Affinity with heavenly saints on Lunar New Year

No 817 of Living Life Series 1

Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) is the divine messenger of God the Jade Emperor for the Inner Truth that all religions and sects are one in the inner truth of God. There is the need to be good by receiving the goodness of God and saints and by cultivating good to be able to have more good - in step-wise fashion 步步高升.

This is the doctrine or Word and the Word is God and God is the Word. On the eleventh hour of the eve of the Lunar New Year, let us be in the universal temple to receive the lord through reaffirming and recommitting ourselves to the Word. By doing so, we receive the lord for the Word is in Him and he is the Word. 

Where is the universal temple? It is where the sky or heaven is the roof of the temple and religions are the pillars. All under Heaven is in this universal temple. 

All man-made temples are gateways to open our souls to be in tune with the universal temple. Many are oblivious that they are in the universal temple. 

The good lord like all heavenly saints descends to bless men on occasions like Chinese New Year so as to encourage them to practice the Word - through Tao or the Way. 

Tao is the balancing of the opposing polarities of life - the yin and yang and this can be achieved in part through the guidance and blessings of God and saints as well as through conscientious mindful cultivation of peace of the moment. Many moments of peace make for greater peace and eventual enlightenment. 

Tao is the practice of the Word that underlies all religions and sects in some way or other - seen or unseen. Tao starts with devotion and faith and practices of religions are instrumental to lead men to serious spirituality which is Tao or Way. This may be referred to by any other name. 

The process involves serial step-like progress - 步步高升 and has to do with peace and the want of peace with love of life and all men. There must be that concerted spiritual avoidance of conflicts and discord. Religion is about all these attributes. 

(But alas temples and religions do attract and are magnets of conflicts and this is disappointing though unavoidable as we should not blame the flower for insects coming to it - as per what Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 teaches us.) 

Moving upwards step by step 
with more success

步步高升

Let us reaffirm our commitment to God and saints like Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) on Chinese New Year and renew our affinity with God and saints. The Lunar New Year is the celebration of this affinity. 

Let the celebration of life begins with The Lunar New Year. Let this celebration continues throughout the year in the spirit of moving upward step by step progressively for more success - 步步高升 and this goes a long way to contribute to a more peaceful life for everyone at least for the year in question - 大家过给太平年

Will Chinese New Year lose its bearing?

No 816 of Living Life Series 1

Chinese New Year takes on a different perspective once people do not adhere to the culture of old and try to celebrate it like the global new year celebration on 1st January of every year. This is more so when it is preceded by Christmas just one week before 1st January.

With the shift towards nuclear families, the emphasis of extended family and grand parents taking the lead to head family gatherings and celebrations is no longer the case. The celebration of Chinese New Year becomes no longer different from the celebration of Christmas and the global new year on 1st Jan. 

Nuclear family gathering
from http://cliparts.co/clipart

The age-old culture of Chinese New Year rests on getting the whole extended family together and reaffirming the respect for elders rather than on respecting the self - individual freedom, rights and liberties. 

Instead of having family reunion in the ancestral home of the eldest in the extended family, this is no longer the case for many. Does it matter when even during normal days of the year, Chinese live as nuclear families? It does in a way become less meaningful to have reunion at the extended family level. 

Big extended family reunions on eve of Chinese New Year have decentralized to individual small nuclear families. This is the reality that Chinese in many parts of the world have to live with. 

Moreover at the spiritual level, instead of worshiping all heavenly saints, they now do not worship any or prefer to go for monotheism rather than polytheism.

Just like the earthly relationship, the focus has decentralized from worshiping the extended family of God and many saints to that of worshiping just one God or saint in the same style of nuclear family they prefer to have. 

This is a departure from the wisdom of the ancestors but many nowadays out of pragmatism and self interests have distanced themselves from the wisdom of ancestors as they think they know better. In a way, it is true that they know better but yet not so in many other ways. 

Where is Chinese New Year heading to? It may soon be more practical to celebrate the global new year on 1st January. This is more out of simplicity and more consistent with evolved culture that is inevitable with globalization.

The good lord Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) has foreseen this change in cultural emphasis from extended family to nuclear family and from polytheism to monotheism. 

He wants us to respect all elders and not just the heads of our own nuclear families. Additionally, he also wants us not just to idolize only one deity or saint but respect and believe in all heavenly saints. We respect all saints - the saints of our own religion and the saints of all other religions.

