.

.
The Living Life Series is dedicated to Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨). The doctrine is in His image. The image is the doctrine. He who sees, understands and effects the doctrine sees and knows Him. He who does not see, know and effect the doctrine sees not and knows not the saint even if the saint or His image is beside him. The far may be near and the near may be far. Let the doctrine and the saint be part of our life. The lord saint in your life can be any heavenly saint of any religion, sect or school. The doctrine of truth is behind all and this is the Inner Truth that leads all (regardless of their religious affiliation or even if none) to inner peace and heaven on earth here and now and not just in the after life. The ideal worship and devotion is to know and effect the doctrine of God and the saints. The best gospel is the gospel of life. We learn from our life and the lives of others. The true temple is the world we live in. The sky is the roof of the temple and religions and sects are the pillars of the temple. All under Heaven are in the temple. Needless to say that all the saints we know are in this temple. Ji Gong Posat too is no exception. The whole wide world and web is the temple and must be regarded as a sacred place --- a temple for living and learning. It is more important that everyone that counts plays a role in this universal temple if due focus is to be given to the Mission of Heaven. Men must not be distracted by the agenda of men and end up serving the mission of man. That would be a far cry from the Mission of Heaven. We worship God and saints, not man however good that man may be. There should be no hero worshiping or idolizing of man whether he is a charismatic pastor, priest, monk, medium or lay leader. We don't even idol worship the image of any saint but reflect on what the image stands for. - the doctrine in the image. Omitofo 阿弥陀佛!.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

The way to inner peace

No 221 of Living Life Series 1




Love is the light of life.

Do light up our life with love. There is in every one of us the light of life which if nurtured will grow and glow. We need to illuminate our life and in the process illuminate the life of others. We cannot do so without first focusing and tendering to our own life. The issue as elucidated by a heavenly saint* is to grow the love of life, and this love must start with our self and radiate outwards to others around us


Inner truth brings peace and ease

Love for life has to do with seeking the truth and meaning behind life and to be exact, the inner truth underlying and cutting across all beliefs, creed and kind. There must be that peace and tranquillity within us so that we will not be ruffled by the ups and downs of life, the yin and yang, the trials and tribulations. We need to seek out the peace of life and the joy and serenity that sages of religions so often refer to and which often eludes us.


Live life, not leave life.

Cultivate enlightened approach to life.  Cultivate this mindfully and in earnest not just in a temple or place of worship but in our very mundane day-to-day life. There is no need to leave or renounce life but to be with life and to live the life mindfully and in peace and ease despite the trials and tribulations that abound from time to time.


Nurture and illuminate life

Our life light or energy (called this soul or soul force if you like) must be fed with fuel (good pure thoughts and energy) for it to illuminate and grow the inner peace.


Self effort but with divine refuge

This must be our own effort but we will need the shelter and guidance of the heavenly saints. It will be easier that way but there must be no crutch mentality. Heavens (God and saints) help those who help themselves.


Grow the divine light within us.

We must grow this inner peace of life-light or what sages of ancient wisdom may term as "bodhi citta" enlightenment thought or light of enlightenment, or some may call this the heavenly or divine essence or spirit.


Life's ever unfolding lessons is our gospel

We need to learn the spiritual lessons not merely from books and posted articles but more importantly from the daily life we lead and with the guidance of heavenly saints. We learn from our own experience and reflections and we learn from the lives of our fellow men.


Fill our inner sanctum with peace

Seek the peace and tranquillity with self effort and with the shelter of Heaven. Do however remember that if one needs help, one must first help oneself. We must first pick our self up before we can benefit from the help of Heaven and significant others.


Harness blessings, not the bane and woes of life

But do cultivate blessings by associating with the wise aspects or attributes of men and not the unwise or negative aspects. What is wise may appear not as simple for what is good is often a range and not a point.

Generally, we must not subscribe to bad attributes. Denial and self destruction is one extreme and over indulgence and attachment is the other.

What is wise and good is not exactly the middle approach but the dynamic balanced approach where we are at peace, are not attached nor detached. We are at peace and ease with the swirls of life, the yin and the yang.

