The Pillars and the Mission

No 218 of Living Life Series 1

Brethren, do take heart that any temple of a heavenly saint like that of Lord Bo Tien would only be set up to gather together like-minded people to share in the aspirations of the Heavenly Saint. 

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

He represents selflessness and not unpleasant selfishness. Come to Him for blessings if and when you need help. But bear in mind that His hand of compassion must make better men out of us. By His blessings, we must become more selfless and not more self-centred. We must end up at least a little closer to Godliness and not more entwined in more materialistic self-centred Worldliness presenting as bad attributes of greed, pride, egoism, hatred, ill-will, jealousy and warped views (such as view that there is no life after death on one extreme or that only one life to decide lasting hell or lasting heaven at the other extreme) 

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

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

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

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

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

Religions, brethren, are the Pillars of Truth. The Mission to bring Truth to all beings is the Mission of Heaven, and this is not confined to one dimension but cuts across all dimensions.

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Mission framework and the divine gift

No 217 of Living Life Series 1



1) Lord Bo Tien came down to provide guidance so that we can have insight.

2) He let us know that there are the teachings of God, the doctrines, to help the individual to be united with God.

3) He emphasises the practice of universal compassion is the cornerstone.

4) We have His guidance, the doctrines and the practice (of universal compassion) to form the triangular framework of The Mission and The Temple.

5) This framework alone is not enough and He is mindful that we need some form of binding experience to convince us of existence of heaven and earth. If we cannot see at least we can feel and experience in addition to understanding the messages

6) Hence in the1976 anniversary message, He gave out the following pointers.

7) The Temple is where the physical temple premises co-locate with the spiritual realm. This allows “harnessing of invisible forces existing alongside” (refer 1976 anniversary speech) i.e. harnessing in the form of spiritual learning and experiential art or cultivation which comes in two versions, sitting and standing.

8) Devotees who initiate themselves as members invoke the invisible force, which is actually the Divine Force or Spirit of God. The feel of the force coursing through the body is awe-inspiring and a truly out-of-this-world spiritual experience. It is the gift of the Divine Spirit for us through Lord Bo Tien.

9) Practising it should be enriching for a better “understanding of heaven and earth”.

10) But to the less informed with less insight, misunderstanding can arise. This will lead to the spiritual art to be sidelined as unimportant, and members may end up forgetting that it is the divine gift through Lord Bo Tien.

11) Let us now refer to the transcript of the Lord’s message in 1976.

Members of the Temple are involved in certain forms of spiritual experiential cultivation. These harness the invisible force existing alongside but have caused misunderstanding to some who are in the dark and fail to understand. Such experiential cultivation should reinforce the understanding of and faith in heaven and earth, and in God. With this divine experience, they should be able to spread the Word of God through Him (Lord Bo Tien)

12) Cultivate the divine experience regularly in our life and feel the presence and guidance of Heaven. This will give faith to put us on the path of being united eventually with God in Heaven. It is the gift of the Divine Spirit, namely the gift of Divinity. It is the link with Divinity for more enriching and personal spiritual development.

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Faith

No 216 of Living Life Series 1

(Faith in context of the followers and disciples of Lord Bo Tien)

1)      We have faith that if we do this, we will get that. Faith is not just based on logic but on experience and confidence arising from both logic and experience.

2)      We have faith in Lord Bo Tien not just because of logic but because of experience. Part of this experience is based on our faith in experience of others. But this alone will not bond us to have faith. What then could have anchored us to have faith? Logic alone can work either ways. It can give rise to belief but it can also lead to cynicism and scepticism. Logic or human intellect depends on which side we want to look at. Rationalisation can be convincing and very much depends also on personality of person advocating a stand on an issue. What anchors us is the bond between the Lord Saint and the individual be it devotee or disciple.

3)      For the devotee, who comes to temple on a few occasions a year, the bond comes from prayers being answered. Some may scorn at this but for the person whose prayers were answered, the experience is unmistakable. Often, the faith of devotee, who knows nothing of the doctrines of Lord Bo Tien is beyond logic and rationalisation. His faith may be more solid than and surpasses that of a disciple of Lord Bo Tien.  This gives meaning to often quoted statement that “the near may be far and the far may be near”

4)      For the disciple, he has both experience and logic.

Logic refers to the understanding of teachings of religions based on the approach of Lord Bo Tien, who says that all religions are the same and are good.

But it is faith that provides pillar of strength.

Faith for the disciple is based on experience beyond his prayers being answered, more so when the disciple cannot be depending on answering of prayers for all the issues in his life in general and spiritual practice in particular.

The Lord cannot live the life for the disciple, and he has to live the life himself. In fact, he has to put the teachings into practice, and develop himself spiritually.

Often the disciple may wonder why his prayers were not answered.

The true disciple would be more concerned with putting the teachings into practice. He would not seek favour or ask that his prayers be answered. Instead, he does not rely on prayers.

He is more interested in putting into practice the teachings and at same time doing good for others by doing his part for the mission.

Practice is life long and long term. Practice means to be selfless and to love others as much as loving oneself.

Doing his part for the mission is actually integral part of practice. Practice reaps results here and now, in the individual and in how others feel about him. This is enriching experience that gives him faith

He is at peace and in harmony with others, be it in spiritual life or in mundane life. He creates his own blessings, and therefore does not depend on prayers. 