This is so that there is cohesion of the world as one big extended family and not allow the world to degenerate into numerous self-righteous and self-centered nuclear families where people no longer go along with the thinking of the many and only care for their own. 

This contributes to societal ills and less of give and take. Let not Chinese New Year end up with championing self-righteousness and self-centered culture. 

The only way out is to go back to the old ways of respect for all elders in a mega extended family. But this may never happen and it is best to be mindful of that and make do with whatever is left of the spirit of Chinese or Lunar New Year that we have inherited from ancestors. 

There must be new meaning and culture injected into Chinese New Year that makes it different from the global new year day of 1st Jan. Like it or not, there is this need. 

Let us reflect on what Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) teaches us on the Universal Prayer. He is after all the messenger of God that all religions are one in God and saints though different they may be.

The prayer goes like this. To all heavenly saints we greatly adore. We believe in your existence and thy glory is in the thoughts of men. We seek for thy protection and guidance so as to live better for the time to come.

At the earthly level, our elders in a way are our saints or earthly gods. We too must adore them. We must believe in them and their glory is in the bringing up of the younger ones like us. We seek too for their guidance and direction so as to live better for the time to come.

In heaven, God and saints are our elders and on Earth, our uncles, aunties and family elders are the elders we need to respect. This is one of the universal precepts the good lord wants us to live up to.

Elders refer to God and saints of all religions as well as elders of super-extended families and community. Respect for elders is central to cohesion and peace on Earth and in Heaven. 

Has Chinese New Year lost its bearing? Well, it has to evolve with the times but we must steer clear of self-centered individualized thinking. All must plug in to the bigger picture and not see only the smaller picture. 

Surely humanity can rise up to be counted as to be worthy of the elders be they saints and men. There must be respect for elders more so on Chinese New Year. This is the backdrop and how Chinese New Year is going to be celebrated must be based on this backdrop. 

We must know our roots and as long as we know our roots and are rooted, we can change the practices of Chinese New Year any other way. We will still be on the correct bearing but not all will agree and that is life, isn't it? Then we too need to agree to disagree. 

We need richness of many kinds and varieties to make a treasure pot for Chinese New Year - Pen Cai (盆菜). Isn't treasure pot an item for Chinese New Year? 

Pen Cai (盆菜)

Have a Happy New Year 步步高升 - success upon success 

Moving forward with more success
步步高升

Well this holds true more significantly
to the practices of Chinese New Year.
We must respect all elders
and not just one or two,
be they men or saints,
We must be progressive
not myopic

God and all heavenly saints
of all religions

  

Have a Happy New Year with Ji Gong (济公)

No 815 of Living Life Series 1

Bring in the cheer. Invite Ji Gong (济公) home for the Lunar New Year. Unlike other saints, he would prefer not to return to Heaven on eve of the new year. 

As a non conformist, he is with us through out the year and roams the world of men. Though a saint, he behaves like a man and shares the floor even with those who could not have a roof over their heads, let alone have luxury of chairs to sit on. This is indeed Ji Gong (济公) the Living Saint.

He likes to see the joy in the faces of men and what better days to do so than on Chinese New Year. Welcome him home with open doors and offer some incense if you can - not to forget crackers or some other noise too if you can. 

But like what he believes in, what is important is the heart and not actions of men. Though actions speak louder than words, what comes from the heart matters more than what we do or what goes through the gut. 

After all, isn't this what he wants us to know. So open our hearts to God and saints and welcome them with or without fanfare. What matters is sincerity and Ji Gong (济公) knows that too well. With affinity, surely he will be with us not only on new year day but on any day for sure, so that every day brings additional blessings to all of men.

Wishing all more blessings and success
步步高升

Do not hesitate to offer him wine and the vase below is welcome sight to him. He drinks but he is never drunk though he is tad bit queer and eccentric even without any drink. He would drink with us anytime. 

Bring in the wine or perhaps just plain water. What difference does it makes - it is to him all the same though obviously different is water and wine. What matters is the heart, my dear friends and in Ji Gong (济公) surely we will find a friend and not just a saint. 

He would rather be our friend. Please do invite him to join the cheer on new year day. May this wish of us come true and for those who take on to him, this is the only wish that must come true. Surely he will not turn us down with or without wine they all say. 

