No 537 of Living Life Series 1
Many have been told that they only need to worship a saint and heaven is assured. This may be so but what if a person is still far from good and pay lip service to what he believes. Would he be in Heaven? "Yes by the grace of God and saint" is the answer.
But the sages of old in China had said that they will taste Heaven so long as they believe though they will only be there for a while to learn and be motivated, and then be down again (reborn) as men to practise what they learn.
Many take this route to Heaven by believing in a saint, by calling out to his name. That is all they need to do. They need only to believe and be saved.
It is similar to sales gimmick. Just invest in a stock and there will be sure profit. No need to have a job and work at the job. If this is true, then all need not work but just sit at home and see money grow. Leave it to the broker.
Religions too peddle this same sales gimmick. "Believe and be saved. You only need to do that." That is great but is it true? At best, it is a half truth.
Then there are those men who are more perceptive. Believe in a saint is not good enough. We must not just believe but be good and do good deeds.
Then we will go to Heaven and to those who know rebirth is real, there will at least be better rebirth even if not in Heaven. Even if they go to Heaven, they will not be there for long.
They reap what they sow but this will be finite and be limited though they will be in Heaven longer than those who just believe and call out to the name of a saint of God.
They will have in time to leave Heaven and be down hopefully as men again and not lesser beings due to their past wrong as men before they go to their long sojourn in Heaven.
But isn't all these realization disappointing? So what must we do? The sages of old in China said that we need to go the mile and more if we want to be in Heaven longer and be in 7th Heaven or even higher.
We cannot just believe in a saint. We cannot do good deeds in addition to believe. We need to cultivate and purify the mind and free it from the three mental roots of ignorance (false views), ill-will and greed (attachment or clinging). This Gautama Buddha and all Buddhas say.
Believe in just believing in a saint to be saved is at best a half truth but not the eternal truth. It gives rise to disappointment of being reborn as man after a very short sojourn in Heaven. Might as well don't go to Heaven, just to be given the rude shock of need to be men all over again.
To those who believe additionally that they can reap personal goodness by doing good deeds, they too will be in for rude shock of having to be down as men though after relatively much longer sojourn in Heaven.
The other false view is to think there is no need for spiritual as there is no life after death. This will warp their view of life even as man in the present life time. They will either be opportunistic, getting what they want as much as they can or defeatist, giving up and saying of what use if they have no more life after death.
So, the great Buddha says that men must steer clear of two extremes, annihilation or no life after death on one extreme and eternalism by just believing in a saint or just doing good deeds at the other extreme.
We need to be correct and cultivate correctness over the long haul. It is easy to go to Heaven but let not this be a short visit or a longer one for these outcomes would be no much better than not going to Heaven in the afterlife. It would be letdown if we have to leave heaven after a short or finite stint there.
We need to be right in our thinking and not only that, we do need to free the mind from ill-will and greed to be more correct. We need to have peace. Both ill-will and greed will not bring peace. How to have peace when enough is never enough and when we want what others have or when we want more than what others have?
Wanting too much is wrong. Wanting nothing and running away is wrong as well. Going for more and more and giving up life and running away from life are both extremes that will not bring peace.
But the sages of old in China had said that they will taste Heaven so long as they believe though they will only be there for a while to learn and be motivated, and then be down again (reborn) as men to practise what they learn.
Many take this route to Heaven by believing in a saint, by calling out to his name. That is all they need to do. They need only to believe and be saved.
It is similar to sales gimmick. Just invest in a stock and there will be sure profit. No need to have a job and work at the job. If this is true, then all need not work but just sit at home and see money grow. Leave it to the broker.
Religions too peddle this same sales gimmick. "Believe and be saved. You only need to do that." That is great but is it true? At best, it is a half truth.
Then there are those men who are more perceptive. Believe in a saint is not good enough. We must not just believe but be good and do good deeds.
Then we will go to Heaven and to those who know rebirth is real, there will at least be better rebirth even if not in Heaven. Even if they go to Heaven, they will not be there for long.
They reap what they sow but this will be finite and be limited though they will be in Heaven longer than those who just believe and call out to the name of a saint of God.
They will have in time to leave Heaven and be down hopefully as men again and not lesser beings due to their past wrong as men before they go to their long sojourn in Heaven.
But isn't all these realization disappointing? So what must we do? The sages of old in China said that we need to go the mile and more if we want to be in Heaven longer and be in 7th Heaven or even higher.
We cannot just believe in a saint. We cannot do good deeds in addition to believe. We need to cultivate and purify the mind and free it from the three mental roots of ignorance (false views), ill-will and greed (attachment or clinging). This Gautama Buddha and all Buddhas say.
Believe in just believing in a saint to be saved is at best a half truth but not the eternal truth. It gives rise to disappointment of being reborn as man after a very short sojourn in Heaven. Might as well don't go to Heaven, just to be given the rude shock of need to be men all over again.
