Do you feel you have no life in your life?
Do you feel that you have no life, not living the life you expect to have and always in a race of sorts --- always in tight corners and in double bind. Are you living life? Are you having no life though very much alive? Do you feel at times you are dead to life and not living your life? We must live life and not end up having no life. Live life and not just be alive but not having any life. Do not live with regrets but value life and be thankful with whatever blessings that come your way. Read on and learn how to have a life in your life. Live life and not dread life. Be reborn to be alive in your life and be at peace with life.
But living it right cannot be at others' expense.
How do we make a living? It must not go beyond the need to have a life in life. It must not rob others from having a life in their life. At one extreme, we must not deny our own needs. We must not sacrifice for others at our own detriment. But at the other extreme, we must not over indulge to extent that we deny others their life development. We must not deny others from having a life in their life. We should not create misfortune for others so that we can climb the social ladder and have more fortune and position. It is bad taste and ungodly to make fortune out of others misfortune. This bad taste is the habit of demons or asuras of hell and some beings at a corner of a lower heaven. They cherish in instilling pain, fear, subservience, intimidation and terror either overt or covert. This bad taste has creeped into all aspects of our human life in this increasingly materialistic age of the present kalpa or era. There will be no let-up. This is partly because many who were in the hellish planes have completed their terms in hells. By virtue of some past good deeds or karma they have in their births before their life in hell, they have the good fortune to be humans in present birth. After serving their due terms in hell, they leave hell to be reborn as humans Their past good deeds in past lives prior to their sorjourn as hell beings take fruit in form of rebirth as humans. This is good for them. But they continue to have habits of their past life as demons in hell. They were previously hell demons or asuras weilding power to inflict misery in others. Unless in their human lives, they are fortunate to cultivate new good habits by associating with wise ones and have wake-up call, they will go down the road of demonic tendencies. They will dig and forment more misery for others and eventually for themselves as well either in this life or in the next life. The saints of the various faiths feel sorry for them and have always tried to reach out to them but they may think they are in paradise and continue in their folly in making fortune out of others misfortune or in creating misfortune or hell for others. Many even take up positions in faiths and sects for they too must be given the opportunities to make good. Many have done well........
For living it right, Man can wait but not Heaven
Three prong emphasis needed.
Three prong emphasis needed.
(1) learn divine insight of life ( tou-li / know-how)
(2) cultivate inner peace (meditation)
(3) save the multitude (compassion)
Religions work in earnest through the heavenly saints. Man can wait but not Heaven. As the saying goes, make hay while the sun shines. Men of all faiths should work the ground and enable inner truth realisation to as many as can be. Today is always better than tomorrow. Do not wait for tomorrow what we can comfortably do today. Time and tide wait for no man. Avoid sloth and torpor. It is perhaps not so wise to think that there will always be another tomorrow. Procrastination is an impediment. Do what we are comfortable with and but do not overdo or over expect for that will be unrealistic and untenable. Little drops of effort do add up over time to become an ocean of effort. Too much at one go may drown us and be counter productive. In short, do not be idle and do not over do. Life would be better that way, be it for worldly or spiritual aspects. Thus the lord saint did say of the values for heavenly bliss if applied to earthly (worldly) matters will reap earthly peace and comfort as well. Truth of life is as simple as that but man when blinded is drowned by his folly and sees not the reality of life.
Wish not the pain of any issue to go away but do be focused, be mindful, calm and peaceful
It is often said that we need to be mindful and be calm. When meditating on the breath, we may be distracted by pain in our legs or back. We should not wish the pain to go away for it may not. On the contrary, we should focus calmly on the problem which is the pain. When we try to ignore the pain and wish it to go away, the pain become more intense. We feel awkward and cannot focus on the breath. Instead, we should shift our focus from breath to the pain. The pain becomes less troublesome and less intense. Soon we will be able to return our focus on breath. That will be more productive and more peaceful way.
The same applies to our day-to-day life. Do not wish that an issue that troubles us go away when we try to cultivate inner peace and calm to have serene life. The more we ignore the pain of the issue, the more the issue haunts us and appears to give us more pain and hurt. Be wise. Shift focus promptly and calmly to the issue. In time, the issue will hurt us less. We can then return to way of inner peace. We should not deny the issue troubling us and at same time, we must not over involve in, overplay issue and be overwhelmed. Just do be mindful and be calm. The pain of the issue will soon fade. Soon it will not hurt us even if solution is hard to come by. Of course, when we are calm and able to see things clearly, we are more likely to overcome issues.
And with blessings of heavenly saints, big issues become small issues and small issues become no issue. When beset with pain and issues, we are best able to harness heaven's blessings when we are calm and more collected. In time and with practice, worldly issues and contingencies will no longer ruffle us as easily as before. We will have more ease, peace and calm in life even with rough seas and storms of life.
"Little drops of water make a mighty ocean"
(2) cultivate inner peace (meditation)
(3) save the multitude (compassion)
Religions work in earnest through the heavenly saints. Man can wait but not Heaven. As the saying goes, make hay while the sun shines. Men of all faiths should work the ground and enable inner truth realisation to as many as can be. Today is always better than tomorrow. Do not wait for tomorrow what we can comfortably do today. Time and tide wait for no man. Avoid sloth and torpor. It is perhaps not so wise to think that there will always be another tomorrow. Procrastination is an impediment. Do what we are comfortable with and but do not overdo or over expect for that will be unrealistic and untenable. Little drops of effort do add up over time to become an ocean of effort. Too much at one go may drown us and be counter productive. In short, do not be idle and do not over do. Life would be better that way, be it for worldly or spiritual aspects. Thus the lord saint did say of the values for heavenly bliss if applied to earthly (worldly) matters will reap earthly peace and comfort as well. Truth of life is as simple as that but man when blinded is drowned by his folly and sees not the reality of life.
Wish not the pain of any issue to go away but do be focused, be mindful, calm and peaceful
It is often said that we need to be mindful and be calm. When meditating on the breath, we may be distracted by pain in our legs or back. We should not wish the pain to go away for it may not. On the contrary, we should focus calmly on the problem which is the pain. When we try to ignore the pain and wish it to go away, the pain become more intense. We feel awkward and cannot focus on the breath. Instead, we should shift our focus from breath to the pain. The pain becomes less troublesome and less intense. Soon we will be able to return our focus on breath. That will be more productive and more peaceful way.
