Forshang Buddhism is a new religion that has grown quite rapidly in recent years. It venerates Da Zizai Wangfo, a manifestation (fashen) of Sakyamuni Buddha. The founding master of Forshang Buddhism was Zen Master Miaokung, who was highly esteemed in southwest China in the early Republican era. He was declared to have been heir to a secret Buddhist tradition through the Hua Yan (Flower Ornament) sutra-accessible only to those able to see it-which was claimed to have even greater "divine force" than the "lower" Hua Yan sutra which ordinary people read. The successor to Zen Master Miaokung was Master Yuandao.

In 1993, Master Yuandao passed away, and Forshang split into two wings, each with its own followers and ideas. One, called Forshang World Foundation, is led by Lee Sun-don.

Lee, who is 41 this year, is a wild card in the Buddhist world in Taiwan. Under the name Qi Ru, he has written a large number of martial arts novels imbued with the Zen spirit. His disciples have written over a dozen works of their "personal testaments," all telling of miracles: being brought back from the brink of death or saved from some calamity. Now that Lee's organization is gaining more adherents in the Taipei metropolitan area, he has become a somewhat legendary figure. Below is an edited version of our interview with him.

Q: Is Forshang Buddhism, which is a form of Buddhism, a "new religion"? How does its dharma (essential teachings) differ from other types of Buddhism?

A: You could consider Forshang Buddhism to be a new religion, and you could also consider it to be a fundamentalist religion. Fundamental Buddhism not only seeks spiritual tranquility and enlightenment, it can also overcome all kinds of limitations imposed by the human body, and create changes of a chemical and physical nature. Because the spiritual and physical are connected, one's mental state has physical consequences, and one can change the physical world using mental powers-when you have reached a certain level in your practice, the spiritual and the physical are interchangeable.

Thus the most unique feature of Forshang is a kind of dharma that has been lost in Buddhism, in which we make a complete union of our psychological teachings and biological teachings. We have an integrated program of eight types of mental practices and nine types of physical practices. These have been passed down from our founder, Master Miaokung.

Q: Could you talk about your own spiritual quest?

A: When I was small, I followed my mother's lead and believed in Christianity. From Kuangjen Primary and Middle School to Soochow University, I always studied in Catholic schools. When I was younger I rejected Buddhism, at least until my senior year in high school, when my mother began to believe in Buddhism. After that my attitude gradually came around.

The second stage of influence came in university. I studied math in school, and was very interested in science. Students back then loved to talk about mysteries that science couldn't explain, like the Bermuda Triangle and Easter Island. I was curious, and because in Buddhism there are also mysterious things, like the "eye of Heaven" (the ability to see remote things), I began to learn more about Buddhism. In other words, I came more in contact with Buddhism because of curiosity about unknown phenomena of ancient civilizations.

Now, looking from the perspective of the teachings of Buddhism (the Buddha-dharma), a mystery like the Bermuda Triangle is nothing more than a problem of magnetic fields, and a question of overlapping space. These things were discussed in Buddhist sutras 2,000 years ago.

For example, in the Lotus sutra, the question is asked: Where do all the boddhisattvas come from? Sakyamuni Buddha explained that they are all "in a void beneath this world." This refers to other levels of space. They live in the same world with us, but in a different space. But sometimes they will pass through fissures in that space, and appear and then disappear. It's like how UFOs do not necessarily come from outer space, but are in hidden spaces in this world. That is why records of UFOs often speak of sudden appearances and disappearances. It is also possible that when UFOs emerge, because the pressure of the distortion of space is too great, they are completely destroyed.

Third, I have great interest in ancient texts, like the Classic of Mountains and Sea, the Book of Changes (Yi Jing), and Zhuangzi. Come to think of it, everything I have learned and experienced in my life is connected to my religious teaching today. Nothing in life is wasted.

Q: Having converted from Christianity to Buddhism, how do you see these two religions?

A: In fact all religions are congruent. Christianity talks about the unity of the trinity, "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit," while Buddhism describes "Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya" [according to some sources, these correspond, roughly, to "mind, speech, and body"]. Christianity talks about faith and love, Buddhism talks about faith and action.

So the doctrines are congruent. The difference is in distortions made by people. In The Bible, 18 years of Jesus' life are unaccounted for. In those 18 years, he went to India to study Buddhism. When Jesus was born in a stable, three wise men from the East were there. Based on their attire and deportment, these were three monks from India. Jesus was the first Living Buddha to be reincarnated in the West. Though Christianity does not accept this explanation, the records are right there in the Vatican in Rome.

Q: You have written on "photon computer" technology, put on an exhibition of engravings of images that you have seen while meditating, released several albums, and are a qigong and martial arts instructor. How have you mastered so much in so little time?

A: In fact, the enlightenment that leads to knowledge is all-encompassing. To take a metaphor, after you learn your multiplication tables, you can easily calculate many other problems that you have never seen before. In Buddhism, it is believed that if your heart and mind are pure, like a clear mirror, all things can be reflected. If the mind is clear, all things become clear to one in return.

