God and the genesis of life and religions

No 366 of Living Life Series 1

THE 2012 MISSION DAY MESSAGE
God and the genesis of life and religions
Duplicated from series 2 post 177

 

God Alimighty -The Pure August Jade Emperor

 

In Chinese culture the Pure August Jade Emperor, Yü Huang Shang Ti heads the Heavenly Palace of gods. The Chinese refer to him as Tien Kung, the Heavenly Father. He is the supreme head of the manifest or apparent universe that comprises Heaven and realms of existence below including man and hell but he ranks below the Three Pure Ones in the supreme pure heavens beyond the manifest universe.

Originally, Yu-huang was the assistant of the Divine Master of the Heavenly Origin, Yuanshi Tianzun. Yuanshi Tianzun is said to be the supreme beginning --- the limitless and eternal creator of apparent universe with Heaven and Earth. After creating the apparent universe, he picked Yu-huang as the ruler of the universe of Heaven and Earth. Yu Huang became the Jade Emperor and he oversees and moderates the development and fate of beings through his subordinate deities. He is ultimately responsible for the deitification of other gods, or for their exit from the pantheon.

Theoretically there should be a series of Jade Emperors but the life span is so long that it is as good as eternal in human terms. Like all heavenly beings, he is capable of creation of heavenly abodes, beings and entities. He is spiritually developed and enlightened but may not be in the sense of buddhahood but the apex of the path of gods and buddhas overlap and the zenith is one

The Jade Emperor's Birthday is designated on the ninth day of the first lunar month.

The apparent manifest universe we are in started with 無極 (wuji: 'nothingness'). Do note that this does not mean non-existence but mere metaphor on energy state before evolutionary and creative chain of events.

Jade Emperor as the head of the pantheon is however not responsible for the original creation process itself but hand picked into the appointment by Divine Master of the Heavenly Origin, Yuanshi Tianzun, the first of the Three Pure Ones.

Jade Emperor is however of capable of further creation of abodes, beings and divine entities.

The Three Pure Ones were brought into existence through the interaction of pre-existing primordial forces including yin and yang. The first to emerge is The Divine Master of the Heavenly Origin, Yuanshi Tianzun, followed by the second and then the third Pure One.

You can say that Divine Master of the Heavenly Origin, Yuanshi Tianzun brought into existence the second and then the third Pure One came each with his own supreme pure heaven beyond the manifest universe with its levels of heaven, earth and hell.

Readers may wonder as to where the Buddhas come in. As the saying goes amongst the sages of old in China, "What's on Earth will be mirrored in Heaven" There are the clergy and there are the laity on earth.

Whilst all in heavens are spiritual, there are those who deal with the governance of the apparent or manifest universe with heaven and all the realms below including the human and hell realms, there will be those who are the clergy and they are the buddhas who are respected by the non-buddha laity in heaven.

The Jade Emperor and the deities in his pantheon are rulers of the apparent universe. They often consult the buddhas and carry out their advice and intervention but the latter do not overstep to take over the ruling and governance of the manifest or apparent universe

The buddhas and posats (bodhisatvas) are present in both the apparent or manifest universe and the supreme pure heavens above the manifest universe. Posats too can be present in Hell and they can traverse across realms.

The Jade Emperor or God Almighty as the overall ruler of the manifest universe resides in the heaven of the manifest universe and oversee all the realms below.

He reaches out to all beings through prophets and saints of the various religions and sects. These prophets create their own sections of heaven and in this way, beings saved by religions take on spiritual paths and in time are reborn in the specific respective dormains of heaven to continue further spiritual growth. 

Thus in God's plan, there must be not one religion or sect but many and they complement and not compete. But men being men and not God and saints tend to compete and even ridicule one another and this has caused rift and hatred amongst many in the name of God and saints. How ungodly can this be!

That is why God tasked Lord Bo Tien as one of the many more saints to come and he like the rest to come will re-explain the true essence behind the need for the many religions and sects and will not start his own. These messenger saints will however make use of the existing religions and sects to explain the grand purpose of the Jade Emperor.





For more academic information, do read wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_Emperor

 

The lord saint no longer speaks to us through an intermediary but through our life

No 365 of Living Life Series 1

From Mission History and News No 7

The lord saint through his representatives in the early 1980s said that after the first 13 years from 1970, there would no longer be any need for the saint to communicate to us through a human intermediary for all the doctrine and directions for the mission to save souls would have been explained.

This caused some concern but the reassurance was given that after the first 13 years, the saint would speak to his followers through their lives and through their temple or mission activities. This will be as good as the lord saint speaking to us through our minds.

If there is foundation of being grounded in doctrine, consensus and cooperation, practice and if men are mission directed, the thoughts on the truth of life and actions that are carried out for life and for a temple would be smooth and fruitful.

Individuals and the groups they belong to will feel the presence of the lord saint and the blessing of God and saints if they are thus well grounded correctly.

If otherwise, they will experience obstacles and things will not be plain sailing and there will be storms instead of calm seas.

But won't that be subject to interpretation and whims and fancies of men? Yes, inner truth netizen agrees but then again, it is too early for us to know. Only time will reveal to us what the lord saint has prophesied.

What is important is for men not to take matters into their own hands and say that this or that is what the lord saint would want.

Just be humble, sincere, pure and simple. Do what is good not only for oneself, for one group but for all groups.

Men must not be lone candle flames but be a collection of variety of candle flames. There must be give and take, acceptance that there will be differences but these should not divide men but unite men as there can be unity in diversity.