The same applies to our day-to-day life. Do not wish that an issue that troubles us go away when we try to cultivate inner peace and calm to have serene life. The more we ignore the pain of the issue, the more the issue haunts us and appears to give us more pain and hurt. Be wise. Shift focus promptly and calmly to the issue. In time, the issue will hurt us less. We can then return to way of inner peace. We should not deny the issue troubling us and at same time, we must not over involve in, overplay issue and be overwhelmed. Just do be mindful and be calm. The pain of the issue will soon fade. Soon it will not hurt us even if solution is hard to come by. Of course, when we are calm and able to see things clearly, we are more likely to overcome issues.
And with blessings of heavenly saints, big issues become small issues and small issues become no issue. When beset with pain and issues, we are best able to harness heaven's blessings when we are calm and more collected. In time and with practice, worldly issues and contingencies will no longer ruffle us as easily as before. We will have more ease, peace and calm in life even with rough seas and storms of life.
"Little drops of water make a mighty ocean"
We should be mindful to have peace and to want to be at peace. Avoid the two extremes when working for any goal. Do not give up, that is do not deny. Do not struggle and be tormented, that is, do not crave and be over involved and attached. We will need to love our life and this means be at peace by finding balance between the two extremes.
By all means, work for our goal but be at peace even before goal is reached. We need to steer clear of the two extremes and have peaceful and balanced approach when we love ourselves. Loving oneself requires one to be at peace with oneself. We are more likely to reach our objective and harness advantages as well.
Along the way we enjoy the experience in the process. Not only that, we get unexpected blessings along the way. Why? Many a time when we are at peace, opportunities do present themselves along the way. Only when we are tranquil are we more aware of them and best poised to harvest blessings from such opportunities. Inner peace allows us to be in best position to do so with optimal effort - no wasteful effort. Blessings will pile up and we are more likely to reach the blessing of the final goal we set out to achieve. The liitle efforts or steps that we take every day are fulfilling on their own and at same time, they do add up and take us closer to the goal. Little drops of water make an ocean or at least semblance of an ocean.
The same applies with relationships. Relationships often are not made by one big bang of commitment but by small gestures over time. The same approach should be applied to prayers. Pray for small blessings like an uneventful day, good sleep and safe journey. We are more likely to have our prayers answered. Little drops of blessings do add up to become an ocean of blessings and contribute to achieving the goal we set out for, be it worldly or spiritual. The same principles that yield supramundane spiritual gains do yield mundane earthly gains.
"No guilt, fear or distress please" - thus the advice of lord saints and even King Yama.
Harbor not fear, guilt or depression however bad the circumstances may be. What help can we derive from being sad, dejected and at a loss? Even Lord Yama Lord of Hell and his subordinates encourage those who face him or his subordinates on day of reckoning at court of Hell to bring on any good worthwhile memory of what they have done well in past life. This is opposed to being doomed by and torn apart by fear, sorrow and guilt. By acting thus correctly, the newly dead though in Hell may be able to be calm, and have better self-esteem and love for life. They may then be able to harness enough good energy of past good they have done to exit Hell to be reborn in higher and better births.
It is good and wholesome habit to be positive and to think better of oneself though not be arrogant. We should not sink and be drown in guilt or fear even in the worst of circumstances. By being mindful to be happy and to love ourself and to think good of ourself, we will be able to harness whatever blessings we have however finite they may be.
By all means, work for our goal but be at peace even before goal is reached. We need to steer clear of the two extremes and have peaceful and balanced approach when we love ourselves. Loving oneself requires one to be at peace with oneself. We are more likely to reach our objective and harness advantages as well.
Along the way we enjoy the experience in the process. Not only that, we get unexpected blessings along the way. Why? Many a time when we are at peace, opportunities do present themselves along the way. Only when we are tranquil are we more aware of them and best poised to harvest blessings from such opportunities. Inner peace allows us to be in best position to do so with optimal effort - no wasteful effort. Blessings will pile up and we are more likely to reach the blessing of the final goal we set out to achieve. The liitle efforts or steps that we take every day are fulfilling on their own and at same time, they do add up and take us closer to the goal. Little drops of water make an ocean or at least semblance of an ocean.
The same applies with relationships. Relationships often are not made by one big bang of commitment but by small gestures over time. The same approach should be applied to prayers. Pray for small blessings like an uneventful day, good sleep and safe journey. We are more likely to have our prayers answered. Little drops of blessings do add up to become an ocean of blessings and contribute to achieving the goal we set out for, be it worldly or spiritual. The same principles that yield supramundane spiritual gains do yield mundane earthly gains.
"No guilt, fear or distress please" - thus the advice of lord saints and even King Yama.
Harbor not fear, guilt or depression however bad the circumstances may be. What help can we derive from being sad, dejected and at a loss? Even Lord Yama Lord of Hell and his subordinates encourage those who face him or his subordinates on day of reckoning at court of Hell to bring on any good worthwhile memory of what they have done well in past life. This is opposed to being doomed by and torn apart by fear, sorrow and guilt. By acting thus correctly, the newly dead though in Hell may be able to be calm, and have better self-esteem and love for life. They may then be able to harness enough good energy of past good they have done to exit Hell to be reborn in higher and better births.
It is good and wholesome habit to be positive and to think better of oneself though not be arrogant. We should not sink and be drown in guilt or fear even in the worst of circumstances. By being mindful to be happy and to love ourself and to think good of ourself, we will be able to harness whatever blessings we have however finite they may be.
Good begets good and bad begets bad is of-repeated saying by sages of old. So do be good and think of good and be poised to do and harness more good. We will be better positioned to energise our past store of merits and at same time tap into the love and merits of the heavenly saints. This good habit will go a long way to ensure we have good last thought moment at verge of death. A good last thought moment will generate better rebirth in happy realms. Even for day to day life, a good thought moment will give rise to another good thought moment. Thus Lord Bo Tien admonishes us not to harbour fear, guilt or to be hard on ourself for our shortcomings but to move on in life and improve our lot. What good can fear and distress give us? Like a glass of water, we should fill our life and mind with good thoughts and the positive energy of our good. This way the bad will not be able to be part of the glass of life and take fruit in life. Better to be calm and be at peace with oneself despite the swings of yin and yang of life. This way we can harness the goodness of our life and ensure the bad do not take fruit and be part of the glass of life.
