Make the effort to have inner peace

No 605 of Living Life Series 1 

In this world and era we are in, peace don't come naturally and is an effort. We need to consciously and conscientiously seek out the peace at the source which is the mind. 

It is pointless to go church or temple when every time some thing around us irks us, we have unpleasant thoughts and curse and swear in our mind though not speaking and acting out. 

This internal unpleasantness comes so often and robs us of any peace we could have. The point is that this will become a habit and won't we end up hypocrites of sorts? 

On the one hand, we do most of the time act in civility but internally we are the opposite harboring within the mind thoughts of ill-will, anger and often cursing and swearing. This habit comes so naturally that many who practice Tao often think that having allotted time for prayers and meditation is the way. 

They may only do this at most two to three hours a day and boast of attainments of spirituality. But for the 20 odd hours of the rest of the day, they may ironically be having ruthless and very unbecoming and unsavory thoughts. 

Some of such men may even while sitting cross legged claim to have experience of talking with God and saints or travelling to the other worlds but notably to the lower heavens and the nether world due to their lack of peace while out of meditation. True Tao has little to do with travel or meeting up with notables. 

True Tao is when one cultivates his mind every moment and not just when in church or meditating in a shrine.  When one is mindful, it must be for every moment and not just during quiet times or dedicated times in a church or temple. Otherwise one is wasting time and on the wrong path. 

Peace is an effort and every moment must be dedicated to peace but let not there be guilt or chiding of self when unpleasant thoughts arise in any moment of wakefulness. That would be unkind to self and far from being peaceful to self. 

Peace is an effort and we must make a habit of cultivating as much peace as we can, never mind if we still have thoughts which we should not have.

Peace is an effort and even an extra moment of peace is momentous indeed. Let there be more moments of peace and never mind if enlightenment or buddhahood is still a dream so long as it is in the horizon of time.

We may not be buddhas or anywhere near sainthood but if peace we can have this moment, that matters more than all the talk of men who yak and yelp but do little to have peace. The pharisees in biblical times are examples of men who yak and yelp. 

Keep the peace and have the peace however transient and fleeting it may be. Then we are in the way and Tao is with us. We will then have love for life, our own and the lives of others around. 

Love that comes with peace of mind is unlike and far different from love that is rooted in selfishness and greed that sometimes is the problem with men of religion. That is why there is discrimination, terrorism and wars in name of religion or with religion as the front. That would be blasphemy of sorts. 

When not sure and when aware that we have long way to go to have more peace and to keep the peace, silence is golden and forgiveness is divine. Forgive those who irks us by their words and deeds. Not only must we not retaliate by acting and speaking out, we must not have unpleasant thoughts of them. This won't be easy and for sure the process may be not peaceful for now.

But peace is an effort isn't it? As said before, keep the peace and have the peace however transient and fleeting it may be. Then we are in Tao.

Surely this must be practiced in any moment of life and not when one is in church or temple or sitting under a bodhi tree or in a shrine. Surely, this is better than being in a temple or religion but not having peace of spirit even for the moment. 

We should not make a farce out of spirituality. We should not use religion as a front for projection of righteousness and correctness when we are not so right and correct. 

A moment of peace even if outside religion, church or temple may make more sense and impact than a lifetime of striving, more so striving in the least expected place which is religion or in any of its institutions. 

Strive in life even if in religion will invariably deny us of peace but sloth and doing nothing rob us of life and then we too cannot have peace. Make the effort to have peace.

Good Tao will always come from having peace of the moment and having allotted time for prayer and meditation is not good enough. Make the effort to have peace in every wakeful moment. 

Peace of the dove is good representation of peace.
Like the dove, peace is not confined to a church or temple

Lao Tse riding into the big wide world to have peace
It is being with the world that one gets true peace
Not staying put in the city or in the temple or church

Lord Bo Tien too will go beyond the temple 
to the big wide world and beyond
to bring message of way of peace to the world. 
This is the Mission of Heaven 
of which the good lord is but a messenger.
Staying put in the temple will not do.