Then we can have calm seas and not storms in life. There is calm when what we do are in keeping with the directions of the lord saint. The lord saint speaks to us through our mind and through life. Life after all is the gospel.

The gospel has been seeded in the first 13 years through human intermediary the late Senior P. Philip but subsequent and future generations will grow and expand the gospel (doctrine) for the mission of which the lord saint, Lord Bo Tien is the God-sent heavenly messenger. He is a divine spirit who has never been known to the world before.

The Bagua

Be reminded that we are in the yin and yang world. All need to reconcile with the yin and yang and be at peace and harmony with the diverse aspects of life and people, like the feet of the lord saint balancing and atop the elements.

Life of diversity and issues is fertile ground for the lord saint to speak to us so that we can learn and be wiser from the learning.

Insight into the simplicity that Ji Gong wants us to know

No 364 of Living Life Series 1

There is more to learn from Posat Ji Gong. Why did he not go along the norms?  Departing from the norms, he was able to succeed. He believes in simplicity and sincerity. What is important is what goes through the heart and not the gut. 

One of the 18 Lohans or Arahats in a previous life, he was reincarnated to become Ji Gong. He showed that traditions and practices of institutionalised and popular religions can stifle spiritual openness, simplicity and sincerity. He left the moastery to be with life and succeeded to be a posat or saint.

The means often end up as ends and adherents of the various sects and faiths often are lost amongst the leaves of the forest of spiritual knowledge and see not the trunks, let alone the forest as a whole.

What is the goal of life? Why need to have to be with God and the Pure Ones? Will mere belief and worship save us? Belief is good so also is worship. But more than that meet the eye. More is needed if we are to have to overcome and come to grips with the issues upon issues of life, of the unsatisfactoriness of life, of the daunting changes that we have to live with.

How can we have peace and serenity in just belief and allegiance to a sect or religion? Many churches and temples try to sell that. They peddle religion as though selling a commercial product. Just believe or pay for God's favour. That won't do and makes matters worse.

To Ji Gong Posat, we must be at peace right from the start. Let there be simplicity in the first place. Go for peace here and now. If we can have the here and now, then we can have tomorrow.

The past is history. The present is a present and the future (however well prepared we may be) will always be somewhat a mystery. Don't place too much hope on the future though we must prepare for the future especially for any eventualties. But losing your peace over the future is unwise for the possibilites are many.

What matters too is to live life and not run away from life. What matters is not to run after more in life but to be contented and yet to improve ourselves but remain ever peaceful and simple while doing so.

He stresses the yin and yang in life. There must be balance like exemplified by the "puae" or confirmation blocks, one up and one down and not both up or both down.

There is no need to be in a monastery or in the forest to have divine spiritual peace. Instead we must be with society and the world around us, like what Ji Gong did in his life as human when he left the monastery having been rejected for not toeing the norms of monastic life.

For those in family way, peace can come if husband and wife can complement each other and have good relationship. Then there will be peace and often it is the simplicity of life with give and take that matters.

Let there be no calculativeness or manipulation, be it housework or bringing in family income. The stronger spouse must shoulder more so that the weaker will not be stressed out and there will be peace in family. This will ensure a better marital or family environment.

Guatama Buddha stressed in the Sutra of Blessings that one of the 38 blessings is to live in a suitable environment. Only in such balanced yin and yang milieu will there be peace of mind and spirit that promotes wellness and the ultimate is enlightenment or union with God and the Pure Ones.

The family way is not at odds with spirituality as the same principle that work for spiritual also work for family life. Both spiritual and family life must be synchronised like yin and yang.

Lord Bo Tien reiterated that spiritual principles work for mundane life eg family life as well as the overall mundane life are fertile grounds for spiritual cultivation. We embrace life not renounce life. What we renounce is not life or family but unrest, disquiet and mental agony. We cultivate inner peace and mindfulness so as to rid ourselves off delusions, ill will and clinging (greed)

As regards to the mundane, often we forget that wealth or money is only a means to the end and not the end in itself. We cannot serve money and serve God but we cannot do without money. Money concerns especially too much of it eg spending on future earnings may complicate matters and give us no peace.  We need to be simple in approach and to have balance --- yin yang balance that Ji Gong and the ancient sages talked about.

The following quotes from the Bible will be eye opener.

  

Matthew 19:23-24 “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

We cannot worship money and at same time worship God. But we cannot also live without money in this world and be an ascetic. Such denial of money world will not do even for the devout and religiously inclined. But living the excessive princely life, going for money at all cost is an indulgence or excess that that will give us no peace and make us far from the kingdom of God and saints. We must be atop and balance the yin and yang of life, like the feet of the seated image of Lord Bo Tien or like symbolised by the Ba gua.

Lord Gautama Buddha had all the wealth he wanted as Prince Siddharta but had no peace of heart. He followed the tradition of the holy men by giving up not just wealth but even food. He went hungry and was too sick. He realised that worldly subsistence is necessary. If not excessive but optimum it would facilitate enlightenment.

If we go for wealth at all cost, we would be blind to God and if we have no wealth and are in depths of ultra poverty, we too would not see the need for God. Thus the judicious balance approach is best. We cannot serve wealth and God simultaneously but we cannot deny life and the need for the trappings of life so long as we are humans.

There is need to go for simplicity and to live a normal life.  To sum up, we need to be at peace and to be mindful of life, not be sucked by the issues of life. Money is only a means and only one of the means to the end but not the end in itself. The end is to save our souls to be enlightened and be with God and the pure ones.

But to do so, for now, we need to go for simple and normal life. We should not worship money or the norms and trappings of life and yet be with life. That will facilitate peace and ease in life , the very peace that God and Pure Ones want us to have and which they have. Ji Gong is one who aptly shows the way.

