Revisit of the 1980 message of Lord Bo Tien

No 310 of Living Life Series 1
 

Descent at old temple premises 407A Woodlands Road

On the 13th day of the 9th lunar month of 1980. the emissary of Lord Bo Tien descended through late Senior Bro Philip. He came and blessed the four directions. He was heartened that 12 years had passed since his first descent. This represented the full cycle of the clock and the era of "two dragons supporting pearl" would come into being.

He then recapitulated the previous year's anniversary message (1979) about a lone tree planted in a fringe plot of land. As there was water beneath the tree, it survived and blossomed despite the dry season. The beautiful fringe garden of which it is a part has created an atmosphere of pleasantness, harmony and serenity. The transition to this big tree while other trees in plantations beside the fringe wither in dry season has enabled people to be wiser and learn from its knowledge of survival.

Lord Bo Tien

He then went on to interpret His carved image to drive home the point that the image is the doctrine and the doctrine is the image. The one who knows the doctrine knows Him and the mission. The one who knows Him knows the doctrine and the mission. He who does not know the doctrine will not know and see Him even if the lord saint or His image is in front of him. (Inner truth netizen adds: The less spiritually inclined will end up doing the mission of man and not the mission of Heaven. This is inevitable for most men when they pursue the spiritual path. This though can be corrected and be just a passing phase. Heaven understands and does go along with the ways of men. But Heaven will endeavour to uplift men to be closer to saints and be more like saints)

The sceptre He is holding represents the Mission of Heaven. The mission is here to stay and will last. There is need to have firm foot hold, that is, to be committed, unwavering, steadfast and firm. The mission is definable, doable and durable. It is for one and all, irrespective of their religious affiliation or even if none. His lordship is to enlighten all on the inner truth and not to start a new sect or religion. The inner truth perspective enables all to be better adherents of their respective religions or sects and promotes oneness in diversity of approach.

The left hand in salutation pose signifies that Heaven will clear the way for the mission even if there be obstacles and obstructions. The left hand pose bides all to be faithful, wholehearted and fully committed. Heaven will answer prayers of the faithful.

Followers should not mistake the majestic military attire to conceive that He is a general. He is a heavenly saint and not a general. There is no need to know who He is but to know what He represents and the values He wants to share with all.

The dragon chair He sits on reminds us that His seat is the Holy Spirit of Divinity ('leng" in Hokkien). The Holy Spirit brings divine love, peaceful joy, comfort and hope. Because of its omnipresence, it is the nest or seat of life for certainty and predictability for all in the life of yin yang uncertainty and woes. The twin dragon (the arm rests) supports the pearl of doctrine personified as the carved image of His lordship (hence the four worded phrase in Hokkien -'two dragons support pearl' )

The armour projects the values of vitality, vigour and victory in endeavours and challenges in life' s front line or battle field.

The many colors of the image represent the many races, sects and religions which are different in approach but complement one another to bring inner truth and ultimate peace for all to be with God and saints here now and in this life. There is no need to wait till afterlife.

The two figurines at His feet represent the yin and yang. All need to be atop, ride and balance the yin and yang in life (the axes of gain loss, wealth poverty, health sickness, honour dishonour, birth death etc). All must take full cognisance of and not deny yin and yang. The mind is the chief. It is the main deciding factor and it must be cultivated to rise above and be atop the yin and yang. All that we are and can have start with, arise in, develop within and end with the mind. All can have inner peace and be seated on the Holy Spirit like the heavenly saints. Everyone should strive to be the embodiment of the doctrine and be the pearl supported by the two dragons of the Holy Spirit ('two dragons support pearl')

The image of the lord saint is as important to Him as it is to all. It is a pictorial lucid portrayal of the true nature of life, the inner truth doctrine and the purpose of the Mission of Heaven. (Inner truth netizen elaborates. It portrays the true nature of life and the issues due to the yin yang interplay. It leads us to understand (a) the problems as result of yin yang, (b) the consequent need to accept the reality and (c) the cause of why we have problems. The solution is not to evade yin yang but to ride and balance the yin and yang and have victory in life with inner peace. This inner peace we can have here and now is heavenly and we do not need to yearn and get it only in after life. There is need to work towards this out of love for oneself and also for the world. There is the need for the mission to share this as underlying truth behind the facades of all religions and sects. Heavenly saints will pave the way and no obstacles can stop the mission of Heaven unless, due to free will and human frailty, man side-steps from time to time and make it the mission of man. Even then Heaven is divine. Heaven is not like man. Heaven will not give up hope in the weakest or worst amongst men.)

The image is made of wood and would crack over time but this should not be of concern. What is of concern to all is that all should be able to grasp its significance and the divine message it conveys and projects. Impermanence is the hallmark of sentient life. Where there is arising, there is decay. Unsatisfactoriness is to be expected and should not cause dis-ease to whip up storms in life. Calm seas do follow after storms. Where there is sorrow, there will soon be happiness. There will be ups and downs in sentient life. Whilst all should want to have the good in life, what is more important is to have goodness of spirit or soul. The form, blessings and fortunes of mortal yin yang life do not last but the blessings and fortunes of spirit will go on and will last. Purify and fortify the spirit (with purity, love and merits). This should be the main driver in life, not the sentient form, wealth, status and all that are sentient and transitory. (Inner truth netizen reminds that the modus operandi that works for the spirit to bring divine peace will work well to ensure ample blessings in sentient life but not vice versa. The spiritual way will ensure that we neither deny sentient life nor be slave to trappings of sentient life. There is need to have correct approach to nurture inner peace of spirit. All else will follow suit. The wayfarer should not be detracted from the path by worldly or sentient trappings which are 'good to have' but not 'must have'. What is 'must have' is divine inner peace amidst the yin and yang. This inner peace generates the purity of the spirit or soul. Even the wealthiest may be troubled and not be at peace in life if they do not have the correct spiritual approach)

The emissary conveyed that the need to continue with the mission. For this, cooperation and meeting needs are key areas to focus on. Love for life is to be emphasized, more when suffering, unsatisfactoriness and incompleteness abound. Feel for life of others as much as one would feel for oneself. Feel for others unhappiness, suffering, pain, loss and sorrow. If there be enough for oneself, spare some for the unfortunate. This will brighten the day for them and lighten their load. All religions are of the same objective. All are for the same goal regardless of their colors, race, and attributes. The differences and varieties do not pose barriers to the mission. All that is needed is for all to continue in their own distinctive ways but yet driven by the same underlying values in life - to save all or as many as can be .

Lord Bo Tien commented that " The arguments and reasoning of man are plentiful" Men tend to rationalise, to give excuses, to lament and complain but men should be reassured that heavenly saints like lord saint are aware of problems faced by men. Do pray in earnest and heaven will open the ways out for men to resolve their problems. Big issues will be small issues and small issues be no issues. What is needed is to be insightful with life and to perceive the true nature of life and its inner truth. This is in keeping with the will of God and Heaven. This is the mission of Heaven. The lordship is a heavenly messenger for the mission. When men look up towards the heavenly saints, they must see this doctrine of life. When they grasp the doctrine of life, they will see Heaven and the saints like the lord saint.