We cannot run away from yin and yang of life. We should not allow ourselves to be swept around by the swirl of yin and yang of life. We must step on and be above the flux of yin and yang, or worldly contingencies such as gain / loss, praise / blame, honour / dishonour, repute and disrepute, birth and death, extreme wealth and abject poverty, over-involvement and under involvement, self torture and hyperchondriacal and frantic concern with health etc.

Honour those who are worthy of honour. We must be correct in doing this. Rejoice in the good of others and not be envious. We do not end up trying to gain their pleasure or (incur) displeasure. We do not worship men but divinity.

The above principles are depicted in the image of the lord saint* seated on dragon chair (the divine spirit) with spectre of Divine mission (God's mission) in one hand, with other hand in salutation (of wisdom and divinity) and both feet astride the two extremes of life (the yin and yang).

In addition, we must associate with the right external environment (physical and social environment) and ensure a congenial internal environment we create in our mind.

We must modulate both the external and the internal universe.

We can do so by opening up and harnessing the blessings and not the frustrations and the woes, that is, maximising the blessings and minimising the frustrations, woes and hiccups.

So let us be good. This is both simple and yet not so simple. But do be good to our self by being good.


Keep re-focusing on blessings

We must be in touch with reality and not be swayed away by frustrations and the hiccups of worldly life issues and contingencies. We need to constantly return and re-focus our limited and finite time and energy to better pursuits. There is need to contain any upsets and dissatisfactions in life if we cannot correct them so that we will not be distracted from the many other wholesome pursuits and blessings awaiting to be harnessed and harvested.


Grow the tree of blessings and not the parasitic infestations that will make it wither

Life is a tree of blessings. Rare is birth as a human. Do treasure life as a tree of blessings. We must not in our folly attract and multiply the insects and parasites of woes, and frustrations. Grow not and attract not the parasites, lest they wither away the tree of blessings.


Guilt can be bane of life. Do not wear ourselves away with guilt and fear

Do not take issue with upsets and brood and harbour guilt and fear for this will be sure way to cultivate and harness more frustrations.

We should not drain away our life energy that way. We should learn how to improve our lot and move on, not brood and lament, not feel guilt and castigate our self. There will always be better ways of doing things and this does not mean the ways we did things in past are not right but they can be more right. They can be better handled.

Lord saint* beseeched us not to live in guilt but to be positive to want to improve.

We move on and do not lament. We do not live in the past. The past is history. The present is a present (and to be harnessed as blessing). The future can still be a mystery (though we can modulate our future by taking care of the present).


Blessings of four-fold happiness

As said and re-expounded by sages of old and host of enlightened ones," Health is the highest gain, self confidence the greatest friend, contentment the greatest wealth, and spiritual bliss will complete the four fold happiness of life". But do keep refocusing on balanced and moderated approach and do not deny nor over indulge in any aspect of life be it health, wealth, kinship or spiritual matters.


Principles for spiritual pursuits if applied to daily life can be fruitful and gainful for mundane life

The very same principles which will lead us to spiritual bliss in time to come (either in next life or life to come) will give us here and now worldly peace and ease -- health, wealth (contentment) and confidence (kinship) if we care to persist in effecting the principles diligently, mindfully, sensibly and pragmatically.

The modus operandi to spiritual gains, if applied to day-to-day life, will also bring social gains. Lord saint reminded us that this is the basic feature common to faiths

These are values that can be realised by all irrespective of their creed, kind and faiths.


Truth cuts across apparent religious divide. There is oneness in faiths which are the pillars of the house of God for divine realisation

Lord heavenly saint* is one of the heavenly beings who reiterated these values that are not new. All religions and sects present them in some way or other to reach out to and meet the diverse aspirations and needs of as many people and beings as is possible and plausible.


Religion is about life.

Life is religion and religion is about life -- to be exact... how to have peace and ease that may elude us now and then.

Though I adore the lord saint*, there is no need to for anyone who seek the inner truth of life to do so.

He is neither here to start something anew nor to champion the old ways, religions, sects and institutions. All are separate and distinct but yet playing complementary roles. Together, they are one whole. They are one in essence.

He is one of the saints to bring us insight on life and life is religion.


The world is one big temple or church.

He is one of the divine messengers of Divinity and his ultimate temple is the world we live in. The roof is the sky and the heavens. The pillars supporting the roof are the religions of the world. All under the heavens are in the temple and its compound.