He will be well liked and blessed by all be they members of his family, his work colleagues or his society.

Even invincible beings known and unknown to him will like him and bless him.

Lord Bo Tien will bless him, and there is no need for him to merely pray for himself and for his own needs.

When the good disciple prays in his daily devotions, he prays for others not just his friends and family but for all beings.

This is over and on top of actions to help others.

He also understands that some things in life are predetermined but that does not stop him from helping and praying for others.

He can help others and foster others to help one another. He can also pray for divine help for them. Some things are fated but if the good disciple prays for others, “big issue becomes smaller issues” even if fated.

The disciple’s faith comes from practice and practice means helping others. Because of his true discipleship, he plugs himself into the Mission of God, and into the mainstream of the omnipresence and omnipotence of God, which some religions termed Divine Aura or Holy Spirit.

An example of the manifestation of this is the spiritual art of power, which is experienced to give faith to some one when he or she takes on discipleship via taking incense water. The disciple is being initiated into the divine aura or energy when he takes on discipleship. 

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Candle flame message for all sects and faiths

No 215 of Living Life Series 1

 

Brethren the lone candle flame represents a disciple of  a heavenly saint like Lord Bo Tien as that disciple moves on in his life spiritually and in all aspects

If sheltered by the Lord Saint it will glow ever brighter and steadily.

Brethren, the same lone candle flame of the disciple must be able to shine the way for good of all beings and for the welfare of the many, and for the mission of Heaven to save souls.

The disciple’s candle flame needs to be sheltered and tendered to by his Saint not just for the total personal welfare of the disciple but to enable the disciple to carry out the Mission of Heaven.

To do this, the candle flames of the followers of the same saint must get together and act synergistically together to shine the way for all beings with divine light of hope and love for all beings.

Brethren, to say that one is not ready and to wait till one is spiritually ready will mean the Mission of Heaven will have to wait till kingdom come. But to take part when one is learning and cultivating the Way will mean that one will have to be weary that his weaknesses which are still with him do not impede the very purpose of his being part of the mission. Brethren do be mindful and be diligent to ensure that this should not happen ever once too often

Candle flames of disciples of any saint must come together for the mission for the benefit of all beings.

The candle flames of followers of all saints and religions must act synergistically in complementary fashion for the benefit of various strata of society

Yes, they must act in concert or synergistically and not in antagonistic ways.

Candle flames of followers of different sects and religions should gather together but must be well placed and connected in orderly way and spread out so as to be effective in acting together.

There is no need to compete for space and there is whole lot of beings for which we can light up the candle flame of their being. Candle flames, which stand on the same place, will burn out one another and destroy one another. This would be wasteful and regretable.

There is so much to be done, and there is no need to compete for same space or spot in the mission to save souls. Gather together for the mission but no need to step on one another and burn out one another’s spiritual candle. There is so much work to go around for all in the mission. Yes, candles must get together not to burn and melt down one another but to pull resources, to apportion the work to be done. Each can take care of one area of Gods work and complement one another.

Candle flames if well placed together are effective to shine and light up the life of those in darkness. Candle flames if thrown together without good placement and forethought will cause meltdown of the candles. They will extinguish the light even in themselves let alone ever consider lighting the way for those in darkness

This has been and continues to be the candle flame message of Lord Bo Tien for all beings in all faiths and sects so that they be better in their respective sects and faiths to enable the mission of God to save souls.

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Candle Light Lessons

No 214 of Living Life Series 1

 

Brethren Lord Bo Tien has alluded in his sermons to candle lights.

He reminds us that everyone is a candle light and should use the light to light up the life of others.

The lesson to learn is that we can help others.

The light in us if sheltered by the Lord Saint will also shine brighter. Otherwise, candle flame may flickler in the wind.

The lesson here is that we need divine guidance and protection. Human effort is limited but with divine blessings so much more can be attained and be better assured. We always face winds of unpleasantness in life and upsets are not infrequent. They threaten the flame of our life.

Candles must come together for enhanced effect, to catch the attention of more people, to light up the path of life not only for one another but also for others in darkness or who happen to see us or come our way.

The lessons to learn here are that we can help one another to be on correct path, and to better light up life which are beset with darkness of woes.

By coming together we not only help one another but we will also be able to shine the way and help others as well.

We need not just depend on divine assistance but we can depend on one another as well. By coming together, not only can we help one another, we can also help others. The more of us united as such will provide light to help even those further away.

Brethren, the unsheltered candle flame flickers and is extinguished by even a mere breeze. The sheltered candle flame remains steady and glows brighter. The Heavenly Saint Lord Bo Tien shelters the light of Truth in us and allows it to glow brighter.

Do remember that a solitary candlelight is weak. A collection of candle flames is awe-inspiring. Likewise,  we may say that a gathering or congregation of followers of a religion provides the necessary fellowship to inspire better effort. Devotion and religious service provides this boost or fellowship.

Be like the sheltered candle flame. Let the Lord Saints shelter the spiritual light in us.