At this point, there was a gush of wind followed by heavy downpour of rain. The emissary commented thus. Followers and adherents are like the wind and the rain is like the doctrine to quench the thirst of society for the inner truth of life. The wind carries rain to wider area. (It would be better that rain comes with wind for the rain to be carried to wider area. It is best to have doctrine propelled by men working in unison, harmony and with gusto like the gust of wind. This way the doctrine will spread to wider society.)

The mission can also be compared to the sailing boat at sea. The boat will not sail if there is no wind. Men in the mission provide the wind to set sail the mission. When there is wind, the boat will sail. When there are men for the mission, the mission will move on. All must be in harmony for the wind to be more effective to move the boat of the mission. With harmony and all working in unison, the mission will spread globally with new urban initiatives .

When there is lack of unison and harmony (due to lack of wisdom both insight and foresight), there is less impetus or wind for mission. All must press on and not loose heart. All beings must understand the spirit and essence of the doctrine. All need to be versatile and be able to adapt it to their life. There is need to do so in context so as to be relevant and optimal. Perseverance and patience are needed in all undertakings. No obstacles there be can hinder mission to save souls.

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Revisit of the reconstructed 1979 message of Lord Bo Tien

No 309 of Living Life Series 1

 

Old temple at 407 A Woodlands Road Singapore
where the 1979 message was delivered
through late Senior Bro P. Philip

Brethren, on the 13th day of the 9th lunar month in 1979, the emissary of Lord Bo Tien emphasized to us that the inner truth underlies the directions of all sects and religions. In that anniversary message, he elaborated the doctrine with the lesson of the tree at the fringe. As the message has been misplaced, this article is not substantial portrayal of the message. But nevertheless, inner truth netizen would like to attempt to reconstruct the message at least to present the spirit of the message.

Teak wood image of Lord Bo Tien as at old temple
is of immense sentimental value to old members
and now sits at room at top of new temple.
It is more than 40 years old as at 0ct 2011

 

 

There are many trees in plantations. Come dry season, the trees shrivel, do not fare well and have few fruits. At the fringe, there is a lone tree. The grass and shrubs around it remain green and flowering despite the dry season. This lone tree pales in comparison with the trees in the plantations in good seasons. Somehow, however, despite dry season, it still has a good crown of leaves and fruits. Though rivers dry up and there is hardly a drop of rain, it ironically thrives better than the trees in the orchard. The farmers are at a lost but a few decide to relocate their trees to the fringe. Soon these trees too survive the dry spell and could flower and bear fruit.

How do we explain this? The answer is simple. The lone tree at the fringe is rooted in ground with subterrain water stream in all seasons. Even not tended to and watered by farmers in good seasons, it can still survive though less majestic than the trees in the plantations. But the trees in the plantations wither in the dry season as the farmers could not secure any water for the trees. The lone tree at fringe rooted in ground stream has continuous water supply in all seasons. It could survive even when not tended and watered. (It would certainly fare even better if tended and nurtured with more water in good seasons)

Brethren, adherents of religious institutions too must ensure their institutions must be sustained not just by the water of conventional ways of sectional society but more importantly, by the all-season underground water of inner truth.

The inner truth is that God and Heaven reach out to us via more than one religion or sect, via more than one tree of hope. This is to allow more to experience the inner peace amidst the yin yang ups and downs in life. This inner peace is achieved by recognising, by balancing and by non-denial of yin and yang. We will then not be tossed and swept around by yin and yang. Yin and yang refers to the worldly contingencies or axes in life like gain loss, health sickness, praise blame, honour dishonour, elation and dejection, mania and depression etc which create restlessness and dis-ease. We do not need to wait till kingdom come in after-life to have heavenly peace. We can do so here and now. Only by inner peace can we be one with the peace and purity of the holy spirit of God and heavenly saints ('leng' in Chinese Hokkien). We will have heavenly inner peace of our spirit or inner being here and now. We develop the God or Divinity within us. 

Religions and sects are thus the trees of hope to save souls by appealing through diverse ways and means to reach out to as many as can be to bring on the inner peace in the world within every individual. For the trees of hope to be effective all the time, the religions as trees of hope must be nurtured by the water of inner truth and not just driven by water of sectional preferences, interests and norms unique and peculiar to sectional society. The latter are effective but religions would otherwise be more effective for all seasons if rooted in water of inner truth.

There is another application of the lesson of the lone tree. Do we as individuals want to be the lone tree and survive all seasons and contingencies of life? We can do so by being rooted in underground water of inner truth when we practice and profess our separate spiritual approaches? We are one in inner truth (that is in our goal to have godly divine inner peace) but remain distinctive in our separate approaches.

Do we want to see the oneness of religions and sects or do we want to see the sects and religions as divides and contradictions? Just like water and fire, they complement and make nature more whole, so too with religions. They may appear different but serve the diverse needs and make humanity more wholesome and divine. Religions have their worldly or mundane ways to attract, meet needs and hold on to their adherents. They need to evolve and to be innovative to do so. Collectively, they appeal to more men than what could be achieved by just any one religion or sect. But to be more effective, not to cause divides, and to be synergistic, they must be sustained concurrently by the divine underground water of inner truth. 

Last but not least the lone tree lesson can be applied to another perspective. The lone tree can represent the fringe small and modest organisation of the lord saint. The organisation (like many others) is not set up to roll out another sect or religion. As His lordship has stressed, it is to serve as platform to promote better understanding of religions and why God and Heaven have sanctioned proliferation of more religions and sects to be pillars to bring more beings to the fold of divine peace here and now. There is no need to wait for the afterlife. 

In time, many more religious institutions the world over will be persuaded to adopt the intentions of the many organisations like that of the lord saint and uphold the inner truth. They can reach out in their own separate, special and unique ways. Yet they will rejoice in and complement the good works of other institutions. This points to the harmony, infinite compassion and peace so characteristic of divinity but not instinctive in men.

This hopefully gives a glimpse-cum-discussion of the 1979 anniversary message. The attempt at re-enactment does not do justice to the divine wisdom of the lord saint.

Bo Tien Temple at
No. 6 Fourth Chin Bee Road,
Singapore 619708
Tel: 65 62626021

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Damnation is not the way of God and saints

No 308 of Living Life Series 1

Many would like to believe that God and saints are like men. When leaders of men handle other men, they expect men that when men make mistakes and commit crimes, they should be corrected criticised and even be punished more so if recalcitrant.

Rather than trying to correct, trying to let fellow men realise what are best for them, self anointed leaders of men would like to judge, to say at least certain unpleasant words and in the process to kindle distaste, disquiet and even ill will.

