Freewill but not Freewheel

No 334 of Living Life Series 1




The greatest gift we have from God is freewill, without which we will be slaves to instructions or be robots under command. Without freewill, we will not be responsible for our actions. As the Taoist axiom puts it, "as in Heaven so also on Earth". We know that this freewill is the freedom to live but must take into consideration others' freewill to live as well. When extended to animals, this is referred to as animal rights. Perhaps this extends to all beings as well.


God gives us this freewill to allow us to choose and learn to be more like Him and His saints or at least to be a bit like Him. We can choose the long road or the short road or even to go in circles. God provides guidance but not dictate. The guidance comes as precepts and commandments at the mico level and as religions and sects at the macro level. 


There is freewill and variety in Heaven with saints galore and heavenly domains aplenty. But there is harmony and complementary synergy as per the will of God. This too must be mirrored on Earth as in Heaven.


But men being men will at times not agree that others can go their own separate ways. They will want others to be like them even if this means they need to instill fear and inject coercion to point of being near authoritarian or dictatorial. This is one extreme of the spectrum when men insist that they have the right to interfere and restrict others lives. They threaten others with fear, death, pain and hell fire if others do not see eye to eye with them.

This is not the way of God and saints but the way of demons and ignorant men driven and intoxicated by pride, bigotry and ego under the cloak of religious fervour or crusades. This as a trend may go awry to give rise to terrorism or bring about such in those at the receiving end.


Freewill is good but must have boundaries. We cannot have freewill to manage the lives of others and to force our beliefs down others throats even in the name of religions. That would be sheer bigotry. Thus the universal precepts introduced by Lord Bo Tien has as the second precept the need to respect what all saints preach in words, thoughts and deeds and all that are written. This refers to the teachings of the various religions and sects. We must respect the principles and values of the various religions and sects even if some of these may be very different and at odds with our own.

Lord Bo Tien reminded us that God reaches out to different beings and sectors of men and need various ways to help them in difficulties, bring them to God and ultimately to save their souls. Thus God allows for not one religion or way but many religions and sects. Dogmas and values may differ but the prophets are given the leeway to do what were best for the context of the times and situations.


For any religion, with the passing of time, the original teachings too may evolve or devolve to extent that will erode the pioneering zest and originality. This is however an issue though changes can at times be good to tailor to the changing times.


But if changes were misdirected to meet the worldly agenda of men rather than the mission of God and saints, then there is need for concern and to look back. There is need to rekindle the original fervour and spirit. This is what is referred to as going back to the basics or the inner truth.


But do note that men of faith can differ in how to present them and to hold on to the people in their fold so long as they not go for the agenda of men but the mission of Heaven. That is men of religions and sects can do more so long as they know and stick to basics


There is freewill to do what is necessary in the context of the times and the people but this must be in keepimg with the basics common to all religions and sects. The basic is to help all beings as beings have difficulties all the time. Over the long haul, it is to bring beings to God and saints and to save their souls from unending issues in life and from cycle of rebirths.


Freewill is in the will of God and His saints but freewheeling is a different matter and can end up adding to the difficulties and issues of men. The issues of men are many and plentiful. Saints like Lord Bo Tien often remind us that they are the very reason why there is need for the mission to help all beings men included.


There is need to provide not just one way but many through the various religions and sects so that every being has choices aplenty. A being can nearly always find one that is quite tailor fitted for him. He has the freewill to do so but he must be focussed. He must not freewheel and lost focus. He must be able to converge on the basics as he diverges and converges along the way and from life to life.




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In depth discussion on Messages before 1974

No 333 of Living Life Series 1

The messages are in black and commentaries and discussions are in blue. This 2nd revisit or rather indepth discussion is necessary as the pre-1974 messages are the basis of all the other messages.

There is tendency for each successive generation of any spiritual group to rewrite history and the awe inspiring perspectives and experiences of the pioneers are often forgotten or buried by time. This happens all the time due to human weaknesses and are to be expected but can be corrected. Read on and understand why Lord Bo Tien's mission is to correct this and bring out the inner truth

Below are the paraphrased and elaborated versions with opinions and views by inner truth netizen. The records of the first few messages are limited.

