It is the heart that matters and not what we eat

No 509 of Living Life Series 1

The way of the saints is to find peace in life by embracing the world as it unfurls and not to succumb to the delights of life. In short it is to know life and not to have false views of denial and clinging, neither to think that we must annihilate ourselves nor perpetuate ourselves. 

We cannot end our life for we will merely end up in another rebirth which may be worse than the present. We cannot think that there is no life after that and decide to live up to the nines. That too is false view that there is only one life which can be ended in eternity. This is the teachings of Buddhas.

Buddha Gautama

We cannot think that we can have eternal life in heaven after this one life as man if we just believe in one view or one man or saint, for that is not so. Even being in heaven is not for eternity. We are there for the good we did but not there forever for there is limit to karma and good fate. 

Only when there is no more clinging and no more karma, will a being be a saint and no longer has rebirth, be it in heaven, earth or elsewhere. We can do so by balancing the polarities of life, the yin and yang, as depicted by the image of Lord Bo Tien with feet atop elements. 

Lord Bo Tien -
The doctrine is in the image
and the image is the doctrine

We should neither delight in life nor abhor life but we must be at peace with life. To be right, we must live life but not be the victim of life in anyway. How to live life right is the issue? 

For example, we must not kill, but taking vegetables and not meat is no guarantee we do not passively discourage killing. Others can kill animals to feed our needs to be vegetarians. 

We must not want and cling. But delighting in food be it vegetables or meat is to want and to cling. We should eat to nourish ourselves and have healthy lifestyle. We should have a balanced diet. 

Returning to issue of no clinging even to vegetarian food, we must not cling to food and even fantasize over vegetarian food e.g. how to cook and eat vegetarian pork, duck or even delicacy like Buddha jump over the wall. 

Ji Gong 

Ji Gong teaches that "what matters is not what goes through the gut or what one does but what is in the heart." He is no less the Living Buddha.

Buddha Gautama went around for alms. He ate whatever food offered be it meat or otherwise. He is still the Lord Buddha. How vegetarianism came to be part of Buddhism is historical. 

We must appreciate that when great monks went over to India for scriptures, they imbibed the teachings of the monks and gurus of India. At that time or era, there was no label of who were Buddhists and who were Hindus. 

Likewise when they finally returned to China, the teachings were integrated with Chinese beliefs and culture which latter were known as Taoism. The Taoist label is in fact the modern day fad or creation of the globalization.

Wise ones too must start off as fools

No 508 of Living Life Series 1

During the lifetime of Ji Gong as man centuries ago in old China, the monks at the monastery thought Ji Gong was crazy and a fool. They professed to know better but history bore witness that they should have known better that Crazy Ji was far from being the fool. He was and is the Living Buddha.

No Buddha is ever like him.
Does not even look like a monk
but is no less the Living Buddha

Whoever thinks they know better may need to face the truth that they still have a long way to go and it is no consolation that they know more than others or act as though they are better. 

That is why the lord saint Lord Bo Tien did say that members of a temple like that of any Bo Tien Temple should capitalize on one another's strengths. 

That way they can like the amassing of candle flames shine out even better the life for other men to take. They can learn from the little good and skills of one another and that obviously is good for all. 

Additionally they can learn from the mistakes and weaknesses of one another and that will prove to be beneficial and a credit to one and all. There is also the likelihood that our brothers or sisters in the temple will wise up and be better. 

There is less tendency then for men to come to the temple like insects to the flower and even if some still do, blame not the lord saint for such men in the midst, just like we should not blame the flower for insects coming to the flower for nectar. 

In the first place, do admit that there are hardly anyone who does not come to a temple saint for favors, personal gains of some sorts. But be aware of some who try to outshine and take the limelight.

Invariably, these are the few who will come as champions for the rest. They claim they could speak for God and saints and they attract the limelight and all men who need to reach out to God and saints will somehow think they should kowtow and be subservient to them. 

It is with this in mind that the lord saint did indicate that there must be yin and yang balance through having a council of elders so that no one or two could steal the limelight and overshadow the lord saint to blind others to the awesome love of the saint. 

The awesome love even ensures that the men who come like insects to the flower too are never considered outcast but would receive much leeway and attention of the lord saint. 

But other men must open their eyes and learn from life, their own lives and the lives of others, more so the lives of men who are like insects to the flower. 

Such men can move mountains of men even if they might mislead them but this is as life would be but which men must learn not to succumb to. 