But if God and saints are like that, no one would be able to please them. Everyone would face the wrath of saints and many would face damnation and many would want us to believe even eternal hell or damnation.

Fortunately we would be wrong in thinking so. We should not wrong God and saints and see them as men. What have the prophets have to say on this matter?  

Judge not lest ye be judged. Many see the dusts in others' eyes and fail to see the dusts in their own eyes. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. If someone slap you on one cheek, offer the other cheek.

Certainly God and saints see the goodness and potential for more good in men. They do want men to be good but let men learn and do so at their own pace. They do not judge, let alone prejudge. They do not seethe with anger but do not have slightest anger or ill will and are ever loving, understanding and full of goodwill. They do not go for an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

Fortunately there are many good amongst men nowadays who too would not take such position and attitude. 

Men may badmouth and do wrong to saints but they the saints do not harbour anger but just pity and love for men.

Any consequences of wrong by men are due to consequences of bad actions but not due to the retaliation of saints.  

In the view of the saints, it is natural for the yin and yang to be present in men for men belong to the world of yin and yang. It is the ideal to be right all the time and to be able to please fellow men all the time. But in reality this is not possible. We do differ from others. We do have different views and we can make mistakes.

But we cannot avoid having views and actions by doing nothing and by running away. We cannot over do by overindulging and be reckless. We have to balance and to learn in yin yang world.

We reap what we sow for both the good and for our shortcomings as well. God and saints reward us for the good but they do not punish us for our shortcomings.

Divinity sees value in everyone and fosters more goodness in us and hopefully this will mean we become more good and less bad. That way, our life like a cup has no place for sand and mud when there is more water of goodness poured into it.

But this will take time and divinity is tolerant and willing to wait though fellow men may protest and damn our shortcomings on behalf of God and saints. There is divine benevolence for the wrong we do and small wonder some say we are saved by the grace of God and not by good works alone.

Saints like Lord Bo Tien have reminded us on the following. The ways of men are not the ways of saints. Those who do wrong and are outcast or damned by men are near to the saints so long as there is at least some or a little goodness in them which like a flickering candle flame can be sheltered and nurtured to grow and glow as Lord Bo Tien has to say since 1975. The far may be near and the near may be far.

Lord Bo Tien

Do not stand on high pedestal and say so and so has done good in past but because of his one or two irritating transgressions, this will in the eyes of the judgemental men wipe out all his goodness and he should be damned. Dear friends and readers, this certainly is not the way of God and saints.

No man is damned by his actions but all men are saved by the good they have however finite the good may be. But more so, they are saved by the grace and goodness of Heaven to shelter and nurture the candle flame of goodness in men. Divinity fosters more good in men. God and saints are certainly caring and benevolent.

Men may be self opinionated and ego-centric  but God and saints are not. Even those in deepest level of Hell are not damned but saints will help the beings in Hell to salvage and nurture whatever goodness they may have in the past and grow the goodness so that they be reborn to higher levels and even to Heaven.

Lord Bo Tien is known to be tolerant of human weaknesses in a man. The lord will be kind to that man for the good he has done and will go all the way to bless him so that he will be more focused on his blessings and concentrate to enhance his good points. He will therefore have less time to further his weaknesses. This way, though that man has not changed in respect of his weaknesses, the weaknesses will not overwhelm the good and be more of a bane to him as he is channeled to focus and cultivate the good in him.

This is manifestation of the benevolence of the lord saint. Otherwise the weaknesses if indulged and exacerbated will be like cancer and overwhelm and consume whatever good a man has and destroy him. That man will have less time for his wreaknesses and there is less inclination for him to rub other men with his weaknesses.

Also other men who are the victims of his weaknesses will have less chance or opportunities to have anger and ill will towards him. His victims who bear less or even no grudge and vengeance will be blessed by the lord saint if they can have less grudge and ill will. The lord saint will bless them not only for that but for the good that they may have. They will be channelled to better things then to dwell on grievances caused by the weaknesses and transgressions of that man

All men without exception have weaknesses and need to improve  by eradicating at their own pace and freewill  such weaknesses that they may have. Meanwhile with guidance and benevolence of saints, they will have less opportunities to dwell in the weaknesses and such weaknesses will have less destructive effect for these men and for the men they associate with and who are hurt by their weaknesses.

If the men belong to a temple, then they will be less likely to destroy the temple just like insects and parasites destroying a tree which was the analogy referred to by Lord Bo Tien in one of His messages

Man may damn other men but certainly this is not the way of God and saints. God and saints have better ways. That is the great difference between saints and men. The ways of men are not the ways of saints.

Let us learn to be a wee bit more like the saints, only a wee bit more will make a vast difference and bring more good and cheer to this world of men

Ji Gong the Living Buddha
is a pillar of benevolence
for the wrong in men

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The yin yang cross to divine peace

No 307 of Living Life Series 1

There is much said about the need to live the doctrine in our life and make the doctrine the guiding light in life. Life is full of learning experiences and the doctrine is life and life is the living gospel. Lord Bo Tien has been reiterating this to us like all other saints

Lord Bo Tien

To the Chinese, there is the reality of the universe around oneself and the need to realise that if one knows the universe around oneself, one will know oneself better and vice versa. The idea is to be at peace with life and with the universe be it one's own individual life or the world one is in.

But the problem is that there is flux, there is change and every problem solved is not the end all but the beginning of more problems or issues to handle. One cannot stand still but has to move on with life and be part of the ups and downs of life.

The ancient sages refer to this as yin and yang. Yin may be regarded as the phoenix and yang the dragon, but English translation may refer to yin as the negative and yang the positive, but this will give the wrong connotation that yang is good and yin is bad.

But the reality is that either is both good and bad. For example, too much of worldly or material attributes like wealth and status can bring woes and yet is good. Being lacking in material or worldly attributes like wealth is bad but can be good as we do not have issues that comes from too much. The rich may be poor and the poor may be rich. This is often attributed to Lord Jesus. The far may be near and the near may be far from divinity or what is true peace in life. This Lord Bo Tien has been telling us. So what should one go for and how to make life meaningful and peaceful so that life is rewarding come what may.

Buddha refers to craving or wanting more and more. This is the yang aspect. He also refers to the other extreme of going for nothing and denying  or torturing oneself, asceticism. This is the yin element. Buddha advocates rightly that both extremes are false ways or views and lead to miseries or to put it in the words of ancient Chinese sages, no peace at all.  So Lord Buddha teaches the Middle Way to steer clear of the two by having worldly sustenance and trappings -- enough earthly comforts before there is both health and comforts ample to go for spiritual enlightenment.

This is similar to Tao Way that says one cannot have only yin or only yang. One must go for balance of the two to have harmony with the universe and to be at peace in life here and now and not just for enlightenment in the life hereafter.

