"Ultimate Hope of Humanity" returns to Amsterdam, NY

 Neighbors report no WPHO presence at the 

former St. Michael's Church during the winter months

The World Peace and Health Organization is returning to Amsterdam, as of this week, after some drama over the winter. In January there was another break-in, this time at 10 Leonard Street, an old warehouse purchased by the WPHO.  Although the theft only involved "an undetermined amount of wire and piping," the sect's holy master, Ziguang Shang Shi, declared: "We want to find a better place to invest." 

But Amsterdam Police Detective Owen Fuchs said that "the burglary is not consistent with a hate crime. Suspects in hate crimes typically leave behind derogatory messages or destroy other property." And the Amsterdam Fire Department  found the building unsecured on December 28, as were many other WPHO properties I saw last October.

Despite the overwhelming evidence that this was simply a garden-variety crime, due as much to WPHO careless as to anything else,  the group backed out of a deal to buy the vacant Clara S. Bacon elementary school for $460,000. On Jan 24 the group’s lawyer, Jason Brott of Johnstown, demanded a refund of the WPHO’s deposit, claiming that his clients have been “the targets of vandalism and hate crimes since their quest to invest over a billion dollars in Amsterdam began.” He also asserted that “many members of the group have recently received threatening phone calls.”  The investors who are supposedly providing the billion dollars are, according to Mr. Brott, are “concerned about their own health and safety, as well as the health and safety of the may(sic) students who are expected to reside in the 48 properties recently purchased by the group, who would be learning in the school building.”

As to the 48 empty houses and stores  purchased at auction last year,  Pete Iorizzo of the Albany Times Union said on January 22 that Ziguang ‘is threatening to sell his properties for $1 each.’

The mayor and other elected officials were certainly not happy with Ziguang’s sudden turnaround.  Mayor Ann Thane said, "They can't give the properties back. I don't know what their intention is. They called me and requested a meeting." But then they vanished, perhaps returning to Asia. Art Popp, whose property in Ephrata is near the WPHO-owned Adirondack Center Camp, told me there had been zero activity all winter, and that the entrance way had not even been plowed. Last week, the mayor’s office reported the same: no sign and no word from the WPHO people in months.

Rumored WPHO bid to buy former YWCA in Gloversville has fallen

through, according to local realtors. Current asking price $125,000.

However, the WPHO was reaching out to local media to announce their return. Jessica Maher of the Amsterdam Recorder, reported on  March 31:

… WPHO spokeswoman Jennie Wong said this week the extent of Shi's declaration and what it means for the 48 properties purchased at a citywide auction, as well as the two city churches purchased from the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese, is still unclear. Members of the Chinese group have been traveling internationally in a scheduled annual hiatus from the region during the winter months, said Wong, and not all members have returned.

"I don't think we have come to a conclusion yet," Wong said of the group's future in the city. "It may not be until we are getting together that we can have some ideas, so everything is pending right now."

And then this week, the following announcement from the WPHO was forwarded to us:

Ultimate Hope of Humanity

Holy Ziguang Shang Shi reveals Maha Meditation for the first time

The Secret Dharma beyond the Three Vehicles of Buddhism

During this era of continuous natural disasters, wars and epidemics, people have experienced immeasurable suffering. Holy Ziguang Shang Shi has deeply felt the pain of the people and for their benefit will, for the first time reveal Maha Meditation, the secret dharma beyond the three vehicles of Buddhism. This is the ultimate hope for all human beings and all nations to overcome disasters and achieve peace and health.

The wish of Holy Ziguang Shang Shi is to teach all people this Dharma, kept secret for thousands of years, so that everyone can have a better chance of living and adapting to the rapidly changing world. This secret Dharma can increase the quality of human genes and eliminate most diseases; it can increase one’s ability to resist radiation and viruses. The devoted practitioners can experience advanced spiritual development, change their karma, allowing them to develop their virtues and ultimately enter the bliss of Heaven on Earth.

For all of those who want to achieve happiness and escape the suffering of disease and pain, Holy Ziguang Shang Shi has set up the "Holy Mercy Altar" as a place to give empowerment to the attendees. The first opportunity will be the Blessing Empowerment Convention held from April 16th through April 18th at the Five World Buddha Temple in Amsterdam, NY.

