Camille Kwan never thought that the head of a Buddhist religious group she has been following for almost 30 years would turn her son away from her.
Being spiritual from a young age, the Hong Konger was going through a breakup when a friend introduced Jin-Gang-Dhyana, also known as Holy Tantra Esoteric Buddhism, to her.
She then started making regular trips to Hobart, the capital of Australia’s island state of Tasmania, where the religious group is based, for retreats and spiritual guidance from master Wang Xinde, the head of the group.
One thing that makes the group different from other Buddhist sects is that monks and nuns, including Mr. Wang, can marry and have children.
Mr. Wang, who claimed to be the 28th patriarch of Jin-Gang-Dhyana Buddhism, was once known for his miraculous healing powers in China in the 1980s. In 1989, after a short time in jail, the now 78-year-old moved to Tasmania and founded the Tasmanian Chinese Buddhist Academy of Australia.
Camille’s son Philip [pseudonym] joined her trips from 2002 at the age of two. As a boy raised by his mother alone, he enjoyed time spent with other older boys in the group.
“Everything was normal at the time,” Camille told The Epoch Times on Aug. 23.
In 2020, desperately looking for help for Philip, who suffered from a mental health issue, Camille took him back to the group’s home base in Hobart.
That’s when things began to get hard.
During the pandemic, Philip generally decreased his communication with his mum, citing the reason that he wanted to focus on his spiritual cultivation. He would ask Master Wang for permission first before making life choices such as attending university. He also required his mother to do so before going to see him.
However, Mr. Wang frequently ignored Ms. Kwan’s requests to go to Hobart to see her son. After multiple attempts, she was only allowed to see her son privately for two hours “under extreme desperation and pleading.”
“It was truly painful, especially the first time I saw Philip in a Chinese Community Event at the end of August,” she wrote in a statement.
“That was the first time I noticed Philip was ruled by the ‘Forbidden Speech’ precept that he needed to keep no contact with his mum or the others.
‘Believers Must Abide Rules’: Mr.Wang
However, Mr. Wang denied Camille’s allegation that he has blocked her communication with her son.
In response to the questioning that some accused his religious group of operating like a cult, the religious head cited his group’s close tie with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“Is it possible for a cult to hold a joint meeting in Beijing with the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party?” he asked. “Will the Communist Party accept cults?”
The Tasmanian Chinese Buddhist Academy of Australia stated that ABC’s coverage of Mr. Wang and “an individual member” of the academy contained “out-of-context and false statements that misrepresent our Academy and victimises our students.”
The Academy is currently seeking legal guidance and declined all media requests.
Australian Island Under Beijing’s Eye
It is no secret that Mr. Wang, the president of the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China (ACPPRC), is close to Beijing.
“We will hold the teaching of the Great Holy Sakyamuni Buddha as guidance for everything we do. And we will do our utmost to requite the firm embrace of the motherland,” he said.
This is concerning for China experts like Professor Clive Hamilton.
Mr. Hamiliton, who is a professor of public ethics, did research on the CCP’s interference in Tasmania and said any encouragement for Australians to support Beijing’s policies is concerning.
CCP Using Buddhism as a New Tool
While the CCP is widely known for having repressive policies toward religions, research in recent years suggests that the CCP is utilising Buddhism as a tool to expand its political influence internationally.In a symposium at Georgetown University in 2020, Chinese Buddhist researchers David L. Wank and Yoshiko Ashiwa said that all religious activities carried out by Chinese Buddhist organizations overseas are part and parcel of the Chinese government’s use of Buddhism to extend its political influence.
John Powers, a lecturer in Buddhism studies at the University of Melbourne, shared the concern.
“As you probably know, the CCP has operatives in Australia and other countries, and they take a special interest in overseas Chinese, which includes surveillance and intimidation,” Mr. Powers wrote in an email to The Epoch Times.
Unsolved Problem Between Mother and Son
Camille, who has talked to several local MPs, is still looking for a way to get her son back.
“Although Philip and I have contacted via WhatsApp now, all his messages are limited and being watched by [the] organization,” she said.
“He is still under the suppression and restriction from the precepts unconsciously, have no sense of freedom to act and speak freely under his own will.
“I was totally heartbroken not only for the son rejected mum’s love and care from thousand miles away, but the hidden pain and fear that Philip is trapped in Mr. Wang’s hands.”
