Life pivoted on routines

No 198 of Living Life Series

Many may say routine is boring and a chore. We seem to be going through the same itinerary every day. We sleep at night and wake up in the morning. Then we go to work or to school. Thereafter, we have time for social, family or personal time devoted for individual pursuit. We do our part at housework and domestic matters. Life goes on in this fashion. Is this norm what we want out of life? Can we live without routines? The answer is usually 'No' .


Just look at our body and mental functions. There is always this biological cycle or other. We hear others mention terms like biorthymn. All these cycles be it sleep cycle, menstrual cycle, gastro-intestinal cycle are bodily routines. They are good for well being and ultimately peace and ease of life. They are the routines the body must adhere to. Upset the balance and we just do not feel right. We will not be at ease and at peace.

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Fate and consequences

No 197 of Living Life Series 1

Karma (action and reaction)  is what we do know as fate and consequences.

We are what we do in past lives and the present. Our present is the result of egocentric actions of this life and of the past lives. The past and the now determine our future. Rebirths cease when there is no ego drives.

As we think so do we do. Our actions are due to our thoughts. As we cling, so will we bring out bad karma --- negative life force, vis-a-vis energy for rebirth. We have more negative karma than good karma. Even our good is related to the need for self gain which is bad as well, so long as the good is ego-based.

Given this scenario, even the better of us is not good, and by the yardstick of conventional worldly norms, we should be chided in one way or other. This is how the man of the world will measure fellow men.

If divine heaven sees us in this light, no one is worthy of heaven and of the house of the God, let alone receives blessings from His saints.

But men will inevitably be enmeshed in such mess of negative karma and will have problems or weaknesses one too many.

If on score of ten weaknesses or problem issues in life, on our own, it would be onerous to rise out of the quagmire of problems.

Man is not saved by the score of good as the seemingly good is not so good as it is borne of ego which is bad. If God judges man as worldly men do judge men, none of us is worthy of Heaven and the blessings of the saints.

This however is not how the saints view us. As Lord Bo Tien has said, “The far is more dear and near to him, and the near may be far”

We have seen once too often the grace of the lord. Out of the blue, we find men coming to give thanks to the lord. They know not any of us but have experience the grace of the lord and God. They are far but near, so to speak.

On another perspective, we have seen amongst us lead men who are far from exemplary in life but they were blessed by the lord. Why? Were they rewarded for their bad? This cannot be the case.

The compassion of the lord is such that the lord helps those in the quicksand of ego who may have poor chance of being worthy of God due to their poor insight related to being man and the ego that dooms men.

The Lord blesses even the worst of us so that we could have faith and less problems to contend with. He wants to be near to the far to bring them near to God. Let us have a glimpse of how this come about. Out of score of ten problems, He reaches out to solve some. In this way, we will be less burdened and begin to appreciate God’s love and have faith. We will be more likely to turn to goodness. But we may not be good fast enough or be good enough. We may still be in quagmire of wrong. But given faith and faith in both God and belief in goodness for goodness sake and not for self or ego, we will be able to make good if we pray to the lord for blessings.

As  Lord Bo Tien has told us,

“With divine blessings, small issues become no issues, and big issues will become small issues”

“Those who pray to the saints with whole-hearted sincerity, the saints do know. Those who with sincere heart beseech the saints help, the saints will come forth to assist and bless.”

Whilst those who are sincere will have prayers answered, the Lord reminds us that there is “the element of fate”. We are born to learn and not to be spoon-fed. Hence, we may be fated to face and learn from ill fate. The Lord can help us in eight of ten things, so that the fate of life is sugared and bearable.

But even for ill-fate, if we have faith, we can still endear the lord to help us so that “big issues become small issues”

No wonder world religions do state that man is not saved by self-righteousness but by the grace of God ---- by faith in God and His saints.

