Mission is by Heaven and not by Man

No 383 of Living Life Series 1

The creation or product of nature however good is still imperfect with downsides. This the lord saint did say. Thus the mission to save souls and for the matter, the mission of any church or any temple cannot depend on and be shouldered by man though man can take part. Man is of nature, can do some good for mission for a divine mission but still not good enough.

 

In the case of the Mission of God for which Lord Bo Tien is the messenger, mission is by Heaven for beings and man. It is, in more than one way, a mission of God and saints, never a mission of Man though man has to play his part.

But men being man are still men. So expect the unavoidable imperfections of men. Never be upset with men and do what you can and leave the mission proper in the good hands of the lord.

But you can change your fellow men if you strongly feel they have erred. Correct them if you can and if you will. But know your place. You are no god and God is not you. Do not come to blows with them. You may wonder 'Why?'  

 

If man is to take over from God in the mission of a temple or church, all hell may break loose, for men are weak and have self centred self righteousness, always thinking their views and ways are right and others not so. Man becomes more god than God.

 

The very instruments for spirituality may well become weapons of war and terrorism. Words that would otherwise heal become incisive and hurtful. A brother may turn against another brother and that is a problem. Pastor or elder of old may be considered obsolete and not even fit to be revered in museum and archives of time.

 

Such otherwise inconceivable outcome may not speak well of the men who act as though they are of God and think they know God better than others. They think they can speak and act for God but the good lord knows best that men must learn if they cannot be taught.

Time is the best teacher. God keeps His silence but men don't and become more embroiled in problems, more loud and loathsome. Small issues become big issues and disasters. The ridiculous  would then take place.

Religions wage war and terrorism in the name of God. A member of a church or temple does not hesitate to take another to task or excommunicate him from the religion or church. This may be necessary to enable a mission but will other men see eye to eye with him.

Heaven forbids but do tolerate though not condone men from taking matters into their own hands.  But in the first place, are they taking matters into their own hands or are they carrying out the will of God? God knows even if men don't.

So long as men do not take matters into their own hands but do their little part, be it welfare / charity and revising traditions and practices so as to be in keeping with the times, they are contributing to the mission of God in some way, but the mission proper to save souls is by Heaven and not by men.

Men can do their small parts through any religion, church or sect and as long as they do not usurp the role of Heaven and leave to the Mission proper to Heaven, things will turn out better in the long run. Their roles should ever be complementary and contribute in some ways to the mission by Heaven.

But they should not get carried away and be swollen headed and think they can do better than Heaven. They must not think that without them, Heaven cannot make it. Mission is by Heaven and not by men. Mission to save souls is the responsibility of Heaven and not that of men. Men of course can play supporting roles or add value to mission.

Any temple, church or its respective mission is like the flower. This is said by Lord Bo Tien. He said that a flower cannot be blamed for insects coming to it in droves. Insects will dominate and displace admirers who must  often stay at a distance.

Religion is like a flower and religion must welcome even the lesser of the lot amongst men to come to it and helm the running of religion. This may be disgusting to the wise. But do think more broadly and not be narrow-minded. They may be lost sheep  or prodigal sons but they are the very ones who most needed to be shepherded into the flock of religion. Hopefully one day, they will be better than what they are now. God will be most pleased then.

 

 

 

 

Namo Omitofo

No 382 of Living Life Series 1

There are many ways to have the peace of mind and they can be found in any religion or sect. Amitabha recitation is one such way.

Amitabha is one Buddha or Saint who helps those who seek divine peace. We invoke his name and plug into his peace but before we can do so, we must know the doctrine or values and cultivate our mind to be at peace. Invoking his name will help to enhance or magnify the peace of spirit.

 

We need to be mindful that before the recitation can work, there must be the understanding, the mindfulness and the insight of how we can be with God and saints.

 

There is need to avoid denial of worldly life and at the same time overindulgence.

 

We must not  run away from life and we must not be at the mercy of life contingencies, the ups and downs.

 

Buddhists refer to this as the Middle Way. Taoists refer to this as the Tao - balancing the yin and yang, the soft and hard aspects of life. All religions have similar forms of recitation, call it singing of hymns, chanting, meditation or prayer. The end result is still the same - the peace and heaven here and now. We need to pacify and bring peace to our inner spirit - our soul.

