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!.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

步步高升 - Let every move add up to higher success

No 812 of Living Life Series 1

Be it in life or in spiritual cultivation, we must do so in steps and often small steps at a time. Progress must be incremental and that goes also with our aspirations during the Lunar New Year when every move goes towards higher uplift of life - 步步高升

This synchronizes with what the good lord Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) says that the principle that applies to spiritual if applied to worldly life will make life work as well.

In spiritual, no one can be a saint overnight but one must start as a devotee of a saint and work upwards one small step at a time. We cannot have overnight the ultimate peace of enlightenment but we can get the peace of the devotee and cultivate the peace of the moment. Every moment of peace add up to more of the peace and makes us closer to the ultimate divine peace. This is how we can climb spiritually and this too is how we can climb socially。

Thus we do not expect religions of mass appeal to dwell on the ultimate divine peace but to be of mass appeal, religions must facilitate the appeal of the peace of the moment and the peace and joy of worldly life.

Even a religion with focus on ultimate divine peace must modify itself to cater for the masses by focusing on peace of the moment, so as to be able to win the hearts of the masses. That is why in Buddhism, there is the Greater Wheel to cater for the masses and the Smaller Wheel for those who think they want to go direct to the top. Both add to the rightness but one is better for some but not to others.

In Chinese culture, it is many steps or moves that contribute to progress. Every additional move adds up to more progress. Let every move add to higher success 步步高升.

Do bear in mind, every new move should add on to the know-how and success and not replace what had proven to be worthwhile. This applies aptly to religion as well. If we adopt a new religion, let this add up to the good that the old had provided to us.

This is what the ancestors of old in China expect when they say that we let every move add up to higher success 步步高升. But the ignorant may expect that the new be adopted and the old discarded. Then men will end up changing his culture and roots which will never happen in reality, however hard they may try.

The new religion and culture will only make them better at what they already are. It is better to learn and imbibe from other religions and cultures to enrich ourselves in whatever we already are than to try to be whatever we were not. This too is a view of Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨).

Religion will always be a way of life and has to do with culture. We can only enrich our culture but not change our race and culture. So for God sake, please heed the wisdom of ancestors and do let every move add up to higher success 步步高升. Do not let our every new move replace or cancel that of the past.

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.