How did Sifu Hsuan Hua solve the haunting problem at CTTB? Is there equivalent advance Buddhist practitioners who can do this in the absence of Sifu?

ChatGPT answer:

This is a deep and important question 🙏 — because the “haunted” reputation is not just folklore, it touches on how a Buddhist community understands and works with unseen beings.

🔹 How Master Hsuan Hua approached the Mendocino Hospital site (now CTTB)

From disciples’ accounts and Dharma talks:

1. Great Compassion & Vows

   • Master Hsuan Hua did not treat spirits as “enemies” to drive away.

   • He saw them as beings caught in suffering, deserving of compassion and Dharma.

   • His vow was to transform the energy of the land from suffering to Dharma.

2. Buddhist Rituals

   • When the land was acquired, extensive repentance ceremonies, sutra recitations, and Dharma assemblies were held.

   • The Avatamsaka Sutra, Shurangama Sutra, and Great Compassion Mantra were recited continuously.

   • “Water-and-Land Dharma Assemblies” (水陆法会) were conducted — among the most elaborate Buddhist rituals to liberate wandering spirits.

3. Personal Virtue & Spiritual Power

   • Sifu Hsuan Hua was regarded as a highly accomplished cultivator of Chan and Pure Land practice.

   • His personal samadhi (meditative concentration) and precept power gave confidence to disciples and inspired unseen beings to accept the transformation.

   • There are stories of restless spirits “taking refuge” under his guidance and ceasing to cause disturbances.

4. Ongoing Practice

   • CTTB is not just one-time “exorcism.” It is sustained by daily cultivation: monks, nuns, and laypeople continue chanting sutras, mantras, and holding precepts.

   • The continuous Dharma presence maintains the purity of the land.

🔹 Without Sifu Hsuan Hua, is it possible?

Yes — in Buddhism, it is not about one person’s charisma alone. Equivalent processes are possible if there is sincere cultivation and a qualified Sangha:

1. Advanced Practitioners in the Chinese Buddhist tradition

   • There are still senior disciples of Sifu Hsuan Hua alive today, some in the U.S., Taiwan, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.

   • They may not have the same renown, but they carry the lineage and could be invited to lead ceremonies.

2. Other Lineages

   • Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan have well-respected Mahayana masters who conduct large-scale Water-and-Land Dharma Assemblies (水陆大法会).

   • These are recognised as the “gold standard” for transforming karmic debts and pacifying spirits.

3. Community Power

   • Even if no single “living patriarch” leads, a committed Sangha community, supported by laypeople, can sustain the recitation of sutras and mantras.

   • Buddhist teachings emphasise that Dharma power comes from sincerity, precepts, and collective practice, not just from one individual.

🔹 Practical Approach for Old Changi Hospital (if transformed)

If OCH were taken up as a mini-CTTB:

1. Invite senior disciples of Sifu Hsuan Hua or other eminent Mahayana Sangha to preside over initial purification ceremonies.

2. Conduct major Dharma assemblies (Avatamsaka Sutra, Shurangama Sutra, Water-and-Land assembly).

3. Establish daily practice (morning & evening chanting, Great Compassion Mantra, Amitabha recitation).

4. Keep a resident Sangha community so that the Dharma presence is continuous.

✅ Conclusion

• Master Hsuan Hua transformed CTTB not with “ghost-busting,” but with compassion, vows, rituals, and sustained Dharma practice.

• In his absence, the same can be achieved if there is:

  • Strong Sangha leadership (senior monks/nuns from his lineage or equivalent Mahayana masters).

  • Commitment to daily practice by a resident community.

  • Large-scale ceremonies at the beginning to liberate beings connected to OCH.