At the time I was still in Vietnam, about 1980, there was a lecturer who was the former dean of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock. He was a vegetarian who only ate potatoes. He read and researched many Buddhist scriptures, practiced meditation diligently for a few years, and had many mystical experiences. He often had visions of the intangible world, some of them very significant and of great importance. He often saw himself riding on an Asian type dragon up to heaven and meeting with Amitabha Buddha who confirmed his root to be Amitabha himself.

About 24 years ago, when I was preaching the Dharma, 4 of my disciples and I were invited by a family to their home to give them initiation ceremony. The house was in a well-to-do area of California signifying their very comfortable lifestyle. The host treated us to a vegetarian meal (at the time I advised my disciples to become vegetarian for 2 years to express devotion for the Dharma).

At the beginning of 1980, I met a shaman. He performed exorcism by way of whipping a rattan cane into thin air, and the possessed would be heard screaming and begging for mercy from another room, and eventually, the

Dr. Quang was a doctor who continued to be employed by the new Vietnamese government following the 1975 change. He was considered an experienced doctor and well respected by the provincial hospital. Around 1980, I was practicing esoteric Buddhism, and after having performed a few exorcisms, I became well-known.