PREAMBLE

You’ll be happy to hear that I’m going to honour my commitment to give you a short, but important, part of the picture concerning Bliss and Wisdom in PEI…no more mini-books.

This series has captured the attention of two significant audiences: one in PEI; the other in Taiwan. The PEI audience is mostly comprised of Island residents living in Eastern PEI; the Taiwanese audience is Bliss and Wisdom monks, nuns and laity who likely wouldn’t be able to find PEI on a map.

There are quite different perspectives and interests with each audience; so much so, that the very same information is likely to be shocking to both audiences for entirely different reasons.

Take this episode, for example, which focuses on the PEI property and land purchases of Master Zhenru and her family. It has a short introduction, then provides (1) a family tree, identifying members of Master Zhenru’s immediate family and her powerful landlord; (2) information concerning Bliss and Wisdom’s secretive Global Headquarters, where Master Zhenru lives inside a house inside a complex like two Russian dolls, tucked cozily in the woods of Eastern PEI behind a steel gate; and (3) Geolinc charts of the PEI land and property holdings, as well as some corporate connections of Master Zhenru and some info on the family members who now own a chunk of PEI.

Introduction

Since it’s been a while since my last article in this series, let’s begin by summing up a few of the most important insights and understandings about Master Zhenru and Bliss and Wisdom published in that last episode.

1. GWBI and GEBIS – although each are incorporated in Canada – are one and the same with Bliss and Wisdom. They represent “global extensions” of Bliss and Wisdom Corporation, Inc.
2. Monks and nuns in PEI (GWBI, GEBIS, Compassion and Grace Institute, etc.), as well as Bliss and Wisdom laity, all regard themselves as part of the same monastic family, and all regard Master Zhenru as their spiritual leader;
3. Monks and nuns in PEI follow the same teachings and rule as their Bliss and Wisdom counterparts in Taiwan;
4. Monks and nuns in PEI are part of the Bliss and Wisdom development plan for the relocation of their Headquarters from Taiwan to PEI;
5. Monks and nuns in PEI all draw from the same pool of donations coming from the same Bliss and Wisdom followers (laity). Those funds are expended in support of the same development projects; and 100% of Bliss and Wisdom’s revenue source is donations.

Bliss and Wisdom followers outside of PEI have about the same degree of information concerning what Bliss and Wisdom is up to in Prince Edward Island as Islanders have about what Bliss and Wisdom is doing in Taiwan. In fact, Islanders didn’t realize that the Buddhists coming to PEI are all Bliss and Wisdom monks and nuns until very recently.

Similarly, PEI residents know very little about the rules and expectations of the culture of the Bliss and Wisdom Buddhist family in Taiwan. We know next to nothing of the dynamic relationships and cultural norms and practices that hold this Buddhist family together in community, accountable both to those rules and expectations, and to one another.

Islanders are primarily concerned about the Buddhists buying PEI land. I suspect Taiwanese followers could care less if Master Zhenru and her family buy land in PEI – unless they found out it was with donations designated for the monastery that is being constructed back in Taiwan, a “mega-monastery” to hold over 1,000 monks.

No, Buddhists in Taiwan are likely to be far more concerned with what all those individual land purchases by Master Zhenru says about the likelihood that their leader is putting down roots in PEI and ain’t coming home anytime soon!

Islanders were led to believe that the Buddhist monks and nuns were going to simply build a couple of monasteries in PEI. No one ever imagined that the monks and nuns were part of an international organization with over 100,000 lay followers, many who would be interested in PEI from afar as investors, others anxious to come play on our Island (then buy a bunch of it).

The information in this article will be of significant concern to Islanders when they see the total acreage already purchased by just this one powerful Buddhist family. There are many others!

The purchase of so much property by people “cloistered” and supposedly living simple lives of prayer makes no sense to Islanders. It raises major red flags about what is really behind the plans of the Buddhists. It makes Islanders wonder what will be in store for the future of PEI if those ambitions are left unchecked.

Bliss and Wisdom followers in Taiwan may not be aware that Master Zhenru and her family are putting down some pretty deep roots in PEI.

Zhenru is the leader of Bliss and Wisdom, an international network of affiliated manifestations or “international extensions” of Bliss and Wisdom, with incorporated entities in over 50 countries throughout the world: Home base was always Taiwan, and my sense is that Bliss and Wisdom followers in Taiwan expect that to continue to be the case.

