In any temple or church, there will be many who are the average devoted and not in the thick and thin of spiritual union with God and saints. They constitute the majority. Whilst the pastors or priests as well as the few elders are more wise and should call the tune, often in any administrative organisation of which religious ones like temples and churches are no different, those who run a temple or church are run-of-the-mill majority.
They call the tune and decide what they want. In such scenario, the institution is run on the populist platform and based on level of spiritual understanding that is not deep but perhaps still far better than elementary. This is not good. Though of course, they can be more popular and pander to the needs of those who are at the start of the spiritual road or not far from the start.
With more newbies added, the church or temple will forever be run along populist and social needs rather than the desired in-depth spiritual that only a handful minority could attain and have. This social needs of the newbies are not what God and saints want but nevertheless these met the societal agenda of men though not of God.
It is just like a school. If decision making is in the hands of children who form the majority, then the teachers and educators who should lead and teach end up being led and taught by the school children.
A temple or church should not take the populist road and fill its ranks and congregation with newbies who will dictate the running of the church based on lower level spiritual grasp. No doubt the temple or church will grow and even be mammoth in proportion but is this what God and saints expect.
The correct approach is to strike a balance of sorts.
The most wise of the lot in a church or temple, often a handful should lead but should not force their interpretation, understanding and wisdom on the majority who lag far behind. Otherwise, the masses will drift away into the streets.
But the run-of-the-mill majority should not think that the few wise who are elders, pastors or priest are out of their mind imposing spirituality and practices that they could not understand, grasp and see eye to eye with.
There must be conscious and concerted effort to let the majority learn at their painfully slow pace and the majority must not over rule the elders, pastors or priest.
When the balance is reached and often this is a dynamic one, then there is best of both worlds -- the populist approach to attract more to the fold and the spiritual approach to bring more to be closer to God and saints though this will be arduous and painstakingly slow.
This is the balance of yin and yang which if applied to a church or temple would not make the religion too cheap neither would this frightened away the masses.
The majority know best does not apply. The minority wise, if they are indeed wise would not pander to the lower level fancies of the masses but moderate and lead them along, like school teachers in a school of children. Often this can be painfully arduous and slow and at times not productive. After all, the masses that dominate the day-to-day temple or church are indeed children and they need to be educated.
This is the Way or Tao of the ancient sages and saints. The seated image of Lord Bo Tien with feet balancing the two polarities in dynamic fashion personifies the Tao or Way.
In the pioneering years of a church or temple, the elders will always hold sway but in matured years of the temple or church, the less knowledgeable and less wise majority will want to over ride and call the tune.
This posting will throw some light on the human obstacle that the lord saint Lord Bo Tien say even his temples (of which there are three) will face and have to surmount.
Even if there is no understanding of the above (called this insight if you want), a temple or church will not run into societal dilemma of such nature if there is the precept or commandment to respect elders. Lord Bo Tien has the respect for parents and elders as the sixth of seven precepts.
In the pioneering years of a church or temple, the elders will always hold sway but in matured years of the temple or church, the less knowledgeable and less wise majority will want to over ride and call the tune.
This posting will throw some light on the human obstacle that the lord saint Lord Bo Tien say even his temples (of which there are three) will face and have to surmount.
Even if there is no understanding of the above (called this insight if you want), a temple or church will not run into societal dilemma of such nature if there is the precept or commandment to respect elders. Lord Bo Tien has the respect for parents and elders as the sixth of seven precepts.
Even if parents or elders are not as clever or perhaps they may be even evil, the children should still honor and cherish them though not condoning their errors nor vilifying them for their wrong. Without them, there will not be the children. Without honoring the elders, the present will not set the role model for the next generation to respect them as elders
Namo Bo Tien Posat ..........
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