In his inaugural message a good half a century ago, Lord Bo Tien said: " From time to time in history, saints arose amongst men to lay down certain rules and regulations to help the masses lead better lives and to incline them towards GOD. "

"Over time, these rules become the tenets of an organised religion, but the idealistic spirit and motive, which prevailed during the founding saint's life time, changed gradually after his passing with arising of sects and differing sectarian styles."

"This is why often an organisation cannot bring out spiritual truth more effectively and closer to true nature of life unique to each individual in society. Life is an individual concern. Religion is always centred on life and a personal concern. Religious organisations often may end up over time as archaeological departments trying to discover the past."

"Therefore, I shall not attempt to establish any new religion, cult or organisation. But I shall rekindle and re-invigorate the religious thought* of all people and instill a higher understanding of life in them."

"Dogmas evolved over centuries after the founder's death frequently differ startlingly, unexpectedly, inadvertently and at times even uncannily in emphasis from the preliminary teachings for each faith and between faiths and sects."

"But the fundamentals of all religions and sects remain the same and enduring, because all originate from the same source -- GOD. Thus, when I deliver the GOD knowledge (Jade Emperor's teachings tau-li or tou-li), I shall neither comment (e.g. critique, judge) on existing religion nor commend (e.g. favor, prefer, highlight, be selective, be bias) any as the special one. All are unique and serve the divine plan in their own way."

"I want to turn man's mind away from being clouded by sectarian differences, so that man sees with clarity the truth in life. Man must cultivate insight on inner truth aspects that are common to and the basis of all faiths." 

"Be insightful though of this aspect. Every saint and prophet considered the times, the circumstances and the prevailing mentality of the people before delivering appropriate sermon. Every saint or prophet would deliver doctrines in the format and style best suited to the prevailing times, people and needs"

Many ways to life and bliss.

Many adherents of faiths are keen to share the passions of their beliefs with others. This is out of love and should be praiseworthy but at times can go overboard and unpleasant, more so when the practitioners of the beliefs are not rooted correctly in their practices and principles.

Simply doing good or charity is good enough for some but may be considered not good enough by others  who are more discerning and insightful. and who are at different levels of spiritual awakening. 

We may say  that in many ways, one man's meat is another man's poison. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder is one other saying. Some are more shallow and short sighted or even color blind. For many knowing a little is better than knowing more if that little helps them go the mile. For others, knowing more is of little use if they can only go by inches.

Some say believe and you will be on your way. This is good for many and allow for convergent thinking rather than be lost in divergent thinking. Others may say, test what they tell you as gold is put to test by fire and do not believe in mere heresay but this is alright and wholesome only if you know when to diverge and when to converge in your approach to life both spiritual and otherwise.

All ways have their merits and useful to different people and during different stations of their lives. Charity for example is always good and may be the only thing most should do. But many may be carried away by the wind, and drift away by mundane worldly agenda of men rather than that of God. Do remember that the mission of religion is beyond the short sighted agenda of societal men. The mission is to save souls from incessant rebirths due to lack of insight and divine focus.  But even for divine focus, there too are many ways to save souls and that's why we have many religions and sects.

There too are many ways to have spiritual reflection in the same one sect or temple. Simple prayer and spending quiet time is one way. Group prayer and adorations via hymns and even incantations are other ways.

There is also meditation either alone or in groups. Objects of meditation can differ. Techniques may involve concentration or one pointedness on one hand and mindfulness cultivation on the other hand. Some even employ both in varying combinations.

Be it worldly or spiritual life, there are many ways of going about them. This is the reality and will always be. We have been told through Snr Bro Philip that the kingdom of Heaven is not built solely for man. Nature has for each and every kind a deity and a kingdom of their own.