We do not use the term "miraculous powers," but rather consider this the "capability of the Buddha-nature." All living things have a Buddha-nature, and there is nothing that a Buddha-nature cannot accomplish. It just depends on the level to which you can bring forth your Buddha-nature. There is nothing incredible about these so-called "miraculous powers." It's just too bad that people have this nature but do not use it.

Q: What is the concrete process of exploiting one's "capability of the Buddha-nature"? Are you particularly gifted?

A: In Zen meditation there are stages to advance to this level of ability. The goal is to reach the level of all-inclusive understanding. This is not because I have any special abilities, but because I had an excellent teacher: Master Yuandao, and because he had an excellent dharma to pass on to me.

As for whether I have some heavenly mandate or gift, I don't. I have been stupid and doltish since I was a child. I have what I have today entirely because of my practice and self-cultivation; it comes from hard work. That is why I often say that there is no "talent" for cultivation. Also, I know that in this lifetime I cannot possibly surpass my teacher. My teacher was a "one and only," and everything I do in this life is simply to glorify him.

Q: One often hears these days that people who join some kind of spiritual cultivation group or follow a certain master end up having hallucinations and other problems. How do you see such problems?

A: Our students have no major problems, because we have a complete and integrated psychological and biological course. If such a thing were to happen, we would first teach the student not to get caught up in what he hears or sees. If this doesn't work, then we have to halt training, because if a person focuses on these hallucinations, their qi will become focused there as well. Qi is a kind of energy, and can cause fluctuations in the brain and nervous system, which is very dangerous. If a person does not have a correct approach to faith, and cannot escape greed, anger, or obsession, and if a person keeps working to concentrate their mental energy on these hallucinations, then the result could be disastrous.

Q: Your disciples and believers have written many books about miracles of healing or forestalling calamities. Are these exaggerations? Are the people who join your religion coming to you for purely utilitarian help?

A: Inevitably some will. But I often emphasize that, however amazing "miraculous powers" (i.e. employment of the Buddha-nature) may be, karma is even more irresistible. There are no magic powers that exist to interfere with karma. It's just that, though karma is incredible, the teaching of Buddha-the Buddha-dharma-is even more incredible. Only by following the Buddha-dharma can karma be altered. Our students all must understand this point clearly.

How can the Buddha-dharma change fate? Because there is only "effect" (guo) if there is "cause" (yin) and "opportunity" (yuan). We can describe "cause" as like an airplane, which, if you do not get on the plane (create opportunity), cannot reach the destination of "effect." "Cause" is created by a past life, and cannot be altered. "Result" is a future event. So the only thing that can be controlled in the present is "opportunity." "Opportunity" refers to our own thoughts. An evil cause, with an evil opportunity, will lead to an evil effect. A good cause, with a good opportunity, leads to a good effect.

If, in our minds, we can reach a state free of evil thoughts, and only have good thoughts and ideas, when an evil cause comes up against only opportunities for good, it will be reduced to the minimum. This is called "eradicating past karma." To eradicate past karma, one cannot rely on others, but only on oneself. No matter how famous a master, it is useless for him or her to try to change karma on someone's behalf. If inside you do not identify with the "good" of the Buddha-dharma, no matter how much you appeal for help it will be to no avail.

I often say that if cultivation cannot change fate, then there is no point to cultivation. The purpose of the study of Buddhism is to change one's fate. If you cannot change your fate, then it is a waste of your life to study Buddhism.

Q: Currently all kinds of religions are booming, and the packaging-statues, houses of worship, and so on-is getting more secularized. There seems to be gradual "commodification." Is this not worrying?

A: You have to have confidence in people. Even if some people misuse religion in the service of greed, anger, or stupidity, in the process of belief, all that matters is that the religion encourages people to be good, and is another force for good. So long as there is an opportunity to do good, this is a good thing.

Based on the guiding principles at Forshang Buddhism, I have never criticized any person, any religion, any approach, any theory. This is because individuals have different ideas and quests, different opportunities, encounters, and different levels of innate spirituality and ability to absorb what is taught. In fact, in the history of mankind, no commercial enterprise can compare with Buddhism, which has gone on for 2,500 years without "going bankrupt," or with Christianty, which has continued for 2,000 years. The reason they have not "gone bankrupt" is that their guiding principle is to bring out the "good" in human nature. And of all the great monks and teachers and religious leader of all generations, none has acted for his own benefit. All have acted for others, not themselves. Only because of this have these belief systems been passed down for so long.

Thus, we not only have confidence in the myriad people, we also have great tolerance for all types of religions. If we did not have a spirit of tolerance, then between religions there would be only a contest for fame and profit, a contest for taking believers away from each other. If this were the case, religion would lose its fundamental significance of benefiting all living things.

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Lee Sun-don's Forshang Buddhism is one of the fastest-growing religions in Taiwan. It has attracted many urban dwellers and intellectuals.

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Lee Sun-don has had carvings made of images he has seen while meditating, which he considers to be the true images of the intangible universe.

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This is a four-sided pyramid of energy, with the four sides representing marriage, career, health, and wealth. By standing in the appropriate place, you can increase your energy and improve your fortunes.