Men must wake up and balance their lives, the yin and yang and move on in harmony and peace come what may. This is as depicted by the feet of the lord saint balancing the elements. 

This is as explained that what we experience, learn and have in a temple of today are like the downstream of a river where the water is not pure and have many contaminants and additions. 

The wise who climb the ladder of life must make use of the downstream derivatives to go to the upper source for clear water as encouraged by the lord saint. This is the way of the wiser ones. 

But all who are wiser than many too must start as fools. They must start at the downstream before they can go against the current upstream to the upper source for clear water. 

In fact, all are learners and it is invariable that wise ones must start off as fools. All must be at the downstream before they can trace their way to the upper source for clear water. 

All men are both fools and wise ones along the way of life. The issue is how we cultivate and balance the polarities of life, the yin and yang. 

That way we move from darkness to light and from light to light. That way we move upstream and reach clearer and clearer water. 

But it is against the current and is an uphill task. "Precious and short is life as man. Strive on with diligence." The Buddha Gautama did say. 

Ji Gong had an uphill task as man centuries ago. He had to show that "what matters most is what is in the heart and not what goes through the gut or what one does." 

He ate meat and drank wine but he might appear to be crazy and like a fool but he wasted no time and resources in cultivating the heart. He might be a fool in eyes of men but proved to be lesser fools than the wise. He is the Living Buddha. 

Omitofo.

Bring out the God and not the beast in us.

No 507 of Living Life Series 1

Buddha says, "Rare is birth as man. Strive in with diligence." Bring out the good and stay away from the unworthy thoughts and deeds. Keep the peace within even if there is no peace around us. 

Lord Buddha Gautama

If we can be rich though poor, that is the way to be. Be rich in peace though poor in trappings and endowments of life. 

Of a truth, it is said that those who are rich may be poor and the poor may be rich. Be rich in peace and be easily contented. Have a positive view of life and reach out for more of peace and blessings in life which many take for granted and have no qualms in forsaking in their quests for more and more. 

This is why the good lord Lord Bo Tien says the far may be near and the near far. To be far from riches is no big deal. It is more important for one to be near to the peace of the saints. In old age and misfortune, one has to give up and be far from riches and there will be heart wrenching void if there is no peace at heart.

That is why sages say that money in the bank cannot guarantee heaven to man. Money stashed away in the bank but a man might be in hell. At least for the wise, he would be in heaven but still money would be locked away in the bank.

How silly can men be to chase after the rainbow of futility and waste life away. Treasure our life and time as man. Rare indeed is birth as man. Omitofo. 

Ji Gong a picture of peace

Do not forgo the worldly ways as long as we are of flesh and blood. Be like Ji Gong and wise up that we are still men in body but we can have the heart of saints by cultivating Tao or Way to have peace. (We gain peace by balancing the yin and the yang as depicted by the image of Lord Bo Tien with feet on the elements.) We should not try to deny the body of man and feel trapped in body of man. Just be man with heart of peace and saint.  

Then we will be more God and less beast. Only beasts go solely for the world of flesh and blood. How gory can this be? 

Grow the light of God and saints and not the wild beastly darkness. Even animals can do that in their own limited ways. Hence, why cannot we do so? 

Is this a joke? 

Some men in a temple can be more beastly than animals. They wrong men in the name of God and saints. They expel pioneers, founding monks and elders from a temple. To them, they are like sore thumbs. They mishandled the temple for their own gains. 

But the only way to handle them is to be at peace with them. Bless them for they know not what they do. Embrace them even if they are not as worthy of embrace. 

They are like insects coming to a flower. This Lord Bo Tien said. Blame not the flower for insects coming to it. They more than anyone else deserve the attention of God and saints. We need to help God and saints in this respect. This is one way to bring out the God and not the beast in us and in such men who are like insects coming to the flower. Omitofo

Amitabha Buddha

Loving kindness - no two ways about it

No 506 of Living Life Series 1

God and saints love men. This is the teaching of religions and in some religions, this love extends to all beings. Some even use the term loving kindness instead of just the word love.

Loving kindness by God and saints cut both ways. God must shower love for all, both the good and the wrong or rather the not so good. How can God not love those who are not so good and have done some wrong, more so when the deeds hurt men and not in the least God? In fact, all have done some wrong.

Ji Gong is an example of a saint who does not forget to manage the welfare of the wayward. He loves them not for their wrong but for the good he can cultivate in them. He brings them round to virtuous life and he blesses them even more. 