Likewise, Nature or Divinity too has for each and every being a plan for him alone. The simple reason is that the realisation of divine peace is not via only one path or way for all. Nature has for each and every being a guiding saint and an individualised path of his own (specifically tailor made for him). There are many ways to life and bliss. The path is somewhat different for various persons. It is individualised and unique for each being. You may say it is tailor made for him and will even vary for changing situations and focus in his life. Copy-cat path that works for John will not be as effective for Adam. The balance point for what brings inner peace to John cannot be identical for Adam. This way we can be at peace with life and tap into the bliss of nature.  

The precepts and doctrines need not be different but approach can be 

The precepts and doctrines in a temple or spiritual organisation may not be new and different from that of others. However, any new temple or church can have approaches which can appear to be very different and contrasting. This can give rise to concerns and opinions simply because that temple or church may not be readily understood and accepted

Yin and yang and the seated image

Brethren, decades have passed since the first descent of Lord Bo Tien. He has emphasised that He is not here to start a new religion or to display His glory. He came down as one of the Chinese Deities in keeping with the cultural background of the beings He has to work on. He is here to further Heaven’s will.

His is the Mission of Heaven. We regard Him as the Heavenly Saint. To Him, all religions are good. They are the pillars of the House of Truth. The Lord Saint discourages us from knowing more about Him, but He has portrayed Himself in Chinese general’s armour with sceptre in one hand. He rests His feet on two beings that represent the positive and negative in life------the yin and yang in life. His sceptre signifies His mission, which is the will of Heaven.

The control and the balance of the  active and passive previously referred to as active and negative pave the way to true peace and happiness. We should not be mentally affected by worldly contingencies such as praise and blame, gain and loss, honour and dishonour, wealth and poverty, as well as worldly happiness and sorrow. This will foster a balanced approach to life, which requires us to renounce self-centredness without denial of the self. We need to be in tune with Heaven but not be out of this world. We need to live in this world and stay connected with both heaven and earth, the yang and the yin elements in life.

We cannot be ego-centric but neither can we deny the self. Ego or self-centredness tosses us from the clutches of one extreme of worldly contingencies to the other. However, being selfless in approach to life does not mean that there is no self. We should not end up not valuing even our own being and self worth. That would lead to self deprecation and self denial or self-cruelty of sorts

According to Lord Bo Tien, we have to lead a balanced life by not being affected by the yin and yang of life but at the same time we cannot run away from the yin and yang of life. This means we have to carry on being what we are and with what we are in, but knowing full well that we are in the mundane world of yin and yang. We must live with the vissicitudes of life but not be affected by them. We must be at peace by being with life and not run away from life. We must be at peace with our being and with the yin and yang of life by balancing and being atop of the elements of life as depicted by the seated image of the lord saint with the feet of the lord saint balancing the elements.

The image of Lord Bo Tien speaks volumes of His Teachings. Those who know and practise His Teachings know Him. Those who do not will never know Him.

To seek the Inner Truth

Religions are the pillars of the House of God. The Heavens and divinity comprising God, the Pure Ones and the Saints are roof to shelter the beings under the heavens.

The pillars guide beings to the huge mansion and are the markers for the mansion, otherwise beings will not be able to know that they are in the vicinity or in the House of God as this house is omnipresent and yet many may not see or be able to know and be in the house.

The various religions shall spell out their own guidelines in the form of precepts, commandments or tenets. These will be formalised and be evolved as dogmas.

Each religion has it own representative of Divinity what some may call prophets, arahats or saints.

These saints will then have their own disciples, doctrines and regulations.

Each religion will manage and govern its own affairs, its own way of preaching and dissemination and will have own way of reaching out to the masses and how to keep the followers within their circles. Thus the various religions can fan out and reach out to beings in all corners. They can complement and at times compete for the good and welfare of the many. They are pillars for mankind and beings to lean on and to guide them to God and enlightenment.

