1969-1984
Dharma Learning Phase
Table of Contents
Divine Eye Opened By Jade Pond Golden Mother
The life of Living Buddha Lian Sheng dedicated to spiritual cultivation, salvation of sentient beings, and propagation of the Dharma has begun.
Before the age of twenty-six, Living Buddha Lian Sheng lived an ordinary life like most people. He had a difficult childhood and a youth full with rich and romantic emotions. He was not only a poet and writer, but also a Christian Sunday School teacher.
In 1969, Living Buddha Lian Sheng accompanied his mother to the Jade Emperor Palace in Taichung by chance. Unexpectedly, this trip opened a new, mysterious frequency in his life. At that time, Living Buddha Lian Sheng was standing outside the temple gate. In front of the altar stood a woman in her fifties, dressed in blue, who was known for helping others by answering their spiritual questions and resolving their doubts. In the middle of a session, she suddenly stood up and asked, "Who among you is Sheng-Yen Lu?" Just as Living Buddha Lian Sheng was feeling quite surprised, the woman in blue turned to him and said, "The bodhisattvas are hoping that you will step forward and do good deeds on their behalf."
The Golden Mother of the Jade Pond opened his third eye, and suddenly, a ray of light appeared before his eyes. In the light, three bodhisattvas seated on lotus thrones appeared and spoke to him: “Study Buddhism wholeheartedly,” “Study the Dharma wholeheartedly,” and “Be kind wholeheartedly.”
The blue-robed lady in the Jade Emperor Palace told him, “In time, you will begin to understand the wondrous worlds of the spirit realm. You will be able to see what others cannot see, hear what ordinary people cannot hear, and feel what others cannot feel. The bodhisattvas will slowly guide you and ask you to uphold justice on behalf of Heaven.” The Golden Mother of the Jade Pond opened his divine eye, and from then on, he began a life of practicing Dharma, helping others, and propagating the Dharma.
The First Spiritual Master Who Taught Living Buddha Lian Sheng The Dharma Was “Mr. San Shan Jiu Hou.”
Living Buddha Lian Sheng made a great vow: “I will not attain buddhahood until hell is empty.”
Not long after the Golden Mother of the Jade Pond opened his divine eye, Living Buddha Lian Sheng’s invisible spiritual Master, Mr. San Shan Jiu Hou, appeared. Living Buddha Lian Sheng said, “I respect Him deeply. I don’t know his origins and have never seen his true form. He is my mentor. He truly teaches and resolves doubts, guiding me from being an ordinary person into the realm of spiritual understanding. His teachings are very strict.”
And “Lian Sheng” was the Dharma name that Mr. San Shan Jiu Hou gave him. Through the teachings of the invisible spiritual Master San Shan Jiu Hou, Living Buddha Lian Sheng began to engage with the world of spiritual studies. During the three years of studying the Dharma, Living Buddha Lian Sheng made a great vow: “I will not attain buddhahood until hell is empty.”
The True Identity Of Mr. San Shan Jiu Hou
Living Buddha Lian Sheng revealed the true identity of Mr. San Shan Jiu Hou in his 120th book.
San Shan (Three Peaks):
Dharmakaya Buddha — Vairochana Buddha
Sambhogakaya Buddha — Locana Buddha (or Buddha-Mother Locani)
Nirmaṇakaya Buddha — Shakyamuni Buddha
Jiu Hou (Nine States: that is, the Nine Central Deities of the Womb Realm Mandala)
- Central – Mahavairochana (Universal Illumination Vajra)
- East – Ratnaketu Tathagata (Merit Accumulation Vajra)
- South – Samkusumitaraja Tathagata (Equality Vajra)
- West – Amitayus Tathagata (Purity Vajra)
- North – Dundubhisvara Tathagata (Immovable Vajra)
- Southeast – Samantabhadra Bodhisattva (True Suchness Vajra)
- Southwest – Manjushri Bodhisattva (Auspicious Vajra)
- Northwest – Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva (Correct Dharma Vajra)
- Northeast – Maitreya Bodhisattva (Swift Vajra)
Remembering My Teachers
Living Buddha Lian Sheng once said, “I have never forgotten those who were kind to me. I am deeply grateful to everyone who helped me through those years.”
Because of this, the teachings of his teachers remain vivid in his memory, even after several decades.