For example, by calling on the name of Amitabha, we plug in to peace and energy  of Amitabha and saints like Ji Gong and Lord Bo Tien but we still need to practise moment to moment mindfulness and clarity - for every moment and not use the recitation as an escape from the reality that is life. This way we can have the peace even when not in recitation or prayer.  

 

Do practise the Amitabha Buddha recitation and we will find peace that will bring us to heaven here and now and in the afterlife. Sometimes it is even necessary to recite or sing though not aloud the following while simultaneously going about work or life especially when we are stressed out and not at peace

 

NA MO O MI TO FO


Do visit the following videos at you tube for the many styles to do so or we can do it our own way, preferably the sing song way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuRVXLzRurg&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyXqJuBqJwc&feature=related 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jHks4kHTjI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkZG00y-9G8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtOlT-VvmsI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cRo4ijY0dM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiqtzmhad9w&NR=1   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnn1ibCvgIY&feature=related      
             
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCsYJqVDpk8&feature=related 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gax28wPRiX8&feature=related    
 
  




   

The sound of silence can be deafening

No 381 of Living Life Series 1

God seems to be silent when men in church or temple argue till kingdom come on what is right and what is not. God seems to stand one side and keep His silence when one religion or sect makes unkind remarks of another.

This silence fans the guts of men to speak out what they believe and just because God keeps His silence, they think they are right. But the irony is that many of contradictory views think they are speaking for God and others must therefore have erred if they fail to see eye to eye with them.

Men tend to take matters into their own hands instead of leaving to God. They cannot see from different angles and perspectives. They are bigotted and even portray God as wrathful, jealous and ego-centric. These are negative attributes we see in men and not in God and saints.

This is perhaps one reason why Jesus said that self-righteousness is the downfall of many a man.

When the saint or prophet is around, many still do not value what the saint or prophet said. When the saint has said his fill and there is no more need for him to be around, the Word of the saint is there but many do not see or hear the Word.

They have eyes but do not see. They have ears but don't seem to hear. They think that they know the saint but actually knew not.

This happens to any temple, church or religion and even in a temple of Lord Bo Tien. Saint like Lord Bo Tien knows that and it is best that men must learn and if they don't want to learn, even if the Word is there, even if the image of the lord saint is there, even if God is there, men will be blind to God and saints though they claim and profess to know God and saints.

But what they know is their inflated ego and self-righteousness. They hold on to these as their God and saint. They end up worshipping ego and Man instead of God and saints.

That is why founders of religions or sects are there in the beginning, but having seeded the Word, they leave men alone. But if men are wayward and value not the Word, they will feel the silence and the void. The sound of silence can be deafening and they will be lost.

But if they surround themselves with the Word (the doctrine), the silence is the beautiful peace that comes from knowing the Word, instead of the silence that is deafening to those not knowing the Word.

The sound of silence can be deafening to the ignorant but it is the peace that comes from knowing the Word for those who are wise. The wise may be alone and away from the crowd in a temple of church but he is not lonely but has a fulfilling life as he is in the universal temple with the sky or Heaven as the roof and religions as the pillars.

 

But the crowd at a concrete temple or church will feel the void or meaninglessness even with the crowd as they are worshipping God and saints in vane. Without the Word, they will feel the void and silence which is deafening. They are lost with the many others while the wise one though seemingly alone is secure with the Word of God and saint.

Go for the Word of God and not the word by man in the name of God when the name of  God is being used  in vain, like a puppet to satisfy the whims and fancies of the egos of men.

You cannot confine God and saints in a temple or church

No 380 of Living Life Series 1

We should go for the universal temple with religions as pillars and Heaven as the roof. This the messenger of God in Lord Bo Tien reiterated not once but on many occasions.

 

Going for a concrete building may often be futile as such a concrete building can end up as the tombstone of many a man.

 

Go for the universal temple which is made of doctrine. Unlike concrete, it will not confine and entomb man but liberate man.