Lord Bo Tien 

What is making the next coming a certainty?

No 604 of Living Life Series 1

Time flies and the world belongs to the young. The young are pragmatic and more worldly attuned even when in the houses of God. They go for what they want and not what others tell them, never mind who these others are - even if they are God and saints. 

They go for gratification rather than submit and be detached. But on the other hand, the older ones often surrender to life and submit. That they mistaken as good spirituality. 

Good spirituality is not denial of life but embracing life in correct way - through neither giving up nor indulgence. The guff between the two extremes of gratification and denial is great and has contributed to the divides in society even in the houses of God.  

Of course, the lot goes to those who want gratification of wants and of flesh even in the houses of God and saints. After all, the houses of God depend on them. What more could we expect in this world of 2014 and beyond when men want results here and now? What can they get and what are offered? They are pragmatic and self-centered. 

But alas the seemingly wise few are not so wise as they end up giving up life in the name of spirituality. They are the modern day version of ascetics who punish themselves through denial thinking that this is how to be spiritually close to God and saints.  

So some sort of middle ground is needed and may even be ideal. This however differs from person to person and from situation to situation in the same person. What is right and ample can be not so and what is otherwise deemed wrong can be right and ample. It is the context that counts. 

This, alas, is one aspect of the inner truth that Lord Bo Tien is driving at and which if understood augurs well for both the individual himself and for the society he is in and for which he is serving. 

Lord Bo Tien

When notables from Heaven assure that Heaven will provide and men will not be in want, men who seek gratification will jump for joy and expect the sky and easy way out. They want offerings on the table. They want to be idolised and pampered. They have taken the message out of context and infer the very opposite of what the sages are driving at. 

But strangely what is right is not popular and as the Buddha put it is against the current. What is not so right or even wrong may well be popular as the majority of the masses think that way and the teachings of the sages will be taken out of context and will be misconstrued and applied. 

This sad state of affairs may often unavoidable and can bring woes. It is fertile ground for sprouting of even more of misconceptions and more of the wrong but otherwise popular religious practices. In time, there will be need for correction through waves of the next coming of sages to put things right. 

When it is said that God and saints provide and we will not be in want, the context is important. It is not worldly things that they refer to but more of the way to better ourselves to be beyond the crutches of worldliness but yet still every bit men of the world. 

God and saints provide through the Word or Doctrine. And the Word is God. Even Lord Bo Tien says that he who knows and sees the Word sees and knows Him. He who sees not and knows not the Word sees not and knows not Him even if He is before him.

The sun sets once the building rises

No 603 of Living Life Series 1

Isn't it strange that the moment the concrete building rose for a temple, the lord saint of that temple often took to the backstage. But before this came about, he was with men and men with him. Not a week then would pass by without some news or talk of the lord. 

Has this to do with the message that the temple of any saint is the people and not the building? Perhaps it has and this should be the case.

But have men learnt? Well 'yes' and yet 'no' for there are those who prefer the concrete building with only the image of the good lord as perhaps one of three. 

No need for fanfare except on the few festive days when men came in numbers but on most usual days, there are only columns of concrete and the occasional sound of the aged destitute or the old man here and there. Is this the fate of temples? 

This sound of silence they say is good and reflective of the nature of life in society. But what have become of the drive and the live of the days of old when never a night or week passed by without the buzz and hive of activities of men in white, blue and yellow scurrying around and talking animatedly of what the lord saint had said. 

Why has there been silence and where has the men of old gone? What have become of the new blood and what are they up to? Worry not for they know what they are doing. But still there will be concerns. 

The new blood must inject new ways and new life and not make museums out of temples - museums for people to remember that these temples were once people orientated but now where have the people gone on the usual days? Only on the few festive days will such temples come alive. 

There must be need for innovation to bring in people on the usual days but can the people somehow be up to it. That is the big question. Otherwise the sun sets once the building rises.