With regards to divine blessings and serious spirituality, lest we forget, God and saints do bless us but whether we benefit and how we benefit depends on us. We must make the effort to want to be better in being at peace. We must be spiritually in tune. We need to be at peace, to be simple and humble as well as upright and sincere.

Then we can be in synchrony and harmony with the blessings, peace and goodwill of God and saints.

You can say that disposition of men or the beings must merge with the peace and serenity of God and saints. The disposition must be placed on  axis of peace and mindfulness (moment-to-moment awareness or insight).

We must have that bit of God and saints in us to be able to merge with the peace and divinity of God and saints. Then there will be better harnessing of divine blessings.  You can say that this again is based on simplicity of yin and yang rapport of beings (men) and Divinity.

All saints like Ji Gong will say thus. Simplicity is the way to go. Go for peace and normalcy in life and be in tune with the peace and vibrations of God and saints. 

We can do so by cultivating mindfulness and peace, not at special times like in a church but all the time. It can be enriching and awe inspiring, surrounding ourselves in peace. We will be more energetic and life will be refreshing and serene.

One way is to calm the mind by chanting in sing song manner a spiritual incantation like Namo Amitabha (Omitofo) or Namo Ji Gong Posat or even Namo Bo Tien Posat. We need not even do this aloud. The experience can be alleviating, relaxing, calming and enhancing. We will be with God and saints here and now and not wait till the afterlife.

It is as simple as that but many expect complexity and are defeated by the perceived complexity. Go for simplicity and be peacful and mindful. Ji Gong hopes all will realise this. We do not need to achieve a masters degree or Phd before we can practice spirituality and be enlightened.

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We can be enlightened if we want to.

No 363 of Living Life Series 1

Enlightenment is beyond going to Heaven, beyond acting on the promise that if we believe we have arrived.  Many do believe and find solace in divine promise. But these are only the first steps. What is important is not mere believe and not mere faith but be able to live in the teachings of the heavenly saints sent to us by God and the Pure Ones.

Enlightenment too is not just being good and doing good but is more than that. Why do good? What is the basis, the reasons behind and what do we expect there after?

To be enlightened, we must not just scratch at the surface of truth. For then, we will be scratching not the substance but the coatings of truth together with dusts that are at the surface. We have to go deeper as there is more to it than meet the eye and the world of senses and material life.

This does not mean being academic, going to conferences and bible colleges. It means that what you need is to be told that much, well perhaps even a little but that little at the right time and context can open up your understanding of life, the nature of life as it has unfurled and will continue to unfurl.

Even a mere stanza will do to open up the inner eye of the mind to the true nature of life. What is the basic problem or issue.

It is mere ignorance. Why are we ignorant? We believe on mere hearsay and on what others and the scriptures say. Though these are from men and by men, we want to believe they are from God and saints. 

Wrong or even if not wrong beliefs and attitudes will lead us to go into endless superficial thinking, that is, rationalisation that leads us round and round on the globe of life but not to the core of life and its truth.

Belief that there is only this life to decide for eternity is simple but not realistic. For men are not born equal and cannot equalise in one life time to be in same eternity in the afterlife.

Even for this one human life, men differ from one another and cannot exactly walk the same life. So for levelling up, there must be many rebirths be it in the heavens above or elsewhere.

Belief that there is no afterlife is the other extreme. It is just like believing there is hopelessness and if that be so, why care at all to do this or that. Just get the utmost out of life and we only face consequences in this life. But how can this be? Men may then behave like wild animals and be no more humane.

All these views are due to ignorance. Being blinded by ignorance, beings are flustered by life and sucked in swirls of life, going round and round on the surface and not going to address the core of the problem which is ignorance.

From the gutters of ignorance arise delusion or false views and false views are fanned by self-centred and ill-conceived greed or attachment as well as ill will or dislike not only for others but for life, even the individual's own life. These do add layers upon layers of dirt and such layers must be removed by cultivating purity from the three roots of delusion, ill will and attachment -- delusion, hatred and greed as some prefer.

From these roots, a whole lot more of worldly contingencies or what Tao refer to as yin and yang are added to the life experiences of beings, making them blind to the basic issue of ignorance and the three offshoots of ignorance - the three roots of the unsatisfactoriness of life. We cannot run away from life experiences or yin and yang but we can see the true nature of life, to eradicate the roots of the problem by being atop and neither affected by life experiences nor denying them. We can be at peace with them and then we will not be at the surface of globe of life gathering dusts and being buried by dusts of life experiences 

You may find it painful to remove the roots but the layers added on by time of many rebirths can stick like glue. Steer clear of the two wrong views. Be alert, do be mindful and do what we can but do not postpone. Be mindful, persevere and avoid sloth and torpor. Every moment of effort counts. While life experiences can be daunting and exhilarating, bringing us helter skelter,  from highs to lows, and from peaks to troughs, we need to keep the calm and be as at peace  as we can.

Lord Bo Tien

Like depicted by the feet of the lord saint Lord Bo Tien balancing and atop the elements, we can do so by being atop and balancing life experiences of success  failures, gain loss, happiness sorrow etc while trying to peel off the whole gamut of endless life experiences arising from the roots of attachment due to ignorance --- false views, attachment or greed and ill will or hatred

The taste of success comes with each moment of improvement and we will be a bit that more peaceful and collated. In short, we will be on the way to enlightenment and so long as we keep up the effort and be ever more mindful to grasp the true nature of life, we can be enlightened if we want to.