If one wants goodness in life one must not go for the sky. One cannot give up either in despair or otherwise. One must be in harmony with one's life events and circumstances and move on, improve oneself in life and make do if we cannot have more.

That is the only way to have continuous good out of life and that will be good. One must be at peace with life and more good one will have that way. To do so, one must not go for the sky or withdraw from life.

One simply needs to be at peace with life and flow along but not be kicked by the polarities, the ups and downs or what the Chinese sages refer to as the yin and yang. When there is harmony of yin and yang, there is peace in life and in the world. This applies to every aspect in our life. This is the Tao principle and found in all aspects of Chinese culture.

A couple has marital bliss if there is harmony of yin and yang. This does not mean that the wife is all yin and the husband is all yang. For even in yang, there is yin and even in yin there is yang. There is also relative yin and yang. Spouses cannot be identical in thinking and interests to same level. But the sum of the attributes of a couple must complement and make one whole like in the wholeness seen in the pakua (bagua)

Lord Bo Tien has through the late P. Philip in the book Lord Bo Tien's Guidance" edited by Senior Bro Pete of Bo Tien Temple referred to figure of a man with the head depicting God or Divinity above and the feet depicting men below.

Page 15 of book Lord Bo Tien's Guidance

Both hands outstretched on either side  depict the yin and the yang. We need both hands to work as one. We need to be at peace with yin and yang and to have harmony of both so as to have peace in life on earth in order to be with God and Divinity above.

Incidentally isn't the cross so symbolic of Christian culture identical to the figure of man with outstretched arms? To inner truth netizen 2, this may be referred to the yin yang cross to divine peace. The top end of cross represents God and Divinity. The lower end represents Man and the two arms the yin and the yang. Man must handle yin and yang in balanced way like the horizontal arms of the cross in order to be at peace and be with God and saints.




Peace be with one and all regardless of religious inclinations or even if none. One must understand that there is some basic truth principles common to all belief systems. This the lord saint Lord Bo Tien refers to as the Inner Truth.

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Mission Observance Day - 13th of ninth lunar month

No 306 of Living Life Series 1


This blog post is personal to  inner truth netizen 2 and based on his perception, experiences and personal visits there. The account of the significance of the anniversary day and views should always be viewed as personal to holder. They are not meant to be all inclusive or to be exclusive. Inner Truth Netizen stands to be corrected at all times.





The anniversary of Lord Bo Tien's descent to initiate the Mission of Heaven on Earth is on 13th day of ninth lunar month.

His descent was to help those in difficulties and to save souls and to explain that this is the same purpose of all religions. This purpose can be achieved by all in their respective though differing ways which are not  divisive but complementary.

The same purpose is the underlying inner truth behind all efforts and there is need to reinvigorate the original spirit of the pioneers and founding fathers. Lord Bo Tien said so in his inaugural message before 1974.

Inner truth netizen is of personal opinion that the anniversary is better referred to as Mission Observance Day as the day marks the descent of Lord Bo Tien to initiate the Mission of Heaven on Earth. This view is personal to holder.

The spiritual anniversary of the mission of Heaven facilitated by Lord Bo Tien falls on  the thirteenth day of the ninth lunar month. We pray to Him for blessings at midnight to mark the beginning of the anniversary and at 7pm for actual day. By virtue of the great merits of the occasion, may all your wishes come true.

Those with heart to pray to Him in earnest be it on this day or any other day, the lord saint doth know. Those who seek His divinity for blessings, the lord saint will come to him.

Big issues will be small issues even if these cannot be no issue. Smaller issues will be no issue.

Our life like a candle flame if sheltered by the saint will glow and grow and will not flicker in the wind. Do use our life like a candle flame to light up the life of others but do remember that a collection of like minded people like the amassing of flames is better than a solitary flame. This the lord saint tells us since 1975.

The lord saint has told us before that the near may be far and the far may be near. How true can this be as there are many who give service to those in difficulties and are not His followers or devotees. These people are near to Him and for that matter to all God and saints. 

He is also well remembered for reminding us that a heavenly saint or divinity is like a flower and cannot be blamed if insects and ants of men chose to come for nectar.

He also said that the Mission of Heaven is not the mission of man but that of GOD and will span out in all directions. He even said figuratively that if need be, it can go to 49 successful institutions or temples. The mission to save souls in difficulties reaches out to all levels and dimensions of existence and not just confined to man. Thus it is not the mission of man but man has a part and plays role in the mission.

Mission Observance Day (or what is better known as the anniversary of Lord Bo Tien's advent more than 43 years ago as in year 2011) is a celebration of life. It is celebration of our gratitude to God and saints.

It is a celebration of how we must appreciate that God and saints through all the religions and sects value every life and soul.  God and saints are committed to make life easier for all amidst the difficulties of yin and yang, of ups and downs so that we could learn to have inner peace despite the endless dualistic twists and turns in life and cycle of rebirths.

The doctrine of the way to do so is in the image and in the pakua, the Tao octagon symbol. We must cultivate the inner peace such that we are able to be on top of the ups and owns of life like depicted in the image of Lord Bo Tien with the feet on top of the elements of life, or like the centre of the pakua not affected by the swirling yin and yang. This concept is presented in one form or other in the various sects and religions.

Lord Bo Tien reminds us that the dogmas and precepts may vary from religion to religion but that is necessary to appeal to different culture and context of society but the underlying doctrine is the same and spells the way to have less issues and problems in life and to find solace and have inner peace in mundane life of ups and downs which will ever remain as the only certainty.

Lord Bo Tien explains that religions and sects are the pillars in the house or temple of God and saints. The whole world is the temple. The sky is the roof of the temple. All under Heaven are in the temple or house of God and saints.

Thus any Bo Tien Temple architecture must embody this concept, with a sky dome to enable Heaven to be the roof and four pillars around an octagon shrine hall to signify world religions in the four cardinal directions supporting Heaven in its mission. The pakua shrine hall will represent the world of yin and yang men are in. The temple itself must be a celebration of life, a constant reminder that there is hope and that men can save and be saved. Men can do so through the pillars of religions in the four cardinal directions.

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Cultivating The Three Jewels of Tao

No 305 of Living Life Series 1
--- The Three Virtues of Kindness, Simplicity and Humility

The Three Jewels of Tao (Chinese: 三寶; pinyin: sānbǎo) are compassion (kindness), simplicity (moderation) and modesty (humilty).   We need to be kind, to  be simple and to be humble. We need to love, to moderate and to be modest.

The first of the Three Jewels is ci (Chinese: 慈; pinyin: cí; literally "compassion, love, kindness"). This is parallel to brotherly love. It is like loving others as a person loves his own existence. 

The second jewel is jian (Chinese: 儉; pinyin: jiǎn; literally "moderation, economy, restraint"). Jian is connected with the Taoist metaphor pu. (樸 "uncarved wood; simplicity"). It represents reaching out for ideal simplicity of desire, that is to have ample desire but not denying or indulging in desire.