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The working of the Holy Spirit through Lord Bo Tien or any Heavenly Saint

No 213 of Living Life Series

1) There is in each and every one of us the light of life what some will call the light of God in us. This light if sheltered from the elements by a Heavenly Saint will glow ever brighter, but if left alone runs the risk of being threatened by the elements of wind and storm, and even a mere breeze can cause it to flicker.

2) The individual light of life cannot stand alone and should not stand alone. All the lights in all of us should come together to synergise and brighten one another spiritually. At the same time, the bundled lights emit brightness to shine the way for others so that they can be led to join us to be sheltered by a lord saint. In this way their life can be brightened by the combined brightness of our inner lights while awaiting the Saint’s shelter to enable their dim light to grow and glow brighter.

3) The light in us needs to be nourished by the energy giving divine air of Heaven. This is the energy of the divine essence what we refer to as the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God and His Saints in every corner and in every dimension. It enables Divinity to reach out and save souls. It gives reality to and substantiates the omnipresence and omnipotence of Divinity.

4) There is Divinity. There are the saints and the buddhas. There is the Holy Spirit, which is the pervading divine essence or divine air. This is the Divine Trinity

5) When we accept Divinity by opening our hearts and souls to the Lord Saint, we allow Divinity to further light up the light of our inner being. We also allow the divine air of the Holy Spirit to come into our being and nourish the light in us.

6) At  a temple of a heavenly saint such as Lord Bo Tien, followers are initiated into the fold of the Holy Spirit when they are baptised by taking blessed water to be a follower of Lord Bo Tien. They can feel the force of the Holy Spirit in the spiritual art of divinity coursing through and moving our limbs (sitting cross-legged and inviting the divine force in the name of the Lord Saint). This is an enriching experience and is the gift of Divinity. Not all who come to the Lord will have this gift. The reason is simple. Divinity has different gifts for different people.

7) Men can also feel the presence of a saint in their day to day life though He does not speak to them directly verbally or through sign or body language. He also does not meet face to face with them. A Chinese temple too no longer needs mediums for a saint to communicate with folllowers. The reason is simply this. If we allow a heavenly saint to run our life, we can feel His presence through the Holy Spirit not just in the form of divine arts but in form of event language. He speaks to us through events, which happen in our day-to-day life. These are events, which make us realise that He blesses us. Our individual abilities and normal luck or chance alone cannot account for the once-too-often favourable events. These are blessings, which enrich our life so that we are better able to carry out the divine mission not only to save our own souls spiritually but also to save souls of others and help those in difficulties. At the same time, we enhance our worldly comforts.

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S.O.S. - Saving Of Soul

No 212 of Living Life Series 1





1) For B to there, there must be A, and without B, there will be no C. If we are satisfied with B, there should be no C, D, E, or F.

2) Every thought is due to previous thought, and gives rise to subsequent thought. The link is the want to have more thoughts.

3) Every attachment or want gives rise to subsequent want or desire, and this goes on and on.

4) The lake will be turbulent with waves as long as there is current and wind.

5) Where there is no current or wind, the lake will be calm and clear. There will be no waves.

6) Where there is no want or ego, there will be no dissatisfaction and subsequent wants. Rebirth goes on and on as long the cause is there. Like when there is no current or wind, there is no wave, there will no longer be rebirth and suffering when there is no want or ego.

7) Self-centred ego is a collection of wants, desires or attachments. Where self-centredness cease, the individual becomes egoless. He is void of ego but not of life.

Ego ceases but not the person or his life. In fact he has more life as he is in harmony with the Divine Spirit.

8) Every thought or want gives birth to new thought or want. Rebirth is just like that. The last want or thought gives rise to next birth.

9) The quality of next life is dependent on the thought at point of death.

10) He who has moment-to-moment control of his thoughts, ever mindful and egoless, with an ever-constant air of peace and calm unaffected by yin and yang of life will be able to have such pure thought at point of death. He will attain enlightenment or at least a higher rebirth in dimensions where near-egolessness exists.

11) To be able to do so, one must have moment-to-moment mindfulness and pure thoughts without ego. At the same time he must cultivate daily periods of pronounced meditative contemplation of voiding the mind of thoughts and want to achieve one-pointedness of mind.

12) Spiritual devotions help to bring the mind to pureness, and the devoted at point of devotion is in spiritual rapture with the Divine Spirit.

13) Chanting and prayers for the one with troubled mind helps to calm the mind and bring about transient pureness.

14) When this occurs at last breath or thought moment, spiritual rapture with Divine Spirit enables his soul to be saved by God through the Divine Spirit.

15) Enlightenment or Purification of our soul depends on the trinity of: -

a) Spiritual devotions,

b) Cultured mind with moment-to-moment mindfulness and calm unaffected by yin and yang of life

c) Practice and perfection of one-pointedness meditation

16) They may be rephrased as the saving of the soul depends on: -

a) Spiritual discipline or devotions or alternatively divine rapture and absorption

b) Moment-to-moment wisdom with mental calmness (equanimity)

c) Purity through voiding mind at one pointedness meditation

17) A person who achieves one-pointedness of mind during meditation can meditate at will and enter into this mind frame. Of course, without the former two, it would be difficult for him to do so.

Quote: The motive (of religions) is to save the soul and to assist those who are in difficulties.


