No 169 of Living Life Series 1
Water from the upper reaches of a river is pure, clear and fresh as river arises in the mountain and forest. As water flows downstream in the river, pollutants and sediments are added.
(Lord Bo Tien's 1984 Anniversary Message "Water from the upper source of a stream is pure and clear. When water reaches the mid stream of its course, the water would have been polluted by many users. If men want pure and clear water, then they have to go to upper source of the stream to get it." )
This is true also of river of life. The river of life arises in primordial (yin yang) energy and this provides pure and fresh life force from which the Three Pure Ones arose. This is the Divine Trinity. Jade Emperor arose from the First Pure One and he descended to rule the heavens. As the river of life flows on there arose beings and various dimensions.
For water of a river, water is polluted as it flows downstream but can be returned as crystal clear mountain spring water via evaporation to be with the clouds and descending as rain water to be pure spring water of the river at its upper reaches.
Likewise, beings like men must purify themselves and return like rain drops to join God and saints at the upper reaches of the river of life. This may take one or more lifetimes.
Also if we want to experience the pioneers' vigour and pristine teachings of the founders, we must go to the upper reaches to do so. You may wonder why this is the case. The simple reason is that over centuries dogmas and institutionalisation add layers of elaborations, rituals and traditions to the original teachings. Religions become archaeological departments for us to re-discover the truth in original state.
(Please refer to Messages before 1974 by Lord Bo Tien )
" From time to time in history, saints arose amongst men to lay down certain rules and regulations to help the masses lead better lives and to incline them towards GOD. "
"Over time, these rules become the tenets of an organised religion, but the idealistic spirit and motive, which prevailed during the founding saint's life time, changed gradually after his passing with arising of sects and differing sectarian styles."
"This is why often an organisation cannot bring out spiritual truth more effectively and closer to true nature of life unique to each individual in society. Life is an individual concern. Religion is always centred on life and a personal concern. Religious organisations often may end up over time as archaeological departments trying to discover the past"
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