No 269 of Living Life Series 1
Be rich in tolerance and magnanimity for other's shortcomings and be richer in honour, blessings and stature in the eyes of divinity.
The wise seek not to show that others have wronged them but seek the divine peace of tranquillity that is beyond men but yet within the God nature in every man.
What good is goodness before men if this merely means we are not good before Heaven - God and saints.
The way of God must take precedence over the ways of men.
If your brethren slaps you, you should neither slap back nor let him slap you further. Hatred is not appeased by hatred but by love is it quelled.
Managing the fires of life
You should not add fuel to fire. The best is to put out the fire. But if this is not feasible, stay away from the fire and let the fire fizzle out with time.
You may want to put out the fire with water but do not over do for you may cause a flood. Water like fire is a good servant but not a good master.
Do balance the elements
The elements like fire and water can be both good and bad. Seek the balance and mastery of yin and yang - the polarities of life.
This is as depicted by the feet of Lord Bo Tien atop and balancing the elements in His image.
Do balance the elements
The elements like fire and water can be both good and bad. Seek the balance and mastery of yin and yang - the polarities of life.
This is as depicted by the feet of Lord Bo Tien atop and balancing the elements in His image.
Truth of life - simple but yet not simple
This truth is ideal and simple but may not be the cup of tea for many at the present point in time. Truth often is simple but difficult to perceive and realise. As the late Senior Bro P. Philip nicknamed golden wheel missioner did say:
This truth is ideal and simple but may not be the cup of tea for many at the present point in time. Truth often is simple but difficult to perceive and realise. As the late Senior Bro P. Philip nicknamed golden wheel missioner did say:
Only the wise seek the fulfilment of ancient wisdom. Yet the profound truth is so simple but difficult to perceive.
Learn from the fire and water parable
The response to any wrong done by others to oneself lies in balanced approach and in mastery over life and its elements. Balance the fire and water and have mastery over them. This was alluded to by Lord Bo Tien in the parable of fire and water He mentioned in his anniversary messages.
Going for the Right Connection
Heaven judges men not by the wrong but mainly by the right men have done. If it is just by the wrong, all will be damned to Hell. Likewise, men should judge fellow men not by the wrong but largely by the right they do.
The good man endures the wrong and may even find retaliation or correction futile. Others may perceive him as unwise and weak - not standing up to his rights. But as said by the late Senior Brother P. Philip:
Many a pride cover those who achieve the light of enlightenment. But the wise are those who never fear of being misunderstood. Endurance is one's innocent glory in the next world.
The ideal way always is to have the balanced approach and to judge others and situations with balance and equanimity like the feet of Lord Bo Tien atop the elements in His seated pose image.
But do not chasten yourself if you could not do so but always do try. Nothing like trying and do not give up. Harbour no fear and no guilt and be at peace even if you could not do so as yet. This did the messenger of Heaven Lord Bo Tien reiterate to us time an time again. God bless
Learn from the fire and water parable
The response to any wrong done by others to oneself lies in balanced approach and in mastery over life and its elements. Balance the fire and water and have mastery over them. This was alluded to by Lord Bo Tien in the parable of fire and water He mentioned in his anniversary messages.
Going for the Right Connection
Heaven judges men not by the wrong but mainly by the right men have done. If it is just by the wrong, all will be damned to Hell. Likewise, men should judge fellow men not by the wrong but largely by the right they do.
The good man endures the wrong and may even find retaliation or correction futile. Others may perceive him as unwise and weak - not standing up to his rights. But as said by the late Senior Brother P. Philip:
Many a pride cover those who achieve the light of enlightenment. But the wise are those who never fear of being misunderstood. Endurance is one's innocent glory in the next world.
The ideal way always is to have the balanced approach and to judge others and situations with balance and equanimity like the feet of Lord Bo Tien atop the elements in His seated pose image.
But do not chasten yourself if you could not do so but always do try. Nothing like trying and do not give up. Harbour no fear and no guilt and be at peace even if you could not do so as yet. This did the messenger of Heaven Lord Bo Tien reiterate to us time an time again. God bless
See the big picture
There is need to be tolerant and magnanimous not only with regards to the shortcomings of individuals but also with respect to the management body or person of a social establishment, institution or a nation.
