The True Buddha School is a (Vajrayana oriented) Buddhist sect founded in the 1970s. While predominantly focused on Tantric Buddhist teachings and practices, it also includes practices and deities from Taoism. Its headquarters are in Redmond, Washington, USA, and the school has a large following in Taiwan and East Asia. There are also many temples and chapters worldwide. In China, the sect is reportedly on a list of banned religious organisations.[1]
In 1975 Lu Sheng-yen established Ling Xian Zong (School of Efficacious Immortals) in Taiwan and he officially changed its name to True Buddha School in 1983.[2] Lu's followers call him "His Holiness Living Buddha Lian Sheng." Lu has written 294 books [as of May 2023].[3]
True Buddha School's funding relies heavily on donations, supplemented by the income from the publication from Lu's books. The money is distributed through the Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation[4] and the Lotus Light Charity Society, which has branches in Vancouver and Singapore.
The school has chapters in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Latin America. The main temple, the Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple, is located in Redmond, Washington, USA.
The majority of the school's followers are in Asia, and in North America, Australia, and Europe the majority of the students are Asian immigrants or of Asian descent.[5]