🚨 Plot Twist: Buddhism Meets Spy Thriller
An Aussie-born Buddhist group banned in China just got dragged into an alleged espionage drama. Yep, monks and spies in the same sentence.
On Monday, a Chinese national faced court in Canberra under foreign interference laws (cue dramatic music 🎻). The woman, name suppressed and mystery intact 🔒, is accused of snooping on the Canberra branch of Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door for the Chinese government.
If convicted, she could be looking at 15 years in prison. That’s a lot of meditation time 🧘♀️.
This is only the third time these spy laws from 2018 have been used. So what’s the big deal with this group? Why does China care?
🧐 First Things First… What is Guan Yin Citta?
According to its very Zen website, Guan Yin Citta is a Mahayana Buddhist group that’s all about:
✅ Reciting Buddhist scriptures
✅ Freeing animals (life liberation style 🐟)
✅ Making BIG vows to help people
Its Aussie base? Registered as the Australian Oriental Media Buddhist Charity in Chippendale, NSW.
Sounds wholesome, right? 🌸 But hold up… it’s banned in China. People there have even been jailed for distributing their texts.
In fact, a 2017 Chinese state media report said a guy got five years for printing their stuff, claiming it threatened social order. Yikes.
🧑🎤 Meet the Founder: From Opera to Om
Guan Yin Citta was started by Lu Junhong (aka Master Lu), born in Shanghai, opera-trained 🎭, then moved to Australia in 1989 for a business degree. Somewhere along the way, he said:
“Forget business… Buddhism is the real business.”
By around 2010, he launched Guan Yin Citta. It spread like wildfire 🌏 to China, the US, the UK, Singapore. They claim 10 million followers (China says 3 million, so who’s counting?).
Master Lu was the CEO, guru, and brand ambassador all in one. His followers believe he could:
✨ Heal diseases
✨ Predict your past, present, future
✨ Read “totems” which is basically your spiritual barcode based on birth year, zodiac sign, and gender
He even said he could see your house and family over the phone. (Siri could NEVER 💁♀️.)
Sadly, Master Lu died in Sydney in 2021, but the group is still raking in the donations:
💰 Over 5 million in 2023-24, with a 4.1M profit after tax.
🙅♂️ Why the Drama?
Buddhist experts call Guan Yin Citta a “new religious movement” not fully accepted by mainstream Buddhism.
Reasons?
- No official Buddhist lineage 🧬
- Master Lu called himself a bodhisattva’s spokesperson (a bold LinkedIn title 🤔)
- Claimed he could cure cancer, erase debts, and help you move to Australia ✈️
Some Buddhist groups even put out press releases saying, “Nah, this isn’t it.”
🔍 Why Would China Care Enough to Spy?
Here’s where it gets spicy 🌶️:
- China only allows state-approved religions (Buddhism, Daoism, Islam, Protestant, Catholic)
- Guan Yin Citta? Not on the list. In fact, Chinese authorities call groups like this xie jiao which means “evil cult” (Sounds like a Netflix docuseries already)
The CCP worries about loyalty. If a religious group competes for hearts and minds, Beijing gets nervous. Think:
“Will they love Buddha more than the Party?!” 😬
Also, China recently rolled out “Great Security” and “Great United Front” policies to monitor Tibetans, Uyghurs, Taiwan folks, and overseas Chinese groups. So spying on Buddhist charities in Australia? Yeah, that tracks.