The third treasure is the phrase bugan wei tianxia xian (不敢為天下先). It means that one does "not dare to be first in the world". It is connected to a fear of death and out of a love for life, one must not be the first to die. The one who remains behind and embrace humility has time to cultivate life and succeed in Tao or Way. Of course, one must not procrastinate and be the last to succeed.

The seated pose of lord saint Lord Bo Tien embodies the way to practice the three jewels via balance approach as represented by the feet atop the polarities or elements.

Lord Bo Tien

In cultivation of the first jewel ci 慈, one must not love oneself only but must not forget to love others as he loves himself. One must not be kind to oneself and forget to be kind to others. On the other extreme, one must not be kind to others at one's own expense, that is end up being unkind to self. There is need to be balanced in ci 慈.

In cultivation of the second jewel jian 儉, one must moderate wants or to put it plainly, one must be simple with desires. One must not go overboard or deny all desires but must go for the comfortable level of desires, neither zero nor excessive but ample level which will faciltate life both spiritual and mundane. The seated pose of Lord Bo Tien with feet atop the polarities reminds us to be balanced in respect of desires. We can neither totally forgo nor go under with desires. We need only to be just simple like the ''uncarved wood".

The third jewel "bugan wei tianxia xian" (不敢為天下先) in literal sense is "not be the first in the world". In cultivation if this third jewel, we must not rush in to cultivate the way and end up not succeeding, but take our time to learn and do it well. Thus again the pose of the lord saint depicts balance with feet balancing extremities. Whilst we should not be the first, we should not be tardy and be the last for being tardy may mean we never achieve at all.

This is the way to master the three jewels or treasures of Tao - the three virtues of compassion, simplicity and modesty (humility). This opens up our life to more of divine peace that all saints and religions want us to have.


We need to be kind, to be simple and to be humble. We need to love, to moderate and to be modest. Life would be more pleasant even if fate is not on our side at times. What matters most is that at all times we need to be peaceful to be able to harness more out of life.


We need to go for the three virtues and be able to do so in the most effective way as depicted by the image of Lord Bo Tien. The image tells us more of how to practice the doctrine and how to practise the doctrine is carved into the image.


Let us cultivate the three virtues of kindness, simplicity and humility and not only live the doctrine in our life but also let the doctrine be carved into our life so that we be beacons to light up the lives of others as well.

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The Five Taoist Flags

No 304 of Living Life Series 1

Constellations refer to the groupings of stars in space as observed by Chinese astronomers in the days of old. There are 28 such constellations

Do you know that a set of five flags may adorn a Taoist temple but this practice may have varied from temple to temple.

They are said to direct the power of the 28 constellations to guard the temple and ward off bad influences.

With this set of flags, a temple can harness divine help from the celestial troops of the Taoism 28 Constellations to patrol the temple and secure the temple as part of heaven on earth.

The flags usually have words in the center of each flag to designate the name of the respective group of constellations.

There are four flags representing the four cardinal direction constellations.

Green flag is for east 7 constellations of the dragon.  

Red is for the south 7 constellations of the phoenix. 
 
White is for the 7 constellations of the west white tiger. 

Blue is for the north 7 constellations of the turtle.

The black flag is the main commanding flag in a temple to connect all four

The are also five archangels in western belief system. Are they similar? God knows. Isn't there more than a coincidence and a parallel of sorts?

There is more that we need to know. Now with the global internet, cultures and beliefs do meet and mix.

Taoists center their belief systems based on the universe and thus there is reference to the stars in relation to the celestial army of heaven and we therefore have the five flags. 

Man too has in him the universe, sort of a micro-model for the universe. 

There is the axiom of "as above, so below". Taoism advocates that  man by understanding himself may gain knowledge of the universe, and vice versa.

The universe is defined as everything that exists and nature has to do with five elements. The body too ties directly into the Chinese Five Elements. 

The five elements were one of the additional last topics touched on by P. Philip in his book at Bo Tien Temple "Lord Bo Tien's guidance" and this book was edited by Peter. The book represented the final summary contribution of late senior Bro Philip for the lord saint Lord Bo Tien.

We must understand that the five elements concept enables more refined mindfulness of phenomena based on five stages, aspects or phases.


The elements are:

 ■metal (Chinese: 金, pinyin: jīn, )
 ■wood (Chinese: 木, pinyin: mù)
 ■water (Chinese: 水, pinyin: shuǐ)
 ■fire (Chinese: 火, pinyin: huǒ), and
 ■earth (Chinese: 土, pinyin: tǔ, ).

A revisit of the 1978 message of Lord Bo Tien

No 303 of Living Life Series 1

The emissary of Lord Bo Tien descended through the late Senior Brother Philip on the 13th day of the 9th lunar month of 1978. This was the 10th anniversary message.

In previous anniversary messages, He had encouraged society and members alike in their spiritual and group endeavours to be unified in collective effort and bonded like the many different elements and components that made up the concrete pillar. The components are different and not identical. But together they make up the concreteness of the pillar. Religions and sects may differ and appear poles apart like fire and water. Fire and water are two essential and at times opposing elements of nature - rain and sunshine. But they can act concertedly and synergistically by being complementary and augmentative, so as to be the concrete pillar to save souls in the world.

He expressed further." Cooperation, commitment and oneness of hearts are worthwhile and fruitful. This is in keeping with divine directions. The success of tonight's 10th anniversary exemplifies this cooperation amongst members. The collective efforts can generate and had generated wholesome outcome. They enable the limited numbers to help the numerous needy in the wider society. Members had even congregated tonight in the same colored garments. The oneness of purpose and actions contrast with the diverse background of members. This stands out as noteworthy reminder of oneness in diversity. It had colored tonight's congregation. Though coming from all walks of life, the members are one as they kneel down in one color and devotion. This oneness to invite the lordship for the anniversary is notable" (and inner truth netizen adds that this is good reminder of the one purpose of all religions and sects to save souls despite their differing approaches. This is the inner truth behind all religions. On the surface and outwardly, religions and sects may apparently be different but the inner truth is that they don the same color of intent to save souls.)