Gautama Buddha did say this. Like in the great ocean, there is but one taste, the taste of salt, so also in enlightenment, there is but one taste the taste of deliverance from rebirths and unsatisfactoriness of life ---  in the yin yang world that we are in.

The great ocean

The lord saint Lord Bo Tien is not here to start a new sect or religion but like the great ocean, he is here to reach out to all land and all sects and religions to bring us to understand the true nature of life in whatever sect or religion we may be in, so that all could grasp the inner truth and be at peace --- all could reach the core of life and not go round and round on the surface of globe of life.

We can be enlightened if we want to. Effort and mindfulness are needed. Sloth and torpor are hindrances. Be steadfast as depicted by the left hand of the seated image of Lord Bo Tien.  As depicted by the scepter in the right hand of the image of the lord saint,  do hold on to the doctrine of truth -- the inner truth behind all religions and sects. Go to the core of the globe of life and not go round and round on the surface of the globe of life.

We may experience trials and tribulations along the way, hard landings, knocks and bumps as well. Do not be disheartened. Take faith in the heavenly saints or overseers of life like Ji Gong Posat. They will pick us up,  heal our life wounds and smoothen the way for us. Otherwise, we may often be lost and back track.  But for the long haul, we must tread the way and the path to save our own souls. Those who pray with heart in earnest to the saint, the saint doth know. He who seek in earnest the saints do come to his side.

Praise be to saints like Jesus and Ji Gong. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and the door will be opened. Whoever seeketh findet.... Do not lose heart. Have heart and take heart in the heavenly saints. Namo (honour) to all saints. They will be there for us. Praise be to God and all saints.

Our social circles are reflective of ourselves, our aspirations and our frustrations

No 362 of Living Life Series 1

The people we meet, work and live with are often a reflection of that many bits that are part of ourselves. But these people may not be those we like but those we can live and work with even if at times we find them wanting. They  are in a way mirror a wee bit of ourselves. Otherwise there will not be any affinity and we will keep our distance from them.

The Lord Buddha has more to say about friendship, kinship and relationships. "Associate with the wise. Do not associate with the fools. Honour those who are worthy of honour." In Pali this stanza reads thus, "Asevana cha balanang. Panditanang cha sevana. Puja cha ye balanang. Etang mangala mutamang." These are the first of 38 blessings he listed in the Mangala Sutra -- the Discourse on Blessings.  

Subconsciously or as though intuitively we can can only interact with others with some semblance of our individual self. It would be better if there is more common ground. Hopefully the common ground is wholesome somewhat. Otherwise, if they are not, then our social network will accentuate the unwholesomeness in us. Birds of the same feathers flock together.

Thus if we associate with fools and indulge in ungainly ways that harm not only others but in the end will harm ourselves, we will have more downfall and pitfalls in life.

Often we look up to a few and idolise them for their abilities, leadership and feel dejected if they are not happy with us. This is because such people represent the ideal that we want or are the epitome of that bits of us which we hope we could enhance manyfold.

But do remember that our associates in our social circles are like us made up of various aspects of personality --- the passive and active, what the sages of old refer to as the yin and yang. We cannot go for one or few aspects without being affected by the other aspects we find unpleasant or which we can do without. We have to accept our associates and friends for what they are but must not feel let down or allow them to mar our peace of life. To put it simply we need to have to balance the various aspects of life that our associates or social network present to us in life.

The Ba gua

Thus the Bagua symbol of the Tao Sages does stress on the roundness and perfect harmony of the yin and yang of life. Lord Bo Tien in his seated image personifies the need to do so with his feet atop and balancing the elements of life.

Lord Bo Tien

In social circles, we need to have friends and associates who mirror hopefully the better bits of us but we must accept our friends for what they are. There are other aspects of them which we have to reckon with. We cannot expect our friends to be our replicas.  We cannot run away from the various aspects in them but need to be atop and in harmony with all aspects of them -- what sages refer to as the harmony of yin and yang as depicted by the Bagua and the image of Lord Bo Tien.

Our social circles are reflections of ourselves, our aspirations and our frustrations. Others can have better idea of us through knowing the type of social circles we are in. 

Thus in one of the earlier anniversary mission day messages, the lord saint Lord Bo Tien reminded that we can learn from life our own and from the lives of others. We can know ourselves better by knowing others better. The converse too is true. We can know others better if we know ourselves better, both the strengths and weaknesses.

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Self-righteousness is good but not good enough and can be detrimental

No 361 of Living Life Series 1





For cross reading, go to Doctrine (and image) if not valued will be lifted back to Heaven and go to 49 successful temples ...

Let God Almighty through saints
guide us to better days.
We should not think
we can guide God
to give us better days.
We should not play God
for "God is" but we are not.
God knows best. We don't.
It is as simple as that.

Other than for the initial phase, direct guidance in any temple by the temple's patron saint will not be necessary as the doctrine would have been passed down.

The members should know that the doctrine is the saint and knowing the doctrine is knowing the saint.

Not being in tune with the doctrine and not being guided by doctrine will place that temple on the wrong direction. The members at the helm will then think they can decide what is best to do. They try to be self-righteous in their narrow way and will do good but doing good alone is not enough.

Doing good to many will be just welfare activities for worldly welfare which is good but what about the more wholesome and inclusive spiritual well being and the saving of the spirit or soul. Thus for those not imbued with doctrine and its practice, the Mission will be that of men and no longer that of Heaven through a temple's patron saint.