In the United States, Living Buddha Lian Sheng received full lineage transmissions from all four major schools of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, laying the foundation for the path from ordinary human to enlightened Buddha:
Nyingma (Red Sect)
Received the lineage of Guru Norlha Rinpoche and Venerable Liaoming; personally empowered by Padmasambhava with the essence of Dzogchen teachings.
Kagyu (White Sect)
Received empowerment and transmission from the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, who also transmitted the Mahamudra teachings
Sakya (Flower Sect)
Received teachings on the “Great Perfection of Supreme Wisdom” from Sakya Zhengkong Rinpoche (Dezhung Rinpoche).
Gelug (Yellow Sect)
Took refuge under Guru Thubten Dargye and received teachings on the Highest Yoga Tantra practices and the Yamantaka Tantra.
A Father-Son Bond with Taoist Master Qingzhen
Guided by his invisible spiritual teacher San Shan Jiu Hou, Living Buddha Lian Sheng traveled to Lientou Mountain in Jiji, Nantou, where he met the reclusive Taoist Master Qingzhen. Known in his youth as Venerable Liaoming, Master Qingzhen was a highly respected Taoist cultivator and the 14th-generation disciple of the Qingcheng School of Taoism in Sichuan, China.
Under the guidance of his spirit master, Living Buddha Lian Sheng formally became a disciple of Taoist Master Qingzhen through the Taoist initiation ritual known as “Guo Gongde” (Transferring Merit). Master Qingzhen generously imparted the wisdom he had accumulated over decades of practice. His
teachings encompassed not only Taoist classics such as the Tao Te Ching, the Zhuangzi (Nanhua Jing), the Huan Jin Pian, and the Wuzhen Pian, but also extended into a wide range of disciplines—including Immortal Studies (Xian Xue), the Taoist Canon (Dao Zang), Buddhist studies, philosophy, geomancy (Di Ling), and the Five Arts (Wu Shu).
Realized Master Sheng-Yen Lu, the 15th Generation Taoist Master Xuanhe of the Qingcheng Sect of Taoism
Taoist Master Qingzhen generously passed down all the secrets of Taoist cultivation to Living Buddha Lian Sheng. With this complete transmission, he bestowed him the lineage title:
Realized Master Sheng-Yen Lu, the 15th Generation Taoist Master Xuanhe of the Qingcheng Sect of Taoism.
Living Buddha Lian Sheng often said that Master San Shan Jiu Hou led him into the spiritual realm, while the Taoist Master Qingzhen awakened his inner spiritual life, inspired him to harness his spiritual insight, divine calculation, and the arts of Yin and Yang to guide sentient beings. This profound teaching laid the essential foundation for his later mission of saving lives and propagating the Dharma.
Taoist Master Qingzhen treated him like his own son. In turn, Living Buddha Lian Sheng revered his master as a father. At the time, he served as a surveying officer in the military academy. Whenever he had leave, he would travel into the mountains to visit his teacher and offer his monthly salary as an expression of his devotion. This deep bond between them was rooted not in material exchange, but in profound spiritual commitment.
The Dharma Lineage of the Red Sect of Nyingma Vajrayana
Living Buddha Lian Sheng’s journey from spirit medium to Vajrayana practitioner was made possible through the pivotal guidance of Taoist Master Qingzhen. Master Qingzhen had been a close friend of Guru Norlha Rinpoche of the Nyingma tradition and had received a full transmission of his lineage. He passed on many rare and precious teachings—including Dzogchen—to Living Buddha Lian Sheng. Through the Dharma transmission from the Taoist Master Qingzhen, Living Buddha Lian Sheng also received many great teachings and empowerments from Chinese Esoteric Buddhism as well as the Red Sect of Nyingma Vajrayana.
Master's instructions Remain Etched in Heart & Never Forgotten in Life
Before Living Buddha Lian Sheng parted ways with his master, Taoist Master Qingzhen gave him one final instruction:
“As you go forth to help others, always remember—let offerings be voluntary in all Dharma matters.”
This admonition was deeply etched in Living Buddha Lian Sheng’s heart, and never forgotten throughout his lifetime.
Their relationship was not only that of teacher and student, but also like that of father and son. After Taoist Master Qingzhen passed away, Living Buddha Lian Sheng composed a verse in memory of his beloved teacher:
“As vast as the sea is the kindness of receiving the Dharma.