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Form and substance ---- Do not disregard the role of form

No 196 of Living Life Series 1

The essential substance of all religions lies in the commonality of divinity behind all religions, what many would refer to as the divine truth of God and saints, how to bring inner truth of the need to be at peace with the polarities or opposites in life and not to be swept around by the polarities and yet to be atop and with the polarities such as blame praise, honour dishonour, gain loss, youth and ageing, health and ill -health etc.

This is presented as both simple and not so simple substance in various sects and religions. One approach is to go for the richness in God and not the richness in Man and yet still be man and not God. It can also be presented as the Pakua or Chinese Octagon with yin and yang to depict the polarities in life. This is elaborated in Buddhist circles as the aggregates and worldly contingencies which bring on turmoil. The balance of this yields equanimity and inner peace to those who pursue the Buddhist way.

Whilst we can divorce substance from form by just believing in divine truth of God, and we can reach God direct without the vehicle of religions, many of us  are still very much man and no where near God and saints.  We need fellow men and the forms by which the substance of divine or inner truth is nurtured and cultivated in us.

That is why an individual may believe in the lucid and comphrehensive elucidation of the inner truth by say Lord Bo Tien through people like the writer of this blog but for many this alone is not enough. The form though theoretically less important is still critical to push that individual forward to have meaningful life both spiritual and mundane.

Many will not go along with the established cultural vehicles of old for divine truth. Even in modern times religion has to re-invest and re-invent, to innovate and to repackage so as to have proper appeal to the youth of today.

Lord Bo Tien would be too glad for such youth and modern society men to believe the inner truth and yet not worship him or be part of the vehicle of  an ethnic Chinese temple.

He only wants to help and be your friend. You will have his full blessings to harness the fruits of inner truth in whatever sect or religion that you find most comfortable and effective.

You can even join a religious group that prance and dance like break dancers and sing or scream like cheer groups so long as such new culture or ways can effect the true essence of the inner truth in  modern day souls, otherwise in modern times, many will be lost to divinity and divine truth.

Moreover, we are still earth bound and still every inch flesh and blood of man and we need to live with men and be men. Thus the form of propelling the inner truth of divinity or God is also important but underlying this form must be the correct orientation or substance of the inner truth which are dealt in detail in the various other postings.

Go for the substance of truth but the form too is no less important though without the substance, the form is of less value.

There is form and substance of truth. Do not play down the role of form. Go for the substance and select the form to propel this in your life.

Lord Bo Tien in choosing  to descend in an ethnic Chinese temple wanted to show us that substance of truth can be presented even in such a form. He is not here to start any new religion or sect but to show that substance is the same behind all forms..... 

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Handling blessings in life

No 195 of Living Life Series 1

There are many of us brethren who are upset by disappointments even when we have blessings coming our way. Often we will be happy with a new job, a promotion in our job or doing well in an examination. But when we examine or get used to the blessing, we become unhappy.

We asked why we made certain mistakes in a test or examination and why we cannot be better. We asked why we could not have as many a promotion in our job as some others and the promotion which was actually a blessing was regarded as something to be depressed about. We become sad when the blessing we have could have been better.

Lord Bo Tien has reminded us that in life we can have blessings or happiness but they are like the flower. The flower is beautiful as a whole but when we examine the flower in parts, we may not admire it as much and may even find the parts ugly. Life blessings are like that. When we do not have them we want them. When we have them, we soon find them wanting. Worldly blessings are like the flower, beautiful to behold as a whole but not so when examined and taken apart.

When we have worldly blessings we attract others to us, just like the flower its beauty and the nectar. When the nectar is no more, many of our so-called friends may leave us after getting what they want. Knowing thus, we should be mindful to go for blessings, appreciate and harness them but not indulge in them nor deny ourselves of the blessings. The flower and nectar attracts admirers and opportunists. We too attract others to us. Flowers too will wither but this does not mean we do not admire the flowers or treasure and utilize the blessings. We appreciate the flowers or blessings but do not over indulge. They are only means to an end and not the end in themselves. This is the Moderated or Balanced Way as expounded by Lord Buddha, avoiding the extreme of self-mortification or denial on one hand and over indulgence or attachment on the other hand.

