Vajra Master Lian Tzi

An accomplished Buddhist master, lecturer, writer and yoga master, Master Lian Tzi stands out for her quiet leadership and steadfast dedication to promote peace, compassion and selfless community service. Lotus Light Charity Society’s inspired goal, “through caring and learning we help build a better tomorrow”, drives Master Lian Tzi’s commitment to the betterment of our community.

As the visionary Founding President of the Lotus Light Charity Society for 30 years, Master Lian Tzi guided its humanitarian mission to help Vancouver’s most vulnerable groups by developing manifold support programs and events such as the Hot Meal for the Homeless Program, Annual Winter Charity Drive, Lotus Light Charity Community Caring Day, and Children’s Backpack Program to name a few. These initiatives have positively impacted the lives of countless people, organizing much needed provisions to the most financially disadvantaged groups – low-income seniors, children, and thousands of homeless individuals. To maximize support for people in need, Master Lian Tzi collaborated with local businesses, community partners, and non-profits organizations, mobilizing the community in her altruistic mission. Her contribution not only spans her local community in Vancouver, but also in the communities served by the charity’s active 91 chapters around the world under her leadership.

Master Lian Tzi established the charity’s Annual Winter Charity Drive, now in its 28th year, and 12 years ago, she initiated and developed the Sleeping Bag program which sponsors and distributes thousands of sleeping bags and winter care packages to the impoverished residents and homeless in our community, in partnership with the homeless outreach program of Vancouver Police Department, BC Ambulance Service, and other community service organizations. Master Lian Tzi also established the Worldwide Annual Community Rice Donation program, which has contributed millions of pounds of rice since its inception in 1995 to food banks around the world, and has contributed over 380,000 lbs of rice locally to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and other community organizations to-date. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Maser Lian Tzi has shown her outstanding leadership in leading Lotus Light to establish many COVID-19 relief programs, including the COVID-19 Community Caring Drive – donated over 500,000 lbs of foods to help communities across Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, more than six public Lotus Light Hampers Distributions benefited thousands of isolated seniors, migrant workers, new immigrants and low-income families, Lotus Light Emergency Kitchen – which provides free meals to homeless and impoverished seniors living in social housing units, and the Lotus Light PPE/Hand Sanitizer Drive which has distributed more than 100,000 masks and personal protective equipment along with nearly 1.25 million lbs of hand sanitizers/disinfectant wipes to people in need.

As a dynamic role model for community volunteerism and philanthropy, Master Lian Tzi continues to serve her community as an esteemed teacher, a champion of the underprivileged members of society, and an inspiration for countless people to work towards community betterment. Lotus Light Charity Society’s mission focuses on four primary sectors – social assistance, education, medical assistance, cultural awareness – and Master Lian Tzi’s myriad contributions and accomplishments can be seen below:

Education

• promote the wisdom of timeless Buddhist teachings
• Annual national scholarships to assist students actively involved in community volunteerism to pursue post-secondary education. More than 250 students benefited.
• $35,000 total contribution to the Lotus Light Charity Society Mu-Shu Lee Memorial Scholarships, to recognize outstanding students in Buddhist Study, Education, Social Services, Pharmacy, or Medical Science at the University of British Columbia since 2013
• ESL classes to help new immigrants more easily adapt to English-speaking society
• establishment of a computer training facility at Vancouver’s Downtown East Education Centre
• $70,000 donated to the SYL Foundation’s Lotus Scholarship program since 2011