Quality time will make the difference for inner peace
Have quality time as well as quiet time for ourselves when we can take stock of our life, how to value / love life and how to be more settled and peaceful. Some refer to this contemplation as prayer time and others call this relaxation and even meditation or mindfulness. This can be any where and any time. There are many ways of doing so. We can even do so while working or walking from one office to another office.
The idea is to cultivate good mental habits and wake up our inert mind faculties which some refer to as third eye or the gift of God. Such good habits if cultivated will carry over as a natural mental attribute beyond our times of divine contemplation, that is, as part of our nature and temperament. We become more mindful, become more aware in every moment of our life. We become more steady, peaceful and wise come what may. Our mind stands 'still' and is calm and serene. Our mind remains more often tip top and yet peaceful and pure when others have frequent storms and earthquakes in their mind. They have muddy mental pollution most of the time. Therefore it is good that we have quality time for ourselves and cultivate our mind.
Mind cultivation is referred in Pali texts by Lord Buddha as bhavana. Lord Bo Tien is depicted with left hand in salutation and both feet astride the yin yang storms of life. This is to depict the need to have bhavana -- in order to be steady, balanced and to have divine peace (both as depicted by left hand in salutation) and to balance and be on top of yin and yang (both feet astride the elements). We can cultivate this to be our second nature in every moment of our life. We should not rush into this but go for small steps and progress. Any craving or thirst for immediate results will unsettle us and upset us.
Truly, we need quality time to bring out in us the divine essence of inner peace and love of life.
Time and tide wait for no man. Be wary of sloth and torpor. Live life and not run from life.
It is not uncommon that we find it difficult to pull ourselves together to do what we need to do. This sluggishness is universal for everyone. We often give the lame excuse that we are tired and need to unwind. But more often the more we unwind, the more tired we seem to be and we may even sleep overtime for hours on weekends and after work. This may not help and we may feel worse off.
It is not uncommon that we find it difficult to pull ourselves together to do what we need to do. This sluggishness is universal for everyone. We often give the lame excuse that we are tired and need to unwind. But more often the more we unwind, the more tired we seem to be and we may even sleep overtime for hours on weekends and after work. This may not help and we may feel worse off.
To make things worse, all that we want to do and need to do pile up and we have less time to do them. This can be unsettling and we may end up stressed and decide to wait and put things off longer with the same excuse of wanting to rest and wait for better times when we can get things done. We never seem to find time and we get frustrated and down. This, brethren, is sloth and torpor.
My experience is that rest we must and sleep we must but often we do not seem to have enough of these. When that happens, do be mindful. Pluck ourselves up and get on to do some useful chores like house work or simple errands. Do not set lofty target or we may feel daunted by the volume of work we need to do. Do what we can and perhaps in installments. While doing them, reflect and be mindful of how we want to be happy for the day, how to be calm and peaceful for the day and what little blessings we can have for the day. The housework or errand gets done. The body is energised and invigorated by activity. Endorphins are produced by our body to pep us up, and to better our mood. We have less time to be idle and to even think of unpleasant issues. Keep sloth and torpor at bay even if not easy to eradicate them. Then, we will be much better off. That is why heavenly saints add that we must strive on with diligence and make things work for us.
But do not over indulge though, for that would be the opposite of sloth and torpor. This short breakfast article is written in the morning when I have to set out to work but too early to do so. I tried to rest by doing nothing but feel worse off . When this article was written and the thought that the values elucidated will help me to be mindful and help others as well, I become invigorated but I cannot over indulge and spend too much time on it. Otherwise, I will be late for work. Indeed, this is example of how we need to avoid the two extremes - sloth and torpor and over indulgence.
But do not over indulge though, for that would be the opposite of sloth and torpor. This short breakfast article is written in the morning when I have to set out to work but too early to do so. I tried to rest by doing nothing but feel worse off . When this article was written and the thought that the values elucidated will help me to be mindful and help others as well, I become invigorated but I cannot over indulge and spend too much time on it. Otherwise, I will be late for work. Indeed, this is example of how we need to avoid the two extremes - sloth and torpor and over indulgence.
In life, there must be the balance and we must be steady and steadfast in doing so. This is depicted by the Lord Saint's image (left hand in salutation to remind us to be steady, steadfast and to stay on course and the two feet astride the elements to remind on need for suitable dynamic appropriate balance). Cheers and be on the way to inner peace. We need to have the correct dynamic balance to harness the blessings of life here in this worldly life and also for our spiritual development and well being as well.
Run your life well and not let life run you down. Never be overwhelmed and go under.
The inner truth of life lies in having peace and joy i.e. how to be peaceful and comfortable with life. We need to steer clear of denial, not wanting to do anything (and often everything). That will be sloth and torpor. We too need to steer clear of wanting to do everything and do each of them excessively as though we have unlimited resources, energy and time to do so. We will only be overwhelmed. The activity, however, interesting, joyful and relaxing in the beginning will end up being tiresome, a switch-off, torturous and strenuous. We will end up not doing anything else and neglecting other activities and needs. The activity will get the better of us and we will be sick of it. Our mental and physical health will be battered. We will not have inner peace and calm. We will literally short circuit ourselves and our life will be tumultuous and stormy, like the tsunami when tide recedes beyond the horizon only to return as giant monster waves to finish us off. This is no joy and peace at all.
Make sure we run our life and our activity. Do not be slave to our activity and indulgence. Let not the activity run our life. The activity must not run our life and ruin our life vis-a -vis our comfort, joy and peace. Take for instance a grand buffet with a spread of 100 dishes. We can only perhaps partake in no more than 10 to 20. Even then we can only have small amount or sample of each dish. Consuming too much of any one dish will upset our stomach. The buffet will ruin our joy and be no longer pleasant. We may even be worst off than if we are starved. Avoid being killed by starvation and avoid killing ourselves with food. We eat at the buffet but must ensure the buffet does not eat us up and finish us off. In life, do decide on being comfortable and at peace with life.