The emissary then requested for the image of the Lord Saint to be brought down to the table before Him. Pointing His fingers to the oil lamp and the image, He said. "The oil lamp represents you and the image represents the lord."
(The image depicts the doctrine. The doctrine of truth is what all need to know of from heavenly saints like Lord Bo Tien and not who they are or their personal history. There is pristine inner truth behind life. This inner peace can only be there if there is balance of the yin and yang contingencies or conditions of sentient life, as represented by the feet of the lord saint balancing and in control of the two figurines. We should neither deny nor be subject to the throes, the 'push' and 'pull' of worldly contingencies of yin and yang - polar opposites like gain loss, happiness sorrow, honour dishonour, birth death, ups and downs etc. This inner peace is the inner or ultimate truth behind the thrusts or expressed approaches of all religions. Religions differ in approaches and styles. They have to employ varied and at times differing ways to secure the attention of as many beings lost and engulfed by the yin yang swirls of the sentient world. The oil lamp represents men in the mission and their role to enlighten all on the inner truth behind life that the image portrays. Men must be the oil to keep the light of the mission alive and vissible. The mission is not to convert but to enable all to be better in having divine peace regardless of their religious and cultural environment)


While repeating and reiterating His earlier observation that members kneeling before Him were wearing the same uniform and were in unison in prayer when inviting Him into the shrine, He asked " Why must it only be on this occasion?" He remarked that the image was at the Temple throughout the 365 days. Yet His presence was not felt at all and many are oblivious of what the image stands for . This He said is due to members not being strongly rooted in doctrine. Doctrine has yet to color the daily life of members. "The doctrine is portrayed in the lord's image and the image is the doctrine." He urged all to understand the doctrine and they would then understand the Lord Saint.


"He who sees and knows the doctrine knows and sees the lord. He who does not see and know the doctrine does not see the lord even if the lord is present with him all the time."


"God almighty the Jade Emperor has decreed the setting up of the temple and the mission. The mission is the mission by Heaven for man and not by man for man"


The mission is to instill grasp of doctrine of the Inner Truth behind religions. This will rejuvenate the religious thought and fervour of the pioneers. Should one generation fail to fulfil the mission, "the image of lord saint will be lifted up to Heaven." The next generations and perhaps many generations to come would fulfill it. This would go on until the day when it would succeed.


"The Lord Saint's mission is like that of a contractor of a building project. Come rain or shine, the contractor has to employ workers to complete the building in good time. If the workers fail to deliver, new workers would be recruited until the project is completed. "


In another illustration, the mission is likened to "the nurturing of a plant when its stems and branches were attacked or infested by pests. Constant nurturing and watering of the diseased plant would bring forth new shoots and new life to the plant. If nurtured, the plant of the mission will grow healthy new shoots and be lively. "


In another scenario, "if the stems of the plant were completely destroyed by pests but the roots still remain, a new plant would emerge if there are sufficient water and nurturing." The mission is like the plant. It can be carried to completion by having new stems so long as the roots remain. The Lord Saint can carry on the mission with new initiatives so long the mission (plant) has a few faithful members to be roots to bring in significant others to be new stems of mission for the mission to be effected.


The emissary then reminded that the Image, the Doctrine of Inner Truth and the Temple would spread far and wide as Lord Bo Tien is the CHOR CHOO - Hokkien for a deity or heavenly saint empowered by God Almighty to carry out the Mission of Heaven. No obstacles are too daunting to be resolved by his lordship. Lord Bo Tien will make things happen. Men should not doubt but do their part however small this may seem. Heaven will take the lead for men to follow and contribute towards the mission.


(Inner Truth Doctrine is also Four Pillars Doctrine. Religions are the pillars in the house or temple of God with the sky and heaven as roof. Men and beings are housed in the temple and its compound. Lord Bo Tien is not here to start a new religion or sect but to explain the oneness and same inner truth behind all religions. He will rejuvenate religious thought and fervour in all regardless of religious affiliation. This is so that all can learn how to have inner peace in life, that is, heaven here and now and not in the distant future. We can have this heavenly inner peace NOW by balancing and being on top of yin and yang but not denial or avoiding of yin and yang contingencies e.g. gain loss, honour dishonour, praise blame etc. We do not wait for heaven in next life. We live the heaven here and now. We yearn not for the horizon or paradise. The pillars of the mission are the religions all over the world in the four directions --hence term Four Pillar Doctrine is alternative term for Inner Truth Doctrine. More religions enable a wider coverage, a wider net to be cast in all the cardinal directions to meet varying needs and to save more souls. There is oneness of Heaven and GOD behind and across all religions but there is yet to be oneness of men. Man is not perfect and need divine hand and grace so that we will be rewarded for whatever good we have and are capable of further doing. By divine grace, we will not meet fate based on whatever not good we do surely have in some way or other. Thank GOD that God and saints are not like men, don't you agree? Cheers for all men. Praise be God and all saints.)

"The welfare activities like aged home foster charity, are wholesome and are in line with the wish and direction of Heaven. But the Mission of God is more than that. The mission is to spread the Doctrine of Inner Truth. behind all religions."

(Inner Truth netizen reminds that Lord Bo Tien often reiterated that His role is not to start a new religion but to invigorate the original religious fervour and thought in all irrespective of their religious affiliation or even if none)


"What is lacking often is grounding in the doctrine in members of any temple or spiritual group. For any temple, good results will always be there for good efforts made but members are often lacking in grounding in doctrine. Because of this, many may come to a temple or religious premise with personal motives. Some have self interests, others to gain higher status in society but there are those who are not expecting any returns. It is important therefore to be strong in doctrine and its practice" (We should go to such places to learn the doctrine, make it the basis of our life and to purify our spirit. Our sole objective must be spiritual. With spiritual drive, the worldly blessings will then be there to provide the congenial environment for divine inner peace which in turn fosters more ample mundane world for more inner peace. Our objective should never be primarily our mundane worldly concerns with spiritual and Divine Doctrine of Inner Truth taking back seats. Lord Bo Tien has said that the modus operandi that yields spiritual satisfaction will bear results too in mundane world. But the ways for mundance world often will usually not be the ways for spiritual satisfaction that sages refer to as inner peace.)


(Inner truth netizen elaborates that there is more to be considered from another perspective. Ideally, followers would naturally adopt more holistic approach rather than trying to serve less worthwhile agenda which are not exactly wrong or right. These less worthwhile agenda would include personal agenda and getting into the good books of others be they saints or men. They merely reflect the nature of men and the imperfection of men who are yet to be enlightened. The heavenly saints understand, are empathetic and will go along till such times when men and sentient beings are more grounded in doctrine and can fare better. They, the saints, are not persecutory and do not ridicule and frown. This is evidence of the width and depth of tolerance and compassion of Heaven. Errant leaders in spiritual groups will be considered as back sliders or even wolves in sheep's clothing by fellow men but not by heavenly saints. This is singular great difference between saints and men. Man is man and saint is saint. Man is judgemental, much less tolerant and tends to be persecutory, don't you agree? But man can learn and in time be saint. Do give credit to the capability of man. Saints do so all the time and never give up hope with men and all beings even those in pits of hell and swept away by crimes and passions. Cheers once again. Do ever rejoice in the grace and compassion of Heaven so divine and infinite. Lord Bo Tien is a divine messenger of this magnificence of GOD and all heaven. PS Do note that we are not written off because of the not right that we do, this does not mean we can do the not right with impunity. On the contrary, we must face the consequences of our actions especially those done consciously. We should have insight, admit our flaws, face reality and improve. Taking such a stance is doing good and will reap good outcome. It is likely that the bad outcome of our past flaws may have less opportunity to take effect, be averted somewhat or at least, be ameliorated both by pureness of our positive stance and by the showers of approval by the saints. This is not 'forgiveness' but for many, the term is used loosely. But so long as we see and think clearly, it is acceptable, by convention, to use the term 'forgiveness' but the word can convey fear and guilt. This, brethren, is contrary to the way of God and saints. Guilt and fear can cause restlessness and hamper cultivation of inner peace of our spirit.)

