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Gautama Buddha upon enlightenment under the great Bodhi tree was undecided as to expounding the truth or Dharma to men. Like many of the silent Buddhas, he was aware that the "truth is against the current." All would have to go to upper source for clear water as what Lord Bo Tien said many decades ago sometime after his first descent in 1969.
After persuasion by Lord Sakra, Buddha agreed that there would still be some who could understand and benefit from the Dharma (teachings). So he proceeded to spread forth his teachings all over Indian peninsula at a time when transport was dependent mainly on feet and horses. But as he was in saffron robes, he did not use horses or horse carriages, or did he?
What is rather interesting about his initial skepticism is that since he was enlightened, he was already the all-knowing One as well as the compassionate One. Certainly, it might well be a tall story that he needed an immortal to tell him what to do.
Perhaps this aspect of the life history of the Buddha is the down stream derivative of the true story. But assuming it is true, it should be supported by later teachings of the great Buddha.
Indeed, there is such support. One later teachings had it that the Buddha said that there will be increasingly more of asuras at the fringe of Heaven and upper echelons of Hell being born as men. Who are these asuras or demons?
They are those who by virtue of good done in past lives were born in Heaven and upper reaches of Hell but still harbor thoughts of clinging to power and self glory. They want all to themselves and are wrathful if those in their sphere of influence should stray and worship others. They do not want the followers to have images of other masters or saints within their horizon of vision.
Because they are not enlightened, they are like that. They have resources and good karma but due to their weaknesses, they are likely to use them negatively. They have anger, are wrathful, envious of what others have and often jealous. They may have many followers but they crave for more. They are more interested to have the followers adoration than in the followers' cultivation
They become victims of past lives good karma because they are not pure at heart. They are more concerned with what they do and what goes through their gut and not what is in the heart as stressed by Ji Gong.
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| Ji Gong |
It is such men at the monastery during life of Ji Gong as man who chastised Ji Gong for not acting as expected of a monk. Many monks acted holy and in accordance with the rules of monks but were not what they projected. At heart, they were not peaceful and far from what monks should be. They were not saints though acted like they were already saints. True saints do not have to advertise they are saints.
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| Ji Gong is ever peaceful and cheerful, no politicking and no gimmicks, ever wholehearted and true to calling. non partisan and not discriminating as all saints are and should be. |
The demons at the fringe of Heaven and Hell are reborn as men over time due to the good they did in past lives. As such, they are born in well to do families and in favorable society. They end up as cream of the crop of society and many are attracted to temples of God and saints to take up leadership roles.
They do good but that is exactly where the problem lies. They turn the pulpit into vantage points for them to proclaim easy salvation to the world to attract the weak and gullible so as to satisfy even more their concurrent agenda to enrich and favor their own selfish needs. There is no doubt they can still be of good in their own unique ways. That is their sunny side.
They are not all bad but are indeed good in bringing men to God and saints. But they can be merciless to those who do not see eye to eye with them. They would rather go an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, rather than offering the other cheek when slapped on the cheek as in the biblical texts.
But because they twist and restructure a temple and its doctrine to suit their personal agenda, they misrepresent the teachings of saints and even that of Gautama Buddha. That this is so is in line with the original position of Buddha in hesitating in preaching the Dharma.
Countless silent Buddhas did not take on the world as the teachings of the Dharma were already always there in the world but perhaps men must as Lord Bo Tien said go to the upper source of a river for clear water. As the teachings are passed down over time, what are available are downstream variations*.
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| Lord Bo Tien out to bring out the inner truth behind any religion but not to start any new religion |
This is more so when men who were previously demons come back to be reborn as men. They like what Lord Bo Tien said are like insects and ants coming to the flower and manipulating it for nectar of personal gains.
Blame not the flower for insects coming to it. Blame not men with demonic past lives coming to many temples of religions to take on leadership roles. They may harbor intent of personal gains and not serve as forthrightly the mission of the saints of those temples and as they so openly and ardently proclaim.
To God and saints, they more than anybody else need to be in temples and it is the hope of God and saints that they make good. But whether they make good is left to them.
God and saints only open the way. They do so for them as much as for us. God and saints are not only for the goody two shoes and if this is the case, there is no need for religion and for mission to save souls which Lord Bo Tien is entrusted to carry out.
There is need to go to upper source for clear water. There is need to know the downstream derivatives and to decipher what had gone wrong and yet are right.
There is need to reiterate that the downstream variations come in many forms. One is that the real father is God above and as such it is alright to have less allegiance to our biological father.
God and saints only open the way. They do so for them as much as for us. God and saints are not only for the goody two shoes and if this is the case, there is no need for religion and for mission to save souls which Lord Bo Tien is entrusted to carry out.
There is need to go to upper source for clear water. There is need to know the downstream derivatives and to decipher what had gone wrong and yet are right.
There is need to reiterate that the downstream variations come in many forms. One is that the real father is God above and as such it is alright to have less allegiance to our biological father.
This allows for more to distance away from the teachings of the ancestors and it would appear to be more noble to go for the heavenly father instead. The natural consequence will then be that the culture of the ancestors will have to be sidelined to give way to culture of the leaders of the temples the young people go to.
This is very much in line with the innate tendency of the young to strike out on their own and leave the family nests. The young and gullible will simply find this attractive and consistent with their nature to want to strike out on their own. .
Instead of emphasizing the teachings of the temple saint, leaders emphasize on new culture and fads that the young could never have from their biological families.
But the real focus should really be the Word for the Word is God. This is as reiterated by Lord Bo Tien. The doctrine is in the image and the image is the doctrine. Yin yang balance is as portrayed by the feet of the lord atop the elements.
Respect for elders has been shifted to include more prominently the respect for leaders of the temple as the larger family and not just the respect to elders at home. This do invariably over time shift respect further away from designated elders and leave choice in hands of young.
Soon over time, the more trendy young people learn well from the ageing leaders of the temples and took over leadership even though the senior leaders are still hale and hearty. They retire off the seniors before their time.
In a way the seniors reap what they sow because they have lessen emphasis on a universal precept which is to respect elders and parents. "The home is the first temple." This Gautama Buddha said.
Some houses of God (temples) even end up deserted and to salvage and inject life back into them, they are turned into houses of joy, sensual placation and indulgence with loudness the main focus so as to bring back the noise and the crowd.
Men who are adventurous and who go beyond ob markers of ancestors will learn from the lessons of life. Indeed many or some retained such tendencies from their past lives as demons.
With the many downstream derivatives, it would be likely that the original teachings and focus of the founding saint, be he Gautama or any other, would be diluted and buried away unless men take the effort against the current to go to upper source for clear water.
No wonder, Gautama was aware right from the very day of his enlightenment, that whatever he did, in time, his efforts might be not as fruitful if there is more men from the fringes of heaven being reborn as men and still retain their demonic traits of past lives. But all is not lost as there will be the coming of Maitreya, the next historical Buddha.
But it must be stressed that it is ever the will of Heaven that such men are born so that they have the chance to mend and bend to God and saints of all religions. Their being in temples allow them ample opportunities to make it.
The glory of Heaven is undisputed in that that there are many religions and many downstream derivatives to bring men to the river and thereafter the more discerning can go to upper source for clear water.
Omitofo to all, always and ever more.