We decide on what we can do and not ape others blindly. We do not want to be better off just to show that we can do more or have more. The activities and items in life are means to an end and not ends in themselves. Life choices are unique for the individual and the station of life he is in. What is good for John is not good for Mary. As for any job, we must choose and run the job. We must not let the job choose and run us. Let us not be overwhelmed and let this be food for thought.
The good Lord Bo Tien's image reminds us of the need for balance and to be steadfast. He has reiterated that the values for spiritual goals are the same and relevant for non-spiritual worldly life. We do not run away from life and we do not let life run us down. We must live life and not let life rob us of living life in peace -- inner divine peace of heaven even while in flesh and blood here and now. Cheers. Live life and not be ruined and be slave to life. Have balance and know your priorities and limitations. Know what you want but know what are your resources and limits.
Make sure we run our life and our activity. Do not be slave to our activity and indulgence. Let not the activity run our life. The activity must not run our life and ruin our life vis-a -vis our comfort, joy and peace. Take for instance a grand buffet with a spread of 100 dishes. We can only perhaps partake in no more than 10 to 20. Even then we can only have small amount or sample of each dish. Consuming too much of any one dish will upset our stomach. The buffet will ruin our joy and be no longer pleasant. We may even be worst off than if we are starved. Avoid being killed by starvation and avoid killing ourselves with food. We eat at the buffet but must ensure the buffet does not eat us up and finish us off. In life, do decide on being comfortable and at peace with life.
We decide on what we can do and not ape others blindly. We do not want to be better off just to show that we can do more or have more. The activities and items in life are means to an end and not ends in themselves. Life choices are unique for the individual and the station of life he is in. What is good for John is not good for Mary. As for any job, we must choose and run the job. We must not let the job choose and run us. Let us not be overwhelmed and let this be food for thought.
The good Lord Bo Tien's image reminds us of the need for balance and to be steadfast. He has reiterated that the values for spiritual goals are the same and relevant for non-spiritual worldly life. We do not run away from life and we do not let life run us down. We must live life and not let life rob us of living life in peace -- inner divine peace of heaven even while in flesh and blood here and now. Cheers. Live life and not be ruined and be slave to life. Have balance and know your priorities and limitations. Know what you want but know what are your resources and limits.
Life's axis of inner peace changes with situations, ages and persons
Whilst going about life, do so with inner peace, that is, enduring peace that comes from within your better self. It must be borne of love for life. It must be in tune with divine peace of the holy spirit of the saints. Lets dwell on the way, that is on the "how to do so".
Do avoid human fallacies or failings. Do not be reckless and care less as though tomorrow will never come. Do not fear life by staying away from life. Do not rush head long into life, multi-tasking as though there is no tomorrow and as though you are ten in one. Moderate and find balance in your life.
Frankly, you live this life of yours but once. The next life never will be the same. Do be good to yourself and loved ones by treasuring this life. Whatever good that you need to do, do enjoy and relish them now in pleasantness and in peace. Go about life placcidly and in harmony. Eschew and value the many wonders you often take for granted due to ths hustle and bustle of yin yang life. This, brethren, is the moderated or balance approach.
But the point for reaping comfort and ease otherwise termed inner peace in life needs to be identified and appreciated. It is depicted by lord saint's image with both feet balancing and moderating elements. There is need for everyone to see, perceive and realise this for himself or herself. It is not something which can be told to an individual. It is not an item that can be served to him or her on a platter. It is unique. It is not static but varies* with time, with person and from person to person. It varies in the same individual with changing circumstances. It varies with age as well. Know thus the balance point so that we move forward without stepping on mine fields of life. We will avoid and avert the undue unwarranted self- accentuated difficulties of life. Tread wisely forward in life along the axis of balance or moderation to have that peace and tranquility. Effort for this is not exacting or demanding but within comfort limits. By treading along the axis of inner peace, we are more likely to be able to have more lasting peace. Otherwise, if we do not do so, we may be made mincemeat and be torn to peices by yin yang twists. We may possibly run the risk of finishing ourselves and resting in peace (pardon the pun and poor taste). Let us wise up please. Go for bliss here now and hereafter. Moderated and balance approach is the way. Be mindful and alert to go for the axis of balance for inner peace.
Here is simple illustration of changing balance point with advancing of age. The balance point for pragmatic, comfortable, peaceful and fruitful life for early education is 10 out of 10 for spelling. For secondary and high school, this would be untenable. The effective score would be 60 to 90 out of 100 for a test paper. In tertiary level, the expectation would be lower at 50 to 80 out of 100. Here is yet another illustration. If you are in prime of life, youthful and striking out in adult life, there is need to have more job but if you are old above 60, the need for this is less. The need also must be moderated for the young who have other concerns like health, or need to spend time for infirmed old parents or spend more time with growing up children For a country with no mass, no natural resources, no hinterland and dwindling birth rate and population, moderated approach for yielding comforts, peace and ease in all areas (be it economic, social, cultural or political) must shift to more productivity in work per individual and complemented by foreign manpower. The axis of balance for peaceful progress of that country is a range and not a fixed point. There is need to adjust and make changes with corrective actions to tweak policies to ensure peaceful and comfortable progress and continued success.
Health is the highest gain and must precede all else. Exercise is all important for that useful peace in life, free from health related hiccups. What is good may not be the same for all persons, for all ages and for all circumstances. Whilst exercise is good for all, it must be calibrated and tailor fitted for the individual - the young, the handicap, those with chronic illnesses, those who are old etc.The young may be able to run marathon, 5 km without problems but the old even walking the mile is good enough to produce the same aerobic cardiovascular benefits (target heart rate at 50%to 70% of maximum heart rate). Doing more such as climbing stairs may mean the body will protest through joint pains, breathing distress etc.
This moderated balanced approach is a principle for spiritual development but it applies too to our other areas of life. There is the divine advice of the heavenly saints that spiritual principles work for our non-spiritual life as well. This did Lord Bo Tien remind us. Therefore, balance your life. Balance too your country's needs. Balance your spiritual pursuits. Do remember too that the axis of balance for inner peace in spiritual life too changes with march of time as we develop spiritually.
Cheers and be blessed. Move on in life spiritually and otherwise along the changing axis of inner peace. We must be aware that the spiritual experiences of one person are not the same as another. For the same person, they may vary with differing situations. For persons or for situations, the axis of inner peace may not be identical though similar in ways. Culture too plays a part in modifying life's axis of inner peace. Thus the axis for inner peace varies with culture and there will always be need for a range of religions, sects and religious traditions. This reflects the width and depth of wisdom as well as the magnanimity of love of God and of the heavens.
