The story never ends with any end but a new story will take over. This is the fate of a temple or a religion.
People like to tell stories and these may end up as garbage though interesting when they are first told. People too like to listen to stories and these are more interesting if the fanciful are added to spice up the stories. When the stories are about God and saints, the fanciful can be irrational or beyond logic.
We just need to believe and that is why they are called dogmas. Religion has to be dogmatic and dogmas differ from religion to religion.
Each religion or rather each religious institution must have its own unique ways of holding on to its flock. This was categorically stated by Lord Bo Tien in his inaugural message - The God Knowledge.
In the story of a temple like that of the lord saint, the ten or so messages given by were recorded as verbatim as possible for the ten or more years since his inaugural descent in 1969. Though they were not as polished due to translation from Chinese Hokkien dialect, they constitute the Word to this day.
When he stopped coming down, the story ended and so it seemed to be so. But the very coming of every new generation at the helm introduced a new story or rather a twist to the story.
They say that the messages did not constitute what was the true story. They were deemed as only personal opinions of some pioneer men and not what the lord saint said or did.
The story of religion never ends with any end but each generation of men will unfurl another story of their own. They will say this is the true story. The previous story or history is only the personal opinion of a few.
The men of the founder who might have a hard time being persecuted ended up being replaced by new generation of men who might against all odds even reverse the role of the founder from one who were persecuted to one whose name was used to persecute others.
The meek and humble founder became the dominating fearful and awesome one to be feared and for all to submit to otherwise they would face eternal damnation in hell. The martyr or persecuted becomes the persecutor.
In the case of a temple of the lord saint Lord Bo Tien, the new story or rather the new direction though out of context or line is the correct one. This becomes a new dogma. All must toe the new dogma or story. The old story no longer holds sway and instead the current one holds sway.
In the first place the old story was wrong and so it seems. The story of religion like life never ends with any end. Instead, another story takes over as the the story for all to accept.
No wonder, the lord saint said that a religion or temple becomes rather like an archaeological department for more discerning and adventurous men, the more ardent truth seekers to dig into to find the historical beginning or truth. The lord saint says that men must dig and sweat it out and one day they will arrive at the underground spring water to quench their thirst.
In a concluding yearly message, he said that men must go to the upper source for clear water. He seemed to echo or rather add on to what Gautama Buddha said that to be enlightened, one must go upstream against the current.
Ji Gong's story as man is worthy of mention. In his life as man, he was frowned at and even persecuted in that he was asked to leave the monastery for not keeping to the norms of monk-hood. He was unkempt, ate meat, drank wine , sang and frolicked with children, beggars and monkeys.
But he cultivated Tao or the Word from the heart and did not put up a show. He adhered to this adage. "What matters is not what goes through the gut or what one does but what goes through the heart."
Historical texts of religion has now portrayed as though he was not asked to leave and that he was and is ever the pride of the temple which expelled him. Perhaps the story of his life has been changed by the successive generations of the temple.
Well, readers must be more discerning and go for the upper source for clear water, as what Lord Bo Tien said. The story never end with any end but will be rewritten time and time again. That is why we have to go to the source.
We just need to believe and that is why they are called dogmas. Religion has to be dogmatic and dogmas differ from religion to religion.
Each religion or rather each religious institution must have its own unique ways of holding on to its flock. This was categorically stated by Lord Bo Tien in his inaugural message - The God Knowledge.
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| Lord Bo Tien so often misunderstood and misrepresented But he will still bless all, even those fainthearted in doctrine & who come for personal agenda more than anything else. Far is near and the near far. All are near and dear to him. |
In the story of a temple like that of the lord saint, the ten or so messages given by were recorded as verbatim as possible for the ten or more years since his inaugural descent in 1969. Though they were not as polished due to translation from Chinese Hokkien dialect, they constitute the Word to this day.
When he stopped coming down, the story ended and so it seemed to be so. But the very coming of every new generation at the helm introduced a new story or rather a twist to the story.
They say that the messages did not constitute what was the true story. They were deemed as only personal opinions of some pioneer men and not what the lord saint said or did.
The story of religion never ends with any end but each generation of men will unfurl another story of their own. They will say this is the true story. The previous story or history is only the personal opinion of a few.
The men of the founder who might have a hard time being persecuted ended up being replaced by new generation of men who might against all odds even reverse the role of the founder from one who were persecuted to one whose name was used to persecute others.
The meek and humble founder became the dominating fearful and awesome one to be feared and for all to submit to otherwise they would face eternal damnation in hell. The martyr or persecuted becomes the persecutor.
In the case of a temple of the lord saint Lord Bo Tien, the new story or rather the new direction though out of context or line is the correct one. This becomes a new dogma. All must toe the new dogma or story. The old story no longer holds sway and instead the current one holds sway.
In the first place the old story was wrong and so it seems. The story of religion like life never ends with any end. Instead, another story takes over as the the story for all to accept.
No wonder, the lord saint said that a religion or temple becomes rather like an archaeological department for more discerning and adventurous men, the more ardent truth seekers to dig into to find the historical beginning or truth. The lord saint says that men must dig and sweat it out and one day they will arrive at the underground spring water to quench their thirst.
In a concluding yearly message, he said that men must go to the upper source for clear water. He seemed to echo or rather add on to what Gautama Buddha said that to be enlightened, one must go upstream against the current.
Ji Gong's story as man is worthy of mention. In his life as man, he was frowned at and even persecuted in that he was asked to leave the monastery for not keeping to the norms of monk-hood. He was unkempt, ate meat, drank wine , sang and frolicked with children, beggars and monkeys.
But he cultivated Tao or the Word from the heart and did not put up a show. He adhered to this adage. "What matters is not what goes through the gut or what one does but what goes through the heart."
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| Ji Gong The Living Buddha in rags rather than in monk's robes |
Historical texts of religion has now portrayed as though he was not asked to leave and that he was and is ever the pride of the temple which expelled him. Perhaps the story of his life has been changed by the successive generations of the temple.
Well, readers must be more discerning and go for the upper source for clear water, as what Lord Bo Tien said. The story never end with any end but will be rewritten time and time again. That is why we have to go to the source.