Extract from  Life and Blessings - The Inner Truth Way

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Mission Statement for all

No 194 of Living Life Series 1



Salvation starts with oneself
Cultivate oneself wisely
Be asset and blessing to oneself
Before one can be asset to society.

Even saints need to attain sainthood
before they can be saint for those in need.
Nevertheless fellowship is important
We need to be with the wise aspects in men

Togetherness with the worthy serves as
concrete pillar for that inner truth of tranquility.
Unlike sand grains swept by the wind,
pillar is unfazed by the wind.

Even saints need fellow saints
to be pillar of strength to devotees,
and to be true to holy spirit of divinity.
No one can stand alone in life and in divinity.


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Neither 'die to self' nor 'die the others'. But 'live and let live' and 'love and be loved'

No  193 of  Living Life Series 1

To die to self is a catch phrase or perhaps even the craze to show that the person concerned is doing the in-thing in life.  They say we must die the old self with bad attributes in order to be reborn as a new self with good attributes. That however does not detract from the indisputable reality that there will be always be the self albeit in a different context or form.

The phrase 'die to self' unfortunately is a very strong and abrasive phrase and a very suicidal and negative one at that. It ignores the fact that in every man there is collection of good and not-so-good even if there be a renewed or reborn self. There are value systems, self-esteem, self-motivation and self accentuation which are good and necessary for progress, be it spiritual or other wise. Surely, there is no need to 'die' the self esteem, self motivation, the existing goodness and entrepreneurship or innovative streak in the old self but to grow such attributes of self.

A better phrase will be to 'better the self'  and not 'die to self'.

Do not for any moment think that to be with God and Divinity of saints, we must 'die to self" and undergo suffering and penance so that we will be closer to Heaven. That will exactly drive us away from Heaven and in the opposite direction to Hell even on earth.

To die to self is sometimes a phrase coined by some men to bring more cohesion and adhesion of their following so that they will just have blind and undying allegiance like soldiers in the charge of the life brigade. Such a strategy if used as one of the many ways to hold a cohort as a whole is justifiable as one of the many temporary means to an end especially when the flock is in a society flout with disasters and predicaments of sorts. But beyond that temporary context, it will be self destructive and self derogatory.

Who ever says God wants us only if we do not want ourselves and if we inflict pain on ourselves. Who will ever say that the only way to Heaven is to put ourselves in pain and deny ourselves any goodness in life.

There are those who believe that in order to keep themselves on the spiritual path to be close to God, they must keep reminding themselves that God only loves them  if they do not love themselves.

They think fatalistically that to be with God they must suffer as much as they can. So even though they scoff as ridiculous and absurd to undergo physical self torture e.g. self whipping, drinking poison, skewing themselves, they subconsciously do what they tell others not to do.

They invent new ways to distance themselves from earthly life so as to be near God. They feel that earthly life and blessings are impediments or barriers that distance them from God and saints. They refuse to harness and cultivate themselves in worldly sense as they wrongly believe that by so doing all these mean things to themselves,  they are martyrs and they will win the favor of God. They literally undergo self-deprivation in the social, educational, occupational, and personal levels. How can they ever perceive that God will love them only if they do such mean things to themselves.

God loves us to want to see us love ourselves and surely we need to help and bless ourselves by not dying to self. It will certainly pain God to see us in pain. God is all loving and not sadist. Even the best of man cannot measure up to the goodness and love of God.

The other extreme opposite of dying to self is to die the others so that we can live more. That will be mean to others and we will need us to be as mean as or worse still to be meaner than the devil.

Even the real devils of hells have some godly goodness in them and that is why heavenly saints do try to reach out to the denizens of hell to appeal to the goodness in them so that they can have chance to be saints and leave hell. 