Such a temple will no longer be as mission orientated. Since, the saint or image is the doctrine and the doctrine is the saint or image, the image of that temple's patron saint will be lifted to Heaven. This is the same as saying that the doctrine if not valued will have to return to Heaven. By the way, the lifting up of the image and doctrine to Heaven would not be just figurative but could be literal somewhat.

The self-righteous but ignorant in that temple might think they knew best and might even burn the image of their patron saint thinking that they wanted to replace the image for a better one. That would be one way that the image of the patron saint of any temple who strayed away from divine path (onto human path) would be lifted back to Heaven

Do note however that the doctrine could go elsewhere even to 49 successful temples or say up north or south to where it would be valued so that the mission of that saint could move on unimpeded.

Men may not be ready or correctly poised for the mission but the whole host of immortals of the patron saint of a temple are ready, on the go for the mission and cannot wait for men to be ready.

Men without admitting it tend to look at what social benefit they can get through a temple and go for this benefit as the main meal rather than the appetiser. This is because the doctrine has little impact on them or they do not have the zest for wholesome and inclusive spiritual.

They may want to do good in form of charity and welfare but somehow the weakness of men will take over. They look at the fringe benefit. Will they stand to gain socially and win recognition of other men? They will turn the fringe benefit into the main benefit but in a discreet fashion without admitting this openly.

To do this, they have to pilot the course of the temple and supposedly claim they are going for lofty ideals of God but that's only a cover or front for their personal social agenda or gains. They take up the piloting of the temple on behalf of the patron saint. They want to guide the house of God and saint and not let God guide and pilot the house of God and saint.  This happens not infrequently in many temples or churches but as Lord Bo Tien said, "A flower cannot prevent insects from coming to it"

To surmise and to put it simply and succinctly, we may say thus. Let God Almighty through saints guide us to better days. We should not think we can guide God to give us better days. We should not play God and decide what God should do in our individual life or in the running of a temple of God.

The mission of life in one's individual life or in the life of any temple must be God-based and God-directed, not man-based and man-directed. Hope this is clear to one and all. Otherwise, God will not be with us and in us. We will only be thinking we can decide for God and God will have to listen. That will not be right and far from good and Godliness.






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The societal dilemma a church or temple should not have

No 360 of Living Life Series 1

In any temple or church, there will be many who are the average devoted and not in the thick and thin of spiritual union with God and saints. They constitute the majority.  Whilst the pastors or priests as well as the few elders are more wise and should call the tune, often in any administrative organisation of which religious ones like temples and churches are no different, those who run a temple or church are run-of-the-mill majority.

They call the tune and decide what they want. In such scenario, the institution is run on the populist platform and based on level of spiritual understanding that is not deep but perhaps still far better than elementary. This is not good.  Though of course, they can be more popular and pander to the needs of those who  are at the start of the spiritual road or not far from the start.

With more newbies added, the church or temple will forever be run along populist and social needs rather than the desired in-depth spiritual that only a handful minority could  attain and have. This social needs of the newbies are not what God and saints want but nevertheless these met the societal agenda of men though not of God.

It is just like a school. If decision making is in the hands of children who form the majority, then the teachers and educators who should lead and teach end up being led and taught by the school children.

A temple or church should not take the populist road and fill its ranks and congregation with newbies who will dictate the running of the church based on lower level spiritual grasp. No doubt the temple or church will grow and even be mammoth in proportion but is this what God and saints expect.

The correct approach is to strike a balance of sorts.

The most wise of the lot in a church or temple, often a handful should lead but should not force their interpretation, understanding and wisdom on the majority who lag far behind. Otherwise, the masses will drift away into the streets.  

But the run-of-the-mill majority should not think that the few wise who are elders, pastors or priest are out of their mind imposing spirituality and practices that they could not understand, grasp and see eye to eye with.

There must be conscious and concerted effort to let the majority learn at their painfully slow pace and the majority must not over rule the elders, pastors or priest. 

When the balance is reached and often this is a dynamic one, then  there is best of both worlds -- the populist approach to attract more to the fold and the spiritual approach to bring more to be closer to God and saints though this will be arduous and painstakingly slow.

This is the balance of yin and yang which if applied to a church or temple would not make the religion too cheap neither would this frightened away the masses.

The majority know best does not apply. The minority wise, if they are indeed wise would not pander to the lower level fancies of the masses but moderate and lead them along, like school teachers in a school of children.  Often this can be painfully arduous and slow and at times not productive.  After all, the masses that dominate the day-to-day temple or church are indeed children and they need to be educated.

This is the Way or Tao of the ancient sages and saints. The seated image of Lord Bo Tien with feet balancing the two polarities in dynamic fashion personifies the Tao or Way.

In the pioneering years of a church or temple, the elders will always hold sway but in matured years of the temple or church, the less knowledgeable and less wise majority will want to over ride and call the tune.

This posting will throw some light on the human obstacle that the lord saint Lord Bo Tien say even his temples (of which there are three) will face and have to surmount.

Even if there is no understanding of the above (called this insight if you want), a temple or church will not run into societal dilemma of such nature if there is the precept or commandment to respect elders. Lord Bo Tien has the respect for parents and elders as the sixth of seven precepts.

Even if parents or elders are not as clever or perhaps they may be even evil, the children should still honor and cherish them though not condoning their errors nor vilifying them for their wrong. Without them, there will not be the children. Without honoring the elders, the present will not set the role model for the next generation to respect them as elders

Namo Bo Tien Posat ..........

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A second look at Vesak. Be pure. Don't go for all or for broke

No 359 of Living Life Series 1

Buddha image under the Bodhi tree

Vesak is day of the birth, enlightenment and the departure of Lord Buddha  from the world of flesh and blood. It is the thrice sacred day for Buddhists.

