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!.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Tao 道 a must even behind wedding processes

No 1077 Living Life Series 1

Tao道literally means logic or common sense. Present in all cultures and religions. Nothing to do with Taoism proper - beyond Taoism.

Respect for elders is a value in all religions and in all cultures. In Asian cultures, this is more valued to extent that elders are revered and taken more like the gods to be idolized.

This is somewhat overdone and an indulgence of sorts though the value of respect for elders and parents should still hold its own. With the fast advent of globalization, the emphasis has shifted somewhat to valuing individual space and respecting the self as much as the elders.

This has watered down the precept of respect for elders that is integral value of all religions and cultures - especially among Asians and Chinese. But alas things must change and have changed due to the challenge by the other value of respect for self - the rights of self.

Nowadays children and grandchildren no longer see the need to be with the elders, let alone stay under the same roof. But the good thing is that it is still considered good manners to demonstrate the respect for elders on festive occasions.

Marriage is one of them. Girls marry into the families of the boys. In the age-old days to ensure the respect for elders, marriage is arranged by the elders. Love marriage did not exist. The decision is wholly by the elders of both families.

But even with love marriage, there is still the need to show loud and clear the need to value the respect for elders. The bride must marry into the bridegroom's family and be part of family. This meant she no longer belongs to her maiden family. That is why the bride's family demand dowry - sort of compensation and a show of worth of the bride.

The reality is that with love marriage, this is sort of out of place - perhaps awkward and no longer the case. In fact, young couples stay out on their own. They practically leave both the families they come from. It is no longer a gain or a loss to the families they come from.

But ancestral values still have some hold and must still hold water. The bride must demonstrate at least outwardly during the wedding that she now belongs to the bridegroom family and cross over to the home of the parents of the bridegroom.

Wedding expenses are handled by and financed largely by the bridegroom's family but no where will this include the purchase of a house or apartment. There is by tradition no need to do so. The bride crosses over to the home of the man she loves. This must be demonstrated in preparations and in wedding processes.

But nowadays with love marriage, both bride and bridegroom marry themselves out of their respective families. They have an apartment of their own purchased by their own money.

This in old days would be taboo - a disrespect for their respective ancestral families. But the minimum is still to show during wedding and wedding preparations that they recognize the need to respect elders by marrying into the bridegroom's family in the right and proper traditions of the ancestors.

You can say that the bride must show that she has left her family and crossed over to the husband's family and home - not leave their respective families and homes to set up their own.

To do so is the in-thing. But as there is need to show manners to the ancestors, the bride stays with her man's home say for a while - with bridal bed and furniture in the wedding room of the bridegroom's parents house.

But alas there is more and more confusion and contradictions because society no longer sticks to values. Wedding expenses and negotiations can even include who foot the bill for the new couple's new apartment or car. If manners to ancestors are to be effected, the issue of a new apartment or car is not there and in all honesty need not be there.

Wedding expenses have nothing to do with purchase of a new apartment or car. The bride just crosses over to belong to the man's home - his parents home.

The day will come when respect to ancestors will be swept under the carpet. Society is at the cross roads of shifting away from respect for elders to respect for personal rights.

Wedding instead of cementing relationships end up with sour note the moment negotiations set in. One reason of course is that the parents of either side no longer have proper traditions to go bye.

If they do follow traditions, it would be alright but society has changed. Society is now in the down stream of life but if they really want to and need to respect traditions and respect elders, they must go upstream to the upper source for right and proper ways and to avoid confusion.

The good lord Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 refers to the need to know the difference between the water of the downstream and the clear water of the upper source. He points that no matter how society changes, respect for elders must be demonstrated as a universal precept behind all religions and cultures.

There must be understanding on the basis or foundation of traditions and wedding traditions are not an exception. We must go to the upper source and not the downstream if we want to know what is right and proper.

Processes of wedding must uphold manners. There must be balance between respect for elders and rights of individual for there to be bliss and peace from the word "go".

Going for one or other will not do. What is done to promote the well being of all parties will be best. This the sages of old in ancient China refers to as Tao 道 - the balance of yin and yang. There must be Tao even behind wedding processes.

Only then will there be double happiness - happiness for both parties. Yin and yang balance is referred to as dragon phoenix harmony. Many Chinese weddings end up with sour note because of lack of balance to achieve double happiness. In-laws end up not as warm to one another.

Tao 道 is achieved in wedding of modern days of 2015 and beyond if the main parties the bride and groom are happy. They arrange the wedding themselves and not an arranged marriage by the parents. Parental demands are less important nowadays when the marriage is no longer an arranged marriage.

Any strong parental hand is no longer a good thing though the young couple must show they value parents. It must be remembered that the parties involved are the bride-to-be and the bridegroom-to-be. They arranged the marriage themselves and they are the ones getting married - not the families they come from. Let there be double happiness.

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.