But surely with sunset, there will be sunrise and then sunset again. The cycle goes on without lasting respite. The seeker of spirituality must be on his own and have the peace within so as to weather the yin and yang the sunrises and the sunsets in life, in religion, in temples and in churches. 

Otherwise, he will be a poor soul, ever always at mercy of the times and of life - even at the mercy of the pastors and masters of spirituality. Men often decides for God and saints, when God and saints don't even do so for men. That is so and so be it - amen.

So when God or a lord saint is passive, he is not doing nothing but by doing nothing, that is keeping silence, he is doing something and putting across a point or two. What matters is how perceptive and how mindful we can be. 

But there must be balanced approach the sages refer to as Tao. Do not be spiritually indulgent. Do not go overboard to destroy the already fragile peace - neither deny and let go nor cling on to and not let go, even in matters of spirituality. How to do this is the issue. God knows even if we don't. But please don't blame God. 

To surmise, the sun sets once the building rises unless there are new men and new initiatives better than the old. That is life, isn't it? But then the cycle repeats itself.

It may be good to be different

No 602 of Living Life Series 1

Think for yourself and not let others think for you. Be concerned if many think differently from you but this does not mean you are wrong or they are wrong. You or they could be more right. That may be the case.

The reason why men differ in thinking with regards to God and spiritual is because men have different lives and experiences. We can share our views but we should not impose or cause concern simply because we do differ in views.

Doubts arise because of differences and levels of understanding. Sometimes men do feel insecure when others do not agree with them. This can be good because in time when men are more enlightened and knowledgeable, there will be better rapport and all will be family. This was stressed by Lord Bo Tien when he noted that members in his temple were upset by some who viewed things differently. 

Lord Bo Tien

In fact it is healthy for men to think differently and be different. This is how the founders and pioneers of religions and sects started out in life and ended up convincing and winning over others. 

Ji Gong as young novice monk in his lifetime as man thought differently from the monks at Chan Zen monastery. This did not mean he is wrong or they were wrong. But that they and Ji Gong were at different levels of spiritual. Give this some thought. 

Ji Gong The Living Buddha

Both are winners but had not Ji Gong did what he did, we will not have Ji Gong today with his axiom that "what matters is what goes through the heart and not what goes through the gut or what one does." 

Also without the Vinaya rules governing the monks at the monastery, there will be no Chan temples today. This is no contradiction but a reality of life. 

The means must not become the end and if this happens, then sainthood is more remote. But without rules of conduct as markers for the path, a temple will not preserve the culture of spirituality for posterity. 

This is yet another example of why it may be good to be different in different context and situations. It may be actually good to be different. Omitofo. 

Any one way too is wholesome in a way, isn't it?

No 601 of Living Life Series 1

Man may at times have lost sight of the purpose of religion and why religion is there for. Man may at times forget that religion is to enable man to relate with God and saints above. 

Religion is not a numbers game where numbers and popularity of all sorts count. Religion is not in the democratic process where numbers can determine who governs. 

It enables the spiritual process whereby man can find peace in life through personal relationship with God and saints. It is just that simple but men often think otherwise.

Of course there is value in numbers and numbers can give confidence that there are many more others with that man. Then that man can reassure himself that surely so many cannot be wrong. That is indeed good for him. 

But the reality is that all religious ways and systems serve their purposes and have respective roles in society. They are never wrong but exist to meet preferences and inclinations of the various sections of society. 

The underlying tread or inner truth common to all is that there is God or Divinity and love of God for beings and love by beings for God and for life, not only of the individual for self but for all. This is the inner truth that is stressed and highlighted by the Mission of God through his messenger Lord Bo Tien. 

The mission is to reawaken men more completely to this inner truth of love for life in God and in all. This obviously does not need for any new religion or sect or even for change of religion or sect though some men find it necessary to do so before they can better embrace love of God and of life. This too is wholesome, isn't it? 

This basket of flower is as wholesome
or may even be more so as any other
but much depends on the beholder.
Thus there is need for many kinds and types
not just one or two types
Isn't that true also for religions and sects? 