There is need to balance as depicted by the seated image of Lord Bo Tien with feet balancing the two poles or elements. We should neither "die to self" nor  " die the others" . Only then will we be right and divine and be with the peace and love of God and saints. 

To put it simply. "Live and let live" and 'Love (ourselves) and be loved (by God and saints)'

Truth after all is that simple and yet difficult to perceive.

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Do not forget to give

No 192 of Living LIfe Series 1



Brethren, why do you come to a temple or place of worship? Why do we need to offer joss sticks or other offerings like financial contributions. Well, we need guidance. We need blessings. Worldly life never seems to be adequate. Somehow we seem to want more and more.


There is nothing wrong in wanting. But we cannot receive all the time. For, if we do so, the selfish streak in us may grow into a monster that cannot be satisfied.

A Lord Saint like Lord Bo Tien grants blessings to make us better people – better in every sense. It never was a saint's design to potentiate the greed in us, only to help us overcome life events so that we can proceed to be better people.


Receiving, brethren, is not the norm in life. Definitely, it is not the way to lead a spiritually motivated and fulfilling life. We must learn to give in as much as we intuitively want to receive. The satisfaction from receiving is limited. The joy and satisfaction in giving is limitless.


He, who gives more and more, somehow wants less and less. He is easily contented. He is not a slave of wanting. (But do not go overboard and deny self welfare, for that will be self sacrifice and can tentamount to self denial, self destruction and ascetism of sorts.)


Brethren, if we want to receive, we must also give. By all means, come to a heavenly saint for blessings. Come to the saint with your problems. Be thankful for His assistance, but please remember to give as well.


We can give our service, our presence, our time, our commitment, our thoughts of loving kindness, our deeds of compassion and so on … Of course, we can also contribute to the fund of  a place of worship (eg tithes, love tidings) or charity.


It is a joy to receive. It is a greater joy to give. The satisfaction from receiving is limited and finite, but the satisfaction from giving is immense and ever pervading.

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All about being good

No 191 of Living Life Series 1

Brethren, time and again have we been reminded that religions are the pillars of Truth. In fact this is the recurring message of our Heavenly Saint Lord Bo Tien.


All religions are good. They tell us to do good and avoid evil. Beyond that, they also warn us that doing good and avoiding evil may not be enough. In some religious texts, reference is made to the folly of self-righteous fools. Religions teach us to surrender our ego or self to Divinity. We must do good, not just to please others, not just to feel proud of doing good, not just to claim credit for it but we do good to extend the goodness of God or Divinity amongst men. In fact, we should not feel proud of doing good, but we should be thankful to Heaven that we can do good, that divinity has enabled us to partake in doing good. The pleasure in seeing happy faces should be enough for us. Do not expect gratitude or even a simple “thank you”.


There must therefore be wisdom in doing good. Doing good does not mean pleasing others, or making oneself popular. When we want to please, we may be made use of by others to further their not so good intentions. There must be wisdom when we want to be good and to do good. A person who wants to do good may have to take unpleasant steps. These may not be welcome by others in the short term.


Doing good for goodness sake, without expecting any returns is far better than doing good expecting praise, honour or rewards. The former is noble and not result of pride greed selfishness or ego. The latter is ignoble heavily influenced by selfishness, pride, greed and ego at expense of others and directed primarily for self-benefit.


Lord Bo Tien advises us to be good, to do good and to be wise and to go beyond self in doing good.  Only then can goodness be really good. Let us be good in doing good. It is god-like to be good in doing good.



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Pillars, Mission and Temples

No 190 of Living Life Series 1

  

Brethren, do take heart that any temple of Lord Bo Tien would only be set up to gather together like-minded people to share in the aspirations of our Heavenly Saint Lord Bo Tien. This can be anywhere in the world and for assistance, the writer's personal suggestion is that for those keen to set up on their own initiative a chapel, a church, a temple or a 'templet' dedicated to the vision of Lord Bo Tien, they could consider touching base with Bo Tien Temple at Singapore for opinions, suggestions, discussion and know-how. The words 'Bo Tien' need not even be in the name of the organisation.