 

At best, a concrete temple can serve as gateway to the universal temple and doctrine. There are however many doors to problems at a concrete temple but only one door to liberation via doctrine.

 

That is why many men risk being lost in a concrete temple or church. Men tend to open doors of personal and societal agenda instead of the divine truth - doctrine common as the original basis of all religions, the truth of God and saints. There is the need to balance the hard and soft attributes of life and nature, to balance the yin and yang, so as to have the ultimate peace and be seated with God and saints.  

 

The yin and yang are like the twin dragons supporting the pearl of divine peace. Sometimes they are depicted as dragon and phoenix or goat and dragon by the sages of Tao (Way).

 

No wonder saints like Ji Gong the living Buddha like to roam free to reach to many a being or man. He will never like to be emplaced in a lofty shrine but prefer the floor and the wide open space under Heaven.

 

Men like to enshrine a saint in a temple or church but can men really do so? How absurd can this be but then again, saints never said that it is not right or wrong but tell us to probe and look beyond a concrete temple and shrine - to look at doctrine instead.

 

If men want to be with saints they must know the doctrine and then they will know God and saints. The doctrine is everywhere. God and saints are everywhere. They are omnipresent and men must not have the narrowness of mind to think they can enshrine them in a concrete building like the majestic mission related temples of Lord Bo Tien.

 

The true temple or church is everywhere and is in us as well. Doctrine like God is everywhere.

This is very true of Ji Gong Posat. He is everywhere. If you have the heart, he can be in you and with you.  

You cannot confine God and saints in a temple or church. A saint like Lord Bo Tien and his messages do not belong to and are not the monopoly of a select few, are not to be edited by a select few and cannot be confined to a concrete building. He or his tou-li (doctrine) is everywhere and for everyone under Heaven.  For he is in the universal temple and cannot be confined solely to the shrine of a concrete temple.

No man can outlaw another from his temple even if that man to be outlawed is a criminal. That would not do justice to a saint like Lord Bo Tien.

You cannot confine God to a religion. God is in all religions and for all religions. God is not the monopoly of any religion or sect. God is present also for those without a religion. This is the essence of the Four Pillar Doctrine extolled by Lord Bo Tien with 'four' signifying the religions in the four cardinal directions

 

 

Ba gua is not harmful to people

No 379 of Living Life Series 1

In the second last paragraph of the Historical version of 1984 birthday eve message of Lord Bo Tien Chor Choo at Philip's residence, the lord saint refers to the Bagua as not harmful to people though it is a common Chinese superstition that if a neighbour faces a Bagua mirror at your house, he is pushing away bad luck to you. Lord Bo Tien said that this is not true

"He then points at the Octagon (Ba gua) which shows two fish-like symbols - The Yin and the Yang - and says it (octagon) signifies harmony and is not harmful to people. Both the Yin and the Yang should exist but if there is only one , then there is no harmony."

Ba gua

Yin and Yang must balance one another for harmony. The point of balance can be more yin or more yang.

The Ba Gua is ageless and summarises the essence of the wisdom of the sages. There is always cyclical ups and downs. But despite this we can have peace by balancing our inner self and have inner peace amidst the yin (passivity) and yang (activity) in nature and in life from birth to our last breath. Life will then be more whole, smooth and round like the Taiji. 

 Taiji

Events in life and nature come in eight possible triplet sets of yin and yang the sages of old did want us to know. They are the trigrams. Let this be the all pervading focus in meditation and mindfulness for us to have more inner peace that is divine. We will then be one with God and saints.

The eight triplets of yin and yang surround the Taiji in the Bagua. The Bagua beckons peace in the one who practises the Way or Tao and it can harness harmony in the environment. Thus it is placed at the entrance of the door facing outwards to bring harmony of the flow of energy to a house.

The Bagua is not harmful to people. It promotes peace and harmony to those who know the meaning behind the Bagua and beckons peace and harmony to a household.








 

Be what you are and yet make it

No 378 of Living Life Series 1

The picture below shows Ji Gong the Living Buddha sitting on a dragon. Legend has it that in one of his previous lives, he was the Dragon Taming Arahat, one of the eighteen legendary arahants.

