LIVING LIFE SERIES 1

A BO TIEN (武天) MISSION INITIATIVE LAUNCHED ON 28TH SEPT 2010 BY INNER TRUTH NETIZEN 2. THE MISSION IS TO SHOW THE WAY TO HOPE, INNER PEACE AND ULTIMATELY SALVATION FOR ALL BEINGS. THE PURPOSE IS TO SAVE SOULS. IT IS WAY BEYOND NORMAL GOOD WORK LIKE CHARITY AND WELFARE ACTIVITIES. NO ONE SHALL BE SAVED BY GOOD WORKS ALONE BUT BY MORE THAN GOOD WORK. THERE IS NEED TO BE IMBUED WITH THE BASIC DOCTRINE COMMON TO AND BEHIND ALL RELIGIONS AND SECTS. LIVE IN DOCTRINE. DOCTRINE IN LIFE IS PARAMOUNT.

.

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!.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

The inner truth that men have to grasp

No 376 of Living Life Series 1

Many tend to view another person from one side of the coin and fail to see the other side. There is the tendency to go for first impressions of that person and then many will either like that person or dislike him. This is the weakness of man.

We tend to judge a book by the cover and many would not go into comprehensive coverage of the pages of the book other than at most a quick run through. This is the way many do things today be it with regards to a book or to any other matter.

We tend to judge a religion or sect by the way it carries out its activities, whether we feel refreshed by the services and activities a church or temple provides. The motive of a temple or church nowadays may often be to pander to the whims and fancies of society instead of addressing the issue of upgrading the spiritual resilience of society.

Thus society will put charismatic men at the pulpit and many a pastor or monk will be a reflection of the worldly ways of man. Only then can they be good crowd pullers , otherwise they may be seen as standing out as sore thumbs and not with the crowd.

But this is just flowing with the tide of society and going with the crowd does not mean there is wrong doing but may not be in keeping with the purpose or divine calling of a religion, sect or temple to change society for the better so as to bring men closer to God and to grow the God nature in men. To do so would entail the need to go against the flow and not to follow the crowd though there is need to be with the crowd.

Lord Bo Tien knows full well why religions sects and temples have tendency to fail to meet the aspirations of their founders and pioneers. He said that water from the upper source of a stream is pure but dogmas and teachings added over centuries make a religion so different from what it was during the days of the founders. This is because, men want to popularise religion and to be popular, the easiest way is to go with the crowd, never mind if spiritual values are compromised, diluted or put aside.

(Historical version of 1984 birthday eve message of Lord Bo Tien Chor Choo at Philip's residence "He ...says that water from the upper source of a stream is pure and clear. When it reaches mid-way of its course , the water will be polluted by many users. If we want pure and clear water, then we have to go to the upper source of the stream to get it.")

There is need to adhere to the fundamentals of the pioneers and prophets and at the same time, there is need to popularise a religion otherwise the religion will not be able to reach out to the many and to go with the times. The question is how to achieve this balance and be effective. This again has to do with yin and yang - how to have balance and bring out the good yin and yang. There is need to adjust so as to have the balance.

The fundamentals of course have to do with the inner truth that there is God and that God reaches out to beings in varied ways to meet the sectoral needs of society and the beings in all realms. Thus amongst humanity, we have religions, sects and temples and churches.

But the wholesome divine wisdom of God and saints in allowing for a plethora of religions, sects and institutions is often reversed and at times voided by the shortcomings of men who see themselves as right and others wrong. Each wants to be the only correct one and all others wrong when all are correct but differ as they need to be tailored to meet the local characteristics of society they serve.

This is the inner truth that men must grasp - to see oneness and complementary roles of the various religions, sects and plethora of spiritual institutions.

In his inaugural message, The Inaugural Message , Lord Bo Tien said,

"The prophets lay down certain rules and regulations to help the masses lead better lives and to incline them towards GOD. Gradually, these rules become the tenets of an organised religion, but the idealistic spirit and motive, which prevail during the founder's lifetime, disappear gradually after his death. That is why an organisation cannot bring spiritual truth nearer and why religion is a personal concern. Religious organisations become archaeological departments trying to discover the past. Therefore I shall not attempt to establish any new religion, cult or organisation But, I shall rejuvenate the religious thought of all peoples and instill a higher understanding of life into them. Dogmas laid centuries after the founder's death, frequently differ startlingly, but the fundamentals of all religions are really the same, because all originate from the same source - GOD.

Therefore when I appear publicly, I shall run down no existing religion, but I shall not uphold any special one. I want to turn man's mind away from sectarian differences, so that they will agree on essential truths.

Remember though that every prophet considers the times, the circumstances and the prevailing mentality of the people before his public sermons. he therefore preaches doctrines that are best suited to such conditions."

Lest you forget

Do not make the mistake of idolizing any man who tells you about the Word. He is in the same boat as you even if religion refers to him as a religious leader. Mere mention of a religious leader is as good as encouraging idolising of that man. Why must there be hierarchy in religion? Hierarchy is conventional but may end up as liability rather than a necessity or asset. There should be no caste or hierarchy system in religion. No one is to be considered above another in religion. A religious leader or follower is a servant to serve you and not a leader to be idolised. Do not put him on the pedestal and make a monster out of him.

MAY ALL BE WELL AND HAPPY

May all be well and happy. May they have peace. May our departed friends and kins be well, happy and have divine peace. The main writer wishes the best for all for those near and far. Our kins may be far when they had passed on to better lives but they are near though far. He remembers and wishes his parents Mr Siow Soo Koh and Mdm Tay Hung Siang, his uncles and aunties like Mr Tay Koon Huay, his cousins like Mr Tay Chong Sim and his friends like Mr Philip Png well and have abundance of life. May they be rich in spirit for without such ancestors, there will be no posterity - no us and no you and me. They have blessed us and we must blessed them in return forever and ever.