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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, January 15, 2011

God's love has no limit

No 236 of  Living Life Series 1 






At times, we may feel glad that God has been very kind to us many times over. What He has done for us are many times what we can do for him? It is such a good feeling to know that He accommodates us and accepts our every whim and fancy.  We do make mistakes or not-so-wise decisions and yet He and His saints will still be with us. We are certainly very blessed many times over.

Lord Bo Tien has like any heavenly saint advised us to look at our own lives and the lives of otters and learn form the lessons of life. The writer having lived 61 years realised that many of his associates lead blessed lives despite the follies they made in life. In the past, the writer would quietly question the wisdom of God and why are the so called bad rewarded and why those who have done good seem to be worse off. Now, the writer like many others are wiser and are ever thankful that we have a compassionate and tolerant God.  God never closes the doors on us and He will not fail us even if we fail Him time and time again.

Never blame the flower if ants and insects are attracted to the flower.  The flower will not deny ants and insects from having nectar. Such is the benevolence of God. This parable of the flower did Lord Bo Tien elucidate to us.

Then in another sermon, the good lord reminded us that men can be like insects and parasites that infect a tree and hamper its well being. True men can take for granted the grace and benevolence of God and take advantage of His goodwill and hamper His good intention. 

But we should not judge our fellow men but learn from their strengths and weaknesses.  Why must we begrudge our fellow men and condemn them when God and saints seem not to even lift a finger? 

But another advice from Lord Bo Tien is appropriate and timely. Do not expect God to be like man and man to be like God. To men, a murderer must be hanged or incarcerated to life term in prison. To God and his saints like Buddha, the murderer is worthy of divine attention and many a murderer in religious text were known to be enlightened.

One shining example is Angulimala who having killed 999 lives to collect 999  right thumbs  (to make a garland of a 1000 thumbs) was enlightened by none other than Buddha Gautama. He become a saint and God did not send him to hell. Men would want him to be executed 999 times.

The criminal on the cross beside Jesus on the day of cruxification was praised for his faith and assured of place with God.

Doesn't this ring a bell that God pains for those who have erred. God pays heed to them and they may be more near and dear to Him than the goody two shoes who scorn those who have erred. No wonder Lord Bo Tien said that the far may be near and the near may be far when he delivered his message in 1975 at Sitiawan Malaysia.

God's compassion and love know no limit and has no limit. The ways of God and saints may never ever be the ways of men. Man is man and God is God. This too did heavenly saints like Lord Bo Tien reminded us.

Men would want to send those that have wronged society to hell not only in the next life but in the present life as well. But God and saints like Buddha Gautama, Amitabha, Tsitigarbha would even go down to Hell to hasten those in Hell to learn the truth and be good so that they can be enlightened even whilst in Hell and be saints with God.

Doesn't all these open our eyes to the fact that we do have a wonderful, gracious, benevolent and loving God and that God is helped by the host of saints through a host of religions and sects. If one religion or sect is not enough, many more may be able to reach out and make good. 

The truth is that there is one God but there need not be one way or religion but many ways and faiths. There need not be one prophet or saint but many to extend extend and effect divine reach and love.

Doctors would tell us that if one antibiotic, cannot treat a bacterial infection, certainly there must be other antibiotics that can be prescribed that may work. Doctors never give up on their patients.

God and saints will never give up on men even those who erred and defied them. The close to fifty years of Bo Tien mission to date too would not be short of such examples. There is no need to give examples for that would not be in keeping with the way of God. God is not as petty as men can be.

The truth, dear friend, is that the truth of God's way is simple but many see truth of God as profound and difficult to perceive. The late Senior Brother P. Philip did refer to this when he said that many do seek the truth of ancient wisdom, yet the profound truth is so simple but difficult to perceive.

This article is motivated by Ji Kong Posat** who too exemplifies the compassion, magnanimity and love of God. Even if you have done wrong and have many bad habits, he will not forsake you if you seek his help though he may advise you perhaps bluntly at times on your pitfalls in life. The writer bears personal testimony with respect to this.






Lord Bo Tien did say that those with heart to pray to the saints, the saints do know and those who seek their help, the saints do come to them. There is no other precondition except that we must seek their help and pray to them. Ji Kong Posat is one saint who came to the aid of the writer many times in his life.

A word of caution is in place here. Readers should  not be ruffled or perturbed. We should not take liberty with the love of God and His saints. We cannot expect Him to bend and bow to our every whim and fancy. The time tested and accepted age old saying that God helps those who help themselves must still hold sway. Do not expect Heaven to do our bidding. But certainly all who worship God and saints would know that they should not step over the threshold of prudence. We must know the limits and stay within rational O.B.(out-of-bound) markers.

If everything can be granted, then there is no learning and no living our own lives.  But we do need the love of God. Many however capable and endowed still must have God to grace their lives so as to be whole. This will go some way to let them have that sense of fulfilment and add that divine touch in life. That will make life sparkle like diamonds in the sun.

Lord Bo Tien would however like to remind that there is element of ill fate for in life of ups and downs what we refer to as yin and yang in Chinese culture, calm seas may be followed by storms. We do need to manage but heaven can assist and facilitate. He said that with divine hand, big issues can end up as small issues even if they cannot be no issue and small issues will be no issue. But then we need to put in the effort to help ourselves but with divine grace, this would be made easier. 

Do remember that whatever may be the case, storms do not last and our lives will return to calm seas again, but if we pray in all earnestness, we will ride through the storms of life and have less of the bad taste of life. Death is the ultimate storm in human life and if we have learnt our life lessons well, and able to handle its storms, death is just another storm that will lead to better days perhaps in the after life for those who have cultivated divine love and are at peace come what may. Then, they will have less of sobs and pains. Instead, they will have more of love and gains from God and saints.

However, do not at any time entrust issues to luck, for luck is luck's own star and what can mere stars achieve? This is the saying by one philosopher. We must try to be in control and be in the driving seat of life and issues but pray to God and saints to grace our lives and open doors for us. We need to decide on the option to take for God cannot live life for us.

The good father would let us live our own lives and make our own life decisions but he would give his blessings, love and helping hand at the opportune times.  Cheers. May we cherish the love of God and saints always and ever more. 


 




**Footnotes on Ji Kong Posat

JI KONG did not abide by any sect, faith, rules, tenets or written texts. He was therefore asked to leave a traditional ancient orthodox Chinese temple. Though disowned, he already had good heart, good grasp of truth of life. He was steadfast in Inner Truth behind and beyond religions and sects. He understood the truth in life and devoted his wandering life on effecting the practice of truth. Life was his gospel and teacher. He was able to be enlightened and eventually recognised by various Taoist and Buddhist sects as part of their respective pantheons. Though he appeared 'far' spiritually to the clergy of holy monks and priests then and had to leave a temple and its order, he was NO eye sore. He proved himself to be exemplary, near and dear to gods, buddhas and men. He embodied and personified every bit of the Inner Truth Lord Bo Tien speaks about. He continues to do so. Know him and you will know how to be near to Divine Heaven even if what you ascribed to are not accepted by ways of majority.




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