Mediumship – or channeling, to communication with ghosts spirits and deities – is very common in folk beliefs. It is also not surprising that Buddhist can communicate with ghosts and deities, since there are a lot of such cases documented in Āgama and Nikāya. Nonetheless, it is unusual when many spirit- mediums claim to be capable of communicating directly with Buddhas and Bodhisattvas at anytime and anywhere, as great masters and patriarchs in the history of Buddhism do not seem to have said so. This paper tries to explore such phenomena from Master Sheng Yen’s viewpoints in two steps. First of all, this paper discusses the existential value of “mediumship” and why Buddhists should not involve in it. Secondly, this paper discusses how ancient Buddhist masters were able to “communicate with the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas”, and the nature of those “Buddhas” that contemporary spirit-mediums “channel” with. The results of the study show that mediumship has a secular value that should not be completely denied, yet Buddhist practice does not encourage it. In addition, the identification of “Buddha” or “Bodhisattva” in the perception of spirit-mediums is quite different from the definition in Buddhism. Such “Buddha” or “Bodhisattva” they refer to is most likely manifested by ghosts spirits and deities.
