{"id":201,"date":"2011-09-06T10:58:19","date_gmt":"2011-09-06T10:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tbssydney.org\/blog\/?page_id=201"},"modified":"2025-10-12T11:20:25","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T00:20:25","slug":"%e5%89%b5%e8%be%a6%e4%ba%ba%e8%93%ae%e7%94%9f%e6%b4%bb%e4%bd%9b","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tbssydney.org\/blog\/en\/true-buddha-school\/%e5%89%b5%e8%be%a6%e4%ba%ba%e8%93%ae%e7%94%9f%e6%b4%bb%e4%bd%9b","title":{"rendered":"About Living Buddha Lian-sheng"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/h6>\n

The epithet of His Holiness Living Buddha Lian-sheng is<\/p><\/div>\n

The Western True Buddha Assembly, Maha Twin Lotus Ponds, the Eighteen Mahapadmakumaras, the Holy Revered One Robed in White, the Holy Red Crown Vajra Master, the Secret Master of the Realm of Vajra-mantra, the Great Enlightened Founder of Ling Xian True Buddha School: the Illustrious Tantrika Sheng-Yen Lu.<\/div>\n

Living Buddha Lian-sheng, whose secular name is Sheng-Yen Lu, was born in Chiayi, Taiwan in 1945. He graduated from the Department of Geodesy and Land Surveying of Chung Cheng Institute of Technology, and propagates True Buddha Tantric Dharma through his writings, paintings, dharma discourses and other means. Disciples who have taken refuge worldwide number more than five million, including many well-known Tibetan living buddhas.<\/p>\n

Living Buddha Lian-sheng was originally a Christian, subsequently learning Taoism, then Exoteric Buddhism, finally learning Tantric Buddhism. After moving to Seattle, USA in 1982, he began to formally turn the great Dharma wheel of Tantric Buddhism to deliver sentient beings, distilling and integrating the keys of difficult and obscure ancient Tantric Dharma into unexcelled Dharma practices which are easy to learn and understand and suitable for modern times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
There are two reasons why he is honored as “Living Buddha”:<\/div>\n
    \n
  1. Five million disciples worldwide all revere and address him as a living buddha.<\/li>\n
  2. he state government of Washington State, USA, has also presented him with an award, respectfully addressing him as Living Buddha.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    Spiritual Cultivation (Christianity, Taoism, Exoteric Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism) and Accomplishment<\/div>\n

    Living Buddha Lian-sheng was a devout Christian and Sunday School teacher in high school. Later, his divine eye was opened by the Golden Mother of the Primordial Pond, and subsequently he was taught by Mr. Three-Peaks-Nine-States* (San Shan Jiu Hou Xian Sheng) as well as Taoist Master Qingzhen of the Qingcheng Taoist School (Venerable Monk Liaoming \u4e86\u9cf4\u548c\u5c1a), and learned Taoist practices, internal alchemy and talisman practices, Early Heaven School of Geomancy, Esoteric\/Tantric Buddhism, the five major classes of knowledge in Buddhism (pa\u00f1cavidy\u0101) and so on.<\/p>\n

    Living Buddha Lian-sheng first took refuge in Venerable Master Yinshun (\u5370\u9806\u5c0e\u5e2b), Venerable Master Leguo (\u6a02\u679c\u6cd5\u5e2b), and Venerable Master Dao’an (\u9053\u5b89\u6cd5\u5e2b). He received his Bodhisattva Vows at Bi Shan Yan Temple at Nantou, and his preceptors were Venerable Master Xiandun (\u8ce2\u9813\u6cd5\u5e2b), Venerable Master Huisan (\u6167\u4e09\u6cd5\u5e2b), and Venerable Master Jueguang (\u89ba\u5149\u6cd5\u5e2b). His liturgy teachers for sutra recitation were Venerable Master Shanci (\u5584\u8cdc\u6cd5\u5e2b) and Venerable Master Shanglin (\u4e0a\u6797\u6cd5\u5e2b).<\/p>\n