There is need to be tolerant and magnanimous not only with regards to the shortcomings of individuals but also with respect to the management body or person of a social establishment, institution or a nation.
We need to see the big picture and see the long term good, both past present and future.
For a nation in particular, to hold the government of the day on its shortcomings and not to take cognisance and recognition of its overwhelming good and the potential to even be more good is to be myopic and narrow minded.
Likewise, to bring down a good individual such as a monk, priest or even the lay disciple of a saint over certain shortcomings when he has done great service to society beyond the norms is perhaps an anomaly and a folly due to the judgemental weakness of men.
Some would even attribute this to the asura or demonic instinct of men due to their past lives as asuric demons in hell carried over to their present human life. The practice of such asuric tendency does not bode well for men in society and may predestine them to rebirths in hell as demons once more.
(Asuras are those beings who have both good and bad in past lives but due to their significant bad are born in hell and due to their having vast goodness in past lives have godly or rather demonic powers which they tend to use to over power one another, to elicit tic for tac and to harm one another)
Adopt the way of saints and not demons
Why not allow the good individual or the institution with certain shortcomings or mistakes to make good, have corrective action and make even more good than the good he has from his past and present.
This rehabilitative approach would be more humane and even divine. It will spur him or the institution to greater and nobler service to society.
This brethren is the value of tolerance and magnanimity of God and saints which we must emulate.
This is why some advocate that there be no death penalty for even the worst of criminals have some good and are capable of being good. Better to look at both sidesof the coin and not just at one side.
The recognition of this is the very reason why there is no eternal hell and all in hell can make good and be on path to heaven in time to come. This is the will and magnanimity of God and saints.
Do emulate God and saints to be be divine by being tolerant and magnanimous. The world will then be more loving and pleasant and we will be closer to having heaven while living the earthly life.
Let us be divine and not be demonic. Be tolerant and magnanimous like God and saints. Return good for bad and more good there will surely be. Respond to hatred with love but in wise way and more love there will be.
Shortcomings are learning points in the gospel of life
With regards to one's own life too, the more life we have, the more good we do, the more likely we may fall short of doing good and be found wanting in one or more areas or activities in life. This is as expected and we should not chastise ourselves for being not good in these activities or areas.
With regards to one's own life too, the more life we have, the more good we do, the more likely we may fall short of doing good and be found wanting in one or more areas or activities in life. This is as expected and we should not chastise ourselves for being not good in these activities or areas.
We need to be tolerant and magnanimous with ourselves as well and not feel guilt or fear for the shortcomings or for the wrong we do.
If we do nothing we make no mistakes. If we do more, certainly there will be some shortfalls here and there and now and then. Just make good, learn and move on.
We need to learn from the gospel of our own life and from the lives of our fellow men. This is the message of God through saints like Lord Bo Tien. Life is the living gospel.
Avoid the rotten egg phenomenon
There will however be the rare occasions when it is better to stay away from the rotten egg for fear that that egg may spoil the whole basket of eggs. What this effectively means is that at times it would be difficult to be nice and loving to the stubborn one who insists that others listen to him.
To remain silent and not to respond to him would mean that he is given free rein and leeway in character assassination and the whole dirty works. But for the rest to try to correct him would be futile. They would only end up countering him blow by blow and inevitably doing what he is doing to them --- doing somewhat the very things which they don't want him to do to them in the first place. That will be pathetic. They will end up being rotten eggs themselves just because they are too close to the rotten egg in him. This will spoil the reputation and smell of all the other good eggs in the basket.
Inaction can be golden and tolerane can be divine
Sometimes the best for that person and the rest is to leave that person alone. This would be the best recourse of action that could be done. Silence or inaction is golden, they say. To be tolerant and magnanimous, that is, to forgive is divine. Perhaps, readers may not agree....but do ponder when in a fix with others who not not see eye to eye with you, more so with people you once had great respect for.