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The Lord is the shepherd

No 211 of Living Life Series 1



Brethren, God is like the shepherd tending to sheep. Beings in all dimensions are His sheep.

A shepherd takes care of all sheep. He is not discriminative and he does not show bias whatsoever.

All sheep both good and not-so-good are equally dear to him. Even the sheep that have strayed will be welcome to him. Shepherd does not lay down rules and conditions for sheep to be returned to his fold.

Even the sick and the wayward will be tended to by the shepherd and there is no judgement of who would better deserve his attention and who can be in his flock.

All sheep have same opportunity to be in his flock and haven. Shepherd does not expect any sheep to serve him or to be better at producing wool.

Shepherd is assisted by assistants. God and saints are like the shepherd and his assistants. Beings are the sheep.

God and saints will herd beings like sheep back from the grazing pastures of life to the farm or heaven. Even beings in hell and the devil of beings will be attended to and saved one day.

God and saints are loving and divine. They will attempt to herd all to right path to be in heaven but issue is whether beings will do so.

No shepherd will bar sheep and drive them away to wilderness. All beings and men are sheep of God and saints. There are no chosen few. The far, lost and wayward are as near and dear to Him as those already in His flock.

(PS The issue of the near and the far and the far may be near and the near may be far have been referred to by Lord Bo Tien*, a saint of God Almighty commonly referred to as the Pure August Jade Emperor in Chinese culture.)

Saints of religions extend love and guidance on behalf of God to all even those not in their sub- flocks. Even the symbolic head devil referred to as THE DEVIL will be saved one day.

The Lord is our shepherd and all both the near and far will be dear to Him. The far may be near and the near may stray and be far if they are complacent and arrogant, if they castigate and instill fear and doubts in other beings in God, contrary to the goodwill of God to all beings and men. To God, there are no chosen few and caste system.

It is fortunate for us that God is not man and man is not God. Man can be judgemental and vindictive but not God and saints. The Lord is the shepherd and all are dear to Him, even the far such as the devil in man. One fine day the devil will be devil no more. This is beyond the perception and mental grasp of men but not of God and saints.

Do note that hell is a reformative centre and not a manifestation of the wrath and vindictiveness of God. How can God have negative emotions like jealousy, anger and hatred? If He has, then He is no God. The problem is that some men think God is like man. To them, out of awe of God and out of sheer ignorance, they conceive that God somehow just have to behave like man with the same bias, tendencies and inclinations of men when men are upset with men. This is no fault of Heaven but the wrong perception of these few men. It is time for these few exceptions to wake up, move on and have mind set change. They must learn to have better opinion of God and give credit to the godliness of God.

All religions generally portray God as loving, compassionate and tolerant. This is as per the will of God. It may even be bordering on blasphemy for men to do otherwise, that is to portray God in bad light --- as being wrathful, jealous and full of hatred. The apt portrayal of a loving, compassionate and tolerant God, of course, will put man in good light and will speak well of man. It makes man worthy of God and saints. Cheers.

*PS The sheep that are far may be near even though far from the shepherd. Lord Bo Tien had said in 1975 at Sitiawan temple that the far may be near and the near may be far. Those with who pray with sincere heart to the saint, the saint will take heed and those who seek the saint for blessings, the saint will come to bless them. Big issue will be small issue and small issues will be no issue

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Richness in life

No 210 of Living Life Series 1

There are two types of  riches - richness in  life of spirit and richness in life of flesh and blood. Can we have both or must we choose only one?

Obviously there must be a balance between reality of now and posterity of the life hereafter. Richness be it of any form must be  within reach here and now and not wait till we reach the horizon and beyond.

To go for the richness of life of flesh and blood without care of life beyond flesh and blood is myopic that is short sighted.

To go for the richness of heaven or rather to have notion that we can heap riches in heaven while still on earth and to disregard our life on earth of flesh and blood is to deny the reality of now and daydream of life beyond. Often we will end up far from reality and end up having a mirage instead.

There must therefore be a balance as depicted by the seated image of Lord Bo Tien with feet astride the elements or polarities - richness of flesh and blood and richness of spirituality or heaven.

From the perspective of the truth behind and common to all sects and religions, what is significant is the richness of life principles. These if applied to spiritual life and mundane life alike will reap harvest of contentment, clarity and comfort in life. There must be the acute and lasting awareness of  the need for peace here now and in the future by being atop of the vicissitudes of life like happiness and sorrow, repute and disrepute, hunger and indigestion, loss and gain, health and ill-health.

The world of nature, of  yin and yang, that is, the polarities seems beautiful as a whole like a flower and for that matter like the rest of nature and the universes.

Even the spiritual endeavors of men collectively are diverse and provide a kaleidoscope of variety of sects and religions, each of which is uniquely distinct and yet complementary.

Together, they form the flower of collection of religions. Each is distinct like the parts of  a flower  but yet all belong to the same God or divinity and must coexist, complement and augment to capture the attention of the diversity of beings, otherwise there will be no wholesome and complete spirituality under and across the heavens.

Thus, there is that richness too in life with regards to religions as with personal life of any individual.