Mission, Life and Gospel

No 302 of Living Life Series 1

Synopsis

What are meant by 'mission', by 'life' and by 'gospel'?  Why are there three images at the temple of the lord saint at Singapore namely that of Lord Bo Tien, Lord Amitabha Buddha and Goddess Kuanyin?

Mission is to save souls - to help to overcome issues and to have eventual enlightenment of beings.

Life is to enable us to grow, to live and to be wise.

To grow is to train, to develop and to be disciplined as reflected in the image of Lord Bo Tien.

To live, we have to enable and to love life - that is to have compassion  for self and for others as reflected by Goddess Kuanyin image.

To be wise is to learn from living. Truth comes from the lessons of life. This is the maturity or wisdom aspect of life - the Buddha aspect.

The gospel is thus found in life. Lord Bo Tien wants us to learn from our life and others. Learn to handle issues, help oneself, help one another and learn to seek the shelter of heaven - the candle parable. Doctrine too is in pakua at the temple and image of Lord Bo Tien. Do read the text below.

What is the Mission ? 

The mission of Heaven is to save souls. This is facilitated by helping beings to overcome difficulties in life which will pave the way to save souls. Beings tend to be lost and overwhelmed by issues in life.

"The problems of men and beings are many and plentiful." Lord Bo Tien said.

At one end of the spectrum, many don't even have 3 square meals and lodging. Then there are those wanting in health.

At the helicopter end, there is issue of wandering from birth to birth and that is an issue. There is need to save souls, even those in hell. That is why we have the 7th month activities.

There is the need to let beings understand why they have difficulties one after another. There is need to have peace amidst the ups and downs of existence.

The mission to overcome difficulties ultimately it is to save souls from wandering from birth to birth. Beings ordinarily cannot on their own make it out of the cycle of rebirths. Heaven must act. The saving of souls is the Mission of Heaven and not the mission of men.

Men need the blessings of Heaven to be saved. The candle flame of life of a being like man flickers even in the breeze of existence and must be sheltered for life to be the steady flame, so that men can better cultivate their spirituality and be elevated.



What are the 3 phases of life ? 

Life of an individual or organisation is like the temple of the lord saint. There are phases of growing up, living life and maturing in wisdom.

Firstly there is the growing phase or setting up phase, often referred to as discipline or getting organised phase. This is depicted by the image of Lord Bo Tien.

Secondly, there is the working phase or living phase where we live life and overcome difficulties. This is the compassion or Goddess Kuanyin phase and is depicted aptly by the image of the Goddess of Mercy at the shrine hall of Bo Tien Temple. We must have love and concern for life, both for our own and others' lives. This is compassion and is the way to live.

Thirdly we have the wisdom or maturity phase when we are able to have the third eye or the know-how of how to live better. It need not precede the second phase and the second phase will enable the understanding of how to better overcome problems of life and to have peace. We learn from life and are wiser from learning and from the pitfalls in life.

How can we live life better ? -- The Gospel

For there to be wisdom call it maturity if you like or even to have enlightened outlook, we need the Gospel of life. Do we have a gospel? There are many but what is important is to learn from the lessons and issues in life. We learn from life, our mistakes, our weaknesses and from those of others’ lives. We learn from life as it unfurls. There are many processes of learning to overcome life issues and difficulties.

We help ourselves where we can.

We seek the help of fellow men and beings. A group of candles is better than a single candle, the lord saint did say. We can also seek the shelter and blessings of the saints.

A sheltered flame glows and grows and will not flicker in the wind. Big issue become small issues even if they cannot be no issue. Smaller issues will be no issue.

Values that help spiritual do ensure better worldly life of peace amidst yin and yang but the reverse may not work.

We must be balanced and not run away from life just because there are problems and difficulties. We should not live as though there is no tomorrow and no life after death. We must not be affected by the ups and downs of life, by worldly contingencies of birth and death, joy and sorrow, fortunes and misfortunes, loss and gain, honour and dishonour.

We must be at peace and 'stand still' like in the centre of the pakua despite the swirls of the yin and yang. We must contemplate and be mindful of the eight trigrams or combinations of yin and yang in life and existence that our forefathers of tou-li have embodied in the pakua symbol.

 

This balance can only be when we are at peace and the balance itself yields more peace. This doctrine or message of need to be at peace is in the image of Lord Bo Tien with feet balancing and atop the elements of life. The left hand in salutation bids us to be at peace and the right hand with scepter reminds us to hold on to the blessings and loving kindness of Divinity so that our lives do not flicker but grow and glow with inner peace. We learn from the gospel of life and grow the peace and love of life and tap onto the leng or love of Heaven which some refer to as the Holy Spirit. Then we can be seated on the dragon chair of the Holy Spirit like depicted in the image of Lord Bo Tien.

The pakua  takes centre stage at Bo Tien Temple
Likewise it should take centre stage of our life

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The Heaven of the 33 and the lesson of cooperation

No 301 of Living Life Series 1

We must read with interests how there arose the Heaven of the 33.

The Jataka story is about how a wise noble man Magha the Good who cooperated with 30 headmen and three wives to do good by giving up five unwholesome actions and were able to overcome problems by living pure and peaceful lives. They even won others over by their infectious exemplary ways to do what they did. They came to be born as Lord Sakra in the Heaven of the 33.

Bo Tien Temple is doing good works like that of Magha the noble man who had become King Sakra.  Is he the Jade Emperor the Chinese refer to? It is anyone's guess but stories of origins of deities and gods differ from culture to culture. But the importance are the learning points or doctrine and not how correct the stories are. We are in no position to verify and cannot say that they are God given. That would be not consistent with societal norms.

The story begins thus. There was once a young noble called, 'Magha the Good'. He lived in a remote village of just 30 families. 

The villagers respected Magha the Good because he always tried to help improve the village, for the good of all. Because they respected him, he was able to teach the five steps of training - avoiding the five unwholesome actions, which are: destroying life, taking what is not given, doing wrong in sexual ways, speaking falsely, and losing one's mind from alcohol. This enabled them to purify themselves in thoughts, words and deeds. (This is like in the followers of any group or sect. Precepts help members to stir clear of unwholesome actions specific to the context of the relevant society. Lord Bo Tien reminded that every religion has their own way of holding on to following and one way is through guidelines like precepts)

Magha's way of teaching was to lead by example. He did not sermonise. He taught through actions and deeds, living his life well. (What is the significance? Life is the gospel of life like what Lord Bo Tien reminded us. The written and even spoken texts are not as effective as the lessons of life as life unfurls. We learn and can teach the good works through living life in wholesome way.)

