No 701 of Living Life Series 1
Many find it a good pre-occupation to argue till kingdom come that their god is the only God. The issue at hand is whether it matters if someone we respect highly is not God but somehow is still able to be blessing to us because of the good we do as a result.
Also, of what use or advantage is having God as our god when we think, speak and do that make us unfit to be with him. We are also not deserving to be with God if we have no backbone and just rely on him for everything in life and if we think that we can trespass and hurt others because we falsely think God is behind us. The latter is the main reason why there are excesses committed in the very name of God.
It is better for men to believe that the sun or moon is God but because of such belief, they are good and kind and show love to all even for those who do not share their faith and for those who even laugh at them.
But it is a different thing altogether if they even dislike and show disdain for those who do not do what they do - which is to pray to their god, be this the moon or the sun.
So what matters is the goodness and love that come from the heart because of their belief in the moon or sun, never mind if this is not God so long as their regard for the moon or the sun makes them so loving and caring in many ways, not just to those who are with them or like them but to those who are not like them and not with them.
What matters is to grow the goodness and pureness of heart. This then is the spirit of God and saints in them, never mind if they are tree or wooden block adorers.
Men must as a result of their belief grow the God nature in them. Then though men pray to the moon or the sun, God is in everything they do and in what they pray to even though certainly the block of wood, the tree or the moon and the sun are by no means and by any stretch of imagination God.
If men pray to God but act with anger, ill-will and dislike for those who don't do what they do and who are not with them, they end up idolizing the devil of the ungodly nature in them. Then though they say they pray to God at the altar, they end up growing the devil in them and praying to the devil in the name of God.
Of course, the ones who have godly ways of love, goodwill and liking for one and all even for those not with them are more worthy of God though they pray to the moon or to a tree.
But as long as they are good and pure at heart, they will grow the God in them and through their so-called oddity in adoring a tree or the moon, they will be near to God though far because of their adoring the tree or the moon.
The good lord Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) says that the far may be near and the near far, didn't he? So what if the focus of devotion for God is but a tree or the moon?
The devil is not in what we adore but in whether we are impure and not good at heart - in whether we grow the evil nature rather than the God nature in us. We can adore anything odd as God linked but if we are Godly and pure at heart, we have the God in us.
Ji Gong (济公) did say that what matters is what goes though the heart and not what we do or what goes through the gut. One story relates that he even chopped up the wooden Buddha image to use as firewood to keep his disciples warm during winter.
Also, of what use or advantage is having God as our god when we think, speak and do that make us unfit to be with him. We are also not deserving to be with God if we have no backbone and just rely on him for everything in life and if we think that we can trespass and hurt others because we falsely think God is behind us. The latter is the main reason why there are excesses committed in the very name of God.
It is better for men to believe that the sun or moon is God but because of such belief, they are good and kind and show love to all even for those who do not share their faith and for those who even laugh at them.
But it is a different thing altogether if they even dislike and show disdain for those who do not do what they do - which is to pray to their god, be this the moon or the sun.
So what matters is the goodness and love that come from the heart because of their belief in the moon or sun, never mind if this is not God so long as their regard for the moon or the sun makes them so loving and caring in many ways, not just to those who are with them or like them but to those who are not like them and not with them.
What matters is to grow the goodness and pureness of heart. This then is the spirit of God and saints in them, never mind if they are tree or wooden block adorers.
Men must as a result of their belief grow the God nature in them. Then though men pray to the moon or the sun, God is in everything they do and in what they pray to even though certainly the block of wood, the tree or the moon and the sun are by no means and by any stretch of imagination God.
If men pray to God but act with anger, ill-will and dislike for those who don't do what they do and who are not with them, they end up idolizing the devil of the ungodly nature in them. Then though they say they pray to God at the altar, they end up growing the devil in them and praying to the devil in the name of God.
Of course, the ones who have godly ways of love, goodwill and liking for one and all even for those not with them are more worthy of God though they pray to the moon or to a tree.
But as long as they are good and pure at heart, they will grow the God in them and through their so-called oddity in adoring a tree or the moon, they will be near to God though far because of their adoring the tree or the moon.
The good lord Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) says that the far may be near and the near far, didn't he? So what if the focus of devotion for God is but a tree or the moon?
The devil is not in what we adore but in whether we are impure and not good at heart - in whether we grow the evil nature rather than the God nature in us. We can adore anything odd as God linked but if we are Godly and pure at heart, we have the God in us.
Ji Gong (济公) did say that what matters is what goes though the heart and not what we do or what goes through the gut. One story relates that he even chopped up the wooden Buddha image to use as firewood to keep his disciples warm during winter.
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| Ji Gong (济公) |
He has what we say the Buddha and God in his heart and that matters more than the piece of wood. That piece of wood can be burnt to warm up the body and spirit of men in the harsh winter of life.
Confucius (孔夫子) is no God but he embodies the goodness of God in men. It matters not if he is not the God others refer to. He is like God to many and brings out the Godliness in men. Confucius (孔夫子) is revered by the many not only in China but the world over.
Confucius (孔夫子) is no God but he embodies the goodness of God in men. It matters not if he is not the God others refer to. He is like God to many and brings out the Godliness in men. Confucius (孔夫子) is revered by the many not only in China but the world over.
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| Confucius (孔夫子) says life is really simple but men insist on making it complicated |
It is how Godly at heart men can be, not how they worship God or who they regard as God that really makes the presence of God in men. Men must look up to the God in men like Confucius (孔夫子) and Ji Gong (济公).
How God orientated men are matters more than the God men refer to in their respective religions, never mind if God seems to be different in different religions. This has to do with men and their culture, and not with God. Religion is culture and culture is religion. God is intrinsic to culture and culture has to do with men. What matters is the God in men not who is God.
Beautiful hearts make beautiful people. Beautiful people make the difference. Even one such a man in Ji Gong (济公) makes the difference and brightens up the lives of many across the centuries and across religions, nations and cultures. What matters is the God in Ji Gong, not who is God. It has to be the God in men like Ji Gong, not who is God that beautifies life with love and cheer.
Let us grow the Godliness in us and be closer to God that way. People of all religions must do so and have God in them.
Religions must not let the issue of God divide men but let the God in men bring all men together under the roof of Heaven. Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) says that religions are the pillars in the universal temple with Heaven as the roof and all are in this temple.
Beautiful hearts make beautiful people. Beautiful people make the difference. Even one such a man in Ji Gong (济公) makes the difference and brightens up the lives of many across the centuries and across religions, nations and cultures. What matters is the God in Ji Gong, not who is God. It has to be the God in men like Ji Gong, not who is God that beautifies life with love and cheer.
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| The God in Ji Gong (济公) |
Religions must not let the issue of God divide men but let the God in men bring all men together under the roof of Heaven. Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) says that religions are the pillars in the universal temple with Heaven as the roof and all are in this temple.
