An Interview with SHC: A Victim of Sexual Abuse whose Courageous Voice Roars
By Cheng Yew Chung
To many new initiates of True Buddha School, the name SHC or Siew Har Chong would not ring a bell. However, to those like myself who spent the last twenty to thirty years actively involved in True Buddha School, we will recall how Madam Chong had filed a lawsuit against Sheng-yen Lu in the year 2000, accusing Lu for alleged sexual misconduct.
The lawsuit caused a stir and many newspapers reported the story. To avoid being summoned in court, Sheng-yen Lu escaped by announcing his retreat. When I first read SHC's article posted on
www.shcstory.com, I could sense the truth in her words, but at the back of my mind I struggled with her so called revelation, always debating whether her story was the whole truth, half-truth or pure fabrication? It was tough for me to embrace her words.
At that time I found it hard to fathom that Living Buddha Liansheng, Sheng-yen Lu, a True Buddha to me, would commit such hideous acts of sexual abuse. I naturally felt that Madam Chong was slandering Lu. Lu also hinted that Madam Chong had secretly accepted money from other Buddhist organizations with the evil intention of defaming Lu. Like most students innocent of Lu's true behavior, we were really mad at Madam Chong's allegations.
I have been giving service of propagation through my True Buddha comics and my translation of Lu's books into English through the years. Yet, a rude awakening came upon me when a meeting between myself and Lu over one dinner in September 2010 let me see, first hand, how Lu was not the person he had claimed to be. He was rude, moody, petty, and angry. Later, when I found out through a trusted friend how Lu's ex-wife, Shimu Lu Lixiang, had privately disclosed that everything about the sexual allegations was true. Only then I realized these sexual offenses were not SHC’s fabrication, and actually involved many other women. It was a big cover up. When I reread Miss Chong's account of her sexual experience with Lu, and compared it with Lu's recent discourse on Twin Body practice, I instinctively knew that Miss Chong had once been Lu's consort.
I truly admire Madam Chong's courage to file a lawsuit against Lu, and felt that Lu's escape from USA in the name of retreat was a cowardly act. Lu was certainly no buddha as he always claims to be.
I started reading Lu’s books in 1976, took refuge with Lu in the late eighties, and officially left True Buddha School in August 2011. A year later, in August of 2012, I emailed Madam Chong and asked if she would grant me an interview. I received a quick reply that she would be happy to grant me one. Here’s the interview where she shall explain and describe to us in details what happened between herself and Sheng-yen Lu in the nineties.
Cheng: Madam Chong, I hope this email finds you well. Thank you for granting me this interview. I hope you don't mind I ask some pointed questions as I want this interview to be as informative and candid as it can be.
SHC: Thank you for the interview. For the past ten years I have received many letters of encouragement as well as mockery, but I always speak my mind. It’s really up to you to believe what you want to believe. I am not asking for anything in return. I only want everyone to learn the truth about Sheng-yen Lu, and not end up as foolish as me. Maybe your questions also echo some of the questions in people's minds. Go ahead and ask anything you wish.
Cheng: Are you residing in USA now?
SHC: Yes. In New York.
Cheng: Don’t mind I ask how old are you now? You said you have children. How many are there?
SHC: I am fifty-three. I have already revealed so much through my story, revealing my age is really no issue. I have two sons and one daughter, and they have gotten married. I have six grandchildren, and soon seven. Thanks for asking.
Cheng: Aren't you afraid that someone may harass or harm you?
SHC: Of course I am afraid. I am afraid of all the strange noises outside my house. At times I suffer from insomnia.
Cheng: Did anyone attempt to hack into your computer?
SHC: I received emails warning me not to slander their Master Lu, and these people had attempted to hack into the website to take it down. They also threatened to kill me.
Cheng: How did you survive in USA since 2000?
SHC: My first job in the States was working as a helper in a restaurant in Seattle. I bumped into some Lu's followers there. I can tell they recognized me, but we said nothing. I was fearful then. Later, I changed job and worked as a housekeeper with a hotel, and realized some of my coworkers were also Lu's followers. I was naturally afraid. Later I followed my boss to work as a home and office cleaner. My husband does not speak English, and remained unemployed. Later, we enrolled in a short course in patient care [conducted in Mandarin], and worked as caretakers for Chinese patients. However, there was the constant fear of bumping into Lu's followers in Seattle, and we decided to move to New York. In New York, while working as a cashier in a convenient store, I was apprehensive of meeting Lu's followers. Eventually, I decided to stay home and worked as a nanny for other families, and have been doing so for the past eleven years. I am taking care of my grandchildren now in between some nanny jobs.
Cheng: Have you thought of retuning to Malaysia?
SHC: Never cross my mind to return. I don't want to leave USA. I am waiting for another chance to file a new lawsuit against Lu. I also dare not return to Malaysia, as Lu has the most followers there. It’s very easy to get rid of a person in Malaysia.
Cheng: When you filed your case against Sheng-yen Lu, he escaped instead. How did you go through those days?