How I miss the deepest bond between teacher and disciple.
As he expounded the Taoist, sutric, and tantric teachings,
I listened quietly, like a son beside his father.”
Foremost Master of Spiritual Divination
In 1979, after retiring from the military, Living Buddha Lian Sheng and his family moved to Jingwu Villa in Taiping, Taichung. It was then that he entered the highly accurate and widely acclaimed “Spiritual Divination Phase.” In the mornings, he performed divinations and answered spiritual inquiries; in the
afternoons, he conducted feng shui consultations. Each day, as soon as the door opened, crowds flowed in like a stream.
He conducted as many as 300 consultations daily, with appointment calls ringing from morning until night.
He guided countless people through confusion and hardship, while embarking on a path of compassion and service to others.
Because the “spiritual divinations” were so accurate, word spread quickly.
From within the country to abroad, people came in droves each day seeking spiritual consultations. To avoid constant disturbances, they moved their home frequently—from Lixing Road to Jinhua Road, from Jinhua Road to Jingwu Road, from Jingwu Road to Yixin 2nd Street, from Yixin 2nd Street to Lequn Building, from Lequn Building to Zhongxing Street. Finally, under the guidance of the Golden Mother of the Jade Pond, the decision was made to leave Taiwan and relocate to Seattle, USA.
In 1975, at the age of thirty-one, Living Buddha Lian Sheng published three spiritual books: Encounters with the World of Spirits, Between the Spirit and Me, and Encounters with the World of Spirits (Sequel). Among them, Encounters with the World of Spirits became a bestseller, reprinted over thirty times. Within just a year, Living Buddha Lian Sheng found himself at the starting point of a profound mission—to broadly deliver sentient beings across the turbulent waves of the world.
In 1976, Living Buddha Lian Sheng was thirty-two years old. By the time he had written his fifth spiritual book, he was invited to write a regular column titled “The World of the Spirit” in the supplement section of the Taiwan Daily News. At the time, many readers followed the column daily, eager to see how Sheng-Yen Lu would guide them into the realms of spiritual awareness – offering insights into the mind and soul, and exploring a kind of super-science that went beyond conventional science, delving into the invisible world.
In The Kagyu Sect: Received The Blessings And Lineage Of The 16th Karmapa, Who Transmitted The Mahamudra Teachings
At the end of 1980, Living Buddha Lian Sheng met His Holiness the 16th Karmapa. Upon their first meeting, the Karmapa said, “I have been waiting for you for a long time,” and held his head. The two of them touched foreheads, as if they had known each other for a long time.
The Karmapa conferred upon Living Buddha Lian Sheng:
The supreme honor of the “Five Buddhas Crown Empowerment.”
Essential teachings of the “Six Yogas of Naropa.”
The profound pith instructions of Mahamudra
On January 1, 1981, when His Holiness the 16th Karmapa was in Singapore, Living Buddha Lian Sheng received the “most secret and complete great initiation” from His Holiness, and was secretly taught the “Highest Yoga Tantra and Mahamudra Dharma.” He instructed Living Buddha Lian Sheng to broadly propagate these profound teachings in the future to reveal the essence of buddhahood to the world.
In The Sakya Sect: Taught Personally By Master Sakya Zhengkong (Dezhung Rinpoche) Who Transmitted The Teachings On The “Great Perfection Of Supreme Wisdom”
Master Sakya Zhengkong lived in Ballard, Seattle, for three years, from 1982 to 1985. Living Buddha Lian Sheng immigrated to Seattle in 1982. While practicing Dharma in the Ling Xian Attic in Ballard, he happened to encounter Dezhung Rinpoche from the Sakya Monastery, a prominent guru of the Sakya school.
Living Buddha Lian Sheng studied with Master Sakya Zhengkong for three years. In addition to teaching him the Hevajra Tantra, Master Sakya Zhengkong also transmitted the Lamdre teachings. The Lamdre is the highest, most profound, comprehensive, and essential teaching of the Sakya School. It presents in great detail the graduated path from an ordinary sentient being to complete enlightenment.
Master Sakya Zhengkong transmitted to Living Buddha the Lamdre, Hevajra, Kalachakra, various yidam yogas, and other teachings. He also bestowed upon him the Acharya Empowerment and most of the tantric precept empowerments. As a result, Living Buddha Lian Sheng holds the lineages of Virupa’s Lamdre and Hevajra.