To those who believe additionally that they can reap personal goodness by doing good deeds, they too will be in for rude shock of having to be down as men though after relatively much longer sojourn in Heaven.
The other false view is to think there is no need for spiritual as there is no life after death. This will warp their view of life even as man in the present life time. They will either be opportunistic, getting what they want as much as they can or defeatist, giving up and saying of what use if they have no more life after death.
So, the great Buddha says that men must steer clear of two extremes, annihilation or no life after death on one extreme and eternalism by just believing in a saint or just doing good deeds at the other extreme.
We need to be correct and cultivate correctness over the long haul. It is easy to go to Heaven but let not this be a short visit or a longer one for these outcomes would be no much better than not going to Heaven in the afterlife. It would be letdown if we have to leave heaven after a short or finite stint there.
We need to be right in our thinking and not only that, we do need to free the mind from ill-will and greed to be more correct. We need to have peace. Both ill-will and greed will not bring peace. How to have peace when enough is never enough and when we want what others have or when we want more than what others have?
Wanting too much is wrong. Wanting nothing and running away is wrong as well. Going for more and more and giving up life and running away from life are both extremes that will not bring peace.
Go for the balance approach by being atop the extremes or what sages in old China refer to as yin and yang. Then there will be true peace and purity. But this requires a long haul approach.
Meanwhile we do experience a moment by moment peace. Many moments of peace do add up and one day we will arrive at eternal or perfect peace and be fully enlightened. We will be beyond the 7th Heaven.
Do not be disheartened if enlightenment is over the long haul but what matters more than anything else is the taste of peace from moment to moment cultivation of Tao in this very life itself. The taste of peace is unmistakable and it spurs the wayfarer on.
One advice from the lord saint is appropriate. Do not yearn to be in highest heaven or to be enlightened. Just enjoy the process itself. The cultivation of Tao is as enjoyable and worthwhile in itself, not just the end point which seems for now and for most to be at the horizon. The moment to moment peace spurs us on to cultivate Tao ever the more.
Though far from the end, we are near to it as we taste moment to moment peace. The good lord says that the far may be near and the near far. Those who think they will be in Heaven in next life may be in for shock that they will not be there for long if they just believe in a saint and/or just do good. Mere belief and good deeds are not enough.
Do not be disheartened if enlightenment is over the long haul but what matters more than anything else is the taste of peace from moment to moment cultivation of Tao in this very life itself. The taste of peace is unmistakable and it spurs the wayfarer on.
One advice from the lord saint is appropriate. Do not yearn to be in highest heaven or to be enlightened. Just enjoy the process itself. The cultivation of Tao is as enjoyable and worthwhile in itself, not just the end point which seems for now and for most to be at the horizon. The moment to moment peace spurs us on to cultivate Tao ever the more.
Though far from the end, we are near to it as we taste moment to moment peace. The good lord says that the far may be near and the near far. Those who think they will be in Heaven in next life may be in for shock that they will not be there for long if they just believe in a saint and/or just do good. Mere belief and good deeds are not enough.
Well, to conclude and to summarize, the image of Lord Bo Tien depicts the way to go even to beyond the 7th Heaven. His image with feet atop and balancing the elements of yin and yang embodies the Way or Tao.
His scepter in right hand is the Word or Doctrine. The Word is the Mission and is in all religions.
His left hand in salutation bids us to be steadfast and steady to go for the long haul. Heaven will help and shelter us along the way of Tao.
The moment to moment peace we get from Tao cultivation alone is satisfying and spurs us on, never mind when we reach the end point and be a saint like the good lord or like the great Buddha. Then we are in Heaven here and now and is there the need to wait with bated breath for afterlife?
Is there also the need for religion when we can have peace of Tao outside religion? In fact many in religion may be near to Tao but yet far from it. Ironically, we cannot do without platform of religion for the good of the many and out of compassion for all.
Some even ask if there is need to aim for Heaven when we can be omnipresent like God and saints to be everywhere and not just in Heaven if and only if we can have more of Tao. Give this some thought if not now then in time to come. No need to know more if the little we know we can practise well. Cheers.
The moment to moment peace we get from Tao cultivation alone is satisfying and spurs us on, never mind when we reach the end point and be a saint like the good lord or like the great Buddha. Then we are in Heaven here and now and is there the need to wait with bated breath for afterlife?
Is there also the need for religion when we can have peace of Tao outside religion? In fact many in religion may be near to Tao but yet far from it. Ironically, we cannot do without platform of religion for the good of the many and out of compassion for all.
Some even ask if there is need to aim for Heaven when we can be omnipresent like God and saints to be everywhere and not just in Heaven if and only if we can have more of Tao. Give this some thought if not now then in time to come. No need to know more if the little we know we can practise well. Cheers.