Social Assistance

• Annual donations of rice to local food banks worldwide (the Vancouver chapter has donated over 380,000 pounds to-date)
• Hot Meal for Homeless program gives out free lunch meals to the homeless each month at Oppenheimer Park of DTES Vancouver. Since 2015, LLCS has distributed 12,000 hot lunches to help homeless in Oppenheim Park. The Covid-19 Emergency Kitchen, established in 2020 to meet urgent needs for vulnerable groups, has prepared 30,000 meals to help homeless and low-income seniors in DTES community.
• Children Nutrient Backpack Program and Children Assistance Plan have donated grocery products to Strathcona Community Centre, and to inner city schools to help children in low income families. Since 2013, Lotus Light’s children programs have donated over 60,000 lbs of foods. The program has also donated a total of $20,000 gift cards benefit hundreds of impoverished students since 2021.
• Lotus Light annual Winter Charity Drive has been helping unhoused and low-income residents survive and find comfort during the harsh, cold winter months. The program has distributed over 600,000 winter garments to the homeless and impoverished residents in the Lower Mainland, with over 30 beneficiary shelters and charity organizations, as well as tens thousands local homeless and impoverished residents since 1995.
• LLCS Food Recovery Program: Delivering thousands of pounds of food to inner-city school children, low-income families and seniors monthly in partnership with local food producers, distributors and community agencies and saving valuable foods from landfills. Since the program’s inception in 2010, over 700,000 lbs of food has been successfully recovered. In 2023, LLCS is nominated by Second Harvest – Canada’s largest food rescue organization for the Food Rescue – Frontline Impact Awards.
• Free Income Tax Clinic: providing annual free income tax preparation service to help low-income seniors, new immigrants, and students to file tax return since 2003.
• “Gift of Sight” campaign collected over 45,000 pairs of used eyeglasses for Third World countries
• International disaster relief fundraisers (2021 BC Flood Relief Appeal, 2019 Mozambique Cyclone Idai Appeal, 2017 Mexico Earthquake Appeal, 2016 Fort McMurray Fire Relief, 2015 Nepal Earthquake Relief, 2013 Philippines Typhoon Relief, 2011 Japan Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster, 2010 Haiti Earthquake, 2010 China Yu Shu Earthquake, 2009 Taiwan Typhoon Morakot, 2008 China Sichuan Earthquake, 2006 Hurricane Katrina, 2005 South Asia tsunami)

Cultural Awareness

• promote community and cultural awareness through support and participation in multicultural community events (SUCCESS “Walk with the Dragon”, world peace ceremonies)
• promote community caring through volunteer visits to low-income senior homes and local children’s hospitals
• provide language skills training in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese
• free weekly Golden Mother Yoga classes

Medical Assistance

• major contributor to Strathcona Community Children’s Dental Clinic
• funding support to Doctors Without Borders, Vancouver General Hospital & UBC Hospital Foundation
• active supporter of BC Children’s Hospital, Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Diabetes Association, and other charitable organizations locally, nationally, and internationally
• Lotus Light PPE/Hand Sanitizer Drive has distributed more than 100,000 masks and personal protective equipment along with nearly 1.25 million lbs of hand sanitizers/disinfectant wipes to people in need

Special Honour

• On April 26, 2017, Master Lian Tzi has received the 2017 BC Community Achievement Award, which recognizes her long time care for the welfare of the homeless and impoverished residents in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside community. She is the first Tantrayana Master to receive this honour.
• On December 13, 2024, Master Lian Tzi has awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal, which recognizes her outstanding contributions and services to help the vulnerable resident in the community.

Buddhist Master (Vajra Master of True Buddha School)

In 1989, Master Lian Tzi took refuge in Grandmaster Lu, H.H. Living Buddha Lian Sheng, founder of True Buddha School. On June 3, 1995, Master Lian Tzi took her monastic vows and was ordained as a vajra master of the True Buddha School, receiving the Vajra Acharya empowerment from H.H. Living Buddha Lian Sheng.

March 10, 1996 – Present                              Presiding Master, Lotus Light Temple

Since 1996, Master Lian Tzi has been the presiding master at Lotus Light Temple in Vancouver, BC Canada.

December 1997 – November 2002            Head of PR, True Buddha School Foundation

Master Lian Tzi was elected as the head of Public Relations and the spokesperson for the True Buddha Foundation for a five-year term.

October 2010 – Present                                 Presiding Master, Lotus Light Monastery

Master Lian Tzi has established the Lotus Light Monastery in Richmond, BC and is the presiding Vajra Master.

Community Leader

1993 – 2007                                       Founding President, International Lotus Light Charity Society

Master Lian Tzi served as the founding president of the International Lotus Light Charity Society, with currently has 91 branches active around the world. The charity’s mandate is education, medical assistance, social assistance, cultural awareness and emergency disaster relief.

2007 – Present                                  President, Lotus Light Charity Society (Vancouver)

Master Lian Tzi is the president of Lotus Light Charity Society (Vancouver), a local branch of the International Lotus Light Charity Society, guiding the charity to help the most vulnerable in Downtown Eastside Vancouver community and in other metro communities through the Lower Mainland, providing active leadership for the charity’s service programs (Hot Meal for the Homeless Program / Emergency Community Kitchen, Annual Winter Charity Drive, Lotus Light Community Caring Day, Annual Rice Donation Program and Children Assistance Plan / Children’s Backpack Program, and others).

