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 31, 2014

For the many, Heaven comes first, not sainthood

No 714 of Living Life Series 1

To have a religion is one thing but to be spiritual is yet another. To find peace and shelter in a heavenly saint is good but to be spiritual, one must go beyond this.

But to tell a man that he has a long way to go will not do. It is better to tell him that all is well so long as he believes and that is all he needs.

It is just like a child starting out in nursery school. All we need is to tell him it is good to go to school and there is no need to tell him what he has to go through for the next decade or more to get a degree or diploma. He would simply not understand and if he do es understand some years or so later, he would just be overwhelmed, floored and may even throw in the towel.

For religion to succeed and reach out to the masses, it has to be that simple and even elementary and if possible appeal to the fantasy, never mind if this means there is no mention of the many steps to achieve ultimate spirituality.

Just simply say that one should believe and leave to God and saints and then surely men will be in paradise not only in afterlife but in the present for heaven will provide if only men will believe.

When things don't turn out as well, then reassure that there is the good intention of heaven behind why things don't turn out as expected. Just place their hearts and trust in heaven and be happy even in disappointments.

Thus the elementary and simple approach will work wonders and this seems to be the only good and yet simple way to bring peace to the masses.

The Bodhisattva approach is something like that though way better. Why is this approach better?

Sentient beings are wallowing in the throes of the ups and downs of life. They cannot on their own unchain themselves from the world of ups and downs.

They need help to get some goodies and sweeteners and feel that all will be well in this life, only to find that when the next waves of downs come again, they seek more sweeteners. And if there is no solution in sight and they realize life is a bed of thorns, they can look forward to the Pure Land of Amitabha in afterlife.

This Pure Land is in heaven created by Amitabha and many a Bodhisattva. At the appropriate time, a Bodhisattva or saint will motivate the individual not just to get sweeteners and be in heaven but to actively understand the need to go beyond sweeteners and the worthwhile elementary approach offered by the initial inception into a religion.

For religion to reach out to the many, it has to be simple, awesome and appealing to bring more to God and saints. Thus it may have to side-step the spiritualism that many who need to go beyond popular religion must undertake. Heaven is for the masses who are not yet ready to cultivate sainthood.

Heaven is relatively eternal but it is just for men of religion to have sojourn, feel good and be motivated to go for sainthood. For this they have to undergo more rebirths be it in heaven or in the world of men or even in hell. Reality can be not appealing and that is why religion that harps on this is not a winner of the hearts of the many.

Going beyond popular religion is not for the many. Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) says that religions are the pillars of the universal house of God with Heaven as the roof of the house of God. Religion offers easy road to heaven but sainthood is another matter.

Religions are the pillars for men to hold on to, so that more can get closer to divinity and one day cultivate sainthood. Sainthood and heaven are miles apart but for many, heaven comes first.

Sainthood beyond religion must start with the first step, often an elementary one. Religion provides this and the rest depends on the individual whether he is ready and can move on to the next step or steps.

For the many, Heaven comes first way before sainthood. But why not cultivate it even now and be in heaven in afterlife even if not yet a saint? Well, it is a matter of choice. Without religions and the promise of heaven by grace, many will be lost for sure.

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.