Inner Peace and the M.O.R.E.s of life
Do avoid human fallacies or failings. Do not be reckless and care less as though tomorrow will never come. Do not fear life by staying away from life. Do not rush head long into life, multi-tasking as though there is no tomorrow and as though you are ten in one. Moderate and find balance in your life.
Frankly, you live this life of yours but once. The next life never will be the same. Do be good to yourself and loved ones by treasuring this life. Whatever good that you need to do, do enjoy and relish them now in pleasantness and in peace. Go about life placcidly and in harmony. Eschew and value the many wonders you often take for granted due to ths hustle and bustle of yin yang life. This, brethren, is the moderated or balance approach.
But the point for reaping comfort and ease otherwise termed inner peace in life needs to be identified and appreciated. It is depicted by lord saint's image with both feet balancing and moderating elements. There is need for everyone to see, perceive and realise this for himself or herself. It is not something which can be told to an individual. It is not an item that can be served to him or her on a platter. It is unique. It is not static but varies* with time, with person and from person to person. It varies in the same individual with changing circumstances. It varies with age as well. Know thus the balance point so that we move forward without stepping on mine fields of life. We will avoid and avert the undue unwarranted self- accentuated difficulties of life. Tread wisely forward in life along the axis of balance or moderation to have that peace and tranquility. Effort for this is not exacting or demanding but within comfort limits. By treading along the axis of inner peace, we are more likely to be able to have more lasting peace. Otherwise, if we do not do so, we may be made mincemeat and be torn to peices by yin yang twists. We may possibly run the risk of finishing ourselves and resting in peace (pardon the pun and poor taste). Let us wise up please. Go for bliss here now and hereafter. Moderated and balance approach is the way. Be mindful and alert to go for the axis of balance for inner peace.
Here is simple illustration of changing balance point with advancing of age. The balance point for pragmatic, comfortable, peaceful and fruitful life for early education is 10 out of 10 for spelling. For secondary and high school, this would be untenable. The effective score would be 60 to 90 out of 100 for a test paper. In tertiary level, the expectation would be lower at 50 to 80 out of 100. Here is yet another illustration. If you are in prime of life, youthful and striking out in adult life, there is need to have more job but if you are old above 60, the need for this is less. The need also must be moderated for the young who have other concerns like health, or need to spend time for infirmed old parents or spend more time with growing up children For a country with no mass, no natural resources, no hinterland and dwindling birth rate and population, moderated approach for yielding comforts, peace and ease in all areas (be it economic, social, cultural or political) must shift to more productivity in work per individual and complemented by foreign manpower. The axis of balance for peaceful progress of that country is a range and not a fixed point. There is need to adjust and make changes with corrective actions to tweak policies to ensure peaceful and comfortable progress and continued success.
Health is the highest gain and must precede all else. Exercise is all important for that useful peace in life, free from health related hiccups. What is good may not be the same for all persons, for all ages and for all circumstances. Whilst exercise is good for all, it must be calibrated and tailor fitted for the individual - the young, the handicap, those with chronic illnesses, those who are old etc.The young may be able to run marathon, 5 km without problems but the old even walking the mile is good enough to produce the same aerobic cardiovascular benefits (target heart rate at 50%to 70% of maximum heart rate). Doing more such as climbing stairs may mean the body will protest through joint pains, breathing distress etc.
This moderated balanced approach is a principle for spiritual development but it applies too to our other areas of life. There is the divine advice of the heavenly saints that spiritual principles work for our non-spiritual life as well. This did Lord Bo Tien remind us. Therefore, balance your life. Balance too your country's needs. Balance your spiritual pursuits. Do remember too that the axis of balance for inner peace in spiritual life too changes with march of time as we develop spiritually.
Cheers and be blessed. Move on in life spiritually and otherwise along the changing axis of inner peace. We must be aware that the spiritual experiences of one person are not the same as another. For the same person, they may vary with differing situations. For persons or for situations, the axis of inner peace may not be identical though similar in ways. Culture too plays a part in modifying life's axis of inner peace. Thus the axis for inner peace varies with culture and there will always be need for a range of religions, sects and religious traditions. This reflects the width and depth of wisdom as well as the magnanimity of love of God and of the heavens.
Inner Peace and the M.O.R.E.s of life
We have mentioned repetitively on the need for inner peace through having good grasp of inner truth. Inner truth is the common tread behind all religions and sects. True realisation brings about inner peace. Inner truth profound as it appears to be is simple and yet diifficult to perceive. Likewise, inner peace appears profound. It is also simple in principle but yet difficult to realise. No doubt we will face difficulty to put concept into words and to quantify or qualify what is inner peace. Two persons may speak of inner peace but they may perceive it and experience it somewhat differently. No two persons are alike not even twins. Nevertheless, let us try to qualify what it is. Sometimes, easier to say what it is not.
Let us refer to the M.O.R.E.s of life namely Mindfulness, Obsession (clinging), Rapture and Emptiness. Let us dwell on why there is no inner peace with obsession, emptiness (self-denial), and rapture(ecstasy). We will understand when and how mindfulness with wisdom (understanding and practice) will lead to inner peace.
Mindfulness is not obsession. To be obsessed is to cling and to be tormented by the thought in a repetitive way. There is that unmistakable restlessness and mental storm. There is no inner peace and calm. Person is swept in circles by his waves of obsession. To be mindful is to be aware of a thought, emotion, action or speech either of ourselves or of others. When mindfulness is well cultivated as abiding characteristics of person, inner peace will come about. When being mindful, person is not distancing or ignoring the thought, feeling, action or speech. He is also not clinging to them and not suffering as a consequence. He is not swept off his feet as a result. He is serenely aware and at peace.