Ji Gong Huo Fo
Lord Ji The Living Buddha
Benevolent and yet firm
and loving to wrong doers
OMITOFO

Like saints such as Ji Gong, we too can extend love to all men and even those whom others consider evil or damned. We must however do so in wise way, otherwise we may harm them if our love for them make them worse off than before. 

Ji Gong the living saint is no less the expert in this. He leads the way to make good men who are otherwise bad and misinformed. He is able to be part of the crowd and succeed to influence the hearts of men. He is after all Ji Gong. 

Ji Gong like a vagrant and commoner
was able to merge with the crowd

He will always behave like one of them so as to merge easily into the crowd with them. He is well known for his crazy ways and is known as Crazy Ji. He may appear eccentric as such but he could be like one of the crowd and be able to convince people that more easily as he does not speak from the high pedestal. Miracles and saintly powers are not enough. The solutions he prescribed are often startlingly simple but effective.

A prominent carving of Ji Gong at the China monastery.
They liked him so much that they had him carved into the wall
though they had earlier on turned him out into the streets 
when they could not stand his crazy ways as a novice monk  

Additionally, due to his sincerity from the heart, the monastery who turned him away because they had enough of his eccentric ways as man eating meat, drinking wine and frolicking with beggars, children and monkeys  was indeed turned around by him to regard him as a buddha. He has a prominent place at that temple till this day. 

Another Ji Gong image standing tall
at the monastery in South China

Wisdom or purity of heart is needed.  What matters is what we have in our hearts like what Ji Gong stressed. We can change people to think good of us or to be more good with our hearts. To do so, we must be rich and good at heart.

We cannot however do odd things which only reveals our lack of wisdom. For example, we cannot confine the practice of loving kindness to the aged sick in a temple home and in the same very temple decide that some fellow followers of the temple saint must be dealt harshly by expelling them. 

This image of Ji Gong is at the monastery in China.
It is beside the well where Ji Gong as a mere novice monk
 raised many logs to rebuild a wing of the temple. He was still sent out into the streets for not complying with norms. They gave up with him then. But the image above like many others there is proof that they honored him as one of their buddhas, for now they do know that he is a saint of saints and no less. He is Ji Gong Huo Fo - Lord Ji The Living Buddha

Loving kindness must be universal and cannot be for selected ones. It must be extended effectively to those who dislike us. Love only for select ones is not the loving kindness Lord Bo Tien and all saints talk about. 

Such love confined to the selected is not true loving kindness but only outward show. It is the antithesis of loving kindness. It is empty actions with no richness and purity of heart. What matters is not what we do or what goes through the gut but what we have and do with our hearts as reiterated by Ji Gong. 

Ji Gong image standing tall at another temple
Here portrayed in serious reflection 
which of course is not the norm. 
What could he be reflecting on?
He is with the Luohans. 

Loving kindness or love for men and beings in the name of God and saints is magnanimous and cannot discriminate believers of other religions from those of the religion we profess. There is no two ways about it. 

People somehow have two set of standards, one set for those they have no objections with and the other for those they somehow find objectionable.

There are many examples on this. For instance, there are people of religion who commit adultery and sexual misconduct with fellow adherents of the same religion. That is definitely not loving kindness but obvious blatant misdemeanor. That is unkind and mean. 

But the ridiculous part is that this is not uncommon in a place of worship such as a temple. They think that it is the gift of God to have the privilege of sexual bonding with religious brothers and sisters. 

Why are some men like that?  Why must they abuse the sanctity of a temple? The reason is that insects do come to a flower. Blame not the flower. Also the near may be far and the far near. All these did Lord Bo Tien say. 

Is any temple for the holier than thou type?
Think again and ask why it should not be so.
The rather easy going and happy go lucky
may be near though far from God and saints. 
Isn't Ji Gong the happy go lucky sort
like the many in any temple or church? 

One way to avert this is for us not to hero worship any man in a temple even if we love him for charisma and leadership. But do be kind and have regards for all far and near to God because the near may be far and the far near. Our hero worshiping may make devis out of men and make them far from God. Far is near and near is far. This is the truth we must know. 

The lord saint of a temple may seem strange to have men at a temple who are like insects to a flower. But that is the way of saints. The wayward are never discriminated against in the eyes of saints. 

They more than others deserve the attention and love of saints. Loving kindness must be extended to all. With regards to loving kindness, there are no two ways of going about it. 