 Anteroom at Five Buddhas Temple where the devotees leave their shoes 

 Rather than offer my own view of  this program, here is a response to one of my earlier articles from a correspondent who uses the screen name Tjampel:

(Gautama Buddha) was part of a group of ascetics who would starve themselves, stand in the sun for hours (in India...try it sometime) and engage in other austerities in order to gain wisdom. Once he realized that he was only making himself very ill, he decided to take proper nourishment and meditate on the nature of his own mind; shortly thereafter he achieved the direct/nondual perception of reality and ultimately transformed into what we call the Buddha.

He considered "divine beings" to be suffering just like the rest of us, since they wrongly believed in their own self-existent divinity; they too would have to give it up at some point as it's impermanent---yeah, in Buddhism, at least, all gods fall down.

Additionally, Buddhism teaches us that we must "work out [our] own salvation"; it's not going to come from some dude(ette) showing miraculous powers who's going to heal us all and remove our negativity and erroneous cognition. After all, if any enlightened being dedicates her/his entire existence to helping all other sentient beings, and they can just rapture us off to some paradise, where we'll be eternally blissed-out, they would have done so already. If some Master claims he can literally change the quality of our mind through his/her efforts they're not teaching Buddhism as I know it.

This kind of focus on the perceived divine qualities of the leader and cult-like attention paid to her or him is not healthy, IMO. I remember that Chogyam Trungpa, one of the early (and most idolized) Tibetan teachers in the US once said that he'd never seen any lama flying around and that one should just work on their practice instead of thinking about miraculous powers; after all, step one is hard enough. Just being able to meditate properly is pretty miraculous, actually.

It strikes me as very curious is that, the Master for this group/cult/whatever appears to be hurt or upset that the community isn't totally embracing his and his group and may be pulling out on that basis. That strikes me as very strange from a Buddhist perspective. The Buddhist concept of love is that one gives to others to bring them true happiness, to the greatest degree possible, and this desire to give others what they need to be happy never depends on even slight gratitude or reciprocation by the other party. They can hate you and call you names and you should still want them to be achieve true (lasting) happiness.

If Jesus (or whomever) tells you to "get thee to this town and spread the love" then whatever resistance the town may offer is merely one of the challenges that you need to face on the path; not an excuse to pull out. Only if you come to a reasoned conclusion that remaining in the town is causing damage to the spiritual health of both groups would leaving make sense. It doesn't seem that this was the basis for the group's actions. They were not concerned with "hate crimes".

.... The love that a Buddhist gives is one which can genuinely help the other being---it can lead them to lasting happiness...

-Tjampel

New research into the Ziguang Shang Shi Sect by Ah Ming

Introduction

 A native speaker of Chinese identified only by the pseudonym Ah Ming did a Chinese language internet search and discovered some new information on the Ziguang sect, without coming up with any definitive explanation for its move to Amsterdam.  Ah Ming has no connection with the Ziguang sect and has never met any of its members. Since the report has an objective  and even-handed tone and does not express any hostility to the group, I decided to publish it here without any editing or abridgment.

Background on Ziguang Shang Shi

Guang Huan Mi Zong has  both an  English and Chinese website. The Chinese version does not limit access to members, and provides some biographical information on Ziguang:

He is said to have become a Buddhist at the age of 5. At 7, Ziguang was forced to flee with his mother  (unclear from where, to where, and why). Five years later, he was "enlightened" and decided to devote his life to spreading the teachings of Buddhism . He started learning from various masters. In 1986, he began touring the world and treating the sick.

I was surprised I could not find his Chinese name. Most of the time, a Shang Shi (holy master)  has a Chinese name they go by in addition to this title.  "Shang" means "holy" and "Shi" means "master." In any Buddhist group, a Shang Shi is the highest authority. "Ziguang" translates literally to "purple light." Usually, when a person obtains a religious title, he/she also picks up a name with religious significance. I didn't find any reference to purple light in Buddhist sects, but it appears his name suggests he shines a light on the inner soul and clears the body of illnesses.

There is no evidence of use of the name "Lucas Wang" before he arrives in US. There is also no mention of this name in Chinese media. It is really unusual for a Shang Shi to hold an English name like "Lucas." If for nothing else, such a common name detracts from a Shang Shi's claim of religious authority.

Connection to Hong Kong Federation of Education Centers

 Based on a  search of Chinese-language sites, it appears Guang Huan Mi Zong has some sort of connection with Hong Kong Federation of Education Centers. The HKFEC is a non-profit organization based in Hong Kong, and according to its website its mission is to promote education and provide professional training. However, the HKFEC is also "Angel-sound Newspaper Office." Nearly all of the educational links on its website deal with physical and spiritual health, and in many cases Ziguang's quotes are used. The HKFEC says it recognizes the Guang Huan Mi Zong's commitment to improving human health.