In The Gelug Sect: Took Refuge In Guru Thubten Dargye And Received The Secret Teachings Of The Highest Yoga Tantra And The Yamantaka Teachings
In 1983, Living Buddha Lian Sheng formally took refuge with Master Thubten Dargye through remote empowerment. He was bestowed the Dharma name “Thubten Qimo” (later changed to Thubten Ziru). His Gelug lineage traces from Kanjurwa Khutughtu (Gangju Rinpoche) to Thubten Nima, to Thubten Dali, then to Thubten Dargye, and finally to Thubten Qimo (Sheng-Yen Lu).
The teachings and lineage of Master Thubten Dargye laid an important foundation for Living Buddha Lian Sheng’s practice of the Highest Yoga Tantra. Master Thubten Dargye transmitted the essence of the Gelug School’s highest secret teachings to Living Buddha Lian Sheng (Sheng-Yen Lu), and bestowed upon him the empowerment of these highest teachings. In addition to the Highest Yoga Tantra Empowerment, Living Buddha Lian Sheng also received many precious empowerments and lineage transmissions from Master Thubten Dargye, including:
Kurukulla Empowerment
Highest Yoga Tantra Empowerment
Yamantaka Empowerment
Kalachakra Great Empowerment
Techniques of Subtle Energy (Drops and Winds)
Smoke Offering Ritual
Acharya Initiation
Empowerments of various tantric deities
In addition to the aforementioned lineages, Living Buddha Lian Sheng also took refuge with Master Pufang of Zongchi Monastery and formed deep connections with numerous other great tantric masters. The confluence of these transmissions enabled him to unify the wisdom and practices of all four major Tibetan schools, establishing an unparalleled lineage system of his own.
Venerable Master Leguo
Venerable Master Leguo was one of the Mahayana masters Living Buddha Lian Sheng initially took refuge in, the others being Venerable Dao'an and Venerable Yin Shun. Living Buddha Lian Sheng would later discourse the Amitabha Sutra based upon Leguo's exposition of it.
Guru Pufang
Guru Pufang held Tiantai lineage amongst others and was an early pioneer in propagating the dharma by writing. Of the methods he transmitted, Cundi Buddha Mother is the most known to True Buddha School students. Several other methods honour his teaching including the mudra employed in prostrations and the pronunciation of certain mantra.
Venerable Master Huisan
Venerable Master Huisan held the lineage for Huayan and Ci'en sects plus the Tangmi lineage for Ucchusma, the Great Filth Vajra spoken in the Surangama Sutra. He transmitted that to Living Buddha Lian Sheng as well as serving as one of his preceptors for taking the Bodhisattva Vows.
Divine Instruction From Golden Mother: Immigrating To The USA
“Forsaking karmic ties with beings of the South,
With one step, ascending to the Western Heaven.
From then on, dreams are of the Realm of Non-action,
Untouched by even a trace of worldly dust.”
On June 16, 1982, Living Buddha Lian Sheng Moved To Seattle, USA, With His Family
In 1980, at the age of thirty-six, after moving five times in Taiwan, Living Buddha Lian Sheng once again received a directive from the Golden Mother of the Jade Pond: “Go to the United States!”
He had never imagined leaving Taiwan, his homeland, where his parents, family, friends, and disciples all resided. He felt a deep, mother-like bond with Taiwan that was difficult to sever. Nevertheless, he obeyed the directive. On June 16, 1982, he moved to Seattle, USA, with his family—leaving behind in Taiwan a “blank space” where Sheng-Yen Lu once was.
Ling Xian Attic Of Ballard: A Sacred Site Where Earth Energy Rises. It Has Borne Witness To The Fulfillment Of Nurturing Talents Across The World
In the northeastern part of Seattle, a dragon vein passes through an area called Ballard. A house is located precisely at the highest peak of this dragon vein’s head. Living Buddha Lian Sheng buys his first house in the U.S.. To the right of the house stands a plum tree; behind it grows a cherry tree. This perfectly echoes the auspicious saying, “Peaches and plums all over the world” (a metaphor for nurturing many successful students or talents). The house is named Ling Xian Ge, the Ling Xian Attic.