Bo Tien Temple is at

No. 6 Fourth Chin Bee Road,

Singapore 619708

Tel: 65 62626021

E-Mail: botiensg@singnet.com.sg

The Lord Saint has long made known to us that He is not here to start a new faith. It was, is not, and will never be His intention that He be represented amongst the host of deities or saints in a temple. Any temple in His name will always be meant to serve as an inspiration for those who ascribe to His Vision of Hope and Compassion for all beings regardless of race, language, and religion. He is amongst men to foster the divine calling to do more good for the good of all beings, and not just for their own individual good. His image is to ignite this divine inspiration in one and all, be they believers or non-believers, gods or men. He is here to answer man's prayers for the betterment of all, but it is never His intention to foster egoistic materialistic self-pursuits.

He represents selflessness - a stance neither to do with selfishness nor self denial. Come to Him for blessings if and when you need help. But bear in mind that His hand of compassion must make better men out of us. By His blessings, we must become more selfless and neither more self-centredness nor self denial. We must end up at least a little closer to Godliness and not more entwined in more materialistic self-centred Worldliness presenting as bad attributes of greed, pride, egoism, hatred, ill-will, jealousy and warped views.

Brethren, He is here to bring us into Godliness. Let Him lead the way. Have faith in Him and tread in His shadow. Then and only then can we be one with Him in His Mission of Compassion for all beings across the great divide of life and death.

Brethren, have we not heard Him state time and again in no uncertain terms that His is the Mission of Heaven and not the mission of men.

Commit ourselves therefore to Him. Let Him walk us along the road of life. Be one with Him in radiating loving-kindness and showering compassion for all beings in all dimensions. This, brethren, is the way for us. Of course, we do not claim that it is the one and only way.

Why? Simply because all religions preach the common good. Just like there are many roads to Rome, there are many ways to spiritual fulfilment. Religions are the pillars of the House of Truth----some prefer to refer to this as the House of God.

Truth is universal and not the monopoly of any one group or individual. Truth existed before religions. Whilst there is only one Universal Truth, there is certainly more than one way to Truth. We do however need help to reach Truth. Religions and the multiplicity of sects and denominations are there to help us. Prophets and Saints like Lord Bo Tien are there to guide us along the various paths to this Inner Truth.

Religions, brethren, are the Pillars of Truth. The Mission to bring Truth to all beings is the Mission of Heaven, and this is not confined to one dimension but cuts across all dimensions. Temples translate mission from vision to reality. Thus this article is aptly titled Pillars, Mission and Temples.

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The enshrining of the way to eternity

No 189 of Living Life Series 1

 

Brethren, just look at a simple house. There are the pillars. There is the roof. Pillars support the roof.

Brethren, ponder over Truth. There are the religions. There is only one Truth – the inner Truth. Religions, like pillars, support the House of Truth. 

Brethren, Lord Bo Tien descended many years ago with a mission. His Mission is to enable us to realise the Truth in whatever religion we may be in.  He reiterates that religions are the pillars of Truth.

He specifically illustrates to us that even the cultural practices of Chinese ethnic origins are of no obstacle for Him to demonstrate the presence of Truth.

Even the Trinity of Images at a temple shrine dedicated to Lord Bo Tien tells us of the path to Truth. 

The Buddha image in the centre personifies wisdom or intellectual perspective to Truth. 

Goddess of Mercy image personifies determined effort with compassion. 

Lord Bo Tien image in general armour personifies moral discipline.

These three approaches personified thus through the trinity of images remind us of the three aspects of spiritual path of religions

A temple altar can therefore enshrine the way to eternity………………

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