What seems strange is that the HKFEC's director Sita Mak and its board members Dr. Raymond Wong, Franki Law, and Stella Choi are all educators. Most notably, Dr. Wong writes for several reputable Hong Kong publications. His articles focus on teaching children financial skills. I haven't found anything that linked any of these four people to religious teachings, so it seems odd they would start an organization that promotes Guang Huan Mi Zong.

Similarities with Other Buddhist Sects

Based on my own experience, I would see the Ziguang group as similar to a number of Buddhist sects that exist in the US, China and Taiwan. Faith healing is certainly common among Buddhist sects, many of them which are relatively new. They are mostly seem as scams by those who do not belong to the sects. People often turn to these sects when they get an illness for which there is no cure or the cure is too expensive. A lot of people probably would have live longer by receiving the proper medical treatments. But there are cases in which treatments offered by these sects "work." Whether or not it is coincidental, such instances certainly help the sects attract a group of devoted followers who feel they owe their lives to the sect and its leader.

 Guang Huan Mi Zong

"Guang Huan" means "ring of light." "Mi Zong" means "secretive religious order." Mi Zong actually can be adopted by any religious group whose teachings are based on secretive connections with the divine. The term originates from religious groups in India. Today there are many religious sects that call themselves Mi Zong in India, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan, although most people would associate Mi Zong with Tibet.

"Guang Huan" is a popular Chinese phrase; many stores and business uses the name. There isn't really a reason to suspect these businesses have a a connection with Guang Huan Mi Zong, which does not seem to refer to any other group.

I haven't found any teachings of Guang Huan Mi Zong that are associated with property-owning, but some Buddhist sects do preach owning property as essential to establishing power. As for funding, it is puzzling, but some sects do attract a tremendous amount of money.

Similarities to the Ching Hai sect

A well known example which might interest you is the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association. The group has been deemed a cult by the Chinese government and by many respected Buddhist organizations. Ching Hai was born in Vietnam into a Catholic family, and she later formed a Buddhist group (whose teachings are not Buddhist at all). Her case is pretty fascinating. She sells expensive memorabilia to her followers and charges highly for various services and programs. She even once claimed her bathwater can cure illnesses and had her followers drink it. There are numerous accusations of her organization being a scam. In fact, charges has forced her to fled many places. Some say she has gotten at least hundreds of millions of dollars through scams. Nevertheless, she continues to have a huge, devoted following around the world among Asian communities. Her followers continue to donate to her in large amounts and argue charges against her are false. You can find a lot of information and videos about her by searching "Supreme Master Ching Hai," though many English sources seem to portray her in a much better light than Chinese ones. Perhaps the way her group operates can give insights on Guang Huan Mi Zong (the "contact us" page on her website puts the sheer size of her organization in perspective).

Some thoughts

Guang Huan Mi Zong can be seen  as part of a larger trend of a rise of new Buddhist sects that have gotten wealthy through donations. But this doesn't seem to explain why Ziguang  would choose to go into a non-Asian community. He does not seem to have a bad reputation among the Chinese-speaking community. And if his primarily interest is to make money, his choice of investments seems bizarre.

One last note on Guang Huan Mi Zong. It is entirely possible that it has the largest following in Hong Kong. When I typed in Ziguang Shang Shi, the first few pages are mostly blog and forum pages, mostly on  Hong Kong websites. The blogs all detail miraculous stories of how Ziguang has saved lives. Whenever there is a post questioning the legitimacy of Guang Huan Mi Zong, the post is almost always replied by Ziguang's followers arguing otherwise. Also, his website is in traditional rather than simplified Chinese. Only Taiwan and Hong Kong still use traditional Chinese, and Guang Huan Mi Zong does not appear to have a following in Taiwan. (Though of course many religions are still practiced in secret in China.)

Ziguang's Claims of Healing Powers Raise Questions

Published in today's  Schenectady Gazette

When I met Ziguang Shang Shi at the former St. Casimir’s Church in Amsterdam on October 21, he gave me his self-published book, “Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi in U.S.A; Miraculous Stories of Salvation.”  I have always had an interest in various religions, and was eager to learn what he had to say.

I didn’t get to read the book until after I came back to St. Casimir’s a second time on October 26, for its re-dedication as the Five Buddhas Temple. But when I opened his book and started to read it, I didn’t know what to make of it.