The primary motive is to save souls (purification or enlightenment) and assist those in difficulties (compassion and love for beings)

Beings go through rebirths so as to improve themselves and progress from ignorance to enlightenment, from wrong to right and from darkness to light and from light to more light. Beings go from impediments and hindrances (nirvarana) to the ultimate rightness in divine purity and inner peace (eternalism or nirvana - enlightenment)

Rebirth is in the will of God and can take many forms and at all levels and dimensions. (Rebirth is part of evolution and is the expression of yin and yang of the universes here and beyond)

The classical axis of rebirth is the axis with animals and creatures on one side and mankind on the other side. (Of course, the reality is not that simplistic.)



The Precepts

The precepts adopted for the following of the lord saint are not new and are similar to most religious organisations. But for the lord saint, they serve to be basic moral markers for his following to comply with and one of the ways to hold them to the fold of the organisation. They are neither exclusive nor inclusive and do not supersede or are less than that of other organisations. They do not mean that they are the markers of a new religion. They make us stay away from gross deviations from the divine goal. They provide out of bound markers to ensure we do not fall out and be lost.

Many are saved from gross bad done in the name of God and saints just by observing such out of bound markers. The precepts ensure yin and yang factions in a religious group from denouncing one anothers' perspectives and enable them to co-exist even though they may not see eye-to eye on issues. Without observing the sanctity of precepts, coups in a religious institution could occur and new management may keep out other factions and write off the good works of predecessors. They may even re-write spiritual directions and replace them with human agenda to please men of societal standing rather than to be in harmony with God and saints.

Precepts in a way prevent men from worshipping man instead of God and saints. Men must not end up acting for God and saints. Precepts serve as markers to shepherd men to go along the right track.

Precepts no 2 and 6 deserve special mention. We need to believe what saints preach and we need to respect elders even if we do not agree or understand their ways. Sages have emphasized the need to respect elders. Elders include our ancestors and no civil man will run down and belittle them even if the elders are not right at times. Only nimwits and bigots may do so. Nimwits risk breaking the precept no 7 of NOT bearing false witnesses not just against neighbours but against all people - the elders included. They are in a way less savvy versions of the Pharisees in the Old Testament

They are listed below

1. I must believe in One God
2. I must believe in what all the Saints preach in words, thoughts, deeds and all that are written.
3. I must not kill.
4. I must not steal and do what is extremely bad to harm my neighbours or their belongings.
5. I must not covet my neighbour’s wife.
6. I must respect my parents and all those elder than me.
7. I must not bear false witnesses against my neighbours

Reminder on ' Who is Lord Bo Tien? '

No 332 of Living Life Series 1

For full article, go to  Who is Lord Bo Tien?

LORD BO TIEN

A heavenly saint from up high
The messenger of Heaven
For the divine Inner Truth
behind all faiths, sects and ways
Not here to start a new religion
But to rejuvenate religious thought
His temple is not limited to a building
The whole wide world be one temple
for the Mission of Heaven on earth
To spread the message of Inner Truth
The Sky and Heaven is the temple roof
Religions and sects are the pillars
of this one vast universal temple
His Mission is not Mission of Man
But the Mission of Heaven above
Men may not be ready and can wait
But heavenly ones are and cannot wait
To move on with the Mission for www
The whole wide world and web
All can come for the divine nectar
Even ants and insects amongst men
So blame not the flower and saint
when access open to one and all
Thus worship heaven and not man
In this open house of the lords
See neither the saint in man
nor the man in lord saints
Man is man and saint is saint





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Judge not lest ye be judged

No 331 of Living Life Series 1

God has divine wisdom to let men have differing ways each to do what he is comfortable and to take it from there. If only men can be like God and saints the world will be more peaceful

This post is yet another dedicated for Christmas

Men tend to judge and be opinionated but not God and saints. That is why it is said in the Bible that one must not judge others. Judge not lest ye be judged.

God has divine wisdom to let men have differing ways each to do what he is comfortable and to take it from there. If only men can be like God and saints the world will be more peaceful. 