Simple and yet difficult to perceive is truth

Truth is so simple and yet difficult to perceive and even more difficult to put in words.

If you are somewhat perplexed after reading this posting and not in agreement, this can be expected. You can still be and are on the right path to peace and ease in your own way and at your own time and target.

May there be peace and ease in life despite the difficulties and dis-ease.


More important to make progress here and now and not yearn for the spiritual horizons in the life after and beyond

What is important is not when we arrive but that we make progress, that we pick ourselves up when we fall and move on.

But if blessed and guided by the lord saints, our problems will be less. Big issues will become small issues and small issues be no issues. But be mindful to work on life and move on for more peace and tranquillity. Self effort is still the norm.


The candle flame must be sheltered

Put it in another angle, we must reflect that our life is like a candle flame which if sheltered by the lord saints will not flicker but will grow and glow.


Gift of divine spiritual force adds to confidence that the candle flame of our life will be sheltered by the heavenly saint

There is a field of experience which old timers would like to share and that is, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to invite divine energy to course through our body and limbs while seated in lotus or semi-lotus position in front of the altar of the saints.

This connects us directly via energy channels with the representative of the heavenly saints, like some form of "chi" and allows bonding to facilitate one form of concentration-cum-mindfulness cultivation. This helps to calm the mind to reach inner peace if done correctly and in congenial atmosphere.

Combined with pure thoughts of love of life (focused on oneself and radiating outwards to others), we will be able to connect with the refined love and energy of the heavenly saints.


The spiritual energy flow through our limbs is one manifestation of divine spiritual force of the heavenly saints

This divine energy or some called it divine spiritual force or chi is useful initiator to spiritual bonding and confidence. It is available and within reach of anyone keen for the experience here and now.

It is, however, one of the means to an end but not the end in itself. It is intended to give us conviction that we can tap into energy field (holy energy field) of the heavenly saints when beset by storms of life.

The unique experience of holy chi is but one manifestation of the "leng" or holy spirit or divine force field.

Confidence or faith comes from unique gift of being able to feel the presence of divine spirit or force.

Though self effort is the norm, we do need, amidst the storms of life, the shelter and guidance of the heavenly saints via the divine or holy force or "leng" (heavenly force).


The storms of life do not last and calm seas of life will prevail

If sheltered by the saints, it will be easier to weather the storms of life and to survive to enjoy calm, peaceful and serene seas again. Storms do not last and will give way to calm seas.

The wise one remains steadfast and peaceful as much as he can even during storm. Only then can he harness the peace and blessings of heaven. He is not alone and the gods and the good will stand by him.


Universal prayer for all

The whole posting can be succinctly put across in this simple reflection

To all heavenly saints I greatly adore. I believe in your existence and thy glory is in the thought of men. I seek for thy protection and guidance so as to live better for the time to come .


Trinity of Love

The saints will extend their help to us if we seek their blessings earnestly.

But we must learn to love ourselves and help ourselves. We must work the ground with love and tend lovingly to our own life to harvest the fruits of blessings and self-love.

According to the lord saint*, there is a third axis or dimension which we often forget. We can also help one another. This is the third component of the trinity of love.

The lone candle flame of life needs to be sheltered by lord saints but the amassing of individual candle flames of life as a group too can give strength to one another.

The trinity of love comprises self endeavour (self-love and worth), divine umbrella of lord saints (heavenly or divine love), and group cohesiveness of our fellow men (group love and fellowship).

We are like sand particles which if cemented together as concrete pillar will be strong and which if sheltered from elements (bad influences and karma) by roof (the lord saints) will not be eroded and be withered away by the elements. This is the pillar parable elucidated by lord saint*.


You may agree somewhat that Heaven or Hell is, at times, our own making

Cheers. Do choose to be happy and not to be sad. Do have more of heaven on earth and not hell on earth. May we ever have peace and tranquillity so as to harness more blessings which in turn reap us more divine peace and tranquillity. This is the way to go for both our mundane (social and worldly) and supra-mundane (spiritual) life, irrespective of our religious inclination, faiths and convictions if any.

We must be at peace with those with views that appear not in unison with ours. This is the true nature of life and truth. We ourselves too looking back in life have views across time span that are not in unison. This is as should be and must be.

Cheers once again and be at peace with ourselves and the world.


inner truth netizen