The first ancestor of the surnamed Lu was Taigong Jiang who helped Zhou overthrow the Shang Dynasty and was empowered by Yuanshi Tianzun to invest the gods of Heaven. The first picture in the family tree is Taigong Jiang who has a boy face with white hairs in a divine-poise sage-like posture and holds an apricot-yellow flag.
Great-grandfather Dejie Lu was a native of Fanyang Zhangzhou Fujian, China. The surnamed Lu had a high population in the local area and had their own ancestral hall. From the Tang Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, the ancestors of the surnamed Lu had more than 20 prime ministers; the most famous one is Zhi Lu.
Grandfather Chang Lu moved from Fanyang, China to Kinmen, Taiwan, then from Kinmen, Taiwan to Xiaoqijiao Xiyu Penghu, Taiwan and finally moved to Chiayi, Taiwan. Uncle Qiao Lu ran a China trading company in Makong Penghu, Taiwan with a long history. His son, Chaohuang Lu, who is the cousin of Living Buddha Liansheng, built an ancestral hall of surnamed Lu in Xiyu PengHu, Taiwan.
Grandfather Chang Lu ran a rice mill and oil company, and became the richest man in Chiayi. At that time, many poor people had no food to eat. Grandfather Chang Lu never refused the poor to buy rice and oil on credit; the poor was allowed to pay back when they had money. But at the last day of each year, all the year's credit bills were collected, piled up like a low hill, then burned to ashes in the air. He is an upright person, is benevolent, and helps countless poor people. Xiyu Penghu Elementary School was established primarily by his efforts and his donation.
Grandmother's name was Duanxiang You Lu. When H.H. Living Buddha Liansheng was studying at Kaohsiung Datong Elementary School, my grandmother walked to the school every day to deliver my lunch box to the window of class room hallway for many years, no matter it was windy, rainy, cold or hot, without missing one day. Watching Grandmother staggered to her feet from behind, left a deep impression in the mind of Living Buddha Liansheng. Living Buddha Liansheng was grateful for his grandmother's kindness, and wrote in the book: "Her kindness is an eternal mark for me that I can't ever repay."
His father, Ershun Lu, was born when his grandfather Chang Lu was sixty years old, hence the name Ershun. Confucius said, "Er Shun at sixty.". Mr. Ershun Lu worked as the personnel supervisor of Deji Reservoir of Taiwan Power Company.
His mother, Yunu Huang, was originally from Xiaochijiao Xiyu Penghu, Taiwan. She moved to Chiayi Taiwan later on. She worked as an accountant in Luchang's rice mill and oil company. She was aware that Chang Lu helped the poor and burned the poor's credit bills. She married Ershun. Both parents took refuge in Living Buddha Liansheng. After their death, they were cremated and their ashes had relics.
Living Buddha Liansheng, 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 Rinpoches.
H.H. Living Buddha Liansheng , Sheng-Yen Lu, was born at noon on June 27, 1945 (May 18 of the lunar calendar) in a chicken coop by the Niu Chou River in Houhu Chiayi, Taiwan while taking cover during an air raid in World War II time. His father was nineteen and his mother was eighteen at the time.
When he was in elementary school, he was baptized as a Christian at the Kaohsiung Christian Xinxing Presbyterian Church and graduated from the normal class. He used to be a Sunday school teacher and a Bible study teacher. Living Buddha Liansheng still has great respect for Jesus, calling Jesus "my Guru".
Bachelor of Engineering, graduated from the Geodetic Survey Department of Lianqin Survey School (class of 32nd). During his college days, he published four books—Light Smoke Collection, Dream Garden Whisper, Flying Blue Dreams, and Leaves Fly in the Wind. (Note: Lianqin Survey School, Army Polytechnic, and Naval Engineering College were merged into Chung Cheng Polytechnic Institute in 1969. Chung Cheng Polytechnic Institute, Three-Armed Services University, National Defense Management College, and National Defense Medical College were integrated into National Defense University in 2000.)
After graduating from university, he served in Taichung Nanmen Bridge 5802 Surveying Company and Lianqin Mapping Factory as a surveying officer. He won many literary and artistic awards, such as the Bronze Camel Award, the Silver Camel Award, the Golden Camel Award, the National Army Literary and Art Award (the highest honor in the military), and the Literary and Art Youth Medal. After ten years of service in the army, he, a major officer rank, was discharged at the age of 34.
Regarding writing, Living Buddha Liansheng said: "I write my book is not for fame and fortune. The purpose of my book is not to make money or become bestseller. Seriously speaking, it is just to promote the Buddha Dharma and reveal my true nature; nothing else. I am not a professional writer and I don’t have any special skills either. Naturally, I look for inspiration from my heart every day, and inspiration comes by itself …”
In 1969, H.H Living Buddha Liansheng was 25 years old
One morning, Living Buddha Liansheng dreamed that he was climbing a very high mountain and entered an ancient temple on the top of the mountain. An old Taoist priest put his palms together and said, "Did you just come? I've been waiting for you for a long time."
"Taoist priest and I don't know each other. How can we have an appointment?"
"How can we do not know each other? We traverse Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism and travel around the universe. We meet every five hundred years. Even if you fall into the underworld and become a demon, I will recognize you as you are!"