For example, one day when the villagers gathered to do handicraft work, Magha the Good cleaned a place for himself to sit. Before he could sit down though, someone else sat there. So he patiently cleaned another place. Again a neighbor sat in his place. This was repeated many times, until he had patiently cleaned sitting places for all those present. Only then could he himself sit in the last place. (Incidentally, saints like Lord Bo Tien did remind that we should not talk down to others on how to be good and wholesome. We practise pure values and make it part of our life. We should not be pharisees but gentiles, so said Lord Jesus during his time on earth.)

Magha was a servant leader and gave service through love for fellow beings and in process promoted patience and cooperation. (Lord Jesus serves his apostles by washing their feet.)

By using such examples of patience, Magha the Good taught his fellow villagers, through life and deeds and not through sermons, how to cooperate with each other, without quarrelling and ill will. Working together in this way, they constructed more buildings and made other improvements that benefited the village. (This is the way to help all in difficulties and eventually to save souls. Lord Bo Tien like all saints remind us of this basic purpose of all religions and sects. He referred to this as the Mission of Heaven.)

Seeing the wholesome fruits of patience and cooperation, based on following the Five Training Steps, all in the village Magha lived became calmer and more peaceful. A natural consequence was that former crimes and wrongdoing seemed to be non existent! (Lord Bo Tien reiterated that we need to find peace in life amidst the ups and downs. The best way is through cultivation in life of  discipline,  compassionate actions and wisdom. This is as reflected in the shrine hall of Bo Tien Temple with the images of Lord Bo Tien, Buddha and Kuanyin, Goddess of Compassion.)

We would think in Magha's village the good works promoted by Magha would make everybody happier.

There was however one man who was not happy. He was the head of the village --- the politician who cared only about his own position.

Formerly, when there were murders and thefts, the head man politician meted out punishments. This increased his position of authority, and caused the villagers to fear him. When husbands or wives had affairs with others, the head man collected fines. It is easy to see why the head man was upset to lose so much respect and power and money, due to the people living peacefully together. So he went to the king and told lies, "My lord, some of the remote villages are being robbed and looted by bandits. We need your help."

The king said, "Bring all these criminals to me." The dishonest politician rounded up the heads of all 30 families and brought them as prisoners to the king. The king ordered that they be trampled to death by elephants.

All 30 had to lie down before the elephants. When they realized they were to be trampled to death. Magha said to them, "Remember to be at peace and pure by following the Five Training Steps, so that you may feel loving-kindness towards all. Do not get angry at the unjust king, the lying head man, or the unfortunate elephants." (All saints teach loving kindness for life in one form or another and it is the pivot of all spiritual thrusts in society.)

The first elephant was brought. But when Its mahout tried to force him to trample the villagers, the elephant refused. It trumpeted as he went away. This was the case with each of the king's elephants. None would step on them.

The mahouts pleaded with the king that this was not their fault. "It must be," they said, "that these men have some drug that is confusing the elephants."

But when the villagers were searched, there were none. Then the royal advisers of the king said, "These men must be sorcerers who have cast a spell on your elephants!"

The villagers were asked, "Do you have such a spell?" Magha the Good said, "Yes we do." This made The king was very curious and asked Magha, "What is this spell and how does it work?"

Magha then said, "My lord, we do not cast bad evil spells that others cast. We cast the spell of loving-kindness with minds made pure by following the Five Training Steps."

"What are these Five Training Steps?" asked the king. Magha the Good said, "All of us have given up the five unwholesome actions, which are: destroying life, taking what is not given, doing wrong in sexual ways, speaking falsely, and losing one's mind from intoxicants."

"In this way we have become harmless and peace loving, so that we can give the gift of fearlessness to all. Therefore, the elephants lost their fear of the mahouts, and did not wish to harm us. They departed, trumpeting triumphantly. This was our protection, which you have called a 'spell'."

Finally seeing the wisdom of these people, the king learned the truth. He confiscated the property of the dishonest village head man and divided it amongst them.

This was the biggest project they had yet undertaken. The men were confident because they had learned so well how to cooperate with each other for a common goal. But they did not learn to cooperate in this work with the women of the village. They seemed to think it was only men who could do good works. (Lord Bo Tien reminds us to perform good works and to invite others to join us and to follow our examples. There are no chosen few. The Mission of Heaven to save beings in difficulties and to save souls is not limited to the select few)

By this time Magha the Good had four wives. Their names were Good-doer, Beauty, Happy and Well-born. Of these, the first wife, Good-doer, was the wisest. She wanted to pave the way for the women to benefit from cooperating in doing good work. She gradually became friendly with the boss in charge of the roadside inn project.

Because she wanted to contribute by helping in a big way, she gave a present to the boss. She asked him, "Can you think of a way that I may become the most important contributor to this good work?"

The boss replied, "I know just such a way!" Then he secretly constructed the most important part of the building, the roof beam that would hold the roof together. He wrapped it up and hid it with Good-doer, so it could dry for the time necessary to become rigid and strong.  

When the men in the project got to the point of installing the roof beam, they began to make one, but the boss interrupted them. He said, "My friends, we cannot use fresh green wood to make the roof beam. It will bend and sag. We must have an aged dry roof beam. Go find one!"

When they found that Good-doer just happened to have a perfect roof beam and it was even the right size! They wanted to buy it from her but she said, "It is not for sale. Let me contribute the roof beam for free, but only if you let me participate in building the inn."
The men were taken aback and said, "Women have never been part of this project."

When they told the construction boss what had happened, he said, "Why do you keep the women away? Women are part of everything in this world. Let us be generous and share this work with the women. Then the project and our village will be ever more successful."

So they accepted the roof beam from Good-doer, and she helped to finish the building of the inn. Then Beauty who had a wonderful garden built next to the inn donated it. It had all kinds of flowers and fruit trees. Happy who had a lovely pond dug beside the inn. She donated the pond. It had beautiful lotuses in it . But Well-born, being the youngest and a little spoilt, did nothing for the inn.

In the evenings, Magha held meetings in the roadside inn. He taught the people to assist their parents and elders, and to give up harsh words, accusing others behind their backs, and being stingy.

It is said that the lowest heaven is resided by the gods of the four directions, North, East, South and West. When Magha the Good died with happiness in his heart. He was reborn as Sakra, king of the next heaven above that of the lowest heaven. In time, the heads of all the other families of the village, as well as Good-doer, Beauty and Happy, also died. They were reborn as gods under King Sakra. This was known as the "Heaven of 33".




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