Venerated Enlightened Master Ji Gong (vegetarian): The Living Buddha of Compassion, Part 3 of 3

Due to Master Ji Gong’s unconventional appearance and laid-back demeanor, many mistakenly believe He ate animal-people meat and drank wine – He did neither. Although people assumed His gourd carried alcohol, He could transform its contents into vinegar, water, or other beverages.

In a 1989 Brazil lecture, our Most Beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) clarified these misconceptions. “How could Living Buddha Ji Gong eat meat? He didn’t eat meat! Nonsense! Are you an I-Kuan Tao disciple? If you are, go home and read “A Travelogue of Heaven.” It’s clearly stated in the books that Ji Gong never ate meat. He manifested the meat to make fun of other people. If you read His stories, you should know. Right. Sometimes, He teased people. They saw Him eating meat, which later changed into a gourd. He wanted to make fun of those monks because they always claimed that He was crazy, so He used magical power to tease them. He was just fooling around because He was bored. The world is too boring, so He played around for fun. How come you didn’t read it right? Talking nonsense and slandering a Buddha.”

In “A Travelogue of Heaven,” Master Ji Gong explained: “They think I am improper, but they are mistaken! In this world there are monks who eat meat, but in Heaven there are absolutely no Arhats who drink wine. I remember observing monastics from Heaven. Though they ate vegetarian meals, their hearts were cunning and treacherous. Very few were enlightened and truly understood the Buddha’s teachings. Most were simply using the monastery to make a living. I could not bear to see the lifeline of the Buddhist Dharma hanging by a thread, about to be severed. Therefore, I chose to descend into the human world, taking the name Xiuyuan, to save living beings. I feigned madness and acted foolishly, lived life with an indulgent and playful attitude, specifically to‘stir things up’ among those monks.”

Unlike traditional monastic disciples, Master Ji Gong was a carefree spirit with a mischievous sense of humor. In 2024, Supreme Master Ching Hai explained: “He didn’t eat real animal-people meat. Nowadays, we can eat like a leg of a vegan chicken. It looks like a leg of a chicken-person. You can eat the whole vegan chicken which looks like the whole chicken-person, but it’s not. Maybe in those times they also made similar things. Therefore, they say the Buddha even ate pig-people’s feet. He never did. No. He even said whoever eats animal-people meat is not His disciple.”

Ji Gong, the Living Buddha, lived a life of compassion, generosity, and spiritual cultivation. Through His kindness, empathy, and cheerful altruism, He teaches us not to judge others without knowing their true intentions and heart – and that this understanding comes only through the pursuit of enlightenment. “Take my word for it: the most efficacious Buddha simply resides in yourself. You don’t need anything else once you have been initiated by an Enlightened Master with Heavenly Decree.”

In 1991, our Most Gracious Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) recounted a story about Ji Gong Buddha: “I had mentioned to you before about this group of special practitioners. They made many trances and contacted some kind of higher guides, and then this guide would probably take him around. There is supposed to be an ancient Buddha called Ji Gong Living Buddha, and this Buddha is supposed to be very funny and very fun-loving and freedom-loving. He is supposed to come and get anyone who likes Him, take him around and investigate this world and that world.

But funny enough I tell you, many people of this group came to be initiated now, because the so-called Buddha told them to come to Master Ching Hai if they want to be better, if they want to improve their spiritual attainment. And one of the disciples asked Him: ‘But how about You? How about You? Are You not great? Are You not great enough?’ And the Buddha, Ji Gong Buddha, answered: ‘Oh, I’m just a little bit lower than Master Ching Hai.’ It’s so funny. Oh! when they told me the story, I could not stop laughing, because I admire His honesty, it’s so funny.”