We must appreciate the richness of life holistically, both spiritual and mundane life. We too must appreciate holistically the richness of religions not just the religion we are in but also the roles and values of other religions to meet the diverse needs of societies across the world. Religions together are like a flower. 

A flower is a beauty to behold but not the different parts of flower on their own. Each part of the flower serves a purpose and contributes to the wholeness and beauty of the flower.

The creation of nature is however never perfect. For example however beautiful a flower is, it will wither.

Religions like the parts of a flower and like the rest of nature and world of man will wane and wither. New flower and forms of religions will arise from time to time. New ways of worship, new sects, new meanings and even new prophets (e.g. second coming of a buddha or messiah) will come to the fore. 

All these were as reminded to us by heavenly saints and Lord Bo Tien did so in 1983 anniversary message.

(Incidentally, the second coming of a buddha or messiah must require the prophet concerned to reconcile the diversity and yet oneness of sects and faiths. Inner truth netizen 2 is of the impression that the mission of Lord Bo Tien has to do with paving the way for the second coming because in the modern world, with modern globalisation,  a new prophet has to address global concerns and ramifications)

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Heaven is not the making of man

No 209 of Living Life Series 1

Heaven is not the making of man

But man can have heaven even on earth

1) In the Lord Bo Tien’s 1983 message, He reminds us to be mindful that human beings did not create heaven.

2) Whatever human beings come across in their worldly life is never perfect, be it happiness or beauty.

3) Even the flower, which is a wonder of nature, is beautiful as a whole but the internal parts are not. Like all things of nature, it is not permanent and will wither.

4) Whatever is from nature will be transient, and not perfect.

5) While this may mean that nature per se could not give us true fulfilment, we can still have fruitful life by understanding and practising the doctrines of Heaven as explained to us by the Lord Saint.

6) There is no heaven or eternal and lasting fulfilment in life based on ways of the world and nature.

7) But there is heaven or fulfilment, inner peace and calm if we live the life at peace with God and one with the ways of God. We must be one with the Divine Essence.

8) However, we remain part of nature, and will not be spared from the ways of nature.

9) Though what we call “I” is not one entity but made of many parts, which are ever changing, we still cling to this “I” and end up with ego complex. Like the flower, this “I” is beautiful but not one entity but several, and the parts are not beautiful.

10) The sooner we realise this the better. We must then continue to be ever so mindful.

11) We can have divine fulfilment in life (even when in worldly life, lasting fulfilment eludes us) if we are one with the Divine Essence.

12) But the problem is that we may continue to be swayed by the resurfacing of our ugly ego to wreck problems for our fellow beings and ourselves.

13) Only when we have no ugly ego, can we be one with the Divine Essence but the moment our ego slips back, we become distant from the Divine Essence.

14) All will be well if we have less of ego and more of oneness with God Almighty through the Holy Trinity of God, His saints**, and the Divine Essence.

15) A person who is able to be so will be

            Likeable and charismatic as he exudes loving kindness

            Praiseworthy and adored as he practises compassion

            Welcome by all as he rejoices in others blessings

   Able to exude calm and tranquillity, as he lives with yin and yang*of life but not affected by them.

16) Such a disciple of the temple experiences heaven on earth. He is pleasant in words, thoughts and actions, and all others are attracted to him as they experience aura of peace when with him. He is like a beacon of heaven for his fellow beings.  

17) Though man lives on earth and in nature (with imperfection and impermanence), man can thus have heaven on earth though heaven is not the making of man.

18) Do be mindful that such a disciple does not run away from the conventional world and nature, but lives a heavenly life within the conventional world.

19) He is like the lotus, which lives and thrives in muddy water but flowers above the mud. He is devoid of ego, pure and one with God though he lives in this world with men and nature.

*One word on the yin and yang of life: they refer to the vicissitudes or contingencies of life, of honour and dishonour, gain /loss, happiness /sorrow, blame / praise, wealth / poverty, health /ill-health, emptiness /fullness, denial /over-indulgence, etc

** saints refer to buddhas, deities, divine heavenly beings

The Living Life Series

No 208 of Living Life Series 1

The Living Life Series is dedicated to Lord Bo Tien.

The doctrine is in His image. The image is the doctrine. He who sees, understands and effects the doctrine sees and knows Him.

He who does not see, know and effect the doctrine sees not and knows not the saint even if the saint or His image is beside him.

The far may be near and the near may be far. Let the doctrine and the saint be part of our life.

The lord saint in your life can be any heavenly saint of any religion, sect or school.

The doctrine of truth is behind all and this is the Inner Truth that leads all (regardless of their religious affliliation or even if none) to inner peace and heaven on earth here and now and not just in the after life.

The ideal worship and devotion is to know and effect the doctrine of God and the saints.

The best gospel is the gospel of life. We learn from our life and the lives of others.

The true temple is not a concrete building but the world we live in. The sky is the roof of the temple and religions and sects are the pillars of the temple.

All under Heaven are in the temple.

The whole wide world and web is the temple and must be regarded as a sacred place --- a temple for living and learning.

It is more important that everyone that counts plays a role in this universal temple if due focus is to be given to the Mission of Heaven.

Men must not be distracted by the agenda of men and end up serving the mission of man. That would be a far cry from the Mission of Heaven.




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What have you done for God?

No 207 of Living Life Series.

