (Bright Flower Sovereign Buddha) |
| Website | tbsn.org |
Template:Chinese name Lu Sheng-Yen (盧勝彥, Lú Shèngyàn) (born 27 June 1945; 5th month, 18th day Lunar Calendar), commonly referred to by followers as 師尊 (Grand Master Lu) is the founder and spiritual leader of the True Buddha School, a new Buddhist sect with teachings taken from Sutrayana and Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism), as well as Taoism. Master Lu has declared himself to be Living Buddha Lian Sheng (蓮生活佛, Liansheng Huófó) and is revered by his disciples as a Living Buddha.[1]
His organization says that over seven million students have taken refuge as disciples under Lu. There are also more than four hundred local chapters of the True Buddha School, including thirty major temples, such as the Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple in Redmond, Washington. The majority of his disciples hail from Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. He has dual American and Taiwanese citizenship, and often travels between the two countries.
Lu is married to Lian Hsiang, who is also a vajra master, and is referred as Grand Madam Lu, or 師母. Grand Master Lu and Grand Madam Lu have two children.[2]
Life
Born in Chiayi County, Taiwan in 1945, Lu was raised a Christian, attending a Protestant school. His post-secondary education was at Chung Cheng Institute of Technology, and he graduated with a degree in Survey Engineering. In his early twenties he was both a survey engineer and a Sunday school Bible teacher.
In 1969 he had a mystical experience whereby the Golden Mother 瑤池金母 opened his third eye and took him for a visit to the Western Pure Land. This was the beginning of a Buddha-in-training, where he eventually sought out more than twenty-one gurus to receive teachings on Taoism, Sutrayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism. In 1982, Lu and a small following of his disciples moved to the United States, and lived in the state of Washington. His four main gurus are Thubthen Daeryi, Master Sakya Zhengong, the 16th Karmapa, and Monk Liao Ming. It is well known that Grand Master Lu supplicates for their blessings prior to the start of his dharma teachings.
As of 25 October 2011, Lu has written 224 books in Chinese on various topics, including Feng Shui, spirituality, and profound dharma teachings. Many of these books have been translated to both English and Spanish.
He went into retreat for six years starting late 2000, spending most of his time in Taihiti, as well as some in Taiwan.[3] Today he lives in Taiwan.
Teachings
Lu teaches the Mahamudra method of attaining Buddhahood. His teachings follow the traditional stages of the practice of the Four Preliminaries, followed by Guru Yoga, Deity Yoga, the Vajra Practices, and finally Highest Yoga Tantra.[4]
Grand Master Lu is the manifestation of Padmakumara, which is the Dharma Body of Amitabha Buddha.[5]
According to Noah Casey, Lu's teachings do not prohibit the consumption of meat and alcohol (as do some sects in Vajrayana); however, "The consumption of alcohol is limited to quantities not resulting in intoxication, and the eating of meat is restricted to animals not butchered especially for the person consuming. Before consuming either of these, or any other nutritional substance, a special prayer is required. For meats, the spirit of the animal must be delivered."[6] However, this is seen as contradiction, in comparison with traditional Pure Land Buddhist teachings.
Controversies
The True Buddha School has, in recent times, been criticized by seven major Buddhist organizations[7] in Malaysia and many other Buddhist organizations in Taiwan and Hong Kong as a cult and as a breakaway from orthodox Buddhist teachings.
Lu made headlines during an investigation by the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission into his cash donations to then-Governor Gary Locke, who Lu had hoped would run for the White House. Locke was cleared of any wrongdoing by the commission in 1998. Further, this did not affect Locke in his pursuit for confirmation as the current U.S. Secretary of Commerce.[8]
He was also sued in civil court by a former disciple, a 41-year-old Malaysian immigrant over allegations of sexual misconduct, after the King County, Washington prosecutor declined to file charges for lack of evidence. The case was dismissed by King County Superior Court Judge Kathleen Learned citing constitutional issues.[8] In the case S.H.C. v. Sheng-Yen Lu,[9] the Superior Court of King County granted the Temple's motion for summary judgment, and the Court of Appeals later "affirm[ed] the trial court's grant of summary judgment dismissing all claims against the Temple." The school has recently re-addressed this matter in the hopes of closing the case.
After a meeting in November 1996 with the Dalai Lama and a meeting with the 100th Ganden Tri Rinpoche, Lu asserted that both the Dalai Lama and Ganden Tripa Rinpoche had endorsed him as an authority in Tibetan Buddhism. It is unclear whether there was retraction of such endorsement, as has been widely rumored. His claims that he has millions of disciples have also been heavily questioned by Tibetan sources, as well as his claim to have attained lineage from various Tibetan lineages, albeit most of his critics do not know him personally.[10]
Lu has also gained attention for his opulent lifestyle, an example being his vehicle being a Bentley.[10]
Notes
- ^ Lu, Sheng-yen. Who is Sheng-Yen Lu
- ^ Rev. Pi Yan (2006). Grand Master and Grand Madam visited LSCT Temple Chicago Chapter on Nov 11, 2006
- ^ True Buddha News (Edition 609, page 2)
- ^ Lu Sheng-yen. Highest Yoga Tantra and Mahamudra, ch. 2
- ^ Lu Sheng-yen. The Emergence of Padmakumara
- ^ Casey, Noah. The True Buddha School: A Field Research Report on The Chan Hai Lei Zang Temple
- ^ "真佛宗是附佛邪教 七大佛團列六不法舉證". Sin Chew Daily. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
- ^ a b Anderson, Rick. Sex and the buddha in the Seattle Weekly, September 5, 2001.
- ^ S.H.C. v. Sheng-Yen Lu
- ^ a b "The Buddha as a Grand Master". New Delhi: Tibetan Review. March 1997. p. 16.
References
- Casey, Noah. The True Buddha School: A Field Research Report on The Chan Hai Lei Zang Temple. Montreal Religious Sites Project.
- 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
External links
- True Buddha School Net (Official site)
- Unofficial True Buddha School Blog