What works is Faith and the Word, not Grace

No 1403 of Living Life Series 1

A calm sea always follow a storm. No storm will last forever. This Bo Tien 武 天 reminds us regardless of what religion we profess. