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.

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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!.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Devotion and Prayers are integral to Tao

No 482 of Living Life Series 1

Tao is the term in Chinese for Way to true peace through coming to terms with life so that there is neither running away nor going overboard with life.

Incidentally, in Tao too, we neither give all we have to religion nor to the government of the land. Like in all aspects of life, we strike a judicious balance. Like what the Holy Bible said, we give to Caesar what is due to Caesar and to God what is due to God. We cannot be lopsided.

There is no one sided approach but there must be balance between worldly mundane life and spiritual life. Lord Bo Tien even adds that the values of spiritual or Tao if applied to worldly life would ensure progress in comfortable manner so as to enhance spiritual practice.

Balance in life is in the image
with feet atop elements.
The doctrine is the image and
the image is the doctrine.
Lord Bo Tien embodies Tao
in his seated pose image

Even within the practice of spiritual life or Tao which sages of old in China refer to as Tao or Way, there must be balance between the two spiritual poles, that of devotion and prayer on one side and personal cultivation on the other.

Many men are far behind in spiritual cultivation of Tao compared to those saintly beings in Heaven. Even saintly beings in Heaven such as those in Pure Land need the guidance of Amitabha and his host of saints. What more for beings lower than Heaven and this of course will include men though there are from time to time some very exceptional men.

In life as explained by Lord Bo Tien, there are incessant ups and downs - the yin and the yang. Every storm is followed by calm sea and this goes on and on. The two are intertwined and our life is like that, always to do with yin and yang.

Lord Bo Tien did say that our life is like an oil lamp which flickers even in the breeze but if sheltered by the saints will glow and be steady. How we cultivate Tao and try to have a steady flame, there is always danger of it flickering even in the breeze of life.

Sometimes, the flame may be extinguished and we descend to hell. Then we need to start over again and rise above hell. We need the shelter of the saints.

Saints do have divine energy fields around them. We invoke their shelter so that their energy fields overlap ours and we tap into their force fields. The West refer to this as the Holy Spirit.

We need to have devotion and prayers to be in tune to the heavenly saints while we attempt to climb step by step, inch by inch the spiritual ladder of Tao. We need not be alone in doing so. We have the fellowship of men of like interests. We also have heavenly saints.

Lord Bo Tien taught us this prayer. "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."

Remember, we need to "live better for the time to come" and not to run from life or be overrun by life. This must come first before we can make any progress in Tao.

To have too much is not to live any better but to succumb to greed and indulgence. To have nothing and to run away from life and society is to torment oneself and to have no peace. We will be worse off.

The mission has set example for others to emulate. Joss sticks, joss papers and flags though means of devotion will soon take a backseat and this is as it should be to keep up with the times. These should not put men off and make them stay away from temples and saints. There are many other ways for devotion and prayers.

Devotion and prayers help us to realign ourselves so that we will not be off centered, wayward and weird. Then we have better chance of more peace and fulfilling life.

So dear friends, if you meet men of religions and they say every now and then, "O God", "Praise the lord", "Omitofo" and "Namo Amitabha", you would know them and understand them better. You will know where they are coming from. They too know better than us the values of devotion and prayers.

But devotion and prayers must be wise and must come from the heart. Burning a thousand joss sticks is not wholesome and not in keeping with the times. Shouting aloud and saying that this is prayer is by no means wholesome either.

Ji Gong the Living Buddha

Ji Gong in his lifetime as man lived up to his reputation of practising from the heart. He was in a desolate temple in cold winter and his disciple monks were at risk of being frozen.

Despite protests from his disciples, he took down the Amitabha Buddha image and used it to be as wood for fire to keep them warm. Amitabha would have done the same. He is not a piece of wood.

Devotion and prayers like practice of Tao or Doctrine must be from the heart and not outward show. "What matters is not what one does or what goes through the gut but what comes from the heart." This is the saying of Ji Gong The Living Buddha.

Omitofo.

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.