With inner peace, awareness has that quality of equanimity or divine balance, that quality of life which is inner peace. We sometimes call this mindfulness. But when this mindfulness is cultivated to be associated with serenity and restfulness of spirit and body, the person has inner peace which is heavenly. Inner peace is beyond rapture and not rapture. In rapture or ecstasy, there is strong clinging to that wonderful feeling of being high with joy. There is obvious upheavel of spirit which will inevitably be followed by sense of being down, dejected and empty thereafter (something akin to drug withdrawal). With inner peace comes restfulness and quietness of spirit. No void or emptiness and person is not buried by the avalanche of preoccupations. Awareness is there. Person has first hand experience but not clinging. No avoidance and no craving. Person feels light and not empty. He is at peace in body and in spirit - not empty and not rushed or crushed with heart rate near resting rate even when going about daily life. He is collected, calm, cool and in control of his life. He is clear headed and sees things as they are. He has clarity of vision with insight, foresight and hindsight.
No wonder Snr Bro Philip had this to tell us. "Only the wise seek the wisdom of ancient wisdom. Yet the profound truth is so simple but yet difficult to perceive." We may add that "Only the wise seek the inner peace of the ancient sages. Yet the profound inner peace is simple but yet difficult to realise."
Perception of inner truth and realising inner peace are two separate milestones. Be aware of the MOREs of life. Then it would be easier for us to be on our way to having more of inner peace than the constant battle of huff and puff that we have to live with in world of yin and yang. Let us not stray wee bit too much into the brouhaha of life and handle truth as though it is an intellectual subject to be debated on. We should not just admire the raft and sing songs in its praise. Worse still, we should not compare whose raft is more superior or more majestic. We should use our rafts to cross the sea of life to reach the shore of inner peace.
We should do so here, now and in this very life and not day dream about having it in next life. Dreams and promises however good and grand will remain as dreams and promises. We must go for the realisation and reality in this very life. Better to do so today if we can than wait for tomorrow for there will always be another tomorrow. Today well loved and lived is better than tomorrow well dreamt. Taking care of today must however be done with view to taking care of tomorrow. Learn now from our life and not wait till next life. All these did the sages of religions and sects say. Lord Bo Tien as a heavenly messenger is here to remind us of the common beautitudes and values of religions so that one and all will see the inner truth and harvest the inner peace irrespective of our creed, and religious inclinations. He is definitely not the only messenger.
Brethren, it is important to grow the attribute of wanting to be at peace with life and let this inner peace be an ingrained characteristic of our personality or spirit. We will want to be at peace when we realise the true nature of life (the inner truth), that life is always a roller coaster of ups and downs at every turn or corner of life. We will realise that we have to live with the ups and downs, the coming and going, the too and fro, the passing and rising, the wax and wane and the high tides and low tides. There is no way we can run or hide from them. We do need to manage in a way that we will remain peaceful and not be pushed or pulled and not to be tossed all over the place . Habit of being peaceful comes in handy for us to ride the storms and value the calm seas of life. We will not be overtly reliant, dependent and expectant with our friends, blood and kin. We can cultivate our mind to be peaceful by training it to be calm in daily sessions such as meditation and prayer. This makes us even when not in training sessions to be automatically aware (what others refer to as subconsciously aware) of events and nature around us. We learn how to be calm and at peace with all situations even during sleep.. Some have shared that they become aware and somewhat alert with what goes around them even during sleep. Yet the sleep is restful and initially they might think they are not sleeping! This phase of experience in cultivation of inner peace may not be experienced by all who cultivate inner peace and you should not be upset if you do not undergo this phase.
Cheers and be on way to inner peace. Truly, many seek the wisdom of ancient wisdom. Yet the profound truth is simple and yet difficult to perceive --- when we are sucked and blinded by the yin and yang of life. See the true nature of life, be aware that we can neither run or hide from it nor do we need to be carried away by it. Learn to love yourself and be steady and be at peace with yourself and the world you are in. Manage your world and not let world manage you. Just be at peace --- inner peace that is... You do not even need to belong to any religion or sect to do this. You can have this even with any religion or sect. Cheers once again and be at peace. This surely is the magnanimity of God (the Jade Emperor to the Chinese) and the heavenly saints.
Let us refer to the M.O.R.E.s of life namely Mindfulness, Obsession (clinging), Rapture and Emptiness. Let us dwell on why there is no inner peace with obsession, emptiness (self-denial), and rapture(ecstasy). We will understand when and how mindfulness with wisdom (understanding and practice) will lead to inner peace.
Mindfulness is not obsession. To be obsessed is to cling and to be tormented by the thought in a repetitive way. There is that unmistakable restlessness and mental storm. There is no inner peace and calm. Person is swept in circles by his waves of obsession. To be mindful is to be aware of a thought, emotion, action or speech either of ourselves or of others. When mindfulness is well cultivated as abiding characteristics of person, inner peace will come about. When being mindful, person is not distancing or ignoring the thought, feeling, action or speech. He is also not clinging to them and not suffering as a consequence. He is not swept off his feet as a result. He is serenely aware and at peace.
With inner peace, awareness has that quality of equanimity or divine balance, that quality of life which is inner peace. We sometimes call this mindfulness. But when this mindfulness is cultivated to be associated with serenity and restfulness of spirit and body, the person has inner peace which is heavenly. Inner peace is beyond rapture and not rapture. In rapture or ecstasy, there is strong clinging to that wonderful feeling of being high with joy. There is obvious upheavel of spirit which will inevitably be followed by sense of being down, dejected and empty thereafter (something akin to drug withdrawal). With inner peace comes restfulness and quietness of spirit. No void or emptiness and person is not buried by the avalanche of preoccupations. Awareness is there. Person has first hand experience but not clinging. No avoidance and no craving. Person feels light and not empty. He is at peace in body and in spirit - not empty and not rushed or crushed with heart rate near resting rate even when going about daily life. He is collected, calm, cool and in control of his life. He is clear headed and sees things as they are. He has clarity of vision with insight, foresight and hindsight.
No wonder Snr Bro Philip had this to tell us. "Only the wise seek the wisdom of ancient wisdom. Yet the profound truth is so simple but yet difficult to perceive." We may add that "Only the wise seek the inner peace of the ancient sages. Yet the profound inner peace is simple but yet difficult to realise."
Perception of inner truth and realising inner peace are two separate milestones. Be aware of the MOREs of life. Then it would be easier for us to be on our way to having more of inner peace than the constant battle of huff and puff that we have to live with in world of yin and yang. Let us not stray wee bit too much into the brouhaha of life and handle truth as though it is an intellectual subject to be debated on. We should not just admire the raft and sing songs in its praise. Worse still, we should not compare whose raft is more superior or more majestic. We should use our rafts to cross the sea of life to reach the shore of inner peace.