God has done tons for us but what have we done for God? The question seems so loud but is a common sentiment amongst many. On the surface such sentiments are praiseworthy and very rational.

But if you examine the statement correctly, isn't it demeaning to lower God to the level of man? We will invariably end up wrongly expecting God to be like man and view Him as though He is but like a great man.

God do not need any favor or blessing from us though He is of blessing to us. The issue is do we deserve or are we able to harness the blessings He has for us. Are we doing justice for the goodwill and compassion He and His host of divinity have bestowed and are able to bestow on us?

Western religionists have said thus and due credit must be accorded to them for their sharing and wisdom. We should give unto God what is due to God and unto man what is due to man. This means we should not measure God in the same way we measure man. Man is man and God is God.

The  best we could do in response to God's blessings is to value His blessings and be better individuals. We should be at peace with life. We must cultivate the inner peace of our being and be able to join Him even while alive to be at peace with Him by tuning to the frequency and wavelength of  the Holy Spirit. 

We should not try to live up to the expectations and myopic views of what fellow men who profess to speak for God have with regards to pleasing Divinity. We must not end up not 'pleasing' God.  We may also be no where near pleasing men either, the very men who are the ones who speak out as though they are God and saints and can speak for God to chastise or give us the wake-up call.

What have you done for God? The issue is not what you have done or what you can give God. Rather, are you able to learn to be more peaceful, compassionate and divine like Him, more loving of life and more enlightened on the true nature of life, the yin and yang, the polarities and the divine balance which will yield inner peace or equanimity -- what we may refer to as the God nature. This will lead to eventual enlightenment and union with God and divinity.

We cannot be God but we can at least try to be a wee bit like Him in attributes and beatitudes. Those who understand the doctrine of life understands God and those who understand God understand the doctrine of God. Those who claim to be near to God and ask what you can do for God do not really understand Him.

Lord Bo Tien has reminded us thus. The far may be near and the near may be far.  We may be spiritual leaders amongst men but if we cannot even develop the little bit of divinity and saintliness or Godliness within us, we are far though near.

The least we can do is to let God and His Holy Spirit reside in our spirit and speak to us in our life through the gospel of life as it unfurls day-by-day and moment-by-moment. We can do so by cultivating mindfulness and inner peace by balancing the yin and yang elements of life, that is, by being on top of rather than be engulfed, swept around, tossed about and submerged by worldly contingencies, like happiness sorrow, gain loss, honour dishonour, life death, self-denial and over indulgence etc.

Whilst men can speak to us for God, we should not  even think that God  need to speak to us through them. God can speak to us directly in our life, through event language and through the life of others - their weaknesses and strengths etc. The rationale for His doing thus is that every being is near and dear to Him.

But do regard and respect the views of men who chose to speak out for God. Treat what they say as concerns and do appreciate their sharing nevertheless.

Do not blame God for such men in our midst in place of worship. The lesser amongst men can be attracted to God and take up spiritual leadership like insects and ants to the flower as shared  by Lord Bo Tien in one of His anniversary messages.

Develop our own self confidence and faith in God and by so doing, let each of us be a beacon for others to follow our approach through our exemplary life.

Let God reside in us, guide us, speak to us in life and be with us in life. This is what we need to do and to have in our life. We enable the good works of God this way. Spirituality is between God and individual and not between the man and man.

Otherwise, man will end up having crutch mentality  and worse still end up worshipping men and not God and saints. The ways and values of men should not be regarded as the ways and values of God and saints.

There is no need for proxy for God for sure and hope readers will agree, but if readers do not do so, this is acceptable. We can be comfortable with this state of affairs. We can agree to disagree and be at peace with differing viewpoints. Cheers and may all be well and that more blessed. May God and saints be with all.

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Routines are means to an end but not the end

No 206 of Living Life Series 1

Though routines are means to the end, they are not the end in themselves. Whilst most need routines and need to abide by written tenets and precepts, some can still reach the end without staying put in any organisation. JI KONG the living posat is one of them.

JI KONG did not abide by any sect, faith, rules, tenets or written texts. He was therefore asked to leave a traditional ancient orthodox Chinese temple. Though disowned, he already had good heart, good grasp of truth of life. He was steadfast in Inner Truth behind and beyond religions and sects. He understood the truth in life and devoted his wandering life on effecting the practice of truth. Life was his gospel and teacher. He was able to be enlightened and eventually recognised by various Taoist and Buddhist sects as part of their respective pantheons. Though he appeared 'far' spiritually to the clergy of holy monks and priests then and had to leave a temple and its order, he was NO eye sore. He proved himself to be exemplary, near and dear to gods, Buddhas and men. He embodied and personified every bit of the Inner Truth Lord Bo Tien speaks about. He continues to do so. Know him and you will know how to be near to Divine Heaven even if what you ascribed to are not accepted by ways of majority.

