Jun Hong Lu

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Jun Hong Lu
Other names 卢军宏
[[Image:
Lu in 2012
|300x300px]]
Website www.richardjunhonglu.org
Born 4 August 1959
Shanghai, People's Republic of China
Died 10 November 2021
Sydney, Australia
Occupation Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door organizations owner, Australia Oriental Radio director

Richard Jun Hong Lu (4 August 1959 – 10 November 2021), also known as Lu Tai Zhang (盧台長, literally means Master Lu) by his followers, was a Chinese-born Australian man, a founder of the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door religious belief (觀世音菩薩心靈法門), and several other organisations' owner.

Biography

Early life

Lu was born on 4 August 1959 in Shanghai, China. In his youth, he studied traditional Chinese opera and graduated from Shanghai Theatre Academy; he then studied at UNSW Business School in Australia between 1989 and 1995. In the meantime, he launched magazine publications in Chinese language. After graduating, Lu then migrated to Australia permanently and obtained Australian citizenship in 1995.[1][2] In 2007, he started Australia Oriental Radio and served as the director. In 2010, he created the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door organisation and his own religious belief.

Death

On 10 November 2021, Lu died at Sydney in Australia at local time 4 A.M. due to undisclosed illness at the age of 62. According to the reports, Lu was critically ill on 7 November 2021.[3][4][5]

Controversy

Accusations of self-profit

Based on reports, since Lu's practice mainly consisted of reciting mantras centric to Guan Yin, he encouraged students to keep track of their counts on sheets of paper, colloquially known as a "little house" for its shape. Lu claimed that the burning of the "little house" could help his followers eliminate disasters on them and change their lives. Lu also claimed that the little house could be photocopied for free. However, the majority of Lu's followers believed that the "little house" printed by Lu was more effective, and they chose to purchase it from Lu's organisation. In addition, Lu told his followers that getting close to him would allow them to gain more benefits. Followers who wanted to get close to Lu would serve as apprentices to join Lu's organization. Lu would collect at least $10,000 for the apprenticeship entry fee. Lu also gained profit through selling radio devices and accepting large number of donations from his followers, which resulted in many families facing financial difficulties.[6]

Malaysia Buddhism organisation's reaction

On 23 January 2015, one day before Lu's Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door event started at Penang in Malaysia, sixtheen Buddhist organisations from Malaysia made a joint declaration to warn the public that the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door preached by Lu was not, in their view, orthodox Buddhist teaching and urged the public to avoid attending Lu's event on 24 January 2015. In the declaration, the organisations also condemned Lu for abusing Buddhist mantras and use the illusion of supernatural power to mislead other Buddhists.[7]

On 28 December 2018, nine Buddhist organisations from Malaysia jointly issued a public statement, declaring that Lu's Guan Yin Citta belief was not orthodox Buddhist teaching, and cautioning the public to avoid attending Lu's religious events. The nine organisations were Malaysian Buddhist Association, Young Buddhist Association Of Malaysia / YBAM ATC, Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia, Buddhist Maha Vihara Malaysia, Theravada Buddhist Council of Malaysia, Vajrayana Buddhist Council of Malaysia, Buddha's Light International Association in Malaysia, and Malaysian Buddhist Kulapati Association. In the joint declaration, the organisations point out that Lu's claim to his ability to conduct totem and tarot readings and to foresee a person's previous and future lives, and being able to directly communicate with Guan Yin Bodhisattva did not fall in line with mainstream Buddhist ideology.[8] Additionally, the joint statement also declared that practice of tracking mantra counts using "little house" and burning it, plus the actions of promoting a cult of personality for Lu are also not part of Buddhist practice.[9][10]

On 16 October 2019, several Buddhist organisations urged the public to avoid Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door and to be clear that Lu's Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door had caused harm to society. A monk, namely Dahong, told the media that monks who attend Lu's events are not really into learning Lu's Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door teaching, that those who understand Lu's teaching will see that it does not match Buddhist ideologies and will refuse to attend the event; hence, Lu will invite different monks to attend his event every time to give the appearance that his teachings are valid. In these events, only a small number of monks (usually novices) were brainwashed by Lu or purposely attended his event for financial benefits. Dahong also pointed out that many Buddhists misbelief in Lu's teaching has resulted in family problems, changes in temperament, conducting illegal publication of Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door's book, and refusing to see a doctor when sick. Malaysian politician Lim Lip Eng confirmed to the media that he had received complaints from several Buddhist organisations regarding Lu misleading Buddhists to burn "little house" papers.[11][12][13]

The Hong Kong Buddhist Association's reaction

On 30 June 2016, the Hong Kong Buddhist Association published a statement on its official website stating that the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door does not fall in line with orthodox Buddhist doctrines, adding that the movement did not accurately cite or contradict sutra texts to quantify their claims and that the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door added many of Lu's own interpretations to the sutra texts that had not existed before. The association also declared that their stance is in line with Buddhist associations from Malaysia, which also discredited Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door.[14]

Singapore Buddhist Federation's reaction

The Singapore Buddhist Federation does not recognize the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door as Buddhism. On 20 January 2016, the Singapore Buddhist Federation published a statement on it's official Facebook page, stating that recently they had receive inquiry about Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door and declared that it is not part of Buddhism.[15]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 心灵法门创办人 卢台长逝世 (zh-hans) (2021-11-10).
  2. ↑ 心靈法門創辦人盧軍宏逝世！享壽62歲 生前曾陷邪教爭議 | ETtoday國際新聞 | ETtoday新聞雲 (zh-Hant).
  3. ↑ 心灵法门创办人 卢军宏逝世 (11 November 2021).
  4. ↑ Suspected Cult Leader Jun Hong Lu Passes Away Peacefully At Age 62 (en-US) (2021-11-10).
  5. ↑ 卢台长逝世！【内附音频】|中國報 (en-US) (2021-11-10).
  6. ↑ 房子小小 却是卢台长大法宝|中國報 (zh). China Press (2021-11-10).
  7. ↑ 16佛教組織抨盧軍宏 心靈法門非正信佛教|中國報 (en-US).
  8. ↑ 九大佛教团体联合声明 吁民众勿出席卢台长见面会 (zh). Kwong Wah Yit Poh.
  9. ↑ Visit of Aussie-based 'Buddhist Master' draws controversy, The Star. (in en)
  10. ↑ 主要佛教团体联合声明．"卢军宏心灵法门非正信" (en) (2018-12-28).
  11. ↑ 混淆伤害社会 佛团体：抵制附佛外道|中國報 (zh). China Press (2019-10-16).
  12. ↑ 坚持正信佛教立场‧佛教团体吁抵制附佛外道 (zh). Sin Chew Daily (16 October 2019).
  13. ↑ 斥附佛外道误导信徒 数佛教团体号召抵制, Enanyang, 2019-10-17. (in zh-hans)
  14. ↑ 香港佛教聯合會 - 弘法活動 (zh).
  15. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/352121221594281/photos/656348427838224/?paipv=0&eav=AfaNn5uxDvQ9m5jhPv7NmzDPxagJV0MgDQYUZ_rm8GLQEzWx-_iv8rEYLoQvDEOgLyo&_rdr


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