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

No 361 of Living Life Series 1





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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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






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The societal dilemma a church or temple should not have

No 360 of Living Life Series 1

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

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

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

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

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

The correct approach is to strike a balance of sorts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

No 359 of Living Life Series 1

Buddha image under the Bodhi tree

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

Lord Buddha

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lord Bo Tien

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ji Gong Posat

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

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

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

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

  

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



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