A wine or two will however make his day. He will break out into more smiles and bring more cheer to one and all. This is an open secret we all know but do not underestimate him. He is more saint than man, more enlightened than many men who drink not but are intoxicated with the ills and cravings of men. 

Don't forget to add in fruits in addition to wine to welcome him. Let us make his visit a fruitful one for Ji Gong (济公) and for us as well. Have A Happy New Year. What a friend we have in Ji Gong (济公)!

大家过给太平年Wishing Everyone A Peaceful Year

No 814 of Living Life Series 1

大家过给太平年 Wishing Everyone A Peaceful Year. This is the time of the year to be happy and at peace for no other reason than that it is the Chinese New Year. A good start paves the way for a good year. Let the peace of Spring reigns throughout the year.

May the year be peaceful and be free from issues. With blessings of God and saints, issues will be no more issues and big issues will be small issues even if these cannot be no issues. This did the good lord Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) say to his congregation. 

The celebration of the Lunar New Year is the celebration of life. Religion celebrates the joy and hope in life. The spirit of joy and hope in life is captured by the joyous spirit of the Lunar New Year. 

For once a year, people put aside issues and all reaffirm that they are friends. There is the spirit of giving with red packets changing hands. 

People of all religions celebrate the joy of the new year with love. It is through love that there is peace. 

Chinese New Year red packets transcend differences of religions and sects. There is oneness of celebration regardless of religion on the occasion of the Lunar New Year. 

A unique red packet
proclaiming the love of Christ
on Lunar New Year

Jesus loves us. So do all heavenly saints. But the important thing is whether we love ourselves and treasure their blessings and whether we value ourselves. 

The bottom line is whether we are at peace with life and make ourselves really more worthy of the love and blessings all heavenly saints shower on us. If not, then we will expect more out of life and out of the saints even when we already have more than before. We must not abuse the goodwill of Heaven.

We should focus on ourselves - the inner world in us. Are we at peace with ourselves. We need to count our blessings and to reap more blessings but if we are at peace with ourselves, do we need more and are we worse off by not having more? 

We must have inner peace that all religions and their saints want us to achieve. This is what the good lord Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) refer to when he descended for the first time in 1969. Even the Dalai Lama a living saint has the same to tell us regardless of our religion, race or culture.

The spirit of the Lunar New Year will be with us not just on the days of the celebration of the new year but the whole year round. We must mindfully want to be at peace, more specifically inner peace and wish others have the inner peace as well. By having peace, we can celebrate life not only on Lunar New Year but on everyday of the year and year in and year out. 

That the sages of old in China refer to as Tao 道 - the balance of polarities of life - the yin and the yang. Tao is the Way for ultimate inner peace - the enlightenment that makes one a Buddha. 

Tao or Way

This is way beyond the very highly acclaimed ecstatic states that the great Chan or Zen masters achieve through meditative approach to life. Attachment to any stage including the penultimate to enlightenment can hinder one from reaching the ultimate but then, the Zen masters and wannabes are already far advance in inner peace. Many of us can only have a little bit of the peace they have but this is already good enough. 

It is better to have moment to moment peace in life. Many moments of peace do add up like many drops of water to make a mighty ocean of peace in time to come. Please note that this is to add on for more peace and to move up in peace move by move and step by step - 步步高升

Wishing success in moving up in life
  步步高升

Yes, we can then have that step wise progression in peace within us. But what is important is to have that moment of peace here and now. Then we are on the path of Tao 道. 

May everyone have peace and the first step is to wish everyone a peaceful year - 大家过给太平年. May all have a great peaceful year. May the prancing of the lions and bursting of fire crackers bring more cheer and peace for sure. Let there be a peaceful year.

May all your wishes come true and may you prosper

May we be a picture of peace like Ji Gong (济公) who is ever care free, peaceful and happy the whole year round and who lives up to the principle that what matters is what goes through the heart and not what one does or what goes through the gut.

Ji Gong (济公) wishes everyone 
a happy and peaceful new year

The Lunar New Year and the religions of men

No 813 of Living Life Series 1

Why is The Lunar New Year a reminder of the tendency of some men to speak ill of one another? At least for once a year they learn and try to speak and think good of all fellow men, even those they don't fancy. The Lunar New Year will ever be the celebration of the potential higher goodness of men as captured by Spring when flowers bloom and life opens up to more goodness.

The Lunar New Year encompasses men of all religions. It is celebrated by Chinese of all religions. 