Prodigal sons must be loved if they can come back to the fold be it that of God or men. No such thing as an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth but better to offer the other cheek when slapped on one cheek. 

God and saints may even be like that and we may think they are dumb. Worse still, we may simply think they don't exist and the very making of men.

Hell is no God forsaken place

No 505 of Living Life Series 1

It is often said that Hell is where souls are damned. The worst lot and the most pitiful of all souls are those who had to have sojourn in Hell. God and saints would want to help them and not to damn them in Hell.

Who has not done wrong? We all pay for our mistakes and if God and saints are not benevolent, more will be in Hell. The concept of punishment is not in keeping with a loving and benevolent God. 

People are in Hell not because of the making of God and saints but because of their own making. But nobody pays for their mistakes in eternity. 

Hell is never the making of God and saints. No loving God and saints will want beings to be in Hell. They only wish that the beings do not stay any second longer in Hell. 

They have divine love and compassion. If any say God is a jealous God and is wrathful, surely that man is obviously blasphemous and has wronged God. 

Even many demons are not wrathful though they are keen others are subservient to them. Only some demons are wrathful and exact punishment but even then not more than the pound of flesh. 

But men over zealous to please God threaten fellow men in the name of God with eternal damnation if they do not act like they do with respect to God. Isn't this exacting many many more times than the pound of flesh? 

Hell is no God forsaken place and God and saints make attempt to save the souls of men in Hell so that they do not need to be there even a second more than necessary. 

Hell is simply not in line with divine love. God loves men. How can there be retaliation by God and saints for the failings of men? The failings may upset God and saints but these would not hurt them in the least. The failings by men hurt men themselves and that is for sure. 

Even if men can hurt God and saints, how can there be more than an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth when in the new testament it is good to offer the other cheek when slapped on one cheek. Heaven would have to be the role model for men so that there be true awesome love for life. Heaven would not punish but love even more.  

In reality, out of love for all lives, God and saints expend time and effort to help the beings of Hell to be reborn to better states and not stay a second longer than necessary. They teach them to cultivate Tao and in short this energizes the purity of the spirit. A pure spirit is a free spirit and will soar above the trials and tribulations, the pains and aches of life.

Lord Bo Tien 

Lord Bo Tien has said that even a criminal can be chosen by him to trained to be good and to lead men in a temple. How can men think that those who have erred must be condemned and be in Hell. 

If Heaven so decides even a bad person can be trained to be a saint. This is the magnanimity and benevolence of Heaven. 

Lord Bo Tien spoke through trancing
that if he so decides "even a criminal
can be trained by him to be a saint."

If Lord Bo Tien so wishes, he will spare no efforts to block a man who erred from going to Hell but send him to Heaven instead and one day that man can even be saint.

Ji Gong 

Ji Gong The Living Buddha expends all efforts to reform the wrong doers so that they can mend and bend to be good. He does not condemn them but will change them to be better men. He is a saint and he has heart of gold. He is well known for his benevolence towards wrong doers who are willing to mend and bend.

King Yama ever so thoughtful
kind and compassionate.
He is a Bodhisattva in Tibetan lore

It is said that King Yama tries his level best to encouraged new entrants to Hell to think of the good they have done in the immediate past life so that they can energise their good karma to leave Hell. Isn't Yama more compassionate than the image some men paint of God as wrathful and unforgiving? 

Tsitigarbha Buddha 

Tsitigarbha  Buddha spend his time in Hell to answer to the call of those suffering in Hell. He imparts the teachings and invokes peace in them. He teaches them to cultivate peace at heart even amid raging hell fires. The peace at heart will douse any hell fire. 

Amitabha Buddha

Amitabha Buddha and his Pure Land saints like Kuanyin reach out to all beings to bless them. They only need to call his name "Omitofo." Those in Hell more than those elsewhere need their divine help. 

Only demon-hearted men think that God and saints have forsaken those in Hell. Such men are more demonic than even real demons who have two sides the good and bad and are more salvageable than such men. 

Chinese culture may lack sophistication and is often frowned at by the many more so the young, educated and modernized. Take the instance of the seventh month observance. 

It is when Chinese traditionalists appease the wondering spirits with offerings of hell money and food offerings. They believe that once a year the spirits from hell who are more fortunate than the rest in hell could come out to receive the goodwill of men. 

The traditionalists may be frowned at but for sure, it is undoubted that they do have good intentions though there are much better ways for them to relieve the plight of those in hell. 