But as for all things in life, 
attachment is not good
 even more so with religion
Man likes to cling on
and cannot let go
This limits his peace 
Give this more thought. 

Religion that is wholesome
can end up not so.
It depends on the man
After all man is behind religion

Not God and saints
Who only inspire men
to have more religious ways
in the religions and sects
we know today and tomorrow

The same old story of Man and Lord

No 600 of Living Life Series 1

Man is born to make amends for his shortcomings in life before becoming man. He may have been with God but fell short of the glory of God. This scenario applies more to men who now in current life end up leading a house of God. 

Such a man could well be a fallen angel who went wayward but by the grace of God given a second chance. He had to be sent down for a shot at rehabilitation. 

Blessed by the grace of God, he would have all the settings for a good job possibly a lead role at the house of God. God would not make a puppet out of him and would give him a free hand and a mind to decide and to learn from life. 

But if his innate shortcomings would somehow still come to the fore and had the better or rather worse of him, he would succumb and end up leading two lives, one a good one upfront and the other a shady one in the background. 

By the grace of God, God had opened doors for him. Sad to say, his weakness might have the better of him. Embolden by complacency and by other men who cheered him on as leader and see the God in him, he would be more daring thinking that he was after all in the house of God. 

He would believe that as long as he took the lead, God is with him and would accommodate him somehow because he had manifest good works in leading the flock and had grown the flock. The age old saying 'Familiarity breeds contempt' is often forgotten. 

He would keep going wayward and would ever think he could have his way so long as he is carrying out his divine role magnificently. But little did he know that he is stretching the goodwill and and overstepping the leeway accorded to him by the old Heavenly Father. 

Thus the settings would be ripe for him to reap what he had sown. He had turned a blind eye to what was right and ever thought that God owed to him as he had done marvelously in leadership of the house of God. After all, everyone had told him and he also knew too well that 'God is forgiving and tolerant.' He had faith in this. 

Thus he would end up doing the unthinkable in the house of God. Alas, poor soul, he would have to reap what he sow. Heaven did not even need to lift a finger and even those who egged him on and chose to hero worship him as though he spoke and acted for God would be taken for a ride and hopefully would learn 'who is man and who is lord.' 

But men might not learn and even blame God. This is the folly of men and not the making of God. So, who is to take the blame?

Many a fallen angel are here for another chance and men who were misguided by him too given a second chance. What if they fail to make amends? God knows even if men don't seem to know.

Such a scenario will be replayed ever so often in some of the houses of God and not just at an occasional temple of any heavenly saint such as the good lord Lord Bo Tien. 

The good lord had even added that 'insects will be attracted to the flower for nectar.' 'Blame not the flower for this.' Do give this some thought and be mindful to know who is man and who is saint or God in the house of God. 

Tao in life and in all religions

No 599 of Living Life Series 1

There is something in religions that spurs one religion to want to convert others to its fold and that makes another to seem not interested at all.  Numbers do not count somehow in the former. The latter is not concerned with numbers.

Perhaps in the latter it is the culture of society, and obviously religion is nothing more than the culture of that society. There is also no perk at all for a member of that religious culture to convert another from another religion. 

May be this is not a pre-requisite for salvation or a necessity to win over the favor of the founding father or saint. There is no such thing as the need to bring in another member before one can have perks of belonging.

Yet another reason is just common sense. There is no need to change religion just to do good and be good and to get guidance and shelter of God and saints. 

Anyone can do so through any religion and even without a religion. Being a member of a religion actually carries no entitlement and religion being not a political entity has to be like that. Religion should not divide men in the way that politics do. 

Thus for those in Tao (way / logic of life) culture, they are lukewarm towards idea of those outside their race or society to crossing over to be one of them. They would rather that others be happy where they are and not be uprooted. They are welcome to be with Tao culture and learn from it to be better at the religion or culture they belong to. This is emphasized by Lord Bo Tien in his messages in the decade from 1969. 