The legendary dragon blows fire and whirls around  but once tamed is restful and serene. It signifies the life of men and the realities of nature. Life is full of whirls of ups and downs and to the sages of Tao in ancient China, life is about the yin and yang. If we are not at peace with life and are not in control, we will be swept and tossed around by life. The dragon symbolises life and nature. Man must be atop the ups and downs in life, the dualities in life and nature, such as gain-loss, honour-dishonour, life death, joy-sorrow, floods and drought etc.

To do so, some may think that they must leave society and family and be in a temple, seminary or better still be a recluse in the forest. But however, one tries to run away from so-called the throes and woes, one will still be with nature and life. There is no escape.

At the other end, some may say that if that is so, we might as well live for now, indulge and be sinful to the letter but whatever gains we have only create more issues and will not last. For that which is of nature like the flower even if beautiful as whole will not last and not as beautiful if taken apart. This was the gist of the flower parable that Lord Bo Tien talked in depth in one of his latter messages. (Historical version of the 1983 message of Lord Bo Tien ...)

So there is need not to run  away or deny life and nature and not to cling to nature and life. For many, this would mean we have to follow the norms and rules of religions and sects. Many of the rules and norms were put in place many years and generations after the passing away of the prophets or founders. They become dogmas and the tenets of religions. Not many are comfortable with them and they can be restrictive and restraining. The means can become the ends and the real ends then are not met. (Do refer to The Inaugural Message of Lord Bo Tien)

Ji Gong had to leave his monastery in his lifetime for he was not adhering to rules and norms. He is jovial, fun loving and ate meat and drank wine. Not able to change his ways, he was asked to leave the monastery. But he was kind at heart and cultivated the Way or Tao but felt that what is important in life is not outward show but must be genuine and comes from the heart. He succeeded and became enlightened.

He left the monastery with rags for his clothes and wore a torn hat. He was more like a vagrant but he did not run away from life but lived the life, even eating meat and drinking. But he was pure and neither intoxicated by life nor did he run from life. He was able to tame the yin and yang of life and the sages said that he was able to tame the dragon of life.

His image above with him atop the dragon taming it, not running away from it shows the way to handle life. Do not run from life but be atop life and not be swept around by the whirls and swirls of life. The dragon depicts life and is capable of whirls and swirls if not tamed.

His gourd in left hand depicts that even if one lives the worldly ways, one needs not be affected if one is steady and pure at heart. That we drink and eat meat do not imply we are not good.

His right hand fanning away with a torn fan to keep him amply comfortable from heat and dust tells us that we need not have better requisites or conditions, before we could walk the Way. The torn fan which others would discard is good enough for him. It serves its purpose and likewise whatever little we have will enable us to fan away the issues and nitty gritty of life. We need not have a big monastery,be learned in history and  comb the many voluminous scriptures before we can lead the holy life. We need not have air conditioner or more than simple luxuries to be comfortable enough to be great in life spiritually and otherwise.

We can stay what we are or even be poor and of little means and yet we can make it spiritually. We can know only that little and have that little and not more, yet we can make it. Ji Gong's life in question is a good example. One would have thought that having been condemned and not fit to be a monk in a temple and cast away to the slums and dumps outside the temple, he would be lost spiritually. On the contrary, he succeeded when many in the temple or monastery did not.

The image of him above depicts him taming the dragon of life and nature whist still garbed in modest beggar-like robes and torn hat, whilst still drinking and fanning away. In Chinese mythology, "Double dragons supporting pearl" is actually the pictoral presentation of harnessing and balancing the yin and yang dragons to have the pearl of divine wisdom. Thus taming the dragon means mastery of yin and yang balance  that is later depicted as the Bagua.

Ba gua

He even had a jar of  wine beside him while drinking from a gourd. We should be like him. We can be what we are and not try to be what we are not. But at the same time, we can still make it spiritually. No need to give up life or to have more in life but simple make do. In the case of Ji Gong, even wine and meat are no hindrances. What is important is not what goes through the gut but what goes through the heart. 

The Ji Gong way is for you to be what you are, stay with life and yet make it spiritually. All depends on the heart and not the gut or what you do or show.