THE GOAL IS NOT THE MEANS, THAT IS, GOAL IS NOT ROUTINES BUT DIVINE PEACE --- BUT FOR MANY, ROUTINES PROMOTE INNER PEACE. THE ULTIMATE INNER PEACE IS GOD OR ENLIGHTENMENT. ---- THE GOAL IS NOT A RELIGION BUT ULTIMATE DIVINE PEACE

Places of worship too like the routines (rites and rituals etc) in such places are also means to the end and not the end in themselves. Be they place of worship or the routines, men must not mistake them as ends when they are mere means. They should go for divine peace and not the routines such as precepts, rites, rituals and traditions. Thus many see the differences of religions, sects and places of worship and not the underlying inner truth and peace of Heaven common to all.



Many are wise to "seek the truth of ancient wisdom but yet the profound truth is simple but difficult to perceive" This was shared to us by the late Senior Bro P. Philip through whom inner truth netizen and fellow brethren had the opportunity to be inducted into the compassion and wisdom of the lord saint Lord Bo Tien. Let there be celebration of life in Senior Bro. Philip we say. Cheers to worthy routines and peace be on Earth and in Heaven --- and of course in all dimensions.



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Routines from systematic approach provide best in both worlds spiritual and social

No 205 of Living Life Series 1

Routine goes along with systematic and organised approach. When we are systematic and organised, we tend to have plans and we know better how to go along with life. We settle into a routine when the activities are long drawn over time. We are more likely to be effective, productive and more calm in going about life. We are better able to cultivate that inner peace in both spiritual and worldly life. The modus operandi for both are the same. What works best for spiritual life will bring about fruitful worldly life but not vice versa. Lord Bo Tien reiterated on this aspect of approach to life. This approach is the same platform of values underlying teachings of all sages and heavenly saints.

Best of all, we can cultivate that inner peace in both worlds - spiritual and social life. We become mindful and aware of our feelings and the need to be peaceful in what we speak, think and do. We can make others peaceful and they share our peace and cheer. Cheers and let us toast to routine as an aid to inner peace.

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Routines foster inner peace in any faith

No 204 of Living Life Series 1

 

It matters not how we start out with but along the way of any religion, sect, school or place of worship, surely one and all will experience if they abide by the tenets and routines of their kind that special inexplicable feeling of inner peace and communion with the saints of Heavens above.

Such inner peace is out of this world and many would exclaim 'Praise the Lord.' Some yell or sing in rapturous joy exclaiming their delight. Some talk in tongues or prostrate or dance and trance as they would never in all honesty have done so in their lives.

Such are however early experiences of inner peace but the wise ones who develop long term inner peace will be calm and serene all the time and not have periodic moments of peace when they may hail, wail, shake or jump in ecstasy.

Only by cultivation and optimising useful routines can we have sustainable inner peace most of the time and eventually in eternity like the gurus and the sages of old.

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Rites and rituals establish routines for devotion

No 203 of  Living Life Series 1

Rites and rituals may be peripheral practices but they enhance devotion for many in their respective sects and places of worship. Not all will take fancy to one style or other but they, the routine rites and rituals, serve varied purposes. They attract and allow any sect to hold on to their following and cater to the kaleidoscopic interests of society. Thus more will be reached so as to enter the fold of religion and find solace and peace that way. This is elaborated by lord saint Lord Bo Tien when He elaborated on why there is need by Heaven for many religions and sects in the Inner Truth Doctrine.

Also the routines serve as practices carried down and evolved from ancestry. Many traditions are routines for practitioner of any faith.These practices are done with certain pattern like Sunday prayer, new and full moon observances etc. They enable spontaneity for spiritual reflection but unfortunately many are scoffed at for their overt overplay on fear and even superstition. This however is not surprising and often the critical ones who break away from past practices and norms tend to be the very ones who will innovate new ways which too end up as rites, rituals, culture and traditions. In time, therefore, they will be scoffed at for being over fanciful and colorful to extent of modern way of superstition and paganism. But they and the people whom they are sceptical off are not wrong in what they do though others may detract somewhat from their stand and perspective. After all, routines serve purpose in devotion and augur well for invoking and amplifying inner peace. The inner peace which many experiences are divine and are hailed as evidence of the holy spirit of the heavenly saints. Group or congregational activities are even better at invoking such profound and pleasant presence of inner peace and divinity. Inner peace makes the individuals cheerful and peaceful. Inner peace is infectious and thus congregations or spiritual communes in all places of worship of all religions and sects testify to the presence of the holy spirit of GOD, pure ones and saints.




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Cyclical routines a must for life and nature

No 202 of Living Life Series 1

Lord Bo Tien, like all heavenly saints, knows best that in modern days, men who are idle and who do not have routines will have up hill time to be at peace.
 
The idle mind breeds restlessness, mental ills and contempt of life. For most people, there must be cyclical routines and these, if ample and balanced, will be good for both mind and body.
 
Life must work on cycles and routines like the rest of nature. We need to be in synchrony with the cyclical attributes of yin and yang of nature and yet be atop the yin and yang. Only then can we have more abiding and lasting inner peace that is out of this world but yet ironically of the world.

Cyclical routines dominate life and nature. Those who want inner peace will need to adopt ample routines in life to rein in sloth and torpor (tardiness and sloppiness of mind and body). These are the barriers to sustainable inner peace.

To have inner peace, there is need to be at peace with nature within and without the person. This will foster harmony not just with nature but with others who will find the person ever so peaceful and pleasant.