After all, the others cannot be full blooded Chinese even if they want to. Who they are is largely determined by birth and if you like to put it in another way by fate or karma? But it may also ironically be rationalised that it is by fate that one has to change religion. 

However even then one cannot change significantly the cultural roots one belongs to. To those who are in Tao, what matters is how to live life and come to terms with life. 

There are the worldly trappings with the ups and downs. There is no denying that life is never complete or satisfying but yet it is. The satisfaction if any can in time be bursting like a bubble. How to reconcile this and to moderate life so that one still lives life in worldly sense but yet distance some what from it. 

There must be no giving up of life and no going overboard with life if one is to have peace. Accept life for what it is. Go for what one can have but not suffer from trying to have more than one can have. 

Ultimately it is the inner peace that is important . This should be the way to live and this is Tao - a way of life that is for the here and now and for securing a better afterlife. It is both a culture and a religion 

This is applicable to any man and woman and applicable to all beings visible and invisible. Everyone walks through life in his own way. There is subconscious seeking of peace through one's choice and through learning from life. This is nothing more than Tao. Tao by any other name is still the same. 

Tao is for all and not the purview of Taoists. The road of Tao may be long but any journey starts with the first step - the here and now. If man can handle the here and now even if he cannot handle it like a saint, he is in Tao and has the potential to be better in Tao than what he can have for the moment. 

Always bear in mind to have peace in life. It is not about having no life. It is not about having too much of life but having life that yields peace in every moment. It is nothing to do with creating bubble in life that bursts in our face for that will add to woes and not attuned to peace in life. 

Anyone even non-Taoists can have his own way at Tao but how far one can go is the issue or rather another matter. Everyone is seeking meaning in life and this must bring peace in life in the moment that is the here and now. 

This is what Tao is all about. Tao is about living life, not being dead to life, not leaving life or being burdened by life. It is not about competing or racing life. It is not about dropping out of life. Surely this is not exclusive to Taoists and all can do that. Tao is in life and in all religions. 

Another look at why Lord Bo Tien descended in 1969

No 598 of Living Life Series 1

The lord saint Lord Bo Tien made himself known in 1969 so as to let all know the need to go to basics of the love of God and the need for love of life - one's life as well as those of others. 

In the life of worldliness and the warp of yin and yang, men become entangle in more of the same and plain forget the basics. They are busy with the worldliness they surround themselves with and forget the passing time and the basic reality of life - birth, disease, ageing and death. 

The anti-dote or solution for this is to have love of God and love for life - not to deny life despite its harsh realities and not to indulge as though the realities are not there. Then there will be love based on peace that comes from balancing the competing vicissitudes of life.

Knowing thus the purpose of His Mission, we know he is not here to build concrete temples or to start new religions but to revitalise religions on the basic footing of inner truth. It is how to have inner peace from proper way of love for God and for life, our own as well as the lives of others that matters. 

So it is not consistent to make the anniversary of his descent on the 13th Day of the Ninth Lunar Month a grand one. There is no need for display of his heavenly or divine majesty or to show the success with reminder of how his temple has arose from nothing to a grand concrete building. 

His temple is of people and of beings with heart. It is never a building. The sky or heaven above can be the roof and religions are the pillars. All beings are in his temple. There are no chosen or select ones.

There are and were already many earthly temples that have grand or even grander buildings and of what use is it to have one or few more. What difference will this make? 

Moreover this is not in accordance with his mission which is to awaken men and beings to the basic inner truth. For this men can be in any religion and any temple or church. Having temples in his name and having grand annual celebrations are out of line with his mission. 

"God speaks to me"

No 597 of Living Life Series 1

Do be wary when someone says that God or a representative of God speaks to him and projects himself as the chosen one to share message to all. He will say that God speaks to him and wants him to let the flock in the congregation know.

It is alright to have faith and out of faith feel the closeness with God but such a person often is convinced that God has planted or inserted thoughts in him.