Lord Buddha

One should know more of why Siddharta Gautama found no peace in being a prince. He wanted to know why others are suffering, why even the royalty too must suffer not from lack of wealth but from pangs of birth, the illnesses that spare no one, ageing and death. He left the palace even as he was married and had a child with the aspiration of finding the answer to unsatisfactoriness of life so that one day he could help not only those close to him but others as well.

It was said that he had in previous births been in countless lives and was in the heavens before he came down to be Prince. He had been an aspirant to buddhahood and was referred to as the bodhisatva, one who cultivates the way to be eventually a buddha, a fully enlightened one. He is like what some may refer to as a messiah of sorts.

After finding no peace in royalty and in wealth and destined to kingship, he became an ascetic and renounced the needs of flesh and blood. He learnt from two great masters, acquired spiritual heights but was nowhere near the peace he set out to have. All the spiritual magical or psychic prowess like miracles  never bring him closer to the answer he wants. He was not at peace. Instead of having material wealth and status, he had psychic wealth with abilities of the two greatest teachers at that time. Giving up material wealth and being reduced to skin and bones like a beggar did yield psychic and spiritual wealth but these are no better and as bad as the material wealth he knew though in another form.

Both worldly and psychic wealth only meant one form of wealth or other but they bring him no closer to peace. Under the Bodhi or fig tree, he found the answer of the "Middle Way". The solution is simple. He should neither give up the needs of the body nor indulge in the needs. He should neither go for psychic prowess of the priests of his time nor stay away from them if they come his way.

The goal is to have balance --- not going for all or none but having enough to have the health and resources for something more lofty that transcends annihilation at one extreme and grabbing for all at the other. For both ways are due to false views that denying life be it worldly or spiritual life is good as well as the opposite which is to go for abundance of wealth be it worldly or spiritual (psychic abilities like that of the gods). One can control a worldly kingdom or one can fly to the heavens and control nature but one is merely rich in worldly resources or supernatural abilities but these only distract and one will be further from being at peace

The boddhisatta found out that the solution is not to go for broke or to be buried under wealth of material or spiritual, but to have just enough so as to be healthy in body and spirit. He developed mindfulness that the underlying problems in life lie either in greed for more or false view that going for broke is the answer. Both fester impure or restless state of mind. There is need to purify the mind.

He realised that he needed to free the mind, that is, to purify the mind. He achieved the state of peace when the mind is pure and not swayed by life contingencies like pride and hatred, honour and dishonour, gain and loss, life and death.

By not having false views, one will not have roots like greed for life to extent of denying others from having life. One must neither have hatred for others (denial of others right to live) nor hatred of one's own life (self denial or torture.) 

Enlightenment is simple and it means how to be pure. There is no need to be able to astral travel, walk on water or walk through a wall. Magicians can do that but are they at peace?  It is difficult for those blinded by false views to perceive that ultimate peace lies in being pure, neither denying life nor clinging more to life. In short, we should neither go for broke or for all. We should be pure and peaceful by staying atop and balancing life as portrayed by the seated image of Lord Bo Tien with feet on top of and balancing the polarities.

Lord Bo Tien

Thus this article is titled thus. "A second look at Vesak.  Be pure. Don't go for all or for broke." Let there be no anger, ill will or false views. That way we can have peace come what may. If we can see through life that way, we can be a buddha of sorts here and now.

The path to purity requires one to tread through the yin and yang of life, the polarities or the vicissitudes or contingencies of life. There should neither be denial or running away nor clinging on to life but balance as portrayed by the feet of the lord saint balancing the elements.This is the inner truth that enables one and all to be pure to be with God through any religion or sect of his or their choice.

To step onto the path of sainthood, one must practise not just being focused (often alluded as concentration) on how to be more pure but how to be ever more mindful of what is pure and good and to be able to effect this in life.

The first stage is to understand life and to begin to progressively know what are right and what are wrong. There is need to be progressively clear and to be progressively ever more confident that one is on the right direction.

The next stage is to minimise or attenuate greed (often referred to as lust), ill will and have more wisdom on what are right (that is eradicate wrong views to life). There is still the occasional or even the baseline background desire and ill will.

The third stage is to do away with the faint background of desire and ill will and to have not even the occasional desires (or attachment) and the occasional ill will. There is that ability to have not denying nor having. Then there will be balance that promotes inner peace.

Then one has reached the zenith of purity of enlightenment and is worthy and wholesome to be with God and His saints like Ji Gong Posat and all the pure ones, buddhas, posats and the prophets.

Ji Gong Posat

Bear in mind that what goes through the heart (mind) is more important than what goes through the gut. This was one of the many pointers by Ji Gong Posat.  Fasting and abstinence from meat i.e. vegetarianism do have their limited place in cultivation of purity but are only means or useful tools to the end but not the end in themselves. They are useful supplements but not must-have --- only good-to-have in moderation for some but not all.

Better to be at times fasting, at times vegetarianism than to go for all ---adopting all time fasting or vegetarianism. Also, do not go for broke --- not a care in the world for purity of mind and killing to eat meat and vegetables. Be pure at heart (mind). Do not go for all or for broke.  Be moderate. We must learn to moderate all aspects of our life. Do not go for the limit or all. Do not go for broke that is for none whatsoever. Moderate to find the optimum and then there will be no strife but peace and ease

Siddharta Gautama on verge of buddhahood was provided with a three string musical instrument. One string was too tight and broke. One string too loose and came off when strummed. The middle was just nice and when strummed provided pleasant musical note. Thus the term Middle Way came to be for all who wants to cultivate purity and be enlightened like the Buddha Gautama.

