There are many levels of spirituality ranging from the lowest level of mere belief and be saved to the highest level where men be saints. At the lower levels beyond mere belief, men can even perform miracles through acts of faith.
Miracles may be awesome but really, they come about because of the ability of men to more fully focus and harness the energised mind. Examples are levitation, reading the mind and even faith healing.
But alas, such men are still relatively low down in spirituality for they have more faith than spiritual cultivation of pureness of mind when there is little or no clinging to ego and to life.
Many self and publicly acclaimed spiritual masters have developed more of the focused mind than purity. Faith in God (玉皇上帝) or heavenly saints is necessary for this but unfortunately, faith and devotion fuel the ego or self even more.
Then when they are able to effect miracles, they think they have arrived but they are even more so full of ego to the brim. They have little insight beyond faith in their own religious beliefs and they think that men shall live by faith alone as men would be saved by divine grace of God (玉皇上帝) and heavenly saints. This is both true and yet not true.
True, as men need devotion and faith to be attracted to God and saints and they must have blind faith to begin with and for some time, often for a long time, till they climb the ladder of spirituality and nurture the purity in them - the God light. This can only come about if there is no clinging to self or to the mega-self in the world.
Men project the mega self in God and may even tell the world that their God is the only God and the God of other religions and sects is not God. This comes naturally to them and is second nature because they are still very much self or ego driven. They have a long way to go before they are purity driven.
The highest purity comes when there is no going for self nor denying and rejecting self. It has to do with the mind and not the body - not what one eats or does. It comes when the person is one with the universe but still an entity except that there is no divide between the person and others.
He is himself but is in tune with the world outside himself. He does not impose the world of his mind on others. He does not lose his identity but he also will not impose his identity and thinking on others.
He does not impose his views on others but has insight why others are not ready for deeper insight and views of life, be it spiritual or mundane. He will not insist that others follow him for if he does so, he may do more harm than good.
That is why Lord Bo Tien says that He is not here to start a new religion or to favor any sect or religion but to show that all ways lead to God and the salvation of the souls. He knows that many are not ready and need simple devotion and religious systems but they must focus on the basics and their spirituality must not be hampered by lack of understanding of the basics such that they would end up with a lower spiritual ceiling and cannot breach it to go to much more higher levels of spirituality.
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| Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 |
But these (the simple belief systems and the notion that men need only to believe and that is all) do have their places in society at large. They are necessary for beginners and infants of sorts. They are necessary and here to stay. They are even popular and no one in right mind will want to wish them away.
You cannot tell an infant to cross the road and how to cross the road but just have to make him believe that you will bring him across the road. But all men have to grow, and grow they must to breach the artificial ceiling of spirituality to go higher and be more worthy, more wholesome, more free from ego drives and one fine day be pure and with God and saints.
That day will come but may be long way off but what matters is to take the first step and the next, and relish in the peace that the process will yield. But one should neither cling to the peace of the moment nor deny the peace. Need more be said. Life is the greatest teacher and the living gospel. Learn from life, and saints we too will be in time to come.
Meanwhile even religions and sects that cater to mass popular appeal will learn to be more embracing of other religions and beliefs. This is so that they will be more relevant and able to survive for the long term.
They will not say that only they are right and others not so. They will go beyond the first level of spirituality and upgrade their emphasis to more profound and yet simple concepts of purity of the souls of men that are more difficult to sell to the crowd who often want the easy way with no need to lift a finger.
But there must be more of the religions and sects that are willing to stay at the lower level as only the lower levels will have mass popular appeal. We need to attract more to God even those who are far from Godly or no where near Godly.
The parable of insects coming to a flower is a good reminder by Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨. It is necessary that insects be attracted to the flower but blame not the flower for insects coming to it. This the good lord did say.
It is necessary to further quote from what the good lord 武天菩萨 says that the far must be allowed to be near by being in the house of God but then this may mean the near who are in higher levels of spirituality may have to be far from the house of God; otherwise they may find themselves out of place and sore thumbs of sorts...
We need popular forms of religion and without them, the world will face religious drought and spirituality will be only the reserve and enclave of the elite few who may still be far from purity and very much overcome and overtaken by ego - very much like the Pharisees in days of old. They may well be no better than the many humble and meek in popular religion who know little or less but may be more rich in spirituality.
Had it not been for the popular forms of religion that arose from the Middle East, the world will be poorer off spiritually and this is true. But the will of God or call this the will of Heaven prevails and humanity is that much more blessed with popular religions.
But the catch is that there is more than meet the eyes. There are many levels of spirituality beyond basic and simple popular forms of religion. Men must be able to eventually breach the self created low ceiling of spirituality in popular religion. But this is a personal choice and not something that can be evangelized.
It requires self cultivation. In China, it is called Tao (道) but Tao or Way to Inner Peace is not just confined to Taoists and Chinese. It is in all mankind regardless of religion, race or creed.
Meanwhile even religions and sects that cater to mass popular appeal will learn to be more embracing of other religions and beliefs. This is so that they will be more relevant and able to survive for the long term.
They will not say that only they are right and others not so. They will go beyond the first level of spirituality and upgrade their emphasis to more profound and yet simple concepts of purity of the souls of men that are more difficult to sell to the crowd who often want the easy way with no need to lift a finger.
But there must be more of the religions and sects that are willing to stay at the lower level as only the lower levels will have mass popular appeal. We need to attract more to God even those who are far from Godly or no where near Godly.
The parable of insects coming to a flower is a good reminder by Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨. It is necessary that insects be attracted to the flower but blame not the flower for insects coming to it. This the good lord did say.
It is necessary to further quote from what the good lord 武天菩萨 says that the far must be allowed to be near by being in the house of God but then this may mean the near who are in higher levels of spirituality may have to be far from the house of God; otherwise they may find themselves out of place and sore thumbs of sorts...
We need popular forms of religion and without them, the world will face religious drought and spirituality will be only the reserve and enclave of the elite few who may still be far from purity and very much overcome and overtaken by ego - very much like the Pharisees in days of old. They may well be no better than the many humble and meek in popular religion who know little or less but may be more rich in spirituality.
Had it not been for the popular forms of religion that arose from the Middle East, the world will be poorer off spiritually and this is true. But the will of God or call this the will of Heaven prevails and humanity is that much more blessed with popular religions.
But the catch is that there is more than meet the eyes. There are many levels of spirituality beyond basic and simple popular forms of religion. Men must be able to eventually breach the self created low ceiling of spirituality in popular religion. But this is a personal choice and not something that can be evangelized.
It requires self cultivation. In China, it is called Tao (道) but Tao or Way to Inner Peace is not just confined to Taoists and Chinese. It is in all mankind regardless of religion, race or creed.
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| Tao |