    In terms of Tantric Buddhism, he received the lineage transmission of the Kagyu School from His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa and the Twelfth Tai Situ Rinpoche; the lineage transmission of the Gelug School from Master Thubten Dargye (\u5410\u767b\u9054\u723e\u5409\u4e0a\u5e2b); the lineage transmission of the Sakya School from Master Sakya Zhengkong (\u85a9\u8fe6\u8b49\u7a7a\u4e0a\u5e2b — His Eminence Dezhung Rinpoche); the lineage transmission of the Nyingma School from Venerable Monk Liaoming (\u4e86\u9cf4\u548c\u5c1a) and directly from lineage guru Padmasambhava (during meditation). He also received empowerment from Venerable Master Pufang (\u666e\u65b9\u4e0a\u5e2b) of Zong Chi Temple (\u7e3d\u6301\u5bfa\u6d3e). (Note: The Twelfth Tai Situ Rinpoche only gave refuge empowerment and not empowerment for all tantric practices)<\/p>\n

    Living Buddha Lian-sheng studied under many teachers, and the number of teachers he had affinity with was even greater. As he received divine sight very early on, he became renowned worldwide for his divination ability.<\/p>\n

    Later he moved many times, even as far away as Seattle, USA, where he immersed himself in the practice of Tantric teachings. During samadhi, Shakyamuni Buddha personally blessed him by placing his hand upon his crown, and conferred upon him the prophecy of buddhahood. Maitreya Bodhisattva bestowed upon him the Red Crown, Amitabha Buddha exhorted Living Buddha Lian-sheng to teach and deliver sentient beings widely, while Padmasambhava personally transmitted Tantric teachings to him. He was recognized as a “Great Enlightened Dharani Brilliance Vajra Acharya,” bestowed a Holy Red Crown and the epithet of the Holy Red Crown Vajra Master Venerable Lian-sheng. (Note: Buddhas and bodhisattvas transmit Dharma and confer prophecies only upon true cultivators with accomplishment.) He also personally saw Vajrasattva who exhorted him that he was the Secret Master of the Realm of Vajra-mantra.<\/p>\n

    Living Buddha Lian-sheng has long known that he is an emanation of White Mahapadmakumara from the Maha Twin Lotus Ponds in Sukhavati, the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss, one who has come again due to past vows and Amitabha’s entrustment.<\/p>\n

    Living Buddha Lian-sheng is a true tantric cultivator who has cultivated the Four Classes of Tantra (Action Tantra, Conduct or Performance Tantra, Yoga Tantra, and Highest Yoga Tantra) to become one with the supreme consciousness, merging into the Ocean of Vairochana (all-encompassing ocean of dharma nature). He has genuinely accomplished the Eight Outer Practices and the Eight Inner Practices. Thus, many Tibetan tulkus and eminent Sutrayana masters have also taken refuge in Living Buddha Lian-sheng. The number of disciples around the world who have taken refuge continues to increase each day.<\/p>\n

    As Living Buddha Lian-sheng has already validated enlightenment, he has authored more than 300 books pertaining to spiritual cultivation (as of Jun 2024), and they have been translated into Indonesian, English, French, Vietnamese, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, Hindi, and so on. The full series of his books are in the collection of the Library of Congress in the United States. The Japanese publishing industry also praised him as “an immortal of contemporary China.” Living Buddha Lian-sheng is unparalleled in disseminating Dharma through written text in the modern age. Living Buddha Lian-sheng also uses painting as a means to teach Dharma, and to date, his artworks have been compiled into 11 painting catalogues, published and distributed. Living Buddha Lian-sheng gives Dharma teachings every day, and from 1990 until the present time, countless Dharma lectures have been compiled into books, audio tapes, video tapes, and DVDs to be distributed.<\/p>\n

    *Note: Mr. Three-Peaks-Nine-States (San Shan Jiu Hou Xian Sheng) refers to the three bodies of Shakyamuni Buddha and the five buddhas and four bodhisattvas in the Central Court of the Womb Mandala (Garbhadhatu Mandala):<\/p>\n