There are many other incorporated monasteries (Compassion and Grace Institute; Guam Yin; etc.) and charitable organizations (Moonlight International, etc.) registered in PEI as independent corporate entities (declaring no affiliation with an International organization in their annual Charitable Tax Returns), but are all members of Bliss and Wisdom Corporation Inc., all drawing from the same pool of donations (from parishioners in Taiwan mostly), all part of the same Master-(Zhenru)-plan to establish global headquarters for Bliss and Wisdom Corporation Inc. in PEI.

After my last article was published, I was contacted by several former Bliss and Wisdom monks, each living in three different countries: Argentina, the United States, and Taiwan. The monk from Taiwan wrote a long, detailed, well-referenced, and VERY informative letter offering to assist me with the research on a go-forward basis. Amazing!

I asked for a photo of a name that I can’t pronounce properly, and 10 minutes later I’m downloading it, then uploading and importing it into an article (this one). Thanks immensely to “you know who you are” [a good Buddhist Bud of mine now, who will remain anonymous, for what I hope you’ll agree are reasons that don’t need to be provided].

One paragraph in his email was of particular importance. It corroborated the same sense I had (which I’m still investigating), that there is GREAT confusion about what Master Zhenru and Bliss and Wisdom are planning for the future, not only in PEI apparently, but back home in Taiwan as well.

To be clear, Master Zhenru is not a nun and is not subject to vows of obedience or poverty. In fact, none of the people I’m putting on her immediate family tree in this episode are Buddhist monks and nuns. They haven’t taken a vow of poverty and are free to purchase property as far as Buddhist rules go, which many of them have done with gusto.

I put together this family tree to help keep things straight…visuals are so important; names, especially Chinese names are easier to remember when attached to a face.

I have yet to find a name for Master Zhenru’s father (who also lives in PEI now) so was I unable to determine what (if any) property he owns in PEI.

Master Zhenru’s birth mother apparently died many years ago and Zhenru has a step-mother living in PEI; however, I could neither locate her name nor photo, so I’m unsure of whether she also has PEI property holdings.

Master Zhenru’s brother Frank doesn’t apparently own anything. He’s a total mystery to me, but I put him on the tree so he wouldn’t feel left-out.

Master Zhenru and Family’s PEI Land Holdings

Master Zhenru apparently lives in the Caribbean somewhere for 6 months of the year, and in PEI for the other 6 months. When she is in PEI, she doesn’t stay with the GWBI nuns, she has her own “condo” built inside a huge complex where she lives with a very close-knit group of “Marco monks” and two full-time personal attendants (I will explain more about Marco monks in a subsequent article).

I made an attempt to get a picture of the Bliss and Wisdom Headquarters and home to Master Zhenru close to the monastery. Unfortunately, it’s a gated complex, so not interested in girl guide cookies or trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

I then went to Google Earth to see what a bird’s-eye view would reveal. The resolution isn’t great, but the cars in the parking lot behind the main building provide a good gauge to get an accurate sense of the size and scope of the buildings.

What goes on in this complex? This is where the queen bee lives, and like a hive full of honey bees, the queen has special attendants. There are a small group of monks, including Venerable Walter Tsai, brother of Venerable Yvonne Tsai, the GWBI Financial Director who appeared before the Legislative Committee on Natural Resource and Sustainability. Apparently there are offices and files and big safes and all the things you would expect in the Headquarters of an international organization like Bliss and Wisdom.

So let’s get to what this royal family owns, starting with the General.

PEI Property Holdings of Jeh Jow Lu

Master Zhenru’s dwelling and the Headquarters for GEBIS (but really Bliss and Wisdom Corporation Inc.) is located at 2628 Heatherdale Rd. in Eastern PEI, and is owned by Mr. Lu.

Mr. Lu is one of three powerful Bliss and Wisdom Laity who work closely with Master Zhenru running the entire Global Bliss and Wisdom Corporation. These key players are nestled together at the top of the global corporate hierarchy. They are involved with all the key decisions involving money, Bliss and Wisdom development, and corporate activity in the world. They either own or direct many of the particular corporations with Master Zhenru.