Men always want others to be with them and if others are not with them, then they are considered as not for them. Thus there will always be bigots amongst men of religions who think that other religions are not of God and only their religion is of God.

Even with the same religion, there are various ways of approach. Thus when men extolled the virtues of their approach and run down others even if they are of the same religion, there will arise a new sect. Soon there will be proliferation of sects and deviation from the mean.

The mean is the religion centred on God through the founder prophet of the specific religion. The need for sects within a religion and within the same one sect, for different schools is testimony to the micro approach of men with disregard to the macro or helicopter approach. Each champions its own vision as the more correct or chosen one.

This is the same as in the story of the blind men and the elephant. One said the elephant is a snake when he holds on to the tail. Another who feels the body said the elephant is flat like the wall. All the blind men are wrong but yet right in their own ways. But if one blind man says the others are wrong, then he is a bigot but if he says that all are right and that they should value and integrate one another's  views, then a more wholesome understanding will arise.

Men of religions and sects should not be bigots but come together and share their experiences of God. That way a more wholesome understanding will arise.

Members of a temple or church should accommodate others within the church or temple who hold differing views and be more accepting of their differing views. By coming together, sharing and integrating their various views, there will be no bigotry and the combined picture of various views may even be more wholesome without need to discard or denigrate one another's views. Better not to judge one another but to accept one anothers' views. That is testimony to the wisdom of the saying attributed to Lord Jesus - Judge not lest ye be judged

As said earlier, God has divine wisdom to let men have differing ways each to do what he is comfortable and to take it from there. If only men can be like God and saints the world will be more peaceful. That is why the lord saint Lord Bo Tien said that the major religions and sects of the world can differ in ways of helping men and beings and to bring them closer to God through the respective saints. They need to have their own ways to appeal and to hold on to their followers. Lord Bo Tien said.

Lord Bo Tien

This is summed up as the Four Pillar Doctrine that stipulates that God has compassion for men and sends down his saints to start the various religions and sects in the four cardinal directions. Religions are the pillars in the House of God. The sky of Heaven is the roof of this temple or church of God. All pillars in the four directions are necessary for the House of God.

Likewise in a temple of a lord saint, all factions are like pillars and all are required to be pillars of the temple of that lord saint. Let not any faction dominate and say that others have no place. That would be bigotry in full bloom.

God has divine wisdom to let men have differing ways, each sub-group to do what that sub-group is comfortable and to take it from there. If only men can be like God and saints the world will be more peaceful and a temple of a lord saint would be more wholesome.

"Judge not lest ye be judged" is Lord Jesus's biblical gift of wisdom to the world -- a gift to light up our lives not just for Christmas but for every day as well. That way we will not be bigots but be loving to all even those who hold different perspectives of the same one God or of any of the heavenly saints. We need to love others and only then will we not judge others and only then will others not judge us. Love lights up the tree of life

The unbecoming judgement transgression we need to be wary off is to judge our elders and parents and to conclude they are wrong. Whilst we may not agree with their ways, we do not at all cost take punitive and detrimental actions against them for that would be disrespectful. 

We have to respect them as elders and find a way to let them know we cannot go along with them. This is in keeping with the precept in most religions that we respect parents and elders. Passing judgement and meting out actions against parents and elders is a breach of of the precept and breach of love and respect for elders - a breach of faith in God and saints.

To be judgemental is unkind to those who are at the receiving end and to be judgemental towards elders and parents is the limit of inhumane behaviour.

Certainly, do be mindful not to judge lest ye be judged. Above all, be humble and be mindful not to see the dust in others' eyes, when we cannot see the dust in our own. This too is another wise saying of Lord Jesus who taught men to love fellow men in the way God loves men.

Judge not lest ye be judged. See not the dust in others' eyes when ye cannot see the dust in your own. Then without being judgemental and self-righteous, it is easier to love and be loved, to give and to receive. This is the spirit of saints. Call this the spirit of Christmas if you like.  Let this spirit of Christmas be for all in every day of life and not just for Christmas Day. 

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