But upon first arriving in Seattle, all he felt was loneliness—nothing but loneliness. Deep inside, he missed his homeland, Taiwan; he missed his parents, relatives, and friends back home. He longed for the days when he practiced spiritual divination and feng shui in Taiwan.
Retreat At The Ling Xian Ge (The Ling Xian Attic) — Blessed By Celestial Deities
In his first year of solitary retreat at Ling Xian Ge (the Ling Xian Attic) in Ballard, Grand Master Living Buddha Lian Sheng was surrounded by the manifestations of countless celestial beings, along with ghosts and spirits numbering in the trillions — like grains of sand in the Ganges River. All vowed to assist him in manifesting his divine power to deliver sentient beings.
During deep meditation, Living Buddha Lian Sheng was bestowed a red crown by Maitreya Bodhisattva and received a prophetic empowerment through a head-touch blessing from Shakyamuni Buddha.
On August 28, 1982 (the tenth day of the seventh lunar month), the birthday of Padmasambhava, Living Buddha Lian Sheng was meditating at the Ling Xian Attic when Padmasambhava—also known as the Second Buddha of Uddiyana—descended upon his tantric altar.
It was revealed that Padmasambhava had appeared to transmit esoteric teachings to Living Buddha Lian Sheng, fulfilling a karmic connection established over countless past lives.
At The Golden Tomb Cave, Padmasambhava Transmitted The “Eighteen Tantras” Of The Great Perfection (Dzogchen) Teachings
Thus, during deep meditation, Living Buddha Lian Sheng was taken to the Golden Tomb Cave in Tibet, where Padmasambhava transmitted the Eighteen Tantras of Dzogchen from the Nyingma lineage, along with the Nine Stages, including Mahayoga, Anuyoga, and Atiyoga, and the Vajra Acharya Empowerment was conferred.
Padmasambhava placed the secret lineage of the hidden treasures (terma) directly into Living Buddha Lian Sheng’s consciousness. He also transmitted to him a rare lineage known as the “Most Profound Samadhi of Pure Awareness Lineage.” In other words, it was a transmission received in deep meditation, from the most tranquil state of samadhi.
Through the spiritual descent and empowerment of Padmasambhava, Living Buddha Lian Sheng received the complete transmission of the Nyingma tradition’s most profound Dzogchen teachings, including the Tathagata Mind Seal Lineage, the Vidyadhara Lineage, the Mind Lineage, and the Oral Lineage.
In the human world, Living Buddha Lian Sheng received the lineage of the Nine Stages of the Great Perfection Dharma from Venerable Liaoming, who in turn had received it from Guru Norlha Rinpoche of Xikang. As for the lineage from the spiritual realm, it was transmitted directly by Padmasambhava.
Padmasambhava bestowed upon him the honorific title “The Holy Red Crown Vajra Master Sheng-Yen Lu, the Eminent Tantric Adept,” and he attained complete realization in both the Outer Eightfold Accomplishment Practices and the Inner Eightfold Accomplishment Practices.
Retreat At Ling Xian Attic: Attaining The Immortal Rainbow Body
On the 18th day of the fifth lunar month in the following year, Living Buddha Lian Sheng attained the “Immortal Rainbow Body.” It is none other than Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi [the complete, perfect and unsurpassed, correct and proper, true enlightenment of Buddhahood].
Within the vast sky, hundreds of thousands of dakinis gathered in celebration, joyfully proclaiming:
During meditation, he also saw the Maha Twin Lotus Ponds of the Western Pure Land manifest in the Empty Space. In this profound experience, he confirmed his spiritual lineage as follows:
Mahavairochana
→ Buddha-Mother Locani
→ Amitabha
→ Maha Padmakumara
→ Living Buddha Lian Sheng Sheng-Yen Lu.
In his ever-expanding meditation, he heard his own heart naturally reciting the mantra: “Om, Guru, Lian Sheng Siddhi, Hum.” This was the sacred heart mantra that flowed spontaneously from within—a great stream of life from the heart of a noble being.
After three years of intense retreat at the Ling Xian Attic in Ballard, Living Buddha Lian Sheng attained the accomplishment of the Immortal Rainbow Body. From that moment on, this great siddha vowed to forge ahead like a fearless snow mountain lion, propelled by great compassion and great vows, to liberate countless sentient beings.