SHC: I was enrolled into the witness security program, and stayed in a temporary, secure holding area. I was filled with fear, and suffered great mental stress. My life, everything, was turned around, and the stress was unbearable… Sheng-yen Lu escaped. The law enforcement side eventually closed my case. The US attorney suggested that I get my own lawyer, and so I did. I let my lawyers do their job, and waited. They told me not to do anything.
Frankly, I didn't know how I could have survived those days. While in the temporary holding, I found myself in a strange environment with no Chinese, living with all female occupants of African American and white ethnic groups. Some young, some elderly, and some with children. My English was poor, and I preferred keeping to myself in a corner. Sometimes, when there was a group meeting, I would get an interpreter. I was constantly in fear and worry. My mind was filled with thoughts of my loved ones, intertwined with images of Sheng-yen Lu bombarding me, constantly reminding me of the hideous truth that hid behind his smile. My devotion of mind and soul had all vanished. The feeling of betrayal was beyond description, and cannot be put into words…How could I possibly face my loved ones?
Cheng: How long did you stay in the secret holding area under the witness security program?
SHC: I stayed for several months until Lu’s escape. The law enforcement officials decided not to press charges against Lu as he was no longer in USA, and thus posed no threat to me. So they let me leave.
Cheng: Are you saying that Lu actually escaped while you were still under protection?
SHC: Yes.
Cheng: You mentioned in your article that guns were kept in the Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple. Aren’t you afraid that someone may want to silent you someday?
SHC: It is easy to acquire guns in the States, and completely legal to own one. The late Fang Qing died because of a gun-shot wound inflicted on her neck, so I was naturally very cautious.
Cheng: Some have accused you for trying to raise money through your website by playing the sympathy card. What do you think of this comment?
SHC: No such thing. Never cross my mind to do so. In New York, I once met the chairman of the Malaysia Association of America (MAA), and he once thought of planning a protest in the streets of New York against True Buddha School and Sheng-yen Lu, but later felt that this might cause more trauma to me. My intention of pressing charges against Sheng-yen Lu was so that Lu can be arrested, so that Lu’s evil side would be exposed. Subsequently, the chairman suggested that I post my story online, so that everyone can learn about him just as well. It took me one year to pen my story, ‘True Exposition of True Evil Facts of the True Buddha School’s Founder Living Buddha Sheng-Yen Lu’.
I worked as a nanny during the day, and had time only at night to write my story. Whenever I could not sleep, and received more inspiration, I would wake up and continue writing. Every sentence bears my tears. Trying to complete a cohesive sentence was challenging for me. I hope everyone can understand what I wrote.
Subsequently, there was an increase in readership, and they gave me many suggestions, including the hope that someone can help with the legal fees, so that I can continue to press charges against Sheng-yen Lu in the future. Taking that advice, I uploaded my legal fee statement on my website three years ago, but till date no one has come forward to help. But it really doesn’t matter now. I believe many are aware of the true face of Sheng-yen Lu, and I hope they would not be as ignorant as me. How foolish I was!
Cheng: As your children grew up, how did they react to this matter?
SHC: My children are aware of the matter, but I am unsure how much they really know. They never bring it up, like it never happened. Well, I am glad they still love me.
Cheng: What about your husband? How is he coping these days?
SHC: To him it’s been a thorn. He’s still with me, but there are times he will burst out and tell me how stupid I was, and his words cut like a knife. I had to swallow my pride, and kept to myself.
Cheng: When did your husband first learn of your Twin Body practice with Sheng-yen Lu?
SHC: After I decided to file charges against Lu, I called my husband from the States and informed him.
Cheng: Was he so mad that he wanted to teach Lu a lesson?
SHC: You are asking about his initial reaction? I could not see his facial reaction over the phone. I was afraid and shameful at that time. I wasn’t sure how I related the story to him, but his voice seemed frozen, and he chided me for not informing him earlier of such grave matter. The rest I couldn’t recall. All I knew was he was really mad, but he said nothing of teaching Lu a lesson.
Cheng: How did your husband cope with the reality of the matter? You wrote that Sheng-yen Lu told him in his face about your bad conduct.
SHC: When my husband arrived in the States, he kept to himself for a long time. It was fortunate that the secretary of my lawyer was with him throughout the ordeal, and it was she who brought my husband to meet Sheng-yen Lu at the Rainbow Villa in Seattle. I was unaware of their meeting, until my husband returned and handed me a letter Lu passed to him. He only said this to me, ‘Why?’
I could not face him. I was ashamed of myself. I didn’t know how he coped with all the things that were happening around us, but it was only later that I found out through conversation with the lawyer’s secretary and also my husband that my husband said nothing throughout his meeting with Sheng-yen Lu, while Lu handed him a letter I wrote, whose content shocked my husband. Sheng-yen Lu had the cheek to lie to my husband, telling him what sort of a bitch I was. Lu’s words stabbed my husband’s heart, yet he was too tired to say anything despite his anger. He knew instinctively this Sheng-yen Lu was really a bad ass.
Cheng: May I ask what was the letter about?
SHC: I wrote several letters to Lu. The one mentioned was a letter of gratitude that Sheng-yen Lu requested from me when I was preparing to return to Malaysia. The content of the letter included some words of gratitude and some sentences describing our relationship, which was subsequently blacked out.