The book consists almost entirely of 161 personal statements from Chinese-speaking people who came to the healing sessions Ziguang has been conducting in American cities for several years. And the world pictured in the book is a scary place. Ziguang writes that “devils are raging all over the world. The demons of illness rampantly endanger the physical and spiritual healthiness over the world. It causes the decline of human health.”

And according to the book, he is the savior in this world full of devils: “During the Dharma Vanishing Era, Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi descends to this mortal world for rescuing people with his divine power and his great mercy of Buddha.” Zhi Bei saw him control the ocean’s waves and Xiang-rong Ma even says she saw him rise into the air: “This moment I suddenly saw Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi’s body raised in the air and I saw golden light emitted from his body. They shined on all audiences.”

Such visions are not unusual for people who have come to Ziguang’s healing sessions. Lin Fan-Yuan “felt there was an opening at the top of my head. I could feel a spark entering my head. I could feel the door of my wisdom was opened when the Buddha light was entering my head.” Dong Min Mo “smelled a nice scent and saw a violet light on top of my head” and afterwards was happy to lose 12 pounds and reduce her waist size two inches.

But there does seem to be something like exorcism going on for many of these people, particularly when the ailments are of a more serious nature. Ziguang tells Yuan-Zhu Liao: “Don’t worry. You will be fine after the evil spirits in your body were driven away.” He tells  Dai-Shi Huang that “Satan has already left your body. Your abdomen wouldn’t be swollen again.”

What really worried me was the story told by Xiaoling Lu, who had been hearing voices telling her to kill herself, but Ziguang told her: “You are not insane. You are haunted by something evil. If nothing is done, you will be in bigger troubles.”  What if she avoids psychiatric treatment based on what he told her, and then kills herself?

Although some of the illnesses are relatively minor, people with Parkinson’s disease and cancer also came to be healed by Ziguang. I know that a positive attitude is important to health, but it strikes me as terribly irresponsible if you make somebody feel so positive that they give up life-saving medical treatment.

For example, Qiong-fang Lin had an operation for breast cancer: “I just believed in science, medication and surgical operation to remove tumors. Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi said it did not need injection, medicine and surgery, cancer cells can be controlled. Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi told me not to worry as the esoteric dharma would prevent the spread and transfer of cancer only if I practiced sincerely and did merit wholeheartedly.”

On that first day when I went to St. Casimir’s, there were things that were puzzling, even though I didn’t know anything yet about the group’s belief in miraculous healing. I was made to feel welcome right away and Jenny Wong invited me to join a lecture being given by Ziguang, who was speaking in Chinese to a group of 28 women and five men.

Ziguang soon began talking directly to me and asked me if I had any questions, so I asked him these four: How many people will be coming from China to live in Amsterdam? Will the people from China settle and raise families here like previous immigrants? Is it their goal to become American citizens? And, why is the group buying so many properties so quickly? Ziguang answered none of these questions but simply repeated much of what was quoted in earlier news reports: he has come to bring health to the people of Amsterdam; he will bring prosperity by opening new factories and other businesses.

At one point in that meeting, Ziguang started talking about the burglary at St. Casimir’s in September, and he said he might go to France if people here did not want him. I turned and asked the group if they would stay in that case or if they would follow their master. They cried out in almost one voice that they would follow the master wherever he went. I guess whether they stay or go depends entirely on what he says.

And another odd thing happened after the meeting was over. I asked Jenny Wong how many people had come with Ziguang from China, but she wouldn’t give me a definite number, or even a ballpark range. She said that the people were here on a “voluntary” basis and that the numbers keep changing because people come and go from China.

When I finally finished Ziguang’s book a couple weeks later, I felt that I needed to know more about Buddhism if I was going to be fair. I went to see Monshin Paul Naamon, abbot of the Tendai Buddhist Temple in Canaan, which is affiliated with an ancient Japanese religious institution. “Claiming healing powers like this is not sanctioned by any recognized Buddhist tradition,” Naamon told me. “Buddhism is a search for the nature of reality. If you do something to feed people’s delusions, that is not Buddhism.”

I don’t know much about Buddhism, but I’m inclined to agree with him.

Large real estate purchases in Gloversville and Ephrata raise questions

People in Gloversville were puzzled by recent real estate purchases by unknown buyers of two large landmark buildings: The Schine Building and the YWCA.

