The Legacy of Wealth and the Truth of the Spirit

The following is an interview conducted by the Buddhist disciple Shi Hai Liang with the late Taiwanese entrepreneur, Mr. Koo Lien-sung. Having sought deliverance from the suffering of the lower realms, Mr. Koo now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This interview was recorded on June 3, 2017, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre.

Koo Lien-sung speaks: "Namo Amituofo. Greetings to everyone. People call me an entrepreneur, a title I feel I hardly deserve. I am from Lukang, Changhua County, with ancestral roots in Hui'an, Quanzhou, Fujian Province. Our Koo family ancestors arrived in Taiwan over two hundred years ago. From the time I was old enough to understand, I studied very diligently. In the social culture of that time, one had to excel in studies to stand out and earn great wealth. Naturally, I studied hard and was admitted to excellent schools. My family background was very good, with both prestige and status, and I eventually earned a Master's degree from New York University in the United States. With such an excellent academic background, I was well-positioned to develop my career. Later, when the government opened the financial sector to private ownership, many enterprises seized the opportunity to establish private banks. I founded the China Trust Bank and became a core figure in the China Trust Financial Group."

A Life of Gratitude and Unresolved Shadows

"I am deeply grateful to the land of Lukang. Having grown up there, I have a profound affection for the place and contributed to its development, such as by building the Lukang Folk Arts Museum. I also did my best to contribute money and effort to various public welfare activities. I represented Taiwan at the APEC meetings and initiated the 'Burning the Fire of Life' campaign for society, primarily to raise funds for underprivileged children. I have always felt a sense of gratitude toward everyone I met throughout my life. However, what I regret most is that when I passed away, I still left behind the suspicion of complicity. Regarding the China Trust financial embezzlement case, my eldest son, Jeffrey Koo Jr., and I were implicated in money laundering. For me, I could only believe that once the investigation was thorough, the truth would naturally come to light."

"After I passed away, my tomb was located at Chin Pao San. The land spans about five hundred ping, and I heard its market value is seven hundred million. Looking back on my life, I did some things for society and the country; this was my way of giving back. One should take from society and use it for society. Especially as a Taiwanese entrepreneur, one must have such magnanimity. People often say, 'Taiwanese money floods the ankles.' In truth, money is like water—it is alive and must flow; it naturally swims from place to place. So, I worked hard until I was old. Although I earned money, I unknowingly accumulated a body full of illness. I died at the age of seventy-nine in a hospital in New York."

Deliverance from the Hells

"There is a saying I heard at the Hsiang Kuang Buddha-land in Shiding: 'When a person grows old, falls ill, and the final breath ceases, one cannot take anything with them.' I am deeply grateful to Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Buddha-land in Shiding. It was her compassion that saved me and helped guide me to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Because my eldest son, Jeffrey, had a master-disciple relationship with her in a past life, it was through this causal connection that I was rescued from hell. Namo Amituofo, the Buddha is compassionate. I was suffering retribution in the brain-gouging hell when Practitioner Su rescued me to the Dharma-Nature Land at the Hsiang Kuang Buddha-land in Shiding to listen to the sutras. Finally, she delivered my karmic creditors and my ancestors from many kalpas, and then guided my spirit to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. The volunteers at the Hsiang Kuang Buddha-land had previously sent out information twice, but it was like a stone sinking into the ocean; no one paid attention. This time, I invite those who truly care about me to converse with me. Do not just believe in the remains of Koo Lien-sung lying in the tomb at Chin Pao San; please believe that the spirit of Koo Lien-sung has been guided by the compassionate Practitioner Su to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss."

Disciple Hai Liang speaks: "Namo Amituofo. I am grateful to the Taiwanese entrepreneur, Mr. Koo Lien-sung, for his account. May I ask at what age you began to fall ill, and were these illnesses related to karmic creditors from past lives? Namo Amituofo."

Koo Lien-sung speaks: "I remember most clearly that I had a habit of suffering from headaches since I was a youth, but I did not pay much attention to them. Sometimes I thought it was just from catching a cold or being exposed to the wind. It was not until I achieved success in my career that my illnesses seemed to become more varied. For instance, I had gout, and I felt that having poor bone health was normal. I also experienced numbness and swelling in my hands and feet, which I dismissed as natural phenomena of aging. I did not pay special attention to them. It was only when my memory began to decline and the headaches became frequent and severe that I underwent an examination and discovered a tumour in my brain. I died from a brain tumour."

The Weight of Past Lives

"When I reached the age of fifty, I began to feel exhausted. It turned out that one of my three hun souls and two of my seven po souls had long been taken away. Only now do I know that in my ninth past life, I committed murder for money, killing over eighty people. To obtain benefits, I had also sent people to assassinate others. The most serious incident occurred at the age of seventy-two, when I was caught in a dream of greed, wanting to expand my business territory. From then on, my memory began to degenerate. It turns out that in my tenth past life, I was an official who extracted benefits without providing for the people, causing the deaths of two hundred and fifty civilians. I repent for the karma I created in my past lives. Namo Amituofo."

Disciple Hai Liang speaks: "Namo Amituofo. I am grateful to the Taiwanese entrepreneur, Mr. Koo Lien-sung, for sharing this with us. May I ask what good karma you created in your past lives that allowed you to have such a successful career and be born into a prestigious family in this life?"

Koo Lien-sung speaks: "I am grateful to the compassionate Practitioner Su and every kind-hearted person at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre for giving me the opportunity to speak of the evil I created in the past, while also allowing me to express the good deeds I performed. In my fifth past life, I was the son of a wealthy family, but I was a young man with a very compassionate heart. Our family was affluent, and whenever I went out and saw people in poverty, I would always distribute silver to help them. If I saw poor students who could not afford to study, I would also gift them money to assist them. I helped and gave alms according to the causal conditions. Furthermore, I often made offerings to monks and the sangha at temples, establishing many good connections. By the age of twenty, I already understood the importance of donating grain. Every year before the winter solstice, I would distribute grain to those in need. The more good deeds I did, the happier I felt. For several lifetimes, I have had tremendous blessings."

Disciple Hai Liang speaks: "Namo Amituofo. I am grateful to you, Mr. Koo Lien-sung, for your sharing. Goodness indeed brings good rewards, and you have been blessed with great wealth and status in this life. This also provides a lesson for future generations to learn from. Namo Amituofo."