No 1230 of Living Life Series 1
There are two groups of people who go to a temple that will attract our attention.
The meek who need repeated reassurance and sense of security that God are with them is one group. They need to be reminded that all will be well and worry a great deal about their mortality. They will keep going to others for comfort. They spend great deal of time with doctors.
This group is part of the meek that saints talk about. But not all the meek are like that but they stand out prominently as some of the meek who love God and saints and are submissive.
They are beautiful people who manifest the beauty of God. They take great pains to project the beauty and love of God. Indeed they do a great job at this and we can feel the peace and beauty of God through them.
But behind and beneath the facade, there is the burning insecurity not in keeping at all to their front. They need to cling to the coattails of God otherwise they will be in despair. God loves them and will take good care of them but they need to be better than what they are, so that they can better bring others to God
Then there is the group who wants the good feeling that they will get more than what would be due to them. They have done good but want to deserve more than the good they have done.
They feel that God will bless them more than those who have done much more good because their belief in God and his saints will put them in the privileged lot. Indeed, they think they don't need to be good at all. They think they are many cuts above others just because they believe and they belong to God and saints.
God and saints have taken away their shortcomings, their not having done enough good, and they are the chosen ones who will have all good and no bad coming to their lives. They are oblivious to the not good that comes into their lives. They see only good coming their way and insist that all will be good for them. They are even arrogant about this and regarded others as lost to God.
They belong to the devoted and there is no doubt at that. But they act with air of arrogance and impunity. They in a way exalt themselves but will take pains to explain that they are saved by their belief in God and saints.
But they may be far from exemplary and always behave as though they will be better off even outside the house of God. They too have underlying insecurity but with great pride and conceit brushed them away by asserting that all will be well and surely only good will come to them because of their belief in God and saints. God and saints will take over their bad or transgressions - their not being good enough.
Both groups are pitiful lot and do need God and saints. God and saints will not forsake them. They are fortunate that God and saints will shelter them and indeed all will be well.
But though near they may be far to God and saints. They understood not the true nature of life - the Word that is in life and the Word that is God.
They lack self confidence and they think that to believe in God, they must not have self-confidence. They do sadly misconstrue self confidence as arrogance. This too is unfortunate.
They claim God gives them calm but this peace or calm is fragile. Below the calm surface or exterior, there is storm and fear breaks through every so often.
They think it is not humanly possible to have calm and peace that gives self-confidence without closeness with God and saints. To them those with self-confidence cannot be close to God.
Indeed those with self-confidence appear aloof and may not show they are close to God or saints but they are so at heart and as individuals. They seem to be the far though near to God.
The good lord Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 dissertation of the far and the near surely amazes us ever so often. Who is the near and the far? It is never easy to know.
Sometimes there are those with self confidence but they may be deceived or made use of by other than God and saints - some refer to the influence of the Devil.
There is more than meet the eye. Judge not lest we be judged.
Look not for spirituality or lack of this in others but look inwards into one self and be at peace with self. When there is peace, the issue of who is better does not arise and who is more right is of no consequence. There is no ego when there is peace within and the unmistakable presence of God and saints within the spirit
Go for the God and saints in us and not just out there or up there around us. Many go for the God and saints out there and up there but has no presence of God and saints in them.
Without the presence of God in them, they are not humble and do not have sense of oneness with those who do not think as they do. There is this showy arrogance that they have the upper hand and God is with them and not with the others. This is ego in its ugly form.
This will be distasteful when God is loving and accommodates all those who know more and those who know less. In fact if they know more, they will appreciate those who know differently.
The near and the far are relative. Near can be far and far can be near. Never be too sure. There is more in spirituality than all should know. Others who know differently can add to our beliefs and spiritual development.
This lack of God's presence in some presenting as arrogance holds true in some men in many religions. The fallacy takes on new forms with passing of time. History often repeats itself and may contribute to hegemony within a religion as well as across religions.
Men need to be humble and not feel exalted to be spiritual. They will be far from spiritual if they are exalted and ego based. Feel and love others and think not lowly of them even if they think not and do not what they do.
They may well have a thing or two or perhaps more to learn from others. They can be better off by learning from fellow men and from those who are different from them in the same religion or in different religions. This is the point that the good lord Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 wants all to realise.
Though a heavenly saint, the good lord never wants to show that he is one. He only wants all to know that what he stands for is in all religions and that all can be better off in their respective religion. All can be better than what they already are.
Strive to be ever humble and loving and have the presence of God and saints in the spirit. The presence of God and saints within the self will make one humble and simple not arrogant and conceited. If there is arrogance and conceit, then one is far from God though one claims to be near.