My own curiosity about developments in Gloversville began when I was part of a conversation October 26 at the Five Buddhas Temple, formerly St. Casimir’s Catholic church in Amsterdam.  A member of the Christian congregation renting space in the YWCA had come to see Jennie Wong , spokesperson for the World Peace and Health Organization, to inquire if rumors that the WPHO was interested in the building were true. Jennie confirmed that the group led by Ziguang Shang Shi was indeed interested in the building.

 The YWCA, built in 1900, had been offered for sale at $400,000 and is now under contract for $120,000 to an undisclosed “out-of-town buyer,” according to Pyramid Realty, which is handling the sale.

This does not confirm, of course, that the WPHO is the mysterious buyer of the YWCA,  but I can’t help but wonder why anyone would be interested in such properties and yet take such care not to reveal their identity. Certainly, serious investments and renovations are much needed in downtown Gloversville, and any organization willing to make that commitment would be be welcomed and applauded.

The 29,000 square foot Schine  Building, built in 1888 as Memorial Hall,was sold at a November 11  auction for $48,000 to an undisclosed buyer. Michael Teetz of Glove City Realty placed the winning bid on behalf of another party. Teetz wouldn't say who authorized his bids or identify future plans for the building, but he did say the World Peace and Health Organization was definitely not the buyer. So, this is one rumor can be laid to rest. (A reader of this site alerted us to a November 18 article in the Leader-Herald reporting that "the Gloversville Economic Development Corp., which oversees loans to businesses within the city, will add the 29,000-square-foot building to its properties.")

The Leader-Herald building in downtown Gloversville

Amanda Whistle in the Leader-Herald reports that:  “According to property tax map data, the building is owned by Memorial Hall, LLC. The prior owner was Covenhoven Realty Corp., which sold the building Feb. 12, 2007, for $225,000.”

A week before the sale, Whistle had written: “the winning bidder at auction will have the opportunity to apply for grant funding for restoration and renovation of downtown's historic centerpiece.” She explains  the details on the grant:

“Wally Hart, president of the Fulton County Regional Chamber of Commerce said there is still $175,000 left from the $200,000 awarded in 2008 through a historic preservation grant from the state Housing Trust Fund.

Each building on North Main Street is eligible for up to $50,000 for building renovation and $10,000 per building for facade restoration under a 50/50 matching format, Hart said. Because of the size of the Schine Building with its seven storefronts, it is eligible for up to $20,000 for facade restoration.”

A merchant in the Glove City Commons across the street from the Schine Building speculated that the building could become profitable as an inexpensive apartment rental “if somebody fixes the roof.”  He estimated that maintaining and heating the large structure would cost $6000 a month, which would cut into rental income. A young man who has done work in the old building agreed, saying that extensive repairs and renovation are necessary.

Gloversville native son G. David Schine 

with Joe McCarthy and Roy Cohn

As of November 15, retail tenants in the Schine building had not yet heard from the new owners, and a tenant in the YWCA was still in the dark about that pending sale.  I spoke with several people on the street about the building and one lady reminded me that the Schine family had experienced a moment of notoriety back in the McCarthy era. In fact, it was a controversy over G. David Schine that finally discredited McCarthy. After a three years reign of terror, McCarthy ran into trouble when the Army charged that he and his aide Roy Cohn had employed undue pressure in an  effort to get an officer’s commission for Schine, who had been working for McCarthy & Cohn as an unpaid investigative aide before being drafted. McCarthy’s abusive questioning of the Secretary of the Army in the subsequent hearings is what finally led the Senate to censure him. Schine went on to a career as a Hollywood producer, making use of the family fortune that began here in Gloversville, and died in 1996.

Still without any idea of whether the WPHO was the mystery buyer of the YWCA, I headed west to Ephrata to take a look at a large property owned by the Ziguang group  since summer.

The long vacant Adirondack Center Camp on Hart Road in Ephrata, which includes 206 largely forested acres, was bought in August by the World Peace and Health Organization according to Edward Hunt in the Leader Herald:

“The group paid $400,000 for the site, which had been listed for $995,000, according to Gordon Enfield, principal broker with Carroll Enfield of Troy. Part of the difference was considered a donation to the group.

Jennie Wong, a representative for the group, referred all questions to its leader, Master Ziguang Shang Shi, who was unavailable.”

This response foretold later problems between the Ziguang group and local people. Again, Edward Hunt, writing in the Leader Herald on October 16, told of one completely avoidable conflict precipitated by the sect:

Concerned for the well-being of the trees on their newly bought property, the leader of a Buddhist organization has demanded that a local farmer's syrup taps be removed from the maples.