Religions are of men and men are of religions. Some men of religions tend to speak unkindly of fellow men even of the same sect or religion. Religions mirror the ways and nature of men

Religion should not end up as excuse for some men to say that they are right and others wrong but it happens the whole year round and that is the problem. So somehow, it is decreed that on Lunar New Year, let there be the difference, and hope this stays on for the rest of the year. 

Religion is about goodness of God but is never meant to let some men think that they can speak for God and what they say is God. Some men may end up condemning fellow men even of the same religion in the name of God. That is exactly what God would not want.

Rather religion is the excuse for God to reach out to men in whatever way possible - even in ways that may seem wrong to some, so long as God is able to reach out to as many and bring them together with the best possible spiritual excuse. Thus God favors religions and sects - more than one and many more to come. 

Even the wrong are right. Religion is never meant to shut up the mouth of God so that He could not speak for men who do not toe the line of some die hard chaps of another religion. 

Through various religions and sects, God speak for men who would otherwise be condemned and downtrodden as unbelievers by erring extremists of another or the same religion and what He says is of course not of fallible man. God speaks for himself and what he tells us is through what we see in this world and through event language. 

The message is loud and clear. There must be more than one religion and more than one sect in any religion. But some men just think otherwise. 

The problem is not with God but with some men. God knows and that is why there will be more religions and more sects in any religion. 

God sends us messengers every now and then to let us know that there is the brotherhood of men through the diversity of religions and sects. There is oneness in diversity of religions and the good lord Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) is one such messenger to show the purpose of God through the many religions and sects of men in the ultimate salvation of all beings - the Inner Truth Message.

The problem is not with God but with some men. Some erring men end up undoing what God did. But the good lord Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) says that they are ironically the very ones who are near yet far and if we think carefully, they are also the ones who are dear and near to God. God never condemn or give up with men but some men do give up with fellow men. 

from http://cliparts.co/clipart

The Lunar New Year is the reaffirmation of the goodness of God and the need for men at least for once a year to reunite and respect one another regardless of their beliefs and background. May all men seal their mouths with sweetness so that they cannot talk ill of others and may they only have sweetness in their mouths.

步步高升 - Let every move add up to higher success

No 812 of Living Life Series 1

Be it in life or in spiritual cultivation, we must do so in steps and often small steps at a time. Progress  must be incremental and that goes also with our aspirations during the Lunar New Year when every move goes towards higher uplift of life - 步步高升

This synchronizes with what the good lord Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) says that the principle that applies to spiritual if applied to worldly life will make life work as well. 

In spiritual, no one can be a saint overnight but one must start as a devotee of a saint and work upwards one small step at a time. We cannot have overnight the ultimate peace of enlightenment but we can get the peace of the devotee and cultivate the peace of the moment. Every moment of peace add up to more of the peace and makes us closer to the ultimate divine peace. This is how we can climb spiritually and this too is how we can climb socially。 

Thus we do not expect religions of mass appeal to dwell on the ultimate divine peace but to be of mass appeal, religions must facilitate the appeal of the peace of the moment and the peace and joy of worldly life.

Even a religion with focus on ultimate divine peace must modify itself to cater for the masses by focusing on peace of the moment, so as to be able to win the hearts of the masses. That is why in Buddhism, there is the Greater Wheel to cater for the masses and the Smaller Wheel for those who think they want to go direct to the top. Both add to the rightness but one is better for some but not to others.

In Chinese culture, it is many steps or moves that contribute to progress. Every additional move adds up to more progress. Let every move add to higher success 步步高升. 

Do bear in mind, every new move should add on to the know-how and success and not replace what had proven to be worthwhile. This applies aptly to religion as well. If we adopt a new religion, let this add up to the good that the old had provided to us. 

This is what the ancestors of old in China expect when they say that we let every move add up to higher success 步步高升. But the ignorant may expect that the new be adopted and the old discarded. Then men will end up changing his culture and roots which will never happen in reality, however hard they may try. 

The new religion and culture will only make them better at what they already are. It is better to learn and imbibe from other religions and cultures to enrich ourselves in whatever we already are than to try to be whatever we were not. This too is a view of Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨). 

Religion will always be a way of life and has to do with culture. We can only enrich our culture but not change our race and culture. So for God sake, please heed the wisdom of ancestors and do let every move add up to higher success 步步高升. Do not let our every new move replace or cancel that of the past.