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Lu Sheng-yen | |
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盧勝彥 (蓮生活佛) | |
 Statue of Lu Sheng-Yan | |
| Title | Grand Master |
| Personal life | |
| Born | (1945-06-27)June 27, 1945 (age 80) (5th month, 18th day of the Lunar Calendar) |
| Nationality | Taiwanese American |
| Spouse | Lu Li-hsiang (Lian Hsiang) |
| Other names | Living Buddha Lian Sheng Grand Master Lu Huaguang Zizai Fo White Lotus Padmakumara |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| School | True Buddha School |
| 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 asGrand Master Lu (師尊), is a Taiwanese-born American Buddhist teacher who is the founder and spiritual leader of theTrue Buddha School, anew religious movement with teachings fromBuddhism,Confucianism andTaoism.[1] Lu is known by the sect asLiving Buddha Lian Sheng (蓮生活佛,Liansheng Huófó) and is revered by his disciples as aLiving Buddha.
Lu’s sect claims to have more five million followers worldwide, of whom the majority hail fromTaiwan,China,Macau,Singapore,Indonesia,Malaysia, andHong Kong.[2] Lu Sheng-Yen holds dual American and Taiwanese citizenship, and often travels between the two countries.[citation needed]
Lu Sheng-Yen was born in present-dayChiayi County,Taiwan in 1945. Lu was raised aChristian and attended aProtestant school. He graduated fromChung Cheng Institute of Technology with a degree in Survey Engineering.[citation needed] In his early twenties he was both a survey engineer for the Taiwan military and a Sunday School Bible teacher. Though his parents were not Christians, he had joined Kaohsiung New Presbyterian Church, in which he became an active member.[3]
In 2007, the Buddhist Federation of Malaysia, the Malaysian Buddhist Youth Association, the Malaysian Buddhist Dharma Promotion Association, theInternational Buddha's Light Association Malaysian Association, the Ceylon Buddhist Advancement Association,Buddhist Tzu Chi Merit Association andMalaysian Vajrayana issued a joint statement, criticizing the True Buddha Sect as a heretic Buddhist group, and questioned Lu Shengyan´s claim to be aBuddha and the supreme power of Dharma. They argue that these claims are misleading, and his personal behavior is not in line with the Buddhist system.[4]
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 300,000USD, and thecassock worn by Mr. Lu was priced at 100,000 USD. Moreover, the proceeds from the auction were handed over to Lu Shengyan himself.[5] In 2012, inNew Taipei CityBanqiao District, a church leader from the True Buddhist Sect promised to help believers invest instocks and guaranteed that the investment would be profitable. Lee, accused of violatingBanking Law.[6]
Lu made headlines during an investigation by theWashington State Public Disclosure Commission, prompted by media reporting, into a collective cash donation to then-GovernorGary Locke after a speaking engagement at the Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple.[7] Lu hoped Locke might eventually run for theWhite House. Locke was cleared of any wrongdoing by the commission in 1998. Further, this did not affect Locke in his pursuit for confirmation asU.S. Secretary of Commerce.[8]
In 2007, the Buddhist Federation of Malaysia, the Malaysian Buddhist Youth Association, the Malaysian Buddhist Dharma Promotion Association, theInternational Buddha's Light Association Malaysian Association, the Ceylon Buddhist Advancement Association,Buddhist Tzu Chi Merit Association andMalaysian Vajrayana Buddhist Association issued a joint statement, criticizing the True Buddha Sect as aBuddhist heretic rather than orthodox Buddhism, and stating their view that Lu Sheng-yenclaimed to be Buddha and claimed the supreme power of Dharma.[4]
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