Do not kill, steal, tell lies, do not have adultery / sexual misconduct and do not be intoxicated are the five precepts introduced by Lord  Buddha to help all to be beginners to be on the path to purity of enlightenment even if they do not understand or grasp the dharma, the teachings of Lord Buddha. They provide the out-of bound markers to help even the ignorant to have less defilements that lead to bad actions. Admittedly however, five precepts are no guarantee for pure heart and mind but at least they guide many to stay in line as far as possible till such times they know and understand better on need to be pure at heart and not just in outward show or actions

  

Lord Buddha stressed on need to purify the mind off defilements and to cultivate more moment-to-moment mindfulness and peacefulness. This path of purity (not path of supernatural prowess) is the only road to purity. Supernatural prowess may even cause more clinging and defilements of the mind. Richness in worldly wealth and awesome supernatural prowess may be the very reasons for more clinging and defilements. The way to true peace of enlightenment is just to do good, avoid evil and purify the mind but many think wrongly that if they have supernatural powers, they have already arrived and get carried away.



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Testimony by Elder Ling on his beginning as elder

No 358 of Living Life Series 1

 Testimony slightly abridged






 

Elder Ling Diung Kwong
at age 76  in 2012

"I am a pensioner and a retired Police Officer. I joined the Singapore Police Force in 1959 as a constable and was promoted to the rank of Inspector in 1963. I retired from the Police Force on 31 August 1981."

Inspector Ling Diung Kwong
as he was then known
in his prime of life.
Photo taken in 1980

"In the beginning of 1970 I was working at the Queenstown Police Station when my curiosity was drawn to a unique temple by a junior officer who told me that at this temple, the saint in his descent did not perform activities like those in other temples. This saint would preach his teachings and doctrine which is more akin to Buddhism. He then brought me to the temple and I learned that this saint identified himself as Lord Bo Tien. This was the first time he was authorized by Heaven to come to this planet to set up his temple mission, as a model for others to follow. The essence of his teachings is to change people’s mindset on superstitious beliefs. He emphasized the essence with this sentence “we do thing for others to follow and we do not follow others”. In other words, the founder members are the first generation pioneers to undertake the task, to understand and compile his teachings and doctrines for the salvation of mankind which may take many generations to carry out."

Image depicting the pose of the lord saint
at his first descent

"The temple should be built without the image of a dragon or Chinese in character. The interior should be simple and serene so that a devotee with heavy mind should find immediate relief as he steps into the temple. Praying should be conducted in simple manner. As for individual, he should pray single-handedly direct to the saint or deity he is comfortable in, without the assistance of a third person. A human should not take another as master. It is to avoid any complications in the future, whereby one would blame the saint or deity for causing the problems."

"As a heavenly spirit, he could not communicate with human and he chose the body of late P. Philip, a Catholic by birth to act as a medium. He descended alone and he had the authority to acquire the services of any elements on this planet to assist him in the Mission. His descent would be for 12 years and he would return to heaven. After that he would impart his teachings and understanding to us through our mind as though they are our own ideas. To differentiate between our own ideas and that of his, is in the implementation. If they are that from him, the implementation would be smooth. There would be obstacles if they are our own."

"From the day I stepped into the temple which was situated at the foot Jalan Kali Batu, almost every day I must pay a visit there or else I would feel uncomfortable the whole night. On March 1970, the temple was gutted by fire to the ground. Devotees who were mainly National Servicemen Policemen managed to rent a haunted room in a dilapidated atap hut at 407A Woodlands Road 11 3/4 ms."

"On the night of inauguration, there was some commotion amongst participants who appeared to be in trance pushing at one another. I was standing in the courtyard in front of the temple when I felt my body trembling. I went into the shrine and came out to the courtyard again, my body continued to tremble. As I am a free-thinker, I thought then that some evil spirits might be going possessed me. I thought I could avoid the situation if I were to leave the place. I told the medium the late P. Philip. I was about to go home but he told me to wait as he could not find the late Chee S. H., who was Lord Bo Tien’s interpreter during his descent. I drove my car together with my wife, late P. Philip and wife... we went around places he was known to visit to look for him in vain. When we then went over to the burnt out site of the old temple, we found late Chee S. H. in the company some devotees there." 

"At this point, Lord Bo Tien descended. All the devotees present crowded around the medium when he (Lord Bo Tien) called for 'Ah Tau' – in Hokkien, Head (Elder) in English. Nobody knew who Lord Bo Tien was referring to. They started pointing fingers at one another for Lord Bo Tien to acknowledge. He did not reciprocate. I was the last. He requested me to go nearer to him. He asked me whether I knew what was happening. I replied negatively as I was not involved. He then explained that he was testing the quality of the devotees there, how confident they were in undertaking his missionary works. He identified me as most suitable and asked me to take on the responsibility to lead them along."

"I accepted the responsibility with great reluctance as I had not even believed in him. I could only do my best. Lord Bo Tien advised me not to worry for he would be there to guide me and a day would come that I would believe in him. From then on, Bo Tien would address me as 'Ah Tau' at every of his descent. Even now some members in the temple still address me by this name....but...."

"In the middle of January 1970, the application to register the organisation was approved by the Registrar of Societies. I became the founding President of the organisation. I stood down my position in 1973 due to differences in opinion and interests among the founding members. On the night of the AGM, I declined my nomination. Another person G. Wong was elected to take the position. Soon after the election was over, Lord Bo Tien descended. He asked the assembly to be cleared and spoke to me alone. He scolded me for declining the position saying that this position was designated by him for me and I could not abandon it without his permission. He ordered me to take back the position instantly. I told him that spiritually it might be possible; humanly it was impossible as there were unhappiness expressed by members against my leadership and I would abide by it the follow year."