Master Ziguang Shang Shi and his Bhuddist followers of the World Peace and Health Organization said the syrup taps are damaging the trees on the 200-acre property on Hart Road the group purchased in August.

"They are placing nails in the trees," he said through an interpreter. "The nails are taking their life energy."

Art Popp, the farmer who planted the taps and who has been making maple syrup and farming in the area for 43 years, is quoted by Hunt as saying: "They came along and bought the property in August and immediately demanded I remove the taps," he said. "I was right in the middle of harvesting vegetables from the farm and couldn't drop everything and pull out the taps."

Popp said that ,he is “frustrated by what he described as "continual harassment" in the form of a steady stream of letters from the WHPO demanding the end of the sap harvest and a Department of Environmental Conservation officer stopping by his farm on Murray Hill Road making what Popp called "a courtesy visit." The DEC officer gave Popp 30 days to remove the equipment and Popp expects to have the taps removed before that deadline.”

When I looked at the property on November 15, it appeared completely empty .I spoke with Art Popp the next day, and he said that the camp had been vacant for a month or more, no signs of life whatsoever. The only recent appearance by WPHO was when four members arrived to nail No Trespassing signs on trees. (which seemed odd, considering the earlier objection to maple taps). Art confirmed a pattern I had observed in WPHO’s Amsterdam purchases. Properties are bought without any awareness of local codes, and end up unused. 

When the group started work on a storage shed in August, Code Enforcement Officer David Rackmyre issued a stop work order, since a building permit had not been secured and the structure was beneath power lines. Even more significantly, as Art pointed out, the site is part of the Canajoharie watershed, and any further building would not be possible.

A few weeks ago, I discussed this incident with Jennie Wong and stressed that her people needed to be sensitive to the local culture here, and to act in ways that avoided conflict, rather than provoking it. She seemed to agree.

Pizza King restaurant, whose owner was arrested 

for harassment of WPHO people on Nov. 14

The latest misunderstanding led to the arrest over the weekend of a local businessman from Schenectady for harassment at the former Jesuit Retreat House Auriesville . The details are unclear and when I went to see the man, who has run a successful restaurant for 20 years, he did not want to make a statement.

Hopefully, greater transparency on the part of the WPHO will do much to prevent such incidents in the future.

Update April 13, 2011

The deal to buy the old YWCA,  reportedly by the WPHO, offered last year for $400,000, has fallen through. The building is now said to be available in the $100,000 + range.

Wow, it was the Buddha on the stage!

Xia-ling Shen,  as quoted in Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi in U.S.A., p. 106

Ten minutes after I met the man who calls himself Ziguang Shang Shi at the Five Buddhas Temple in Amsterdam, he gave me a copy of his book, Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi in U.S.A, copyright 2009 by World Peace and Health Publications. Evidently, he has been routinely giving out copies of his book to anyone of any influence whom he meets,  so it clearly contains nothing that he wishes to hide from public notice. But it is a very revealing window into the nature of his religious teachings and of his influence over the people who so admire him.

The book contains 161 statements from individuals who report being cured of many different kinds of illness, physical and mental, after meeting Ziguang at one of the many mass healing sessions he has conducted since 2002 at hotels in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York. All of the testimonies are from persons with Chinese language names, and the text has been translated into sometimes awkward English by his aides.  

The testimonies are from sessions held in various cities, and  indicate the extent of Ziguang's reputation among Chinese-speaking people in this country and possibly in China. The people providing the testimonies describe the  meetings are widely announced in the Chinese-language press and in leaflets. 

All of this activity has been quite invisible except to those who understand Chinese. However, since June, Ziguang has moved to take his message outside that community and share his teachings with English-speaking people. This is his avowed purpose in building a large real estate presence in Amsterdam, where he has been welcomed by the mayor and given very positive coverage in regional media.

Ziguang at a mass healing meeting in a New York Hotel

A great number of those he has cured speak of Ziguang  as a deity. Xia-lin Shen, quoted above, is cured of lower back pain and saw Ziguang as the Buddha himself. Wu Gong Nu is cured of a pain in her left foot and says, “This time I finally saw the real Buddha.”  Zhen Qi Ping saw an 81 year old woman throw away her walking stick at Ziguang’s command, and declares: “Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi was really the incarnation of Buddha.”