I’ll discuss the other two “amigos” in a subsequent article, but I’ll consider Mr. Lu in this article because I consider him to be part of Master Zhenru’s immediate “family” – not by blood, but by virtue of the fact that he (1) owns Master Zhenru’s home inside the GEBIS Headquarters (which he also owns); (2) he’s rooting Bliss and Wisdom with all his corporate connections in PEI; and (3) his lofty status as a member of the global trinitarian governance structure atop the pinnacle of Bliss and Wisdom.

Mr. Keh Jow Lu is the Secretary-General of Bliss and Wisdom, and also the President of GEBIS corporation. He is also a director of Tse-Xin Organic Farming Development Foundation in Taiwan. That’s the money-making machine for Bliss and Wisdom, and it would appear that the aim is to replicate that model in PEI with Grain Essence and Leezen corporations (essentially global extensions of Tse-Xin and Leezen parent corporation in Taiwan).

Mr. Key Jow Lu is in charge of the Buddhist laity in PEI, which gives some idea of how “laity” are indeed a level or foundational part of the Bliss and Wisdom Corporation.

Lu is uniquely positioned to not only know about, but to have a hand in all the purchases and business endeavors of GEBIS, GWBI, Guan Yin, CGI, Moonlight, Hopetown, Grain Essence, Leezen, etc., I can see why they call him the “General”.

He’s the guy the PEI Government should be asking to appear before Legislative Standing Committees, not young nuns who can only speak about needing to learn more about our customs and ways ( Despite having advanced University degrees from Western universities in North America), wanting direction and guidance, being sorry for being naïve and making lots of bad decisions on bad advice, etc….Mr. Lu would be able to actually answer questions.

Did I mention that Mr. Lu is also a director of Splendid Essence, and President of Grain Essence Garden Inc., [formerly “Wheat Essence Gardening”], a vegetarian restaurant in Charlottetown?

Master Zhenru was apparently once listed as the owner of Splendid Essence Restaurant, as well as a director of Grain Essence; however, this changed around the time of the IRAC investigation.

When Zhenru’s name was removed from the corporate documents, it was Mr. Lu, the General, who became the owner, on paper that is, but of course nothing really changed in the real world, as you are hopefully starting to see, given that Grain Essence belonged to Bliss and Wisdom when it was first incorporated, just as it belongs to Bliss and Wisdom now.

Despite ownership shifting from the Master Zhenru (Lu’s tenant) to General Lu (Zhenru’s landlord) along the way, we’re still talking about the same house.

Mr. Lu owns more than just these commercial ventures and Bliss and Wisdom (GEBIS) Headquarters, as you can see from the following list of parcels from GeoLinc listing Mr. Lu as the owner:

A summary of Mr. Jeh Jow Lu’s property holdings is as follows:

4 houses, part-owner of a fifth house; owns two building lots; and owns 73.4 acres of farmland in Heatherdale.

He is also the President of Splendid Essence Restaurant and likely lots more, but let’s move on:

You’ll notice that “Leezen” is the trade name for Grain Essence. As mentioned this in a previous episode and noted above, Mr. Lu et. al. via Grain Essence and Leezen in PEI may have far more interest in PEI’s land the Buddhists have led us to believe.

Leezen presents itself in Prince Edward Island as something akin to a mom and pop corner store doing some exporting. With assets as high as 22 million Canadian and a shipping network on every continent, it’s a little more than that.

We’d better keep our eyes on all that land we’ve been wondering why monks and nuns would be purchasing, puzzled as to what use they have for it, being monks and nuns and all…. We neglected to factor in the Buddist followers.

I hope you’re starting to appreciate how the big concern with the Buddhists lies with the lay followers, not the monks and nuns. The laity were not mentioned in the original plan, and are now appearing to be the bodies inside the “trojan horse” monasteries that Islanders allowed in. They’ve been dropping from hatch in the horse’s belly ever since, buying up assets paying premium prices, and launching new Canadian (not PEI) corporations like there was no tomorrow.
Secretary-General Lu knows how to profit from what can be extracted from dedicated followers willing to give free labour, and can rapidly expand the wealth and power of Bliss and Wisdom as a result. That wealth and power is now expanding in PEI, but it is not being shared with Prince Edward Islanders or our economy to circulate and enrich us here… The supply chains are with Asian countries.

PEI Property Holdings of Master Zhenru

As I mentioned, the IRAC investigation occasioned “paper changes” with some of the names on corporate documents now obscuring Master Zhenru’s involvement in Bliss and Wisdom corporations she was previously formally and publicly listed as owning. I have not yet acquired all those original registration documents to provide a comprehensive list.

