The inner truth that men have to grasp

No 376 of Living Life Series 1

 

 

 

Many tend to view another person from one side of the coin and fail to see the other side. There is the tendency to go for first impressions of that person and then many will either like that person or dislike him. This is the weakness of man.

We tend to judge a book by the cover and many would not go into comprehensive coverage of the pages of the book other than at most a quick run through. This is the way many do things today be it with regards to a book or to any other matter.

We tend to judge a religion or sect by the way it carries out its activities, whether we feel refreshed by the services and activities a church or temple provides. The motive of a temple or church nowadays may often be to pander to the whims and fancies of society instead of addressing the issue of upgrading the spiritual resilience of society.

Thus society will put charismatic men at the pulpit and many a pastor or monk will be a reflection of the worldly ways of man. Only then can they be good crowd pullers , otherwise they may be seen as standing out as sore thumbs and not with the crowd.  
 

But this is just flowing with the tide of society and going with the crowd does not mean there is wrong doing but may not be in keeping with the purpose or divine calling of a religion, sect or temple to change society for the better so as to bring men closer to God and to grow the God nature in men. To do so would entail the need to go against the flow and not to follow the crowd though there is need to be with the crowd.

Lord Bo Tien knows full well why religions sects and temples have tendency to fail to meet the aspirations of their founders and pioneers. He said that water from the upper source of a stream is pure but dogmas and teachings added over centuries make a religion so different from what it was during the days of the founders. This is because, men want to popularise religion and to be popular, the easiest way is to go with the crowd, never mind if spiritual values are compromised, diluted or put aside.

(Historical version of 1984 birthday eve message of Lord Bo Tien Chor Choo at Philip's residence "He ...says that water from the upper source of a stream is pure and clear. When it reaches mid-way of its course , the water will be polluted by many users. If we want pure and clear water, then we have to go to the upper source of the stream to get it.")

There is need to adhere to the fundamentals of the pioneers and prophets and at the same time, there is need to popularise a religion otherwise the religion will not be able to reach out to the many and to go with the times. The question is how to achieve this balance and be effective. This again has to do with yin and yang - how to have balance and bring out the good yin and yang. There is need to adjust so as to have the balance.

The fundamentals of course  have to do with the inner truth that there is God and that God reaches out to beings in varied ways to meet the sectoral needs of society and the beings in all realms. Thus amongst humanity, we have religions, sects and temples and churches. 

But the wholesome divine wisdom of God and saints  in allowing for a plethora of religions, sects and institutions is often reversed and at times voided by the shortcomings of men who see themselves as right and others wrong. Each wants to be the only correct one and all others wrong when all are correct but differ as they need to be tailored to meet the local characteristics of society they serve.

This is the inner truth that men must grasp - to see oneness and complementary roles of the various religions, sects and plethora of spiritual institutions.  

In his inaugural message,  The Inaugural Message ,  Lord Bo Tien said,

 

"The prophets lay down certain rules and regulations to help the masses lead better lives and to incline them towards GOD. Gradually, these rules become the tenets of an organised religion, but the idealistic spirit and motive, which prevail during the founder's lifetime, disappear gradually after his death. That is why an organisation cannot bring spiritual truth nearer and why religion is a personal concern. Religious organisations become archaeological departments trying to discover the past. Therefore I shall not attempt to establish any new religion, cult or organisation But, I shall rejuvenate the religious thought of all peoples and instill a higher understanding of life into them. Dogmas laid centuries after the founder's death, frequently differ startlingly, but the fundamentals of all religions are really the same, because all originate from the same source - GOD.

 

Therefore when I appear publicly, I shall run down no existing religion, but I shall not uphold any special one. I want to turn man's mind away from sectarian differences, so that they will agree on essential truths.

 

Remember though that every prophet considers the times, the circumstances and the prevailing mentality of the people before his public sermons. he therefore preaches doctrines that are best suited to such conditions."