None of this alarmed me at first. The illnesses mentioned in these testimonies are minor and certainly might be alleviated by kind words and restored confidence. And to say that Ziguang is the Buddha is not like a Christian saying that his minister is really Jesus or a Rabbi claiming to be Yahweh.  In the most ancient scriptures, Gautama Buddha’s final words to his people (in the Pali language, sammasati.)  could be loosely translated as “Don’t  forget that everybody is really a Buddha.”  And even today, the Dalai Lama is regarded as an incarnation of an earlier, particularly enlightened lama. 

But some participants in the healing sessions do go beyond just saying that Ziguang is a Buddha. They see visions. Lin Fan-Yuan “felt there was an opening at the top of my head. I could feel a spark entering my head. I could feel the door of my wisdom was opened when the Buddha light was entering my head.” Dong Min Mo “smelled a nice scent and saw a violet light on top of my head” and afterwards was happy to lose 12 pounds and reduce her waist size two inches.

When Xiang-rong Ma attended a “dharma convention,” as the sessions are called, she saw more than a light above her head. She saw Ziguang rise into the air:


“This moment I suddenly saw Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi’s body raised in the air and I saw golden light emitted from his body. They shined on all audiences.” 

 image from the book suggesting Xiang-rong Ma's vision

And when Ziguang brought Zhi Bei Lu to a beach, “he used his esoteric  dharma to summon the sea. When we just arrived at the beach, the ocean was very quiet with only tiny waves. But suddenly the big waves came one after one.” She concludes: “he let us know more the magic of Guang Huan Mi Zong.”

And if Ziguang’s book  only revealed a pattern of curing such minor ailments as lumbago, rhinitis,  indigestion, acne, hay fever, obesity , insomnia and migraines (or computer obsession, in the case of one 13 year old) , I would not be worried.  But it is the  reports of people come to him with a truly serious illness that must be a cause for concern.

 statement of Xue-Fang Kuang

According to Xue-Fang Kuang,   “Unluckily, a metastasis on my left breast was found and was eventually led to other operation. It was eventually deteriorated to bone cancer. I had spent hundreds and thousands of dollars for having treatment and medication since the cost of each injection and blood transfusion was several thousand dollars. As the cancer cells spread all over my body, my doctor said that nothing he could do about it.”

When Mrs. Kuang meets the master, she says: “The feeling of having his supernatural power exertion was better than having blood transfusion.” She never says that he has cured her, and he cannot be accused of fraud based on her statement. But it is certainly possible that she might find him so comforting that she might forgo life-saving medical treatment.

Qiong-fang Lin also reports that she had an operation for breast cancer and was “very worried and unhappy.”  She comes to a dharma convention at a New York hotel and reports: “I just believed in science, medication and surgical operation to remove tumors. Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi said it did not need injection, medicine and surgery, cancer cells can be controlled.……Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi told me not to worry as the esoteric dharma would prevent the spread and transfer of cancer only if I practiced sincerely and did merit wholeheartedly.”

The confused syntax attributed to Mrs. Lin makes it difficult to know exactly what happened in her case but it certainly appears that the master led her to believe that if she followed his advice, she would not need legitimate medical treatment for her cancer. But because her words have been translated by people whose own English is unsteady, it is impossible to draw a definitive conclusion here.

There is a hint in one testimony that Ziguang’s staff separates out those with truly serious diseases and prevents them from seeking his help. Sam Tam reports that he had heart disease, high blood pressure and asthma and was not allowed at first to be part of Ziguang’s healing session: “Originally I was arranged to join a special group. This group included old people and people with serious incurable sickness who needed special treatment time. This group of people was not ready to learn the esoteric dharma.”

 Sam Tam  begs Ziguang’s assistant to be admitted  to  see the master, who then examines him and  says, “You have had enough suffering and will be allowed to join the dharma class.” Sam tells us : “I was so lucky to join the class.”  Later on, he discovers that he can run again like he did ten years earlier. In all probability, Ziguang or his aides were able to determine that his illness was not as serious as he thought.

These cases of serious and potentially fatal diseases are relatively few in comparison to the non-life threatening ailments reported in most testimonies. And it is possible in each serious case that Ziguang is only providing psychological comfort and manages to avoid directly telling people to avoid effective medical treatment.

However, there are testimonies which indicate serious mental illness and depression, and it is these which are genuinely alarming from my point of view. And it is in these cases where there are disturbing references to evil spirits and demonic possession.

Wall hanging at Five Buddhas Temple depicting 

a demonic figure on horseback, carrying skulls

Yuan-Zhu Liao is suffering the after effects of a concussion and Ziguang tells her: “Don’t worry. You will be fine after the evil spirits in your body were driven away.” She feels much better after he tells her this.