I remembered once during a consultation, Sheng-yen Lu told me I was his wife in a previous lifetime, and wanted me to be his wife in our future lives. He wanted me to pen this commitment in a letter, and instructed me to pass the letter to him during mealtime. When Sheng-yen Lu walked out of the library [canteen is inside the library building], I handed him the letter, and this was witnessed by many. That was my first letter. No wonder Lu boasted he received many love letters from women, as he had secured them through his Casanova ways, and used these letters as his defense. Lu is really despicable!
***Frankly, I really admire the fact that Madam Chong has a husband who loves her so deeply, as I can’t imagine the mental stress he had to endure. Madam Chong had written about the things told to her husband by Lu, and how the facts were twisted. I wonder if any man could have remained by her side after all these. Madam Chong is fortunate to have a husband who stood by her.***
Cheng: Can you ever let go of the hurt that Lu inflicted upon you?
SHC: I don’t know. It’s just that I don’t cry as often now. Yet, I can’t help it when I reply you today. I do dream of Lu sometimes, but I would say nothing to him in the dreams, and he would also avoid me. I would keep a safe distance between Lu and myself even in my dreams.
Cheng: Many people don’t buy your story. First, they don’t know about you, and they suspect your motive in doing all these. Some even bought into the idea planted by Lu insinuating that you are a devil in disguise to create chaos in his teachings.
SHC: I have already spoken and written about my true account, and all I hope is that no one end up as superstitious and foolish as me, for the price is a lifetime of regret! There is nothing I can do about what people choose to believe.
Cheng: Lu insinuated that you have accepted money from other religious groups to cause damage to him, and claimed to be the victim instead. What is your view regarding this?
SHC: He can say what he likes. I can’t do a thing about what he wants to say. He answers to his karma. I am very clear what kind of an animal he is, so what is all the talk about compassion and Buddhahood?
Cheng: Do you think Lu’s successor, second patriarch Master Lian-ning has got something on Lu?
SHC: Maybe! Everyone who wants to meet Lu for consultation, and practically all letters to Lu must be vetted and arranged by Lian-ning, including the decision to close the door to the consultation room. So Lian-ning certainly knows many things about Lu.
Cheng: What kind of a person is he?
SHC: He is addicted to power, and often reprimands the monks and nuns in the temple. Perhaps this display of authority is necessary since he is the supervisor of the temple, but I am aware that no one likes him in the temple, and most would keep a distance from him.
Cheng: I heard Lu has a disciple called Lotus Bao Er who had cheated many of their money. Sheng-yen Lu trusted this person. What’s your view regarding this?
SHC: This proves to me that Sheng-yen Lu has no supernatural powers as he so claims. The first photo posted on this webpage(
http://www.shcstory.com/photos.html) is Bao Er, who was spotted wearing shorts. She always wore shorts when she came to the temple. I have never seen her involved in any practice sessions, yet she was given the title of a senior instructor by Lu. It caused a stir, and many found it hard to accept.
Cheng: You said that you had contracted herpes simplex virus through Sheng-yen Lu. Someone wrote online why didn’t you sue Lu using your herpes medical report. Basically, they are suspicious of your motive. What is your view regarding this comment?
SHC: It never occurs to me that you can actually file a lawsuit with a herpes report. I had uploaded the report online to let everyone know that Sheng-yen Lu has herpes as well, and if he goes for herpes test, he would carry the same virus as I have, because I got it from him. My apologies. I speak my mind, and if there is anything unclear you can always ask.
Cheng: Sheng-yen Lu recently wrote a six-part article “Escape 1-6” (
http://religiousbullshit.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/6/) and they were published in his 222th book “Insight on Adversities”. What’s your comment on these articles?
SHC: These stories are disgusting and fabricated to divert attention away from the truth. Miss May Tay from Singapore told me how Master Lianyin had arranged for her to meet Sheng-yen Lu, and how Lu reacted when he first saw her. He closed the door of the consultation room, and as he told her to sit on the floor, he held her hands and spoke gently and affectionately to her…
Reverend Lianting told me the same thing happened to her, and I experienced that too! Sheng-yen Lu is nothing but a fraud who resorts to the same trick to seduce women, unlike what he claims that others are trying to seduce him. When he held my hands as we were sitting on the floor, I was at first afraid that somehow my mundane nature would taint his eminence, the holy supreme living Buddha. Yet I was equally surprised and happy that His Holiness would not forsake an ordinary woman like myself, and actually thought highly of me. How silly of me then!
Cheng: In his article “Escape-part 2”, he mentioned a woman who had attempted to sue the famous author Feng Feng (Peter Faun, 1931-2007), and likely the same woman who stayed in the Seattle’s temple and attempted to seduce Sheng-yen Lu. The article may hint at you as the woman involved. Is Lu talking about you?
SHC: I read his articles, and none appeared to fit my experience. I am unaware if he had written about me in other articles. But if he would dare to write truthfully about me, I would applaud his guts. He must answer to the negative karma of his fabrication. Good luck to him!