This invaluable book
edited by Bro. Peter Kong
and published 6th Sept 2000 
contains the anniversary messages
by Lord Bo Tien

PS:  In 1981 Mission Day Observance, Elder Ling asked the lord saint on his tiredness and sleepiness. The lord saint told him that he should have no concern and that heaven will guide him along in his cultivation (meditation) so as to have peace and happiness but what is important is that he does not falter in the mission. The lord saint did say in other years that the issues of men are many and plentiful. Thus there is risk of the mission faltering and the poignant instruction in 1981 for elder Ling not to falter in mission reminds us of the foresight of the lord saint. In the final part of the 1981 anniversary message, Lord Bo Tien  "asked elder Ling to write out the history of the mission." This would of course be of great learning value for future generations.....

 

NAMO BO TIEN POSAT

12 inch tall teak wood image of Lord Bo Tien

Elder Ling  standing, at the centre right and in light colored clothes at a later year anniversary descent of Lord Bo Tien

Close devotees congregated at the later-year better furbished shrine hall at Woodlands

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Painting of the Shrine Hall of Lord Bo Tien at old Woodlands premises. This was a new building donated by a follower when the shrine was placed under an open awning in front of the historic atap-hut shrine. The run-down but cosy hut shrine hall gave way to the first modest aged home home dormitory at the instruction of the lord saint who said that his shrine can even be in the open under the sky. Elder Ling said that this was perhaps the first of many aged homes to be run by a temple in Singapore and happened coincidentally just before the then PM suggested that this be the norm. The temple home received help from the government and accorded full legal assistance in short time. Some 12 years later, the lord saint again said that it is not at all important how his mission is housed.  His temple can be in the open. His temple, he said,  is the world and the sky is the roof of the temple. All under Heaven are in his temple. Religions are the pillars...

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Consensus and cooperation

No 357 of Living Life Series 1

Lord Bo Tien in 1975 mission day said, "Every devotee and being here assembled and including those not here tonight but elsewhere is a candle flame to nurture the divine light in them. Some flames may be near to Heaven and heavenly saints. Some are more distant or remote. Candle flames may be different - some smaller while others are bigger and brighter. Nonetheless, bear in mind that the total collection and amassing of candle flames emits brightness to effectively light the way for the those in shades of darkness, more so for the less endowed and not so fortunate."

It must be remembered that that the lord saint Lord Bo Tien is all for cooperation and consensus even if people like candles are different and hold differing viewpoints.

The amassing of candle flames emits brightness to effectively light the way for the those in shades of darkness, more so for the less endowed and not so fortunate.

Cooperation and consensus will bring together the various people, temples and groups motivated by the teachings Lord Bo Tien touched on, even if they adhere to different levels of practice and even if they hold on to their respective saints and prophets.

Consensus and cooperation will be good even for those who do not see eye to eye.

That will be good for the mission of the lord saint to awaken more to the inner truth.

But few are on top of situations and mission needs only one or two or at most a handful to move on and make headway while many get stuck in less wholesome issues.

There will be more realisation of life if men can see the contrasts amongst men. Learn from the lives of fellow men the correct way so all will progress and make good.

Learn too from the mission history for the good of the many and for the benefit of the future generations.

But do not end up washing dirty linen in public, for that is not and never should be.

Should the unthinkable happen, as it might, then mine mine what can the matter be? What have gone astray? Shouldn't there be some semblance of consensus and cooperation amongst men inspired by their saint? Those in the know should know best what they should and should not do and that the name of the good lord will be untainted for He is like the great ocean...

Like it or not, He had foretold what could be that should not be in any temple, church or group in this world.

But in many a temple or church, once a concrete building rises and there is acclaim that men of the church or temple has arrived albeit the wordily way, many opportunists want to come to the fore and play some roles. This would be a step in the right direction provided men like candles of different sizes and shapes can come and work together to pull resources, complement and not contradict and evict those they cannot see eye to eye with.

Alas. however, men think they know better and take over bids by opportunists groups will take place. There is no spirit of 'live and let live', let alone 'let's live together' for the good of all. What happens is there is the disturbing attitude that 'we know best and you jolly well listen' and worse still there is 'listen or get lost' or even 'we live and you die.'  There is no spirit of let us all work as one even if men may differ in many ways.

Is this what men should have in a temple or church of the lord or of any saint? What have gone wrong? Have the teachings of God and saints been swept under the carpet to be unceremoniously swept or vacuumed away? Have divine advice fallen on deaf ears? Or have men outvoted God and saints because they have the numbers behind them or the right strategy to have the upper hand? God knows. Hopefully men must not think they know better.

Consenusus and cooperation do not require all to adopt the same view but this is still difficult. That is the very reason why there is the need to have many religions and not one. We can thus know why even for a religion there are many sects, and in any sect there will be many schools.

There must however be oneness in diversity so that all can work for the good of the many in their differing ways. This itself is one level of consensus and cooperation albeit at helicopter level.

Man is too imperfect to have only one religion, one saint and one temple or church. If there be no consensus and cooperation to have only one religion or one temple or church, then let there be many but there must still be some form of consensus and cooperation amongst the many otherwise where is the harmony and the oneness in diversity? Let all work together as one even if they differ in some ways or more. As the saying goes, " Rich in tolerance, rich in fortune 大量，大福。 da liang, da fu "

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