Sometimes the best for that person and the rest is to leave that person alone. This would be the best recourse of action that could be done. Silence or inaction is golden, they say. To be tolerant and magnanimous, that is, to forgive is divine. Perhaps, readers may not agree....but do ponder when in a fix with others who not not see eye to eye with you, more so with people you once had great respect for.
The parable of the tree and parasites
If there be no tolerance and magnanimity, an organisation will end up with members undoing the good work of that organisation. To illustrate this further, let us have a relook at the parable of the tree and how members who tend to the tree of a movement or mission can end up being parasites to destroy the tree.
The continued progress and success of any movement depend on the adherents. Any failure can only be due to members not pulling up their socks to work in synergy but worst still when they do not tolerate one anothers' differing views and ways. They eat away the life of the movement like parasites devouring away a tree. This will sap away and tarnish the good works as all parties, be they right or not so right, will effectively be washing dirty linen in public.
If one party does so, is it not folly for the rest to do likewise? All parties will be viewed by society at large as sheer parasites gnawing away at and snubbing out the life of the movement.
Lord Bo Tien in parable of the tree and parasites remind us of this folly. The tree is the movement or mission of any organisation. Members must not end up as parasites and be woe to the mission.
Accomodate differences
Differences in opinions and approach will always be there in any organisation and even in a nuclear family. The solution is to have that cementing harmony, tolerance and magnanimity so that the family or organisation can have peace and move on as a whole with some framework of consensus and cooperation and yet maintaining individual differing ways. Do accomodate differences more so if differences cannot be avoided or resolved
The Inner Truth must prevail with oneness in diversity
There can always be oneness in diversity, just like there is oneness in divinity amidst the diversity of religions and for any one religion, there is oneness amidst the wide range of sects. This is as mentioned in the Inner Truth message as presented to us by Lord Bo Tien.
The Inner Truth must prevail. There must be oneness in diversity and not chaos when oneness is enforced when one individual imposes his view to drown out the views of significant others who are detractors from his view even if his view is ideal to him. But, of course, what is beautiful or not often is in the eyes of the beholder.
Let that person hold to his view but God willing, let us pray that he not shaft his beliefs down other's throat. There is always more than on view or way, just as there are many roads to Rome. The prevalent majority may choose a different road from that chosen by him. Sometimes, he is right and that the majority are right as well but in differing perspectives. He may however be wrong and then, he must reflect...
If somehow he still sticks to his views and wants his way, then both he and others must cultivate and have tolerance and magnanimity to keep the balance and peace within the individual and in society. This inner peace or balance of the soul will be blessed by the divine peace and love of God, the saints and the Holy Spirit. This balance of the yin and yang is after all the necessity if we want more of the divine peace in life as depicted by the pakua
The inner truth is in the pakua
The pakua takes centre stage in the shrine hall of Bo Tien Temple.
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| Shrine Hall with pakua theme at Bo Tien Temple No 6 Fourth Chin Bee Road Singapore 619708 Tel: 65 62626021 |
The pakua is one graphic depiction of the inner truth message passed down to us as the symbol of Tao ancestors and sages. It is illustration that a picture speaks a thousand words
The balance of yin and yang embodied by the pakua embraces amongst various spiritual values the very value of tolerance of the yin and yang views. This must take centre stage in our lives.
We must not scorn at those who hold differing views from that we hold but accept with inner peace and quiet humility that this is the reality in life for which we must live with and be at peace with. Alas this has to be and always will be the case.
Tolerance and magnanimity do help us to arrive at this point in spiritual cultivation. Cheers and may the joy and blessings of tolerance and magnanimity be with you always and ever more.
Be lotuses and saints amongst men
Then we will be lotuses amongst the pond of water and mud of life
and be peaceful and beautiful like lotuses amidst the restlessness of yin and yang mud and swirls of worldly life.
Do be tolerant and magnanimous and this is the way to go in life if less strive in life you want in life despite the swirls and whirls such as views and counter views so characteristic of life and perhaps have become synonymous with mortal life. Cheers once again and do be rich in tolerance and magnanimity. Then you will be gods and saints amongst men and be that more blessed.
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