Next morning, mother was going to worship gods at the Jade Palace in Taichung, Taiwan on the same day. Living Buddha Liansheng, who was a Christian, went with her. In the temple, a woman in cyan color dress was kneeling in front of the gods; many people were standing beside her. She suddenly stood up and shouted, "Who is Sheng-Yen Lu? Who among you is Sheng-Yen Lu?" Mother asked Living Buddha Liansheng to go to cyan-dress lady. Cyan-dress lady Said, "The Bodhisattva hopes that you will stand up and do good deeds for the Bodhisattva, preach the teachings and resolve doubts, carry forward the spirit of Buddhism, promote good and suppress evil..." "I, I know nothing?" "Currently you know nothing. But, if you kneel down, you will know everything. I do not lie to you, come, kneel beside me and clasp your palms."
Living Buddha Liansheng followed her instruction - kneeled in front of the Bodhisattva, clasped his palms together and closed his eyes. Then a miracle suddenly appeared - A ray of light appeared in his eyes; in the light, there were three bodhisattvas sitting on lotus seats; all of them were shining brilliantly. The middle bodhisattva said, "Study Buddhism wholeheartedly". The two bodhisattvas on the left and right said, "Study Dharma wholeheartedly" and "Pursue virtue wholeheartedly." Then a golden-light-shining red cloth was dropped from the sky, on which was written two large golden words "Loyalty & Righteousness". I heard a voice from nowhere: "Now the Jade Emperor has promulgated the word "loyalty & righteousness" as the criterion for your behavior. You should ask your mind before you do anything that whether it is ethical or non-ethical. You should have nothing to feel ashamed of before God. Then by nature, you will be in line with Tao which has an eternal life; you will coexist with heaven and earth naturally.
Cyan-dress lady asked, "Have you seen it?" "I have seen it, and heard it, but how is this possible?" Cyan-dress lady said, "There are many things in the world that you could never have imagined, but today you finally see and hear them. Slowly, you will also understand the strange invisible world, and you will become another person who is different from ordinary people. You can see what people can't see, hear what people can't hear, and feel what people can't feel.”. She also said, "The gods will guide you slowly."
From then on, Buddha Liansheng began to study Taoism and Buddhism.
The invisible spiritual master, Mr. Sanshan Jiuhou, taught the Dharma.
Under the guidance of Mr. Sanshan Jiuhou, Living Buddha Liansheng became an apprentice to Taoist priest Qingzhen (Buddhist Monk Leming). After a Taoist refuge ceremony "passing merit", Living buddha Liansheng formally became a Taoist monk. The Taoist priest Qingzhen is a Taoist monk from Qingcheng Mountain, Sichuan, China, who lives in seclusion on Liantou Mountain, Jiji Nantou Taiwan. Living Buddha Liansheng is a Taoist monk of the Shibi branch of Cihui temple of the Zhonghua Taoist Association and a Taoist member of the Zhonghua Taoist Association.
In Sutrayana Buddhism (Exoteric Buddhism), HH took refuge in Master Yinshun, Master Leguo and Master Daoan, and received the Bodhisattva ordination at Bishanyan Temple in Nantou, and the ordination masters were Grand Monk Huisan, Xiandun and Jueguang. Living Buddha Liansheng is a member of the Chinese Buddhist Association. The Chinese Buddhist Association granted Living Buddha Liansheng the Bodhisattva Precepts certificate.
In Tantrayana Buddhism (Esoteric Buddhism),H.H took refuge and received the lineage transmission from Venerable Monk Liaoming (Nyingma School), Master Sakya Zhengkong (Sakya School), H. H. the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa (Kagyu School), and Master Thubten Dargye (Gelug School). (Venerable Monk Liaoming was also a Taoist priest in Mount Qingcheng, Sichuan, China. While Master Nona in Xikang, China moved to Sichuan to disseminate Tantric Buddhism in central plains of China, Venerable Monk Liaoming met Master Nona. They became close friend and each other's teacher. Venerable Monk Liaoming gained Tantric lineage and Tantric dharma from Master Nona. Venerable Monk Liaoming imparted Feng Shui, Taoist charms and divination skill, etc. onto Master Nona). H.H also received empowerment from Venerable Master Pufang of Zong Chi Temple.
Immigrated to Seattle, USA in 1982, at the age of 38.
In 1986, Living Buddha Liansheng was 42 years old; he had his head shaved and became a monk. The shaver was the great monk Guoxian, who was the heir of Linji Sect, of Huiquan Temple in Hong Kong. At that time, the monk Guoxian, a disciple of Living Buddha Liansheng, came to pay homage, and a very clear and strong thought flashed in Living Buddha Liansheng's heart: “Be a monk! Life is an illusion, impermanence comes quickly, do not waste time, shave head and be a monk." In the True Buddha Tantric Quarters, the great monk Guoxian shaved Living Buddha Liansheng's head.
In 1990, Master Thubten Dargye (Gelug School) blessed Living Buddha Liansheng on His head.
In 1995, Master Thubten Dargye (Gelug School), presented a token of lineage to Living Buddha Liansheng.
Living Buddha Liansheng 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 Rinpoches and eminent Sutrayana masters have also taken refuge in Living Buddha Liansheng. The number of disciples around the world who have taken refuge has reached five million people and continues to increase.
As Living Buddha Liansheng has already validated enlightenment, he has authored and published more than 300 books pertaining to spiritual cultivation (as of July, 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 Liansheng is unparalleled in disseminating Dharma through written text in the modern age. Living Buddha Liansheng also uses painting as a means to teach Dharma, and to date, his artworks have been compiled into 11 painting albums, published and distributed. Living Buddha Liansheng gives Dharma teachings every day, and from 1990 until the present time, countless Dharma lectures have been compiled into books, and distributed over the Internet media.