Hong-Lan Liu says that Ziguang tells her that her withered shoulder was caused by evil spirits. “That’s why no doctor was able to cure it using either eastern or western methods of treatments.” She begs Ziguang to “help me drive away the devils.” She feels a flash of light and soon feels much better. 

Ziguang tells 62-year old Dai-Shii Huang that “Satan has already left your body. Your abdomen wouldn’t be swollen again.”

Guang-Pu Zhang says: “I was haunted by Satan. My wife was a Christian so I knew who Satan was. I sincerely begged Master Ziguang Shang Shi to remove the devil. When he used his divine power, I sweated a lot. Short while later, Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi told me the devil was gone.” He says he was “normal” a few days later.

And then there are testimonies from people who have been diagnosed with mental illness.

Pak Chi Wan says: “Most doctors said I was insane and offered me tranquilizer and sleeping pills. But I always hope some powerful god or Buddha will come to save me, so I wait and pray sincerely for this.” She ( or he) goes to see Ziguang and “I feel very much relaxed and become happier.” This may be a case of depression, but there is no suggestion of dissociation from reality.

But  Xiaoling Lu, a 22 year old woman, says: “Doctor said that I had mental disease. I started to think of killing myself because I heard a voice that told me to do so.”  She goes to see Ziguang and he tells her: “You are not insane. You are haunted by something evil. If nothing is done, you will be in bigger troubles.” Zuang works with her for three days and she says, “I was completely changed…His holiness brought me new life.”  However, this young woman is clearly suicidal and experiencing auditory hallucinations.  If untreated, there is no doubt her life will be in danger. And perhaps other people’s lives, if the voices in her head lead her in that direction.

None of this resembles any form of Buddhism I ever read about. But I wanted to make sure I was not misjudging a religion that was not my own, so I went to see Monshin Paul Naamon, abbot of the Tendai Buddhist Institute in Cannan, NY. “Claiming healing powers like this is not sanctioned by any recognized Buddhist tradition,” Naamon told me. “Buddhism is a search for the nature of reality. If you do something to feed people’s delusions, that is not Buddhism.” 

The fact that Ziguang permits his followers to attribute supernatural powers to him places him outside of any Buddhist lineage, according to Naamon. His teachings should not be regarded as Buddhism nor should local people base their idea of Buddhism on what he is doing in Amsterdam.

People  give up their careers  and possibly their families, to follow this master. In several of testimonies from the book, individuals who are cured of various illnesses announce a decision to give up their previous lives and to follow Ziguang as his “disciples.” Bian-wa Cai gives up her (or his) job as a financial controller and promises to “use my professionalism to support his preaching in every American city.”  Lai-yin Wang, a meditation teacher, is “willing to give up my career and beg Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi to accept me as a disciple.”

Every testimony concludes with personal thanks to 

Ziguang for physical or psychological healing

The opening pages of his book make it clear that the disciples of Ziguang Shang Shi must accept his belief that the contemporary world is a fearful place filled with demons who cause sickness:

During the Dharma Vanishing Era devils are raging all over the world. The demons of illness rampantly endanger the physical and spiritual healthiness over the world. It causes the decline of human health.

And they must see Ziguang himself as a divine being who saves mankind from  these demons:

During the Dharma Vanishing Era, Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi descends to this mortal world for rescuing people with his divine power and his great mercy of Buddha.

It is not certain whether any of the individuals who have heard voices, seen visions, or who believe Ziguang is divine have come with him to Amsterdam. But it certain that Ziguang wants himself to be seen in this way or he would not have featured their testimonies in his book.


Avoiding a rush to judgment:


We should not be too quick to dismiss the ideas of the Ziguang sect  as completely alien to American culture.  Roman Catholicism, my own ancestral tradition, and the largest Christian denomination in this region, also espouses a belief in  casting out demons. On November 12-13 Catholic bishops and priests met in Baltimore to discuss  popular demand for more exorcisms, and for priests trained to perform them: "Bishop Paprocki noted that according to Catholic belief, the Devil is a real and constant force who can intervene in people’s lives — though few of them will require an exorcism to handle it." 

And as for Holy Master Ziguang's apparent power of levitation, is this any less credible than the widespread Christian belief in the Rapture? That worldwide process involves far more than just one man mysteriously rising a few inches into the air. The General Council of the Assemblies of God churches,  another denomination well-represented here, issued an official position based on the Bible, entitled "The Rapture of the Church."