The meek who need repeated reassurance and sense of security that God are with them is one group. They need to be reminded that all will be well and worry a great deal about their mortality. They will keep going to others for comfort. They spend great deal of time with doctors.
This group is part of the meek that saints talk about. But not all the meek are like that but they stand out prominently as some of the meek who love God and saints and are submissive.
They are beautiful people who manifest the beauty of God. They take great pains to project the beauty and love of God. Indeed they do a great job at this and we can feel the peace and beauty of God through them.
But behind and beneath the facade, there is the burning insecurity not in keeping at all to their front. They need to cling to the coattails of God otherwise they will be in despair. God loves them and will take good care of them but they need to be better than what they are, so that they can better bring others to God
Then there is the group who wants the good feeling that they will get more than what would be due to them. They have done good but want to deserve more than the good they have done.
They feel that God will bless them more than those who have done much more good because their belief in God and his saints will put them in the privileged lot. Indeed, they think they don't need to be good at all. They think they are many cuts above others just because they believe and they belong to God and saints.
God and saints have taken away their shortcomings, their not having done enough good, and they are the chosen ones who will have all good and no bad coming to their lives. They are oblivious to the not good that comes into their lives. They see only good coming their way and insist that all will be good for them. They are even arrogant about this and regarded others as lost to God.
They belong to the devoted and there is no doubt at that. But they act with air of arrogance and impunity. They in a way exalt themselves but will take pains to explain that they are saved by their belief in God and saints.
But they may be far from exemplary and always behave as though they will be better off even outside the house of God. They too have underlying insecurity but with great pride and conceit brushed them away by asserting that all will be well and surely only good will come to them because of their belief in God and saints. God and saints will take over their bad or transgressions - their not being good enough.
Both groups are pitiful lot and do need God and saints. God and saints will not forsake them. They are fortunate that God and saints will shelter them and indeed all will be well.
But though near they may be far to God and saints. They understood not the true nature of life - the Word that is in life and the Word that is God.
They lack self confidence and they think that to believe in God, they must not have self-confidence. They do sadly misconstrue self confidence as arrogance. This too is unfortunate.
They claim God gives them calm but this peace or calm is fragile. Below the calm surface or exterior, there is storm and fear breaks through every so often.
They think it is not humanly possible to have calm and peace that gives self-confidence without closeness with God and saints. To them those with self-confidence cannot be close to God.
Indeed those with self-confidence appear aloof and may not show they are close to God or saints but they are so at heart and as individuals. They seem to be the far though near to God.
The good lord Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 dissertation of the far and the near surely amazes us ever so often. Who is the near and the far? It is never easy to know.
Sometimes there are those with self confidence but they may be deceived or made use of by other than God and saints - some refer to the influence of the Devil.
There is more than meet the eye. Judge not lest we be judged.
Look not for spirituality or lack of this in others but look inwards into one self and be at peace with self. When there is peace, the issue of who is better does not arise and who is more right is of no consequence. There is no ego when there is peace within and the unmistakable presence of God and saints within the spirit
Go for the God and saints in us and not just out there or up there around us. Many go for the God and saints out there and up there but has no presence of God and saints in them.
Without the presence of God in them, they are not humble and do not have sense of oneness with those who do not think as they do. There is this showy arrogance that they have the upper hand and God is with them and not with the others. This is ego in its ugly form.
This will be distasteful when God is loving and accommodates all those who know more and those who know less. In fact if they know more, they will appreciate those who know differently.
The near and the far are relative. Near can be far and far can be near. Never be too sure. There is more in spirituality than all should know. Others who know differently can add to our beliefs and spiritual development.
This lack of God's presence in some presenting as arrogance holds true in some men in many religions. The fallacy takes on new forms with passing of time. History often repeats itself and may contribute to hegemony within a religion as well as across religions.
Men need to be humble and not feel exalted to be spiritual. They will be far from spiritual if they are exalted and ego based. Feel and love others and think not lowly of them even if they think not and do not what they do.
They may well have a thing or two or perhaps more to learn from others. They can be better off by learning from fellow men and from those who are different from them in the same religion or in different religions. This is the point that the good lord Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 wants all to realise.
Though a heavenly saint, the good lord never wants to show that he is one. He only wants all to know that what he stands for is in all religions and that all can be better off in their respective religion. All can be better than what they already are.
Strive to be ever humble and loving and have the presence of God and saints in the spirit. The presence of God and saints within the self will make one humble and simple not arrogant and conceited. If there is arrogance and conceit, then one is far from God though one claims to be near.
