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!.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Tao in life and in all religions

No 599 of Living Life Series 1

There is something in religions that spurs one religion to want to convert others to its fold and that makes another to seem not interested at all. Numbers do not count somehow in the former. The latter is not concerned with numbers.

Perhaps in the latter it is the culture of society, and obviously religion is nothing more than the culture of that society. There is also no perk at all for a member of that religious culture to convert another from another religion.

May be this is not a pre-requisite for salvation or a necessity to win over the favor of the founding father or saint. There is no such thing as the need to bring in another member before one can have perks of belonging.

Yet another reason is just common sense. There is no need to change religion just to do good and be good and to get guidance and shelter of God and saints.

Anyone can do so through any religion and even without a religion. Being a member of a religion actually carries no entitlement and religion being not a political entity has to be like that. Religion should not divide men in the way that politics do.

Thus for those in Tao (way / logic of life) culture, they are lukewarm towards idea of those outside their race or society to crossing over to be one of them. They would rather that others be happy where they are and not be uprooted. They are welcome to be with Tao culture and learn from it to be better at the religion or culture they belong to. This is emphasized by Lord Bo Tien in his messages in the decade from 1969.

After all, the others cannot be full blooded Chinese even if they want to. Who they are is largely determined by birth and if you like to put it in another way by fate or karma? But it may also ironically be rationalised that it is by fate that one has to change religion.

However even then one cannot change significantly the cultural roots one belongs to. To those who are in Tao, what matters is how to live life and come to terms with life.

There are the worldly trappings with the ups and downs. There is no denying that life is never complete or satisfying but yet it is. The satisfaction if any can in time be bursting like a bubble. How to reconcile this and to moderate life so that one still lives life in worldly sense but yet distance some what from it.

There must be no giving up of life and no going overboard with life if one is to have peace. Accept life for what it is. Go for what one can have but not suffer from trying to have more than one can have.

Ultimately it is the inner peace that is important . This should be the way to live and this is Tao - a way of life that is for the here and now and for securing a better afterlife. It is both a culture and a religion

This is applicable to any man and woman and applicable to all beings visible and invisible. Everyone walks through life in his own way. There is subconscious seeking of peace through one's choice and through learning from life. This is nothing more than Tao. Tao by any other name is still the same.

Tao is for all and not the purview of Taoists. The road of Tao may be long but any journey starts with the first step - the here and now. If man can handle the here and now even if he cannot handle it like a saint, he is in Tao and has the potential to be better in Tao than what he can have for the moment.

Always bear in mind to have peace in life. It is not about having no life. It is not about having too much of life but having life that yields peace in every moment. It is nothing to do with creating bubble in life that bursts in our face for that will add to woes and not attuned to peace in life.

Anyone even non-Taoists can have his own way at Tao but how far one can go is the issue or rather another matter. Everyone is seeking meaning in life and this must bring peace in life in the moment that is the here and now.

This is what Tao is all about. Tao is about living life, not being dead to life, not leaving life or being burdened by life. It is not about competing or racing life. It is not about dropping out of life. Surely this is not exclusive to Taoists and all can do that. Tao is in life and in all religions.

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.