Cheng: In 2008, Attorney Huey-Fang Zhou(周慧芳律師) wrote an article “Speaking the Unspoken” which debunked the claims made by you. I met attorney Zhou and her husband several times, and I can tell you she is quite a sharp and capable career woman. I saw in her what I experienced then, that we were blinded by the misinformation released by the school. Had she spoken to Shimu and found out about the truth, she and her husband would disassociate themselves from the school.
SHC: Law is all Greek to me. I only know that a crook should be arrested. The prosecutor told me I had a good case and he would arrange for a date to arrest Sheng-yen Lu. The law enforcement officials informed me they had filed for an arrest warrant against Lu, and they would act immediately once the warrant was approved and issued...
Why would the prosecutor file a warrant if he didn’t think there was truth in the case? Yet, when Lu escaped, the prosecutor said that the law enforcement officials decided not to prosecute Lu and the case would not subject to any further review by the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Washington. The reason given to me by the prosecutor’s superior was that my case would be dismissed since no forcible compulsion or violence was involved. The Washington State law does not intervene in the intimate relationship between religious leaders and their followers. The attorney’s superior added that Lu was a well-known personality, and they were mindful of the press.
I asked the prosecutor’s superior if other women were to press charges against Lu for sexual misconduct, what would they do? The office maintained its stand, that they would not press charges against Sheng-yen Lu.
Is that what First Amendment is all about?
I posted a record of our meeting on my
http://shcstory.com/result.html. Even the Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney had expressed no doubt on my statements.
Cheng: I read the meeting summary, and basically you don’t have a case against Sheng-yen Lu. US laws will not intervene in the intimate relationship between religious leaders and their followers. You are no doubt a victim of Lu’s sweetheart scam, and in Taiwan he can be brought to court for molest or sexual abuse on moral grounds. In the States, I believe even rape is involved in the temple, Sheng-yen Lu can produce the love letters you wrote him, and with the support of the temple, no one will come forward as witness, and its really your words against theirs. This interview may not give you the justice you had demanded from the US court, but your courage in speaking up, thus allowing the world to examine your story, to rethink the truth of this matter, this is important. This is the facebook and iphone era. Maybe it is your destiny that you are the voice for this matter (other victims chose silence). Many will get to know you again, and will seriously rethink this incident, especially now that Sheng-yen Lu has publicly said that he is proficient in the art of Twin Body practice. It’s been tough on you.
Cheng: Attorney Zhou wrote that the layout of the True Buddha Quarter is no secret. What is your view on this?
SHC: If Reverend Biyan, who was in charge of tidying Lu’s office insisted that the diagram I drew, and the position of the naked female statue were all my fabrication, she would have seen her years of cultivation down the drain. Will Sheng-yen Lu guarantee your rebirth in the Mara[not Maha] Twin Lotus Ponds?
If the True Buddha Quarter was opened to outsiders, and the inner layout and arrangement were familiar to most disciples, can anyone tell me if he or she knows a smaller pillow made of jade pieces was placed inside Sheng-yen Lu’s pillow? The jade pillow fell out when Lu placed his pillow for me to rest upon. Do you think Sheng-yen Lu would reveal the hidden jade pillow during the open house to his private room?
Cheng: Attorney Zhou wrote that it would be impossible for you to enter the True Buddha Quarter given the function of the place. What is your comment on this?
SHC: Sheng-yen Lu instructed me to enter the True Buddha Quarter at 7.30am, as this is the time where most people would report to the temple and commit to group practice. The only exception is when a person is too sick to get out of bed. Actually if you are sick the more reason you need to go and pray for sooner recovery. I too need to sign in for practice.
May I ask if Attorney Zhou had gone through the record of signing in? When I was staying in the temple, there were days where I was absent from signing in. Perhaps once or twice, you could say that I was sick. Did you ever investigate further to see if someone can take leave every week, or the frequency of absence per week? Master Lian-ning was extremely strict with guests who did not follow the temple’s code of conduct, as they would not be granted stay.
[Attorney Zhou’s comment 1: Impossibility of SHC’s claim with regards to outer circumstances]
SHC: One morning, between 7.30 to 7.45am, a boy was seen playing a ball outside the house opposite of the True Buddha Quarter. Maybe you can ask if anyone had seen me enter the True Buddha Quarter?
That morning I was hesitant to enter the True Buddha Quarter because of the boy. Sheng-yen Lu called the female dormitory and at that time no one was around except me. I picked up the phone and it was Lu on the other end! I told him there was someone outside and he said don’t bother. Just come by! So I just hang my head low and walked towards the True Buddha Quarter, opened the door and entered. I wondered if the boy had seen me?
[Attorney Zhou’s comment 2: Impossibility of SHC’s claims with regards to time]
SHC: Sheng-yen Lu’s stealthy presence was mostly unknown. If his presence were known, then he would not have achieved his objective. Once in the morning after Lu had lost his temper the previous day, I happened to exit the female dormitory on my way to group practice, and Lu arrived. He waved to me to enter the car garage. Many monks and nuns witnessed this, including Master Lianjie, Monk Reverend Lianjing etc. In the afternoon, Master Lian-ning questioned me, and I told him I acted out of Lu’s instruction, and Master Lian-ning said nothing after that. Master Lian-ning, Master Lian-jie and Reverend Jian-jing were lying because they knew only too well Sheng-yen Lu did arrive at the True Buddha Quarter at 7 plus in the morning.
