No 774 of Living Life Series 1
While the good lord Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) has given the main salient spiritual values which are applicable across religions, there are also aspects of life he said that we could learn from the strengths and weaknesses of fellow men. We can learn from life and society. Life is the living gospel.
He also said that the banding together of people like sand particles to from a concrete pillar is good but this is only good if for good reasons. Yes, fellowship is good if this can foster more spirituality and peace in men. But if this fosters conflicts and problems, then such fellowship is far from good and better not to have. People are better off staying alone and aloof of one another.
Modern men can strangely often be shallow and go for fellowship in a house of God and saints often for the wrong purpose. Their fellowship can go awry if it is such as to distant them from elders and parents, from families and colleagues at work.
The fellowship robs them off the time and resources, compromising their capability to fulfill their rice bowls or jobs. At times, even health is compromised and everyday, they rush from home to job, to religious gathering and then late home to sleep.
They don't even have time for themselves, for sleep, rest and personal recharging. This kind of fellowship is not good and the individual is simply so rushed and not having a peaceful pace of life.
They don't even have time for themselves, for sleep, rest and personal recharging. This kind of fellowship is not good and the individual is simply so rushed and not having a peaceful pace of life.
To have good fellowship, we must as advised by Gautama Buddha associate with the wise and honor those who are worthy of honor. We must also work and stay in a suitable locality. We must not separate religious life from family and working life.
The good lord Lord Bo Tien (武天菩萨) says that we must be able to practice the spiritual principles not just at allocated time for religion but in every moment of daily life outside religion.
For example, we must be mindful of the arising and passing of our thoughts not just during meditation, but in every moment of life outside meditation and the house of God. We must kindle and foster this mindfulness in others so that more can be calm and peaceful. Then our fellowship is there even at work, home and not just at the house of God and saints.
We may then spend less time at a house of God or at work. We will have a more relaxed pace of life, not rushing from pillar to post and ending up having less of the moments of peace.
Some leaders of religion often want their congregation to have more time together at a house of God than at work or with the family. They are afraid that they will go astray.
They may sadly end up encouraging escapism, denial and cult. They ensure that their people have less time to think independently, let alone cultivate mindfulness and have more of peace. They go for mental captivity and not mental liberation
These people end up feeling insecure if they don't gather together. At times due to cult-like fomentation, they band together as though waiting for the last day or preparing for that day to come in the distant future. They want to be well prepared. This paranoia is not what should be, or is it?
But social activities with the gathering of like minded moral or religious based people will always be of some good in the secular sense. They afford interaction of people and people will learn from interaction and mature faster, learn to give and take and be more pleasant as individuals. They generally become more appreciative of life and others.
But the central motive must be of some moral good, never mind if the spiritual emphasis or story is too simple and odd, bordering on fantasy and leaves many unanswered questions. This is so long as the emphasis appeals never mind if it may not even be in tune with science and may border on fairy tale fantasy and over simplicity.
Often religious societies which take pride in depth of wisdom and philosophy are often not in tune with and far removed from the masses. The vast majority of the masses just cannot go along even if there are many who can appreciate.
There is the need to meet the needs of the many who will go for fellowship that appeals and that may not even be ideal. Thus if a house of God or saint is like a community center, disco or a place for party and merry making but contained within some honest to goodness basic moral religious parameters, such a house of God or saint will catch on and be the in-thing.
But after some time and in due course, the more discerning and wise will realize and have the wake-up call for higher wisdom. Then it will be a different matter altogether. Isn't this the case since time immemorial?
These people end up feeling insecure if they don't gather together. At times due to cult-like fomentation, they band together as though waiting for the last day or preparing for that day to come in the distant future. They want to be well prepared. This paranoia is not what should be, or is it?
But social activities with the gathering of like minded moral or religious based people will always be of some good in the secular sense. They afford interaction of people and people will learn from interaction and mature faster, learn to give and take and be more pleasant as individuals. They generally become more appreciative of life and others.
But the central motive must be of some moral good, never mind if the spiritual emphasis or story is too simple and odd, bordering on fantasy and leaves many unanswered questions. This is so long as the emphasis appeals never mind if it may not even be in tune with science and may border on fairy tale fantasy and over simplicity.
Often religious societies which take pride in depth of wisdom and philosophy are often not in tune with and far removed from the masses. The vast majority of the masses just cannot go along even if there are many who can appreciate.
There is the need to meet the needs of the many who will go for fellowship that appeals and that may not even be ideal. Thus if a house of God or saint is like a community center, disco or a place for party and merry making but contained within some honest to goodness basic moral religious parameters, such a house of God or saint will catch on and be the in-thing.
But after some time and in due course, the more discerning and wise will realize and have the wake-up call for higher wisdom. Then it will be a different matter altogether. Isn't this the case since time immemorial?
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| This too is a house of God but open to all religions - for the fellowship of all religions, sects and creed. But the social bond for now may be not tight though there |