But they are far better than some misguided who in the name of God threaten and condemn men who do not conform to their beliefs to everlasting damnation in Hell as though Hell is indeed a God forsaken place. God forgive them for they know not what they do.

Hell is never a God forsaken place and even those who have used God's name in vain and in derogatory way will not be forsaken by God and saints. 

God and saints are ever loving and those who are far from them are near to them and those near may be far. This the good lord Lord Bo Tien reminds us to reflect. 

Hell is no God forsaken place. This all men should have no qualms to believe that this is the truth. Isn't truth so beautiful and whole like the lotus flower? Omitofo.

For more, go to the upper source for clear water

No 504 of Living Life Series 1

In any life story of a sage, we will always be told that the sage left home or society to seek the answer to the problems of man, that is how to find happiness beyond the mundane or worldly joys that are often deceiving and at times treacherous. The solution is invariably a spiritual one.

In those days, it is not a choice of which religion but what temple or teacher to learn from. The would-be sage can also learn from the teachings of more than one teacher and this was the norm. 

At no time did the would-be sage have to choose the religion to believe and there is no religion to bar him from learning from other religions. 

But this is not so today. The man of 2014 and beyond has to decide which religion is best for him and if he takes up a specific religion, he must accept all that are in that religion. Few in truth will do that though they profess to do so, just because they must appear to conform to the norms.. 

What has become of man over the centuries? Perhaps, to put it in another way, what has polluted and complicated the search for spiritual truth? 

One word to sum up is that spiritualism has become politicized and separated and partisan like politics into camps or parties. Is this necessarily bad or good? Well the answer is not a straight forward one.

Lord Bo Tien ever poised to bring out 
the inner truth behind religions
not to start any religion or sect. 
Any temple in his name is just 
incidental and not by divine design. 
The world is the universal temple
with religions and sects as pillars
All under heaven are in this temple

Lord Bo Tien in his inaugural message which is referred to as the God Knowledge did mentioned that there must be many ways to attract men to spiritual. Thus there must be religions. 

Religions must decide the strategy of how to attract men to God and saints and what men should believe so that men will not stray and have better chance to stay on the path in the long haul. 

In short, what each unique religion offers are the prerogatives of religions. Thus dogmas which are often difficult to verify and substantiate are promulgated as sort of assumptions or starting points or springboards but they have the force of laws behind them. 

They must not be questioned or challenged. But this can be contentious. But at least, dogmas do serve one purpose. They prevent straying and ensure followers stay in the orbit of the religion they have embraced. Intellectual adventurism is not condoned and given a place.

The teachings of a religion not only include the basics or inner truth common to all religions but also many other add-on teachings often unique to that religion and which may contradict the teachings of other religions. 

But there is the truth of God and saints. There is also the need to cultivate oneself amid the polar disparities of life so as to arrive at peace and oneness with God and saints. These constitute the basics or inner truth behind religions. 

Over and above these, the add-ons are still necessary and without them, there is no character and uniqueness to a religion. They provide the form and distinctiveness of a religion.

But for the more serious and discerning in spiritual, they must focus and stress on the inner truth to go the mile. Men of religions who want to be more serious and committed to Tao (Way to sainthood) must do these specifically and in depth.

Lord Bo Tien said that men need to go to the upper source of a river for clear water. But do be mindful that before a man can go to upper source, he must be able to be at the river. Before man can cultivate deep spirituality, men must be in a religion or to put it bluntly be in a downstream derivative of inner or basic truth of God and Tao (Way). Need more be said.......

Obviously for more, men must go to the upper source for clear water. Men can do so either in this life or wait till next life when in Heaven but why wait and procrastinate?

We can have Heaven or Pure Land here and now if we want to cultivate Tao. Going to Heaven is one thing. Cultivating Tao is the other. The saints will bring Heaven to us so that we can cultivate Tao. We cannot guarantee tomorrow but we can ensure the here and now. Omitofo.

Omitofo brings the whole of Pure Land
to those who want to practise Tao

We don't have to go to a temple or religion to cultivate Tao. Saints like Omitofo never say believe in them and we will be saved. They only say if we want blessings, just call on them. There is no need even to worship, least of all to fear and serve them before they will bless and save us. There is no need to be in a temple and be subservient. 

Ji Gong in his life as man went to a temple to be a monk but was not satisfied. Rather, the monks of the monastery found him wanting and deplorable because he did not follow norms and be subservient. They wanted him very much to conform before they could accept him as one of them. 