We should do so here, now and in this very life and not day dream about having it in next life. Dreams and promises however good and grand will remain as dreams and promises. We must go for the realisation and reality in this very life. Better to do so today if we can than wait for tomorrow for there will always be another tomorrow. Today well loved and lived is better than tomorrow well dreamt. Taking care of today must however be done with view to taking care of tomorrow. Learn now from our life and not wait till next life. All these did the sages of religions and sects say. Lord Bo Tien as a heavenly messenger is here to remind us of the common beautitudes and values of religions so that one and all will see the inner truth and harvest the inner peace irrespective of our creed, and religious inclinations. He is definitely not the only messenger.
Brethren, it is important to grow the attribute of wanting to be at peace with life and let this inner peace be an ingrained characteristic of our personality or spirit. We will want to be at peace when we realise the true nature of life (the inner truth), that life is always a roller coaster of ups and downs at every turn or corner of life. We will realise that we have to live with the ups and downs, the coming and going, the too and fro, the passing and rising, the wax and wane and the high tides and low tides. There is no way we can run or hide from them. We do need to manage in a way that we will remain peaceful and not be pushed or pulled and not to be tossed all over the place . Habit of being peaceful comes in handy for us to ride the storms and value the calm seas of life. We will not be overtly reliant, dependent and expectant with our friends, blood and kin. We can cultivate our mind to be peaceful by training it to be calm in daily sessions such as meditation and prayer. This makes us even when not in training sessions to be automatically aware (what others refer to as subconsciously aware) of events and nature around us. We learn how to be calm and at peace with all situations even during sleep.. Some have shared that they become aware and somewhat alert with what goes around them even during sleep. Yet the sleep is restful and initially they might think they are not sleeping! This phase of experience in cultivation of inner peace may not be experienced by all who cultivate inner peace and you should not be upset if you do not undergo this phase.
Cheers and be on way to inner peace. Truly, many seek the wisdom of ancient wisdom. Yet the profound truth is simple and yet difficult to perceive --- when we are sucked and blinded by the yin and yang of life. See the true nature of life, be aware that we can neither run or hide from it nor do we need to be carried away by it. Learn to love yourself and be steady and be at peace with yourself and the world you are in. Manage your world and not let world manage you. Just be at peace --- inner peace that is... You do not even need to belong to any religion or sect to do this. You can have this even with any religion or sect. Cheers once again and be at peace. This surely is the magnanimity of God (the Jade Emperor to the Chinese) and the heavenly saints.
Some things in life we simply need to learn and overcome or come to terms with
Ever wondered why in your life some things just come easily while for some others you have to work your heart out before you can get them. Some things come to you easily with prayers but not others. Some things we somehow cannot have. Why? How effective are prayers? Do heavenly saints exist and are they effective? Can they help us? Why don't they free every one from hell be it hell on earth in this very life of ours or the many levels of Hell? The answer below is perhaps no answer but gives some insight, otherwise the writer will be fully enlightened. All of us are learning and have to learn from life - the gospel of life!
We had some guidance from lord saint* that there are three ways we can get blessings. We worked for them and be blessing to ourselves. We get help from fellow brethren and they are blessings to us. We pray to Heaven for saints to bless us.
All saints like Lord Bo Tien remind us that there is the element of fate and by stroke of fate some things just come easily to us but not others. Every person is different in life from another because of fate.
But what is fate? Fate is self created by our past actions and deeds, be it past lives or the past of present life. If this be so, then we can actively change fate by creating actions which will change or at least modify fate. God helps those who help themselves but what if we cannot help ourselves at all. That we cannot love ourselves at all cannot be the case. No matter how down and out we are, we must love ourselves and take note of the pluses and minuses in our life and move on. Don't give up or be frustrated. Frustrations will only forment more frustrations. That is why those who are down and out appear perhaps by force of habit to continue to be in bad luck and be down and out. They resign themselves to fate - a four letter word.
What is critically lacking for those who lament that they have bad fate is self love. They do not love themselves to appreciate their life situation, both the good and not so good. Only when we love ourselves can we tap into the love of Heaven but even then, there will always be the element of fate.
Of course, we can exert control over life and how we steer our life. Then again why not heaven do things for us and steer our life. The latter cannot be as we are not puppets and we can think, do and feel. As we think so we will be. We are what we made ourselves to be. God and saints can provide blessings but we need to do the walking of life ourselves.
At each stage of life, there are things we need to do and overcome. What God and saints can do for us is to clear the way and make other issues not be added problems so that we can focus on the issue or issues at hand. Somehow, God and his heavenly saints will help us but we must live the various stages of life ourselves. The term crossing divine gate or door is used. We cross from one gate to enter another phase of life with another gate to tackle. There are divine lessons we have to learn with each stage.
Some things in life we need to learn and learn them well and not that Heaven is indifferent or harsh to us. We are fated to learn so to speak but we are not fated to fail to learn unless we give up and choose to be helpless. Fate means we have to learn to come to terms or cross obstacles in life. These are worldly obstacles but if fate be the case for us to have obstacles, then they are spiritual obstacles. Saints are god sent as they can alter life such that we need to tackle less obstacles and only the important ones at any one time. They clear the way so that we need only to handle the one or two lessons in life for each stage. But remember that Heavenly saints help those who help themselves. Heaven helps everyone but not everyone can receive help if they do not love and help themselves.
Go for peace in your life and here is the 'how' and 'why'
Go for peace in whatever we do. Have calm and peaceful ways of going about life. Do not rush or be rushed. Avoid being in situations where you cannot be at peace. Avoid being with others who make it diificult for you to be at peace.
Here is perhaps how to start day mindfully to keep yourself in peace. Wake up in morning and go to work or school in peace. Wake up willingly, not sluggishly as though waking up is an uphill task. First thing you want not to do on waking up is to enter into debate with yourself. Do not bargain and struggle with yourself on whether to wake up straight away or sleep longer. Wake up even if you feel tardy which is to be expected as your body engines have been switched off for the night. Freshen yourself with a quick simple and easy bath. Also, make it habit to answer call of nature after a glass of beverage (for gastrocolic reflex). This helps to make you feel more peaceful in body after discharging your body waste. Have a warm beverage and light breakfast. Do not burden your stomach after a night of fast (refer to term breakfast for break fast) or it will not give you any peace . Thereafter, do some simple chores for short half hour to activate your body systems. This helps to keep away the tarriness and tardiness of body. Also this prevents mind idling and straying to unpleasant thoughts. By then, you would have activated both body and mind and be able to feel fresh and more peaceful. You are then ready to go to work or school.
