No 1158 of Living Life Series 1
The leaders of temples during the times of Jesus in the flesh were a serious and impressive lot. They proudly and loudly adhered by the rules and the law.
There was much outward show but they did not back up with what they proclaimed with what they have at heart. They wanted others to abide by the law but themselves could not do so.
Jesus stood up for what must be in the heart. It is not what one does or what goes through the gut but what is in the heart or what goes through the gut that matters. This was the spirit that Ji Gong 济公 upholds.
Do not follow blindly but know why the forefathers want us to do this or that. Don't just abide by precepts or commandments but know the spirit behind.
Live in the spirit and if you can then live up to the law, then that is good.
Trying to abide by the law but not knowing the spirit behind, let alone live in the spirit is a no good.
Those who follow the crowd to abide blindly and often unwillingly to the law are just following the maddening crowd.
Stay away from the crowd and reflect on what is right. That way we are more with life and not be just alive but dead to the true pure spirit of life.
When we are in a temple, we just follow the crowd and we think we know what we do. We think we are great.
But we are just swept downstream by the current. For clear water we must go to the upper source.
We must go away from the polluted downstream. We must go against the current. We must get away from just flowing along downstream. This did the good lord Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 remind us.
For instance, it is not just about chanting the precept not to have sexual misconduct and then in the same breath have no qualms about adulterous and lustful thoughts of thy neighbor's wife or daughter.
What counts is to have pure thoughts. What counts is what is in the heart or mind. This is common sense. This is true spirituality. Common sense is true spirituality. True spirituality is just simple common sense and nothing to do with the worldly trappings of society. This is Tao 道.
We may need to get away from the maddening crowd. We need to go against the current and go upstream for more life - for clear water. Go against the flow to be more with life - to be alive to life. We need to be away from life to be with more life.
It all sounds so simple but can we make it? Yes we can and a bit at a time and more we will have. Going for more will end up with our having less of life.
Do read:
There was much outward show but they did not back up with what they proclaimed with what they have at heart. They wanted others to abide by the law but themselves could not do so.
Jesus stood up for what must be in the heart. It is not what one does or what goes through the gut but what is in the heart or what goes through the gut that matters. This was the spirit that Ji Gong 济公 upholds.
Do not follow blindly but know why the forefathers want us to do this or that. Don't just abide by precepts or commandments but know the spirit behind.
Live in the spirit and if you can then live up to the law, then that is good.
Trying to abide by the law but not knowing the spirit behind, let alone live in the spirit is a no good.
Those who follow the crowd to abide blindly and often unwillingly to the law are just following the maddening crowd.
Stay away from the crowd and reflect on what is right. That way we are more with life and not be just alive but dead to the true pure spirit of life.
When we are in a temple, we just follow the crowd and we think we know what we do. We think we are great.
But we are just swept downstream by the current. For clear water we must go to the upper source.
We must go away from the polluted downstream. We must go against the current. We must get away from just flowing along downstream. This did the good lord Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 remind us.
For instance, it is not just about chanting the precept not to have sexual misconduct and then in the same breath have no qualms about adulterous and lustful thoughts of thy neighbor's wife or daughter.
What counts is to have pure thoughts. What counts is what is in the heart or mind. This is common sense. This is true spirituality. Common sense is true spirituality. True spirituality is just simple common sense and nothing to do with the worldly trappings of society. This is Tao 道.
We may need to get away from the maddening crowd. We need to go against the current and go upstream for more life - for clear water. Go against the flow to be more with life - to be alive to life. We need to be away from life to be with more life.
It all sounds so simple but can we make it? Yes we can and a bit at a time and more we will have. Going for more will end up with our having less of life.
Be like Ji Gong 济公 but please don't ape. Think for ourselves and don't let others think for us. Don't end up going from the frying pan into the fire.
Do read:
Wine and meat through the intestines pass,
[while] Lord Buddha within my heart remains,
[but] common people, if they imitate me,
is similar to entering the path of demons.
– Chan Master Daoji (Jigong 济公)