So what if he ate meat and drank wine? So what if he sang and frolicked with playful children, commoners and monkeys? The important point or the crux of the matter is that he believed that "what matters is not what one does or what goes through the gut but what is in the heart." 

He was not like one of them and they were unlike him. He could not find the answer in a temple and he stood out like a sore thumb in the temple. He went for the upper source and Heaven was with him in his heart. He became a saint and distinguished himself by blessing the multitude.

He left temple to go to the world and that is the way of any saint. No saint stays put in a temple. He is after all Ji Gong or Lord Ji The Living Buddha. Omitofo.

Ji Gong in open courtyard of a temple
with his sight set on the world.

Make the best of Tao out of life

No 503 of Living Life Series 1

The problems of men are many and plentiful. This did the lord saint Lord Bo Tien say. One problem follows another and this is so frequent and can be trying. This is attributed to the nature of life and is in a way due to man himself. Often, it is because man is not at peace and that can be the critical issue. 

Lord Bo Tien image depicts the peace 
through the balancing of the yin and yang
as portrayed by feet on elements

Men go to a temple for solace but ask for worldly blessings instead, thinking that these will be the solution. Saints answer their prayers and may even give them what they want. 

But alas, peace can still be elusive. Men must learn to be contented and moderate the ups and downs of life, the yin and yang that come their way in life. Men must love life as it unfurls and not lament and want more out of life. Only then will there be semblance of peace that saints talk about. 

What is bad are not worldly trappings but the attitude of men towards life. They must neither want more and more nor deny them. They must cultivate Tao within and have the peace come what may. 

What one can have or cannot have are just consequences of what one does and of one's fate or karma. More or less of worldly trappings may not be either good or bad. The worldly trappings should not dictate our spirit in life and our love for life as man. 

Buddha did say specifically that "Rare indeed is birth as man. Strive on with diligence." Treasure it and make life work for us and not that we work for life. Amen - that is so and so be it. 

Lord Buddha

Life as man is best for Tao or Way. Live longer to perfect Tao - the balancing of yin and yang to be atop them and not to be submerged by them. We may not come this way again. 

While men exasperated by the trials and tribulations of life may wish to call it a day, men must live as long as they can to cultivate Tao or peace of mind, come what may. Their next lives even as men may not be congenial for Tao.

Longer life will facilitate more time for cultivation of Tao so that at the last thought moment, there is better chance of the habit of peaceful mind coming naturally. Then the person can transit to better state in afterlife. Thus, there is every compelling reason to prolong life, to live as long as we can so that we can have more time to cultivate Tao to higher level. 

As stressed by Lord Buddha, men should not waste time. Do not postpone to next life and do not procrastinate. We may never come this way again  and we may never be man as well. Do not neglect Tao.

Tao has to do with the spirit - the mind or heart. This is best stressed by Ji Gong. "What matters is not what we do or what goes through the gut but what is in the heart."

Ji Gong full of peace from the heart

Tao will influence the last thought moment which Buddhists believe is critical in deciding the next rebirth at point of death. With regards to the concept of the last thought moment, whether the last thought moment determines rebirth and how to have control of the last thought moment are matters of speculation to the skeptics. 

But what matters is the force of good habit of cultivating moment-to-moment peace. Good habit counts and go a long way. This no one will deny and all will concur.

Tao after all is all about having peace of mind while going about life but there must be no denial or indulgence of life. We should neither indulge in the thought of dying nor live as though we will never die. Just live in the moment, learn and be enriched by the past and be ready for the future. 

If still unsteady, seek the shelter and guidance of saints for if our life is sheltered, it will glow more steadily without flickering like a candle flame. This saints like Lord Bo Tien will tell us

Those who associate with man of Tao stand to gain from peaceful nature of that man and indirectly imbibe the peace that the man exudes. They gain the peace passively from the positive practitioner of Tao. 

Lao Tse

Lao Tse in old age even retired from life as palace librarian to go into the wilderness beyond the palace frontier to further cultivate Tao. It was not that he had not cultivated Tao but he wanted to cultivate more intensively in his advanced age. At the frontier, the frontier guard requested that he wrote down his thoughts  - the Tao Te Ching. Those who associated with him could imbibe the peace he exuded. The frontier guard obviously did.

Lao Tse rode buffalo into the wilderness  

Likewise if we associate with men of Tao and heavenly saints, we can imbibe the peace they exude. Some religions refer to this as the Holy Spirit. 

Omitofo. May all beings be well and happy. May peace and love be with all.