[Attorney Zhou’s comment 3: Impossibility of SHC’s claims with regards to the procedure in the temple]
SHC: Lian-ning is a lying machine, but Master Chang-zhi do you want to tell lies too? During a consultation session in July of 1997, Sheng-yen Lu instructed Lian-ning and Chang-zhi to exit the consultation room, closed the door, leaving me and Lu alone in the room. There were many disciples from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, including the nun Reverend Lian-zhong in the vicinity, and Reverend Lian-zhong evidently knew I was alone in the room with Lu. Miss Pan Biling from Malaysia was also present. They could see with their own eyes what happened. I have personally witnessed these individuals who were left alone with Lu behind closed door. They are Master Jinxiang from Japan, Senior Instructor Cunlian, Cui Huafeng (Reverend Lian-zhong), Chen Jianling (Master Lian-ting), Yuxian, Ai Hua, Hanifa, Dharma Assistant Lu Xiaofeng, and May from Singapore who was a friend of Master Lian-yin.
When the singer Fang Qing and Lu didn’t engage in the Twin Body Practice, Lu voiced his desire to retreat (which he didn’t). When Bao Er ran away with the money she cheated, Lu also voiced his desire to retreat (which he didn’t). Finally when I wanted to press charges against him, he escaped in no time and finally entered into his so-called retreat (his escape from prosecution).
Cheng: Attorney Zhou wrote that in the year 2000, not only did SHC press charges against Lu for sexual misconduct, she also pressed charges against the temple for negligence of supervision, and claimed for compensation. The case against the temple spanned four years, and the trial court has dismissed on summary judgment the negligent supervision claim. Is that so?
SHC: Wrong! The lawyer had advised that I retract my charges, as we could not locate Sheng-yen Lu. After five years, the court shall close the case, and I would no longer be able to press charges against Lu. Please read my lawyer’s letter which I have uploaded at
http://www.shcstory.com/LawyerL.html. As long as I desire, I can still file a new lawsuit against Sheng-yen Lu. I hope Lu will not escape this round.
Cheng: I reread your article and wondered why the law enforcement officials had delayed the warrant of arrest. Perhaps one would speculate on the relationship between Lu and the former governor of Washington. Moreover, year 2000 was election year, and thus, the election of a new governor. If your case came to light, it would remind people of the investigation over a donation made by the temple to the governor’s 1996 campaign committee. I felt that some may not want your case to affect the outcome of the election. Another possible scenario is that the law enforcement officials may not want to cross Sheng-yen Lu as they were aware of Lu’s relationship with the governor, his relationship with the local Chinese community, and his relationship with Taiwan.
Of course the possibility that your case may be dismissed is on the ground of consensus sex, as Lu can even prove that with your consent through your letter agreeing to become his consort would mean you have agreed to have sex with him on religious grounds, and Lu cannot be held on rape charges as you are a willing party. This is Lu’s craftiness.
However, it would be different in Taiwan, as Lu would likely be arrested on unethical conduct and tried in court later like the famous case of molest charges committed by Taichung’s Master Sheng-lun. Lu would have no chance of escape in Taiwan.
SHC: I agreed to engaging in Twin Body practice with Lu because I was led to believe I would die if I didn’t. I had no idea that Twin Body practice was actually sexual intercourse. I had seen the statues in yab-yum [sexual union of deities], and I was uneasy.
I thought that Lu was after all a monk, and a holy living Buddha. It never crossed my mind that he would really do it to me [sexual intercourse].
In Malaysia, the law is very strict over such matters.
Cheng: Sheng-yen Lu, in his discourse, said that Twin Body or consort practice is really ‘helping’ the consorts spiritually. He also sent a message to his consorts that it is important to “ask for nothing in return when you come”, and “leave with no strings attached”. Since you have been ‘helped’ by Lu over several years, can you tell me what spiritual attainment have you gained in the process? Many believe in such spiritual claims and I worry that more girls would throw themselves at Lu to seek his so-called ‘help’.
SHC: Ever since 1993 when I first received Lu’s blessing on my head in Malaysia, I would seek his help continuously every year, making multiple trips to Hong Kong, Indonesia, and even the USA. Between 1997 and 1999 when he performed the Twin Body blessing on me, my sickness did not improve, let alone any cultivation or spiritual attainment. However, I did feel I was made a True Buddha’s consort, and despite the illness, I would endure the pain and follow the True Buddha’s footstep as I believed even if my life would end in 1999 as Lu had predicted, I would be reborn in the pureland. What nonsense!
Eventually, with the help of Miss Pan, I was led to a relatively unknown witch doctor (shaman) in Malaysia, who cured me of my illness in just one session! I really regretted in believing Lu’s power. So regretful! So regretful!