Publisher

October 1991 – November 2018                President, True Buddha News Publication Society

Master Lian Tzi had been the president of True Buddha News Publication Society for 28 years, (headquartered in Vancouver, BC Canada). Under her leadership, the international weekly newspaper True Buddha News had established 6 publication branches worldwide: USA (New York and Los Angeles), England, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore. The circulation of the newspaper is approximately 100, 000 copies per week, including the web issues.

December 2018 – Present            President of True Buddha News Publication Society (Vancouver)

Master Lian Tzi is the president of True Buddha New (Vancouver), a local branch of True Buddha News.

Yoga Lineage Founder and Master

Master Lian Tzi is the founder of “True Buddha Golden Mother Yoga”. At the 1999 Annual World Peace Ceremony at UBC’s Chan Centre, Master Lian Tzi’s performance of the Golden Mother Yoga dance lead to her recognition by H.H. Living Buddha Lian Sheng as a lineage holder of this unique yoga. She has a profound connection with the Golden Mother of the Primordial Jade Pond, one of the wisdom elders in the Taoist tradition which is equivalent to one of the five Dhyani Buddhas in Tantric Buddhism. This remarkable yoga is practiced to generate and connect the celestial pure energy from the heavenly Golden Primordial Jade Pond and the ground energy from the Earth.

Educator

1996 — 2001                                                                                       Chair, Lotus Light Institute

Master Lian Tzi was the Chair of the Lotus Light Institute, which provided free ESL language programs for new immigrants and free weekly Yoga classes to the community.

Writer and Dharma Lecturer

1995 – Present

Master Lian Tzi has been writing a special column “Mailbox of Lian Tzi” on True Buddha News, to teach Buddhism in everyday life since 1999. She has published total of 25 books in her 28+ years of dharma teachings since 1995. Some of these books are published on the official website of True Buddha News (http://wtbnnews.org).

Books Published by Master Lian Tzi

Essays(散文集):

1. Floating Flowers in the Dreams.
2. Inspiring Messages Fluttering in the Breeze.

Dharma Talk Discourses (講經說法文集):

1. Expounding on the Jade Pond Golden Mother’s Universal Deliverance, Retrieval of Perfection, and Liberation through Meditative Stability and Wisdom Authentic Scripture
2. Expounding on the Jade Pond Golden Mother’s Nourishment of Righteousness Authentic Scripture
3. Expounding on the Jade Pond Golden Mother’s Great Compassionate Salvation from Obstruction Sutra
4. Will Power Can Overcome Time and Space
5. Heaven and Earth Can Be Created from One’s Heart
6. Insights from the Unselfish Eyes
7. When / If you Come Across Crisis
8. The Breakthrough
9. Expounding on the Golden Light Sutra
10. My Monkhood
11. Expounding on the Diamond Sutra
12. Expounding on the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra
13. Expounding on the Buddha Explains the Benefits of Ordination Sutra
14. Expounding on the Jade Pond Golden Mother’s Great Cultivation to Attain Complete Perfection Repentance Sutra
15. Pure Heart – An Introduction to the collected works of Living Buddha Lian Sheng
16. Expounding on the True Buddha Sutra
17. Expounding on the Sutra on the Eight Realizations of the Great Beings
18. Expounding on the Sutra of Forty-Two Sections
19. My master has been teaching me for thirty years
20. White Moon – True Buddha News Column: Lian Tzi’s Mailbox (Volume I)
21. Break Dawn – True Buddha News Column: Lian Tzi’s Mailbox (Volume II)
22. Lotus Heart – True Buddha News Column: Lian Tzi’s Mailbox (Volume III)
23. I am not Lonely on the Road of Spiritual Cultivation

Electronic Publications (Websites and Facebook Pages of Master Lian Tzi’s dharma books and teachings)

1. True Buddha Weekly News: http://wtbnnews.org
2. Lotus Light Temple: http://temple.vllcs.org/
3. Lotus Light Charity Society (Vancouver): http://vllcs.org/
4. Master Lian Tzi’s Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@lotuslightdreamworks1454
5. Master Lian Tzi’s Dharma Blog : http://gmhome.tb-news.org
6. Master Lian Tzi’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007699421740
7. Master Lian Tzi’s Facebook Dharma Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/225535057651619/
8. Lotus Light Charity Society Vancouver Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lotus-Light-Charity-Society-Vancouver/154082534623914
9. Lotus Light Monastery Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/浩然精舍/141108652635372

 Please visit True Buddha News Web http://www.wtbnnews.org and the True Buddha News blog gmhome.tb-news.org to read more about Master Lian Tzi’s publications.