LIVING LIFE SERIES 1

A BO TIEN (武天) MISSION INITIATIVE LAUNCHED ON 28TH SEPT 2010 BY INNER TRUTH NETIZEN 2. THE MISSION IS TO SHOW THE WAY TO HOPE, INNER PEACE AND ULTIMATELY SALVATION FOR ALL BEINGS. THE PURPOSE IS TO SAVE SOULS. IT IS WAY BEYOND NORMAL GOOD WORK LIKE CHARITY AND WELFARE ACTIVITIES. NO ONE SHALL BE SAVED BY GOOD WORKS ALONE BUT BY MORE THAN GOOD WORK. THERE IS NEED TO BE IMBUED WITH THE BASIC DOCTRINE COMMON TO AND BEHIND ALL RELIGIONS AND SECTS. LIVE IN DOCTRINE. DOCTRINE IN LIFE IS PARAMOUNT.

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The Living Life Series is dedicated to Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨). The doctrine is in His image. The image is the doctrine. He who sees, understands and effects the doctrine sees and knows Him. He who does not see, know and effect the doctrine sees not and knows not the saint even if the saint or His image is beside him. The far may be near and the near may be far. Let the doctrine and the saint be part of our life. The lord saint in your life can be any heavenly saint of any religion, sect or school. The doctrine of truth is behind all and this is the Inner Truth that leads all (regardless of their religious affiliation or even if none) to inner peace and heaven on earth here and now and not just in the after life. The ideal worship and devotion is to know and effect the doctrine of God and the saints. The best gospel is the gospel of life. We learn from our life and the lives of others. The true temple is the world we live in. The sky is the roof of the temple and religions and sects are the pillars of the temple. All under Heaven are in the temple. Needless to say that all the saints we know are in this temple. Ji Gong Posat too is no exception. The whole wide world and web is the temple and must be regarded as a sacred place --- a temple for living and learning. It is more important that everyone that counts plays a role in this universal temple if due focus is to be given to the Mission of Heaven. Men must not be distracted by the agenda of men and end up serving the mission of man. That would be a far cry from the Mission of Heaven. We worship God and saints, not man however good that man may be. There should be no hero worshiping or idolizing of man whether he is a charismatic pastor, priest, monk, medium or lay leader. We don't even idol worship the image of any saint but reflect on what the image stands for. - the doctrine in the image. Omitofo 阿弥陀佛!.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Make the effort to have inner peace

No 605 of Living Life Series 1

In this world and era we are in, peace don't come naturally and is an effort. We need to consciously and conscientiously seek out the peace at the source which is the mind.

It is pointless to go church or temple when every time some thing around us irks us, we have unpleasant thoughts and curse and swear in our mind though not speaking and acting out.

This internal unpleasantness comes so often and robs us of any peace we could have. The point is that this will become a habit and won't we end up hypocrites of sorts?

On the one hand, we do most of the time act in civility but internally we are the opposite harboring within the mind thoughts of ill-will, anger and often cursing and swearing. This habit comes so naturally that many who practice Tao often think that having allotted time for prayers and meditation is the way.

They may only do this at most two to three hours a day and boast of attainments of spirituality. But for the 20 odd hours of the rest of the day, they may ironically be having ruthless and very unbecoming and unsavory thoughts.

Some of such men may even while sitting cross legged claim to have experience of talking with God and saints or travelling to the other worlds but notably to the lower heavens and the nether world due to their lack of peace while out of meditation. True Tao has little to do with travel or meeting up with notables.

True Tao is when one cultivates his mind every moment and not just when in church or meditating in a shrine. When one is mindful, it must be for every moment and not just during quiet times or dedicated times in a church or temple. Otherwise one is wasting time and on the wrong path.

Peace is an effort and every moment must be dedicated to peace but let not there be guilt or chiding of self when unpleasant thoughts arise in any moment of wakefulness. That would be unkind to self and far from being peaceful to self.

Peace is an effort and we must make a habit of cultivating as much peace as we can, never mind if we still have thoughts which we should not have.

Peace is an effort and even an extra moment of peace is momentous indeed. Let there be more moments of peace and never mind if enlightenment or buddhahood is still a dream so long as it is in the horizon of time.

We may not be buddhas or anywhere near sainthood but if peace we can have this moment, that matters more than all the talk of men who yak and yelp but do little to have peace. The pharisees in biblical times are examples of men who yak and yelp.

Keep the peace and have the peace however transient and fleeting it may be. Then we are in the way and Tao is with us. We will then have love for life, our own and the lives of others around.

Love that comes with peace of mind is unlike and far different from love that is rooted in selfishness and greed that sometimes is the problem with men of religion. That is why there is discrimination, terrorism and wars in name of religion or with religion as the front. That would be blasphemy of sorts.

When not sure and when aware that we have long way to go to have more peace and to keep the peace, silence is golden and forgiveness is divine. Forgive those who irks us by their words and deeds. Not only must we not retaliate by acting and speaking out, we must not have unpleasant thoughts of them. This won't be easy and for sure the process may be not peaceful for now.

But peace is an effort isn't it? As said before, keep the peace and have the peace however transient and fleeting it may be. Then we are in Tao.

Surely this must be practiced in any moment of life and not when one is in church or temple or sitting under a bodhi tree or in a shrine. Surely, this is better than being in a temple or religion but not having peace of spirit even for the moment.

We should not make a farce out of spirituality. We should not use religion as a front for projection of righteousness and correctness when we are not so right and correct.

A moment of peace even if outside religion, church or temple may make more sense and impact than a lifetime of striving, more so striving in the least expected place which is religion or in any of its institutions.

Strive in life even if in religion will invariably deny us of peace but sloth and doing nothing rob us of life and then we too cannot have peace. Make the effort to have peace.

Good Tao will always come from having peace of the moment and having allotted time for prayer and meditation is not good enough. Make the effort to have peace in every wakeful moment.

Peace of the dove is good representation of peace.
Like the dove, peace is not confined to a church or temple

Lao Tse riding into the big wide world to have peace
It is being with the world that one gets true peace
Not staying put in the city or in the temple or church

Lord Bo Tien too will go beyond the temple
to the big wide world and beyond
to bring message of way of peace to the world.
This is the Mission of Heaven
of which the good lord is but a messenger.
Staying put in the temple will not do.

Lord Bo Tien

Lest you forget

Do not make the mistake of idolizing any man who tells you about the Word. He is in the same boat as you even if religion refers to him as a religious leader. Mere mention of a religious leader is as good as encouraging idolising of that man. Why must there be hierarchy in religion? Hierarchy is conventional but may end up as liability rather than a necessity or asset. There should be no caste or hierarchy system in religion. No one is to be considered above another in religion. A religious leader or follower is a servant to serve you and not a leader to be idolised. Do not put him on the pedestal and make a monster out of him.

MAY ALL BE WELL AND HAPPY

May all be well and happy. May they have peace. May our departed friends and kins be well, happy and have divine peace. The main writer wishes the best for all for those near and far. Our kins may be far when they had passed on to better lives but they are near though far. He remembers and wishes his parents Mr Siow Soo Koh and Mdm Tay Hung Siang, his uncles and aunties like Mr Tay Koon Huay, his cousins like Mr Tay Chong Sim and his friends like Mr Philip Png well and have abundance of life. May they be rich in spirit for without such ancestors, there will be no posterity - no us and no you and me. They have blessed us and we must blessed them in return forever and ever.