Cheng: Sheng-yen Lu said, “A yogi can sexually handle three wives [consorts] a day, even four wives. If possible, he can have sex with five, six or up to seven wives per day. If a man does not learn the non-leakage practice, it is really his loss, and indeed, foolish not to do so.” What do you think of Lu’s recent discourses on Twin Body practice?
SHC: He apparently admitted his intimate and entangled relationship with women.
Cheng: What do you think of Lu’s wife Shimu Lu Lixiang?
SHC: I once told Shimu this, “It’s not easy being Shimu”. Shimu was quick to react and asked why I said that? I just said that Shimu had to manage every big and small matter within the school, and must tolerate so many things. In my heart, I was thinking she even had to put up with Lu’s womanizing. Honestly I really don’t know Shimu well, but I did feel some guilt in her presence.
Cheng: Are you aware that Sheng-yen Lu and Shimu have filed for divorce (in late 2011). Do you have any comments on this?
SHC: My readers have informed me on this matter. I feel that Lu should have arranged for a divorce prior to entering monkhood. This clearly shows that he has little respect of renunciation, and held no regards to keeping the pure precepts. Now that he is finally divorced, it is self evident that he has kept his marriage with Lu Lixiang even during his monkhood. Shimu knew only too well that Lu, like a leopard, will never change its spots, and when she discovered his infidelity [over and over again], she finally filed for divorce! Sheng-yen Lu is truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing!
Cheng: Are you close to Xu Yaqi[famous Taiwan TV host, married, who is alleged to be Lu’s consort] What’s your view on her situation?
SHC: We were once good friends, but I don’t really know her well. I would bump into her on many occasions when I flew to Seattle, as she would stay in the Rainbow Villa for a long period, lasting several weeks to one or two months. I feel this is a private matter, and I won’t poke my nose into her affair.
Cheng: What’s your view regarding the quarrel between Lu and Shimu over Xu Yaqi?
SHC: It’s just a female’s natural reaction. So it’s only normal that Shimu quarrel with Lu. Now that they have fallen out over Lu’s affair, it says a lot about Lu’s deviousness. This womanizing has lasted many years. I believe her patience has worn out.
Cheng: Why do you think Xu’s husband seems unconcerned, and continue to publicly show his support for Sheng-yen Lu?
SHC: If Xu’s husband stops his support for Lu, he is as good as admitting the alleged affair between Xu and Lu is true, and he would lose face within his circle.
Cheng: Regarding the late Fang Qing. Do you learn of things that we don’t already know online?
SHC: I only have the booklet written by Fang Qing regarding her experience with Lu. I am unaware of anything beyond what is written.
Cheng: You mentioned in your article a certain Madam M was beaten by several people in the Seattle’s temple because she said too much and was later hospitalized. Are you still in touch with her?
SHC: I lost contact with her ever since I filed my charges against Lu.
Cheng: Why was she beaten?
SHC: Madam M knew about Sheng-yen Lu’s affairs with women, and Lu had warned her not to spill her nonsense. I never asked Madam M what she knew about Lu’s affairs. Madam M had earlier listened to Lu’s advise and ended up losing lots of money, as well as her marriage because she believed Lu’s negative comments regarding her husband during her consultation with him. She had also spent thousands on auctions of Lu’s dragon’s vest and prayer beads, none of which had improved her life.
Cheng: To my knowledge, Shimu did engage detectives to track Sheng-yen Lu’s whereabouts, and evidently knew where Lu went. I believe Sheng-yen Lu does not have sex solely within the temple’s ground. When I first read your article, like many, I thought to myself how ridiculous it was to suggest that Lu actually engaged in sexual intercourse with women in his own backyard. After all, such affairs should be conducted in secrecy. We even joked that why didn’t you describe Lu disguised with a hat and sunglasses and secretly met his girlfriends in a motel far from the temple. That would make your fabrication more believable. So why would Lu want to do it in his temple? Weren’t he afraid of being seen?
SHC: It is actually more convenient to have sexual intercourse inside the True Buddha Quarter. Whenever he wanted to bestow his blessings on the woman, he would immediately engage her in sex in the privacy of his room.
Cheng: Do you suspect someone had installed a spy camera somewhere?
SHC: Maybe Shimu has installed one, otherwise how was she so convinced that Sheng-yen Lu and I was really having sex?
Cheng: Lu’s consultation room is small, and there is also a window in the room. You said that Lu would spend time with women in his consultation room behind closed door. There are always people outside the door, likely a master. Your detractors would definitely doubt your claims here, as it would be impossible not to notice any sexual act performed in the consultation room. And isn’t Lu afraid that someone could hear or know what he was doing? Isn’t he afraid that the girl may scream on the ground of rape? What else did Lu do besides sitting down on the floor with you or other women and chat?
SHC: There is a window in the consultation room, and whenever I went into the room, Lu would close the door, and blocked the door with a door wedge. He would then closed the window curtain, and said to me, “They wouldn’t dare enter.” The word ‘They’ perhaps referring to masters or reverends? I dare not ask. Then we would proceed to do what he wanted to do. Of course these things are secret for obvious reasons. Yet no one dares to say a word.
