No 1404 of Living Life Series 1
When religions tell us that we reap what we sow and this is retribution or cause and effect - karma, sceptics always ask why a person has to suffer in this life. This is more so when he did in previous life, he has no idea at all. He cannot even recall what life he was leading in the past life and what wrong he had done.
This may seem ridiculous but is due to lack of insight. We don't have to be a psychic or partial saint and be so enlightened as to be able to see our past lives. We are far from enlightened and no saint as yet.
What we can do is to understand the nature of life. Bo Tien 武 天 says that life is the living gospel and is the greatest teacher. But the problem is that many don't even understand what the teacher or life is telling them.
For example, a person may have every success coming his way. He is able to be better educated than his parents and have a professional degree, land himself in self-employed job and become a free lance insurance agent.
Later he becomes a property broker in charge of an agency and subsequently becomes sole proprietor of business enterprise with a string of shops and eateries. He becomes rich with properties and cars, and his children have good education.
But something just don't seem right for him. He has genetic retinal disease since adulthood. He is religious and becomes an elder in a religious sect. But why on earth must he and had he to suffer early onset of progressive blindness?
He accepts that God wants him to know that there is more to it than life. From a probable likelihood, he did do good and must have a very much blessed life in previous life but was indulgent and too materialistic orientated. He was more involved in self-gain than out to do God's work and help others. He was in past life cut out to help himself.
He did have done plenty of good in past life and this explains all his good fortune. But he was in in past life more focussed on doing this for his own good. We may say he was not sincere enough. But his goodness in past life ensured that he does well in present life.
His only flaw in life is his progressive eyesight disease which threatens to cause more and more blindness. Though he could not know his past life, he would have lived through similar life in early half of this life. But whether he learns or whether he would make the same mistake again is a dicy issue.
If he could have more insight in present life and learn not to make the same mistake and to do better that previous life, life would be very different this life and be very much better. This is not that it is not good enough but that his near perfect life is marred by just one physical misfortune which seems to kill the joy of the other myriad blessings
Life as Bo Tien 武 天 reminds us and so would teachers and saints of all religions is the greatest teacher. We are here in this life to learn what we failed to learn in past lives.
So we may sometimes pray and pray but often God and saints somehow do not answer just this one prayer or request but all other prayers were answered.
As God and saints like Bo Tien 武 天 say, in life we have to cross spiritual gates we did not cross or failed to cross in past life. But do not blame anyone not even God and saints for being unfair.
We may cry foul that God punishes us for a flaw we have in previous life when we don't even know what was our previous life and what went wrong.
The pattern of the previous life will be echoed in the early part of the present life and if we still cannot learnt, then we will have to carry the cross of our failure to learn. We will suffer for it and may have to repeat the learning in future life.
God and saints cannot carry the cross for us though we wish upon wish that they do so. This is not the wish of God.
This is very much our own doing. This is the outcome of what we did. We must learn to correct our weakness and be better in this life.
What we could not learn in this life, we have to learn in future lives. Otherwise we have to carry the cross into the future life.
Whether in future life, we will be lucky enough to have a very comfortable life as the wealthy business man depends on ourselves. Of course, it would be that much more easier to learn if we have a comfortable life. But this cannot be taken for granted.
Some say we may learn better if life is more harsher with less blessings. But then to have almost everything but eye health is terribly harsh and terrifying.
Treasure and count whatever blessings we have. But please don't be complacent. We have more to learn. The greatest blessing is the truth and God is the truth. The Word is God
Life is indeed the greatest teacher. The gospel is in life. God and saints remind us that the Word or Truth is the greatest teacher. The Word is God. Life is God.
Bad habits or mental predisposition in previous life carry over to present life. Spiritual inner peace will be limited by such habits. Unless these are corrected, the person will continue to face the same problems. He will create similar problems he faced in previous life though in a new context. This applies too to worldly life and success.
Bo Tien 武 天 reminds us what God and saints have always said that whatever apply to spiritual will apply too to worldly life. Life is the greatest teacher and gospel. Life is God.
This means we can learn and have better control of our life and destiny. Our life in many ways is in our own hands. We hold the key to open up more life to life.
The greatest obstacle to more life is often ourselves. We tend to blame others. It is so convenient to do so and makes us feel others are bad and we are good.
We even blame God and saints for not doing enough for us. We want to correct others and God. But this is impossible and will create more problems.
Even if indeed others are wrong, often we cannot change them. We cannot change the world. But we can change ourselves and make life more palatable.
Change ourselves and not change the world is the way for most of us unless we can be God. Even God and saints cannot do that. They can only tell us how to move on in life and have less problems, create less problems and make life more smooth.
It is obviously easier then to have peace in life. We can then be in control and less affected by the yin and yang in life, the ups and downs and the ways of fellow men.
This Bo Tien 武 天 reminds us and this is not new but present in the teachings or common ground of all religions - the inner truth.