But haven't God and saints already spoken and all that were spoken are in the Scriptures - the Written Word. It is more worthy for the one who addresses the congregation to go by the divine Word as written in the scriptures if the scriptures are the accepted spoken words of God. 

Moreover even if there is need for God to speak to men on top of what he had spoken through the scriptures, surely he will not just speak to one man but to many so that the rest would benefit from corroborative conclusion that such and such could indeed be the message from God. 

But even then it must not detract from the written spoken Word in the scriptures. Otherwise, if a lone man speaks and stands out as the modern day messenger of God and yet not questioned by men in his congregation, then the seeds of cult will be sown. 

The man then becomes the modern day stand-in for the prophet of God and what he says in the name of God is deemed as said by God. At least this is what he wants his listeners to believe. What more if he could perform a miracle or two? He would then be deemed as God. 

Often the catch phrase is that "God speaks to me in my prayer!" This alone with pleas aloud for faith in God through him will sway the crowd. Any soothsayer or fortune teller would want to say this so as to win confidence and following in him. But the difference from soothsayer or fortune teller is that he is invoking God and his selling point is that God is with him and speaking directly to him. He becomes the stand-in for God.

Even in a temple of the good lord Lord Bo Tien, we will come across the occasional one who will say, "Well you all don't know. Wait till you reach my level and experience what I experience, then we can talk further." Isn't that insinuating that he is more with the divine good lord or saint than the rest. The rest must trust and believe what he says. He wants the rest to know he is the leader and the one chosen by the good lord ... 

Men are always like that and they seem to forget that even in the case of a temple of the good lord Lord Bo Tien, what was spoken and written in the scriptures or the recorded messages are good enough and for eternity. Is there the need for God or a good saint to speak further. Even if there is the need, surely he will do so in better ways, perhaps more openly and not to one or a handful men. 

But men can be gullible more so if someone charismatic proclaims, "God speaks to me." Then men will idolise or rather hero worship the man who sways their hearts with the four words, "God speaks to me."

Even if God or a representative of Lord Bo Tien does need to speak to a man, it is more for the personal benefit of that man and not for God or heavenly angel to speak to others through that man. Don't you think so? Best for that man to cherish the blessing and not divulge or he might invite ridicule as had been the case for some pioneer members of a temple in the name of the good lord Lord Bo Tien.  

Religions like fire and water must work as one

No 596 of Living Life Series 1

Fire and Water are necessary for life but yet one or the other or both can be harmful to life. They are quoted as examples of yin and yang by sages of old in China and reiterated by Lord Bo Tien.

Men must be able to balance the two, the yin and yang to have optimal life that is uneventful and peaceful. The point for this balance is no fixed point but a shifting and dynamic one. In Winter, we need more of fire and warmth but in Summer, we need less.

Looks like men need to have opposites to live life and that must be present in all aspects of society. This is a reality.

We even need religions and sects that are different in presentation and stress with some more simple and others more complex. They may be different like fire and water or if we like sunlight and rain. But without all and depending on only one, life cannot go on. 

We need religions that differ in presentation and focus so as to meet the needs of the diversity of people in society. But if one religion is overzealous and want to sell and dominate, there will be conflicts. This is refereed to as imbalance of yin and yang. 

This is not good at all and is never the wish or desire of the founder. The founders of religions are humble, meek and with the people and they never lord or bear down on people. Every founder had no wish even for a religion in his name but he only wanted men to be more close to goodness of God or Divinity. 

But society which propels and give life to religions have culture that dominates and takes over religion. Religion becomes dominating and over pushy if the society that promotes it is like that. Religion then can be the reason for wars and terrorism. 

If the society is lax and tends to be inclusive, a new religion introduced to it will in no time lose its distinctiveness and would become integrated with other religions as part of popular religion. This is seen in Asian societies with ethnic Chinese as good example. 

Let not religions divide men but let men see the richness in diversity and realise that they meet different needs, can be complementary even synergistic and together that more wholesome. Religions like fire and water must work as one - like the yin yang sphere below.