If IRAC hadn’t stopped making the reports from investigation public some time ago, Islanders like me would be able to get more information that might shed some light on exactly what IRAC investigated about the Buddhists, why they investigated the Buddhists in the first place, and what the outcome of that investigation was….I don’t recall any Guardian or CBC story, nor Eastern Graphic coverage; however, can’t say I read enough to be sure I didn’t miss it.

Following is a list of the properties in PEI owned by Master Zhenru:

Master Zhenru owns 1 house (it is not the house she lives in) and 645 acres of PEI farmland.

PEI Property Holdings of Menqui Jin (Mandy)

Duncan McIntosh, from left, and Wade MacLauchlan greet Mandy Jin during the premier’s levee held inside the Confederation Centre of the Arts on New Year’s Day. MITCH MACDONALD/THE GUARDIAN

Master Zhenru and siblings were born and raised in China. Her sister Menghui Jin worked formerly as a reporter for the Chinese Communist Party.

You may recall that some provinces recently put the kybosh to their relationship with Confucius Institutes, following revelations raising concerns about the spreading of Communist Chinese Party propaganda.

Just last year, New Brunswick ended a 10-year relationship with the Institute (See: “New Brunswick turfs China-backed Confucius Institute out of elementary schools to curb Beijing’s influence.”)

Mandy Jin founded the “Lan Ruo Academy” and is a leading spokesperson. She gave a talk in Toronto last week on Confucianism to over 1,000 people.

There’s also a connection between Mandy Jin and Hopetown Corporation Inc.

Hopetown was in the news a while back you may recall – and I wrote a couple of articles as well – as a result of its purchase of 504 acres Executive Council approved for development (although an “identification” was placed on the approval saying it couldn’t be developed for 10 years).   Mandy Jin’s husband, Pengfei Zhao, is the owner of Aranya Hotel Investment and Management Ltd.

Take a look at the lots comprising the Hopetown package that was sold:

All of the red in the photo on the  right is the Hopetown package.

Arrows indicate Farmers who were approached to sell their land but would not.

PEI Property Holdings of Menghua Jin (Ruby)

Master Zhenru’s sister Ruby owns just one lot in PEI totaling 48.8 acres:

Conclusion:

What’s the point of all this? To show what previous articles have shown generally: how the commercial activities of Buddhists involving purchases of land and buildings in PEI under different individual parishioner names, and various corporations, are all intricately interconnected. They’re all set on serving the same development project’s financial goals involving the purchase and build of the new global headquarters for Bliss and Wisdom.

I said at the outset that Taiwanese Bliss and Wisdom laity, monks and nuns may or may not be fully aware of what is going on in PEI. I’ve heard conflicting stories from different sources, both of whom should know, so I’m thinking some Taiwanese monks, nuns and laity know something of what’s going on, but most probably know next to nothing.

Islanders should be very concerned with the tentacles reaching further and further into different areas and aspects of PEI life by the day. There are countless new initiatives and corporations getting involved in buying and controlling more and more of our Island.

Like a rock being dropped in a glass of water, to the extent that the Buddhists acquire, assimilate or otherwise gain control over property, land and economic activity that’s part of our local economy, we will have exactly that much less of what was PEI for the future. The model they are following is one of “displacement” – not multicultural social integration. They don’t even teach the kids English in the school! I see no Island names on any documents, other than “sales” agreements, with Islanders being the sellers, and Buddhists are not asking for business partners from PEI.

If Hopetown Corporation Inc. gets developed into a huge residential subdivision, it will undoubtedly be designed by and for Buddhists.

There is little awareness of what’s really going on with the Buddhists among the PEI general population; there is no easy access to information with the continued blocks from the PEI Government; no disclosure of insightful information by the Government; and no real oversight or proper “checks and balances” monitoring this extensive expansionist activity.

The few people getting attention in this episode are all Bliss and Wisdom lay members in Master Zhenru’s family.

Stay tuned….my next episode will reveal to monks and nuns back in Taiwan what “taking a vow of poverty” with Bliss and Wisdom looks like in PEI. I’ll be providing charts listing the extensive land holdings of individual Bliss and Wisdom Venerables with GWBI and GEBIS.