Well, he did sum up the problems of life of man. The problems of men are many and plentiful. Often men create more problems when solving problems. Men blame others and not themselves. As Jesus put it, they see the dust in the eyes of others but not in their own eyes.
This may seem ridiculous but is due to lack of insight. We don't have to be a psychic or partial saint and be so enlightened as to be able to see our past lives. We are far from enlightened and no saint as yet.
What we can do is to understand the nature of life. Bo Tien 武 天 says that life is the living gospel and is the greatest teacher. But the problem is that many don't even understand what the teacher or life is telling them.
For example, a person may have every success coming his way. He is able to be better educated than his parents and have a professional degree, land himself in self-employed job and become a free lance insurance agent.
Later he becomes a property broker in charge of an agency and subsequently becomes sole proprietor of business enterprise with a string of shops and eateries. He becomes rich with properties and cars, and his children have good education.
But something just don't seem right for him. He has genetic retinal disease since adulthood. He is religious and becomes an elder in a religious sect. But why on earth must he and had he to suffer early onset of progressive blindness?
He accepts that God wants him to know that there is more to it than life. From a probable likelihood, he did do good and must have a very much blessed life in previous life but was indulgent and too materialistic orientated. He was more involved in self-gain than out to do God's work and help others. He was in past life cut out to help himself.
He did have done plenty of good in past life and this explains all his good fortune. But he was in in past life more focussed on doing this for his own good. We may say he was not sincere enough. But his goodness in past life ensured that he does well in present life.
His only flaw in life is his progressive eyesight disease which threatens to cause more and more blindness. Though he could not know his past life, he would have lived through similar life in early half of this life. But whether he learns or whether he would make the same mistake again is a dicy issue.
If he could have more insight in present life and learn not to make the same mistake and to do better that previous life, life would be very different this life and be very much better. This is not that it is not good enough but that his near perfect life is marred by just one physical misfortune which seems to kill the joy of the other myriad blessings
Life as Bo Tien 武 天 reminds us and so would teachers and saints of all religions is the greatest teacher. We are here in this life to learn what we failed to learn in past lives.
So we may sometimes pray and pray but often God and saints somehow do not answer just this one prayer or request but all other prayers were answered.
As God and saints like Bo Tien 武 天 say, in life we have to cross spiritual gates we did not cross or failed to cross in past life. But do not blame anyone not even God and saints for being unfair.
We may cry foul that God punishes us for a flaw we have in previous life when we don't even know what was our previous life and what went wrong.
The pattern of the previous life will be echoed in the early part of the present life and if we still cannot learnt, then we will have to carry the cross of our failure to learn. We will suffer for it and may have to repeat the learning in future life.
God and saints cannot carry the cross for us though we wish upon wish that they do so. This is not the wish of God.
This is very much our own doing. This is the outcome of what we did. We must learn to correct our weakness and be better in this life.
What we could not learn in this life, we have to learn in future lives. Otherwise we have to carry the cross into the future life.
Whether in future life, we will be lucky enough to have a very comfortable life as the wealthy business man depends on ourselves. Of course, it would be that much more easier to learn if we have a comfortable life. But this cannot be taken for granted.
Some say we may learn better if life is more harsher with less blessings. But then to have almost everything but eye health is terribly harsh and terrifying.
Treasure and count whatever blessings we have. But please don't be complacent. We have more to learn. The greatest blessing is the truth and God is the truth. The Word is God
Life is indeed the greatest teacher. The gospel is in life. God and saints remind us that the Word or Truth is the greatest teacher. The Word is God. Life is God.
Bad habits or mental predisposition in previous life carry over to present life. Spiritual inner peace will be limited by such habits. Unless these are corrected, the person will continue to face the same problems. He will create similar problems he faced in previous life though in a new context. This applies too to worldly life and success.
Bo Tien 武 天 reminds us what God and saints have always said that whatever apply to spiritual will apply too to worldly life. Life is the greatest teacher and gospel. Life is God.
This means we can learn and have better control of our life and destiny. Our life in many ways is in our own hands. We hold the key to open up more life to life.
The greatest obstacle to more life is often ourselves. We tend to blame others. It is so convenient to do so and makes us feel others are bad and we are good.
We even blame God and saints for not doing enough for us. We want to correct others and God. But this is impossible and will create more problems.
Even if indeed others are wrong, often we cannot change them. We cannot change the world. But we can change ourselves and make life more palatable.
Change ourselves and not change the world is the way for most of us unless we can be God. Even God and saints cannot do that. They can only tell us how to move on in life and have less problems, create less problems and make life more smooth.
It is obviously easier then to have peace in life. We can then be in control and less affected by the yin and yang in life, the ups and downs and the ways of fellow men.
This Bo Tien 武 天 reminds us and this is not new but present in the teachings or common ground of all religions - the inner truth.
Well, he did sum up the problems of life of man. The problems of men are many and plentiful. Often men create more problems when solving problems. Men blame others and not themselves. As Jesus put it, they see the dust in the eyes of others but not in their own eyes.