Do not live life as though you are in battle, in a race or in a struggle all the time even if life is a struggle of sorts. Do not think that we must come out winner and not be made a door mat in every situation or every interaction. These will put us in endless mental and bodily unrest as well as conflicts with others. Life is like sports. We enjoy the leisure of sports and exercise. Winning or losing should not be concerns. Of course, it is nice to win sometimes but do not make life a struggle by wanting to win all the time. Do not unconsciously make adversaries out of others you meet everyday. What a lousy life we will have then! What we need is to be peaceful and not to be restless and upset whether we are doing something (engaged) or doing nothing (resting).
Sleeping away to avoid unpleasantness in life is no solution. This is not coping and will only result in more time for mind to idle and lament on frustrations. This is not peaceful. Eating our guts out when we feel troubled is certainly not peaceful and will cause more body and mental upsets. Our mind and body will be at war and not at peace. Be at peace when we eat. Eat slowly and nimbly. Do not upset the peace you have by eating or worse still drinking, smoking or have bouts of race driving. You will only end up creating more problems than solving problems. Do not make a battle field out of life. Go about life and enjoy the peace. True worthwhile progress comes with peace. Do not barter away or trade away your peace.
At night have a good bath and a decent but not heavy meal. Have some meaningful and restful activities before sleep. Do not tune and gear yourself up and worked yourself into fever pitch. Unwind and let go. Go to bed comfortably but do not will to want to sleep and turn sleep into a struggle. Relax in bed and in easy loose clothes. Relax mind and body. If unpleasant thoughts intrude, do not wish them to go away but be calmly aware of them. They will somehow be no longer unpleasant. Do not struggle to keep them away. It will only make matters worse. Listen to soothing music to keep mind from straying to unpleasantness. Sometimes, simple prayer will help. Often repetitive simple prayer or incantations or even counting sheep if you don't mind counting sheep can help us to have more peace in our mind at end of day. We will then be at ease and peace. We will sleep easily and have pleasant sleep with no nightmares. We will have more pleasant and peaceful disposition for the next day because of conditioning and good habit.
This brethren is cultivation of inner peace what some termed as love for oneself and for life. This is the practice of inner truth of life and of how to have enduring inner peace. This again illustrates how simple truth is. We will know why it appears profound and why it is difficult to perceive. Do not make life a battle field when we are either very busy or idling our life in frustrations (doing battle with our ownself).
Only the wise seek the fulfillment of ancient wisdom. Yet the profound truth is so simple but difficult to perceive. This did senior brother Philip remind us.
Go for the peace in your life. At times, however, we need to say our piece during conflicts but please hold on to the peace. Otherwise, we will be like animals in the wild, always not able to live in peace, either kill or be killed, either being eaten or eating others up. Let us live in peace and be heavenly like the serene and peaceful saints in the heavens, not like the wild animals and those in hell. Man has choices either to be peaceful or to be at odds with life. Bring out the man or god / saint in us, not the animal nature or hell ways that we may still have from our past lives. Choose to be at peace and be wise. This way we walk the way of gods and saints. We will stand tall before God / Heaven. We will win the hearts of gods and men.
Create your own 'world' and let this world work wonders for you
Go for your own life, and not try to live the life of others.Create your own world and make the world you create work for you. This has to be a world of love, peace and joy where you are at peace and ease with mundance and supramundane. Let this be the world where those whom you cherish can be with you and for you. In this world of your life, others will be at peace and not at odds with you. They will be at peace with you even with their differing interest and views. Cherish and savor the times you can be together. Create this social, emotional and psychic world or space for yourself and all those who matter in your life.
By virtue of their vast merits and boundless love for sentient beings, saints and posats like Goddess Kuanyin do create world or paradise where those who cherish their guidance can be with them for spiritual development.
We may not be saints but we can create our own niche or semblance of paradise or heaven on earth. Give some thought to this. Do make it come true to life in your life.
Cheers but first you must love yourself and the life you have. You must accept yourself for all that you are and can be. You must be at peace with yourself and with life of yin and yang. Do rise above the trials and tribulations. Do be contented in the wise way. You should neither hanker for the roof nor go for ground zero. Good to acquire more skills and know-how where feasible. Create new needs and try to meet needs. But do moderate in way that you are able to make progress without creating pain and hell for yourself by going for the sky. Liberate yourself. Be free from extremes of denial and mortification on one hand and bottomless appetite for yet more and more on the other. Give some thought to this correct way to live. Do make up your mind to have your own world and heaven on earth despite the yin and yang of life. You need, however, to cultivate mindfulness and equanimity. Learn to be peaceful, steadfast and balanced as depicted by lord saint's image.
Create your own 'world' and let the world work for you. This applies too to any state or country in the world. Any city or island state, however, small in size (e.g. little red dot on map) can be big by creating its own world and make this world work wonders. Religions and sects too can spin wondrous and blessed world for adherents by doing likewise. There is plenty of room and leeway for religions to spin their stuff. They can synergistically complement and augment one anothers' good works. All adherents of the various sects, religions and free thinkers are brothers under the same open sky of divinity.
Likewise, there is plenty of room for all of us to spin our own world and yet complement one anothers world. This is fine example of a beatitude (spiritual value / beautiful attitude) being equally effective for both spiritual and non-spiritual matters. This has been reiterated to us by all heavenly saints and Lord Bo Tien is one for sure.
Let us be like the 'gods' in heavens. Let us create our own beautiful world with divine inner peace. Let us have a contented, balanced, peaceful and rewarding life by having mastery over yin and yang -- the storms and calm seas of life. We must have peace and progress in life, spiritually and otherwise. Do so by avoiding denial and craving, that is, by having good balance over elements of life. This is as depicted by image of Lord Bo Tien with feet balancing the elements.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. Buddha
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. Buddha