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Routines promote health and inner peace

No 201 of Living Life Series 1

Man in harnessing inner peace cannot deny and avoid yin and yang swirls. Man cannot run away from cycles in universe he is in and in the universe within his self. There is however the need for him to be at peace with the yin yang swirls. This can be made easier by having daily routines and by keeping his mind focused on daily routines. The empty mind or the idle person tends to be ever restless. To have inner peace sustained over 24 hours, man must abide by body cycles or rhythms such as sleep at night, regular meals and bowel habits. Routines facilitate health of mind and body as fertile ground for inner peace to surface amidst life of yin and yang. This is akin to the serene and pleasant lotus flowering above the unpleasant muddy water of yin yang swirls.

Even Lord Bo Tien in 1983 said that universe and mother nature is one whole metaphysical temple. "The sky is the roof of the temple. When the sun shines, people will work and when the moon appears, the people will rest. When it rains, vegetation and trees will grow to provide needs like shelter and food." Take note the implications of cycles and routines - work when sun rises and rest when moon appears. The ills of modern materialistic and consumer society are that man cannot rest. Man wants even more and will toil on even beyond the horizon figuratively speaking. Man is consumed by burning furnace of craving, passion and tends to lust for more. Man has insatiety and goes for even more of the sentient mundane world to the exclusion, edging out and expulsion of the divine or 'God' nature in man. This divine nature if cultivated manifests itself as inner peace. Many call this the Holy Spirit of heavenly love - the 'leng' (Hokkien) of Heaven above. The 'leng' or Holy Spirit is depicted as a dove in Western society and as a loving and harmonious pair of dragons in Chinese culture. The twin divine dragons of the holy spirit supports the pearl of divine peace and love of the heavens above and the heavens beyond.

Even meditation monks in monastery abide by routines, such as fixed meal times, doing physical chores, cutting firewood, fetching water in the old days. Are not these also routines, habits and discipline? Only by having routines, engagement with daily life and by being disciplined and yet mindful can the monks have inner peace. Routines keep sloth and torpor at bay, sharpen and invigorate the mind. Then it is easier to keep out unpleasant thoughts. It becomes easier to dissipate any anger, ill-will or attachment to food and other passions.


The lord saint does not envisage that all aspire to be monks. He reiterated that ordinary people can be spiritually fulfilled and yet have meaningful and rewarding family and worldly life. He advises that all can lead the lay life using the same spiritual values. The same values that yield spiritual gains will if applied to worldly life provide worldly gains that are ample and not counterproductive to spiritual pursuits.


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Routine cycles in the world within and without

No 200 of Living Life Series 1

 

Changes and cycles are the routines or you may say, the norms not just in the universes beyond our self but in the world of what we call self. Self is not just a fixed entity but is made up of various changing components. The interactions of the components with one another too changes. All these changes have to do with ups and downs - the yin and yang. Cycles must be there where there are changes. Changes and cycles are routines. They generate progression, dynamic stability and peace in nature amidst constant change. Change deals with inconstancy and yet is a constant attribute of phenomena.

Humans too are no different as they are part of nature but humans are evolved, have higher form of life and can think and act. For peace and soundness in life, there must be acceptance and balance of the yin and yang, the ups and downs. Man must not be swept by the yin and yang swirls but man must be able to be on top of and balance the yin and yang as portrayed by the majestic image of the lord saint Lord Bo Tien with feet astride the yin and yang elements. Only then could man be like the lord saint's image be seated in peace on the holy spirit of Heaven depicted by the dragon throne. This is the inner peace and calm amidst the frequent turmoil and storms in life. We cannot avoid the yin yang swirls which display characteristic cycles and routines innate in life and phenomena.

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Routine cycles in nature and the Pakua

No 199 of Living Life Series 1

Even in nature, there is the nitrogen cycle and the water cycle. Our solar systems are based on cycles of sorts. Such cycles too are nature's routines. They also have to do with change. They deal with how to have equilibrium and dynamic stability in the midst of change but change is still inevitable. Too much is not good and no change means we are out of this world. There must invariably be that dynamic balance for equilibrium and stability. Even the most stable element in the chemical periodic table is affected by change. Burning planets like the sun undergo change but yet have equilibrium and stability or constancy as they change. Without equilibrium, there is no element of stability. Without this stability, there is no semblance of entity and there will be obvious decline and disintegration. But then, change, instability and eventual down or decay are realities despite nature's attempt to have many "ups' amongst the 'downs' along the way. The physical universe as we know it will sort of decay and become energy. Energy will evolve to be matter. The two processes follow one another in tandem like the yin and yang symbols in the Chinese Taoist octagon - the 'Pakua'. This however is an over simplification for there is such entities as dark matter, anti matter and the other universes beyond our known universe. Decline in one universe means creation in another. This is again like the yin and yang symbols of the pakua. Amidst the cyclical change there is tendency to stability, constancy and underlying peace through dynamic equilibrium. There will always be cycles and changes. There is attempt to have stability and peace amidst change, amidst the ups and downs what Taoist refer to as the yin and yang. Inner truth netizen refers to this as the inner peace. This inner peace is effectvely the end of all means but inner peace is not a point but a range. The tendency to gravitate to dynamic stability and peace is true in the universes out there and the universe within our self.

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