Cheng: While in the consultation room, whenever Lu had sex with you, was it quick in quick out for him or an enjoyment which he slowly savored?
SHC: I never really took note if he was enjoying the sex. It would usually be a quick intercourse in the consultation room, as I could not stay too long in the room. The sex would be longer in his room upstairs. Usually during a dharma ceremony or when there was a group visit to the temple, there would be two masters helping with the consultation. At times when only one or two persons were seeking consultation, Lian-ning would request Lu’s presence, and leave the room. And Lu would arrange that I’ll be the last to receive consultation, so nobody would be present.
In 1999, when I went to Seattle, I realized the consultation room had added a lock. Why would the consultation room install a lock? I believe Lu was getting bolder, and as he sat on the floor, and instructed me to sit beside him, he again kissed me, and despite my reluctance as he was after all a holy living Buddha which should always remain untainted in my mind, he told me, “Come!”
Cheng: Let me get this straight. You mean to say that when the door was previously unlocked, Sheng-yen Lu was already bold enough to have sex in the consultation room with women?
SHC: Yes. I was one of them.
Cheng: I guess I have asked quite a lot. Some questions, frankly, are sensitive and few would dare to ask, and even fewer would want to reply publicly. These questions surround the details of Lu’s sexual acts with you, such as his sexual positions. Most find you unthinkably brave to disclose such details in your article “My Story”, and even your detractors would think you have some guts even if they continue to call you a bitch. Your article mentioned you had engaged in oral sex and doggy sexual style with Sheng-yen Lu. In his public discourse he claimed to know many sexual positions, as many as sixty-four styles. Can you enlighten us with your account?
SHC: Lu is all bullshit. He only preferred the doggy style. However, there was once he was on top of me, and that was the incident where the jade pillow fell out when he positioned his pillow for me to rest my head. He seemed to have trouble managing his organism and had a pre-matured ejaculation. Thereafter all sexual intercourses were performed doggy style.
Cheng: Average duration per sex?
SHC: I don’t know. As said, I never took notice of the time for each session. All I knew was everytime I entered the consultation room or his room upstairs in the True Buddha Quarter, he would readily have sex with me. He would brush aside my need for consultation, said nothing, and proceeded immediately to bless me with his vajra[penis].
Cheng: What about foreplay?
SHC: We had no foreplay, unless you consider praying to his bodhisattvas and fairies as foreplay.
Cheng: If he did pray to his bodhisattvas and fairies, then the sex would not be ‘immediate’. Are you saying that he would spend time praying to the bodhisattvas before you have sex with him in the upper room, whereas in the consultation room on the ground floor it would be immediate without prayer due to a lack of time?
SHC: He didn’t pray to the bodhisattvas every time. I guess he must have forgotten to do so! There were times he prayed to the bodhisattvas and fairies after he penetrated me, as he would hold me with one hand, while forming a fist with the other hand and placed his fist on his forehead. When he came to orgasm, he would keep hitting his forehead with his fist.
Cheng: You mentioned about engaging in oral sex with Lu in your article. Is this performed in every sexual intercourse with him?
SHC: We only had oral sex once.
Cheng: Aren’t you worried that the noise created during sex would be heard? After all, walls have ears!
SHC: We maintained silence in the consultation room when we had sex, but Lu would moan when we were having sex upstairs. He said no one was around, so we should not worry at all!
Cheng: You said you and Lu made no noise when you were having sex with him in the consultation room. But the fact that he used the doggy sexual style to penetrate from behind means that the copulation would inevitably produce a rhythmic sound of slapping, which can be loud and easily audible. People can deduce what is happening even if the couple remains silent. How did you possibly control this loudness?
SHC: I don’t really know. I was scared to death. But indeed there was this sound. Lu had previously slapped me on my back as a form of blessing. Perhaps this was his explanation to others, if they dare to ask!
Cheng: Sheng-yen Lu is promoting Twin Body practice in the name of attaining Buddhahood within this lifetime. He openly admits that he is well versed in the art of consort practice, and that this practice is now laundered as an act of cultivation. Even if he admits to having sex with women like yourself, people would not think much of it except that you are cultivating Twin Body with the Master. Yet, the attainment of Twin Body hinges on the fact that one is able to control his ejaculation, and not judged on the sexual act itself. You mentioned that Lu often leaked, and you contracted herpes from him. Those who believe in Lu’s teachings would buy into the benefits of Twin Body practice. Can you elaborate on the frequency and severity of Lu’s seminal ejaculation?
SHC: When Sheng-yen Lu and I were having sex, he told me twice that I would likely get pregnant. And I realized he had many seminal ejaculations during our many sexual sessions. Once I noted he spilled his semen on the floor, yet Lu told me, “it’s yours”. Sheng-yen Lu had leaked too often!
Cheng: What exactly does he mean when he says “its yours”?
SHC: It means Lu was denying the fact that the semen was his ejaculation, but said they were my fluid instead.
Cheng: I see. Maybe there is a question in many people’s mind. The Seattle temple insisted that you are fabricating all this. But what I am interested to know is between the years from 1997 to 1999, can you let us know how many sexual sessions you had with Sheng-yen Lu? Just a figure will do.
SHC: No less than twenty times.
Cheng: Wow. I am speechless.
Can you also comment on his bad temper, or other out of character behavior that does not resemble a True Buddha? Like many, I build my faith in him through the impression given to me from his books. Yet, through your eyes, did you observe anything that you would like to share, as others who observe likewise would likely not talk about him in public.
SHC: This aspect is something beyond my direct knowledge and experience and I rather not comment on speculative ground. He is despicable and mean in my view, and I don’t want to draw him into my mind and probe his inner maliciousness.
*** The fact that Madam Chong refused to answer something which she did not experience first hand revealed to me a character who spoke directly and candidly about things she knew to be true by her own personal experience. I had personally experienced the disdain shown to me by Lu, whom I had believed to be a true Buddha. Yet, the Lu I later came to know was someone who is absolutely bad tempered and arrogant. This revelation by way of his example was more conclusive than the two hundred over books he wrote and painted about himself. In my view, he is far from being a true practitioner, let alone a Buddha.***
Cheng: Like to share something with you. I once spent all my life savings, about USD$7000, bought two air tickets and flew to Tahiti with my wife in search of Grandmaster Lu during his retreat. We spent a good ten days tracking four islands in French Polynesia [Huahine, Raiatea, Moorea and Tahiti]. We didn’t locate him, but met a Chinese businessman who was curious about our search, and helped us check as he was well connected. He subsequently told us there was only one record of Lu’s visit to Tahiti, dated prior to Lu’s official retreat. That shocked us. We were undeterred, and decided upon return to Singapore that we continued to Hawaii to search for Lu, based on his descriptions, and tracked fruitlessly for nine days. We had foolishly wanted to offer Lu a bag of Ginseng head to make tea, as a way of giving support. Our single-pointedness of heart can move heavens. Yet today I told my wife, good thing we didn’t find Lu, as it is likely that he would want to take advantage of my wife, and since we have no idea what sort of a person he really is, we would literally be screwed!
SHC: Thank goodness! That was close! You mean he didn’t escape to Tahiti for his retreat? He lied again!
Cheng: Lu didn’t want you to locate him, so he played hide and seek. On the surface he was entering retreat, but in reality he was hiding in Taiwan. He was temporary staying in Oahu in Hawaii, and later visited Korea. I forgot to ask. How much money did you owe your lawyers? Did they come after you for payment? Are you able to pay them in full? Do you get financial help from others, like from your children?
SHC: I still owe my lawyers slightly over ten thousand US dollars. I don’t have the means to repay them. My husband is in and out of job over these ten years due to his poor English skills. My lawyers never chase me for payment. They just send me a monthly statement. I have relied upon myself to sustain my livelihood through the years. My children have their family and commitment, and I don’t want my children to bear the burden of the legal fee over this bad ass!
Cheng: It has been hard on you. I don’t have much money, and can’t be of any help. Maybe by publishing your email in this interview would help. If anyone wants to help you financially, they can contact you directly at
[email protected].
SHC: It’s OK. Thank you for your help. I only wish that those who are fixated at Lu’s falsehood will leave his devil’s claws one day!
Cheng: Lu publicly said that all consorts must be at least 18 years old, and frankly I am worried about the parents in True Buddha School who have young daughters in this age group. Lu has opened a Pandora box when he openly endorsed this licentious practice, and knowing how degraded his inner circle disciples can be, many would sexually abuse the opposite sex in the name of cultivation. I can foresee how bad this can get. Do you have any advise for these parents in True Buddha School?
SHC: This is why I want to press charges against Sheng-yen Lu, and revealed my story online, exposing myself (no pun intended!) to the world about my story. This is what I want to say to you. Wake up! One spiritual slip brings perpetual grief.
＊＊＊
With this, I conclude my interview with Madam Chong. Honestly, having read SHC’s reply, I could still feel her rage even after all these years since reading her first posting. I admire her courage to speak up, and as one reader Raymond wrote on this website, （http://sixearsmonkey.wordpress.com）, “I believe in Madam Chong solely on the ground that unless a woman really hates you, no woman in her right mind would gamble her chastity, her husband’s name, her children’s future, her family well being; forced to put up with the prejudice of men, and brave all possible threat to her life, only to falsely accuse Sheng-yen Lu of sexual abuse.”
I do not know Madam Chong personally, and I swear I never give her any monetary reward to collaborate with me on this interview. I speak with my conscience as I conduct this interview with Madam Chong, with the sole intention of exposing this self-proclaimed false Buddha called Sheng-yen Lu. Lu is indeed a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a lustful monk who sugar coats his Buddhist teachings to satisfy his sexual craving.
Sheng-yen Lu recently told his disciples not to believe in rumors about him, insinuating that we are fabricating lies to slander him. The fact that he said this further convinced me that my decision to leave him was a correct one. This scumbag is capable of lying through his teeth.
To those hardheaded disciples who remain skeptical and dismiss these accounts as fabrication, I wish you well, as you would certainly need all the luck you can get if the next sexual victim of Sheng-yen Lu happens to be someone you love and know.
排盤小幫手
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