Time flies and the world belongs to the young. The young are pragmatic and more worldly attuned even when in the houses of God. They go for what they want and not what others tell them, never mind who these others are - even if they are God and saints.
They go for gratification rather than submit and be detached. But on the other hand, the older ones often surrender to life and submit. That they mistaken as good spirituality.
Good spirituality is not denial of life but embracing life in correct way - through neither giving up nor indulgence. The guff between the two extremes of gratification and denial is great and has contributed to the divides in society even in the houses of God.
Of course, the lot goes to those who want gratification of wants and of flesh even in the houses of God and saints. After all, the houses of God depend on them. What more could we expect in this world of 2014 and beyond when men want results here and now? What can they get and what are offered? They are pragmatic and self-centered.
But alas the seemingly wise few are not so wise as they end up giving up life in the name of spirituality. They are the modern day version of ascetics who punish themselves through denial thinking that this is how to be spiritually close to God and saints.
So some sort of middle ground is needed and may even be ideal. This however differs from person to person and from situation to situation in the same person. What is right and ample can be not so and what is otherwise deemed wrong can be right and ample. It is the context that counts.
This, alas, is one aspect of the inner truth that Lord Bo Tien is driving at and which if understood augurs well for both the individual himself and for the society he is in and for which he is serving.
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| Lord Bo Tien |
When notables from Heaven assure that Heaven will provide and men will not be in want, men who seek gratification will jump for joy and expect the sky and easy way out. They want offerings on the table. They want to be idolised and pampered. They have taken the message out of context and infer the very opposite of what the sages are driving at.
But strangely what is right is not popular and as the Buddha put it is against the current. What is not so right or even wrong may well be popular as the majority of the masses think that way and the teachings of the sages will be taken out of context and will be misconstrued and applied.
This sad state of affairs may often unavoidable and can bring woes. It is fertile ground for sprouting of even more of misconceptions and more of the wrong but otherwise popular religious practices. In time, there will be need for correction through waves of the next coming of sages to put things right.
When it is said that God and saints provide and we will not be in want, the context is important. It is not worldly things that they refer to but more of the way to better ourselves to be beyond the crutches of worldliness but yet still every bit men of the world.
God and saints provide through the Word or Doctrine. And the Word is God. Even Lord Bo Tien says that he who knows and sees the Word sees and knows Him. He who sees not and knows not the Word sees not and knows not Him even if He is before him.
