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!.

Friday, October 10, 2014

More than what a house of God was in days of old

No 688 of Living Life Series 1

A temple or house of God should solely be for serving the spiritual needs by providing devotional, and doctrinal understanding and practices.

For devotion, while group devotion is good, pragmatically devotion is between the individual person and God or heavenly saint.

For doctrinal understanding and practices, there are guidance sessions and meditation sessions where the better informed like the clergy can guide the laity.

In the old days, a temple or house of God is either a temple without clergy having been built by grateful devotees of God and saint, or a temple started by a monk or priest and run by him. Devotees and followers just go there to pray and to support in cash or kind.

With time, there is change. Temples are no longer just buildings for people to go for personal devotional needs but become centers for the people of society to meet like in community centers.

With urbanization, there is less interpersonal networking in society. A temple becomes a place like a village of old where people can relate to one another more closely. Naturally, the people take over the running of a temple and decide what should be done.

Where there are clergy like monks and pastors, they decide and call the tune. The laity has to go along.

Another unavoidable development is that the congregation will then throw up a few to be in the clergy. Then the clergy is like the flock and may well accentuate the failings of the flock rather than ratify them.

There is no doubt that the people is the temple and not the building but when people in modern society are squeezed out of society and has to go to a temple, what could be expected if they can call the tune. They will be spiritual on the external front but consciously or subconsciously, their social needs will come to the fore.

The temples of 2014 and beyond will function more as community enclaves more than spiritual enclaves. Men who are more worldly than spiritual will take the lead and even end up as monks and pastors.

The house of God would then risk taking on the trappings of a commercial organisation or as some put it more nicely a charitable one without the proper set up of checks and balance more so when the majority take the leader as the stand in for the God or the saint of that temple.

Thus a temple may end up what it was not in days of old. But this is unavoidable. Men and women of spiritual inclination must learn from the strength and weaknesses of fellow men and women. This did the good lord Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) advise. This too is learning. Life is the living gospel.

Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨)

The good lord too says that the people is the temple not the building. What the people do, be it right or not so right is worth reflecting on. We can learn from what people do in and outside a temple particularly why there is no separation of the secular and non secular but instead blurring of what is secular and non secular.

Why can't we run a temple as a simple temple? Perhaps Confucius (孔夫子) is right. "Life is really simple but men insist on making it complicated."

Confucius (孔夫子)

A temple should be simply a temple but well you know that men will not let it be that way... A house of God can end up a social political animal instead. Society has politicized what is basically a house of God and saints.

That is why religion can end up becoming more a burden than an asset to the world. Humanity end up divided in the name of religion when religions are for the common good and are one in God. Religions should not be like political parties vying for votes.

Religions are meant to unite men in God and saints. This is the universal message of God through Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) - a messenger of Heaven.

There are God and saints. There is need to have inner peace. These constitute the common base of all religions - The Inner Truth

Ji Gong (济公)

Ji Gong (济公) for one is not of any religion but is for all religions. He was treated like an outcast of a temple in his days as man but ended up saints of all men. God and saints are like him and serve all men not just those of any particular religion. God and saints are blessings to all men.

Religions are man-made though they have to do with God and saints. Certainly God and saints are not man-made...

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.