At a memorial ceremony after Taiwan's devastating 21 September earthquake, President Lee Teng-hui, quoting Buddhist Master Sheng Yen, described the more than 2,300 compatriots who lost their lives as "living bodhisattvas" who had borne the brunt of the disaster for the rest of us, and whose deaths should remind us of the importance of being prepared for natural disasters.
九二一大地震過後，李登輝總統在追悼大會上引用聖嚴法師的話表示，不幸罹難的二千三百多位同胞是「活菩薩」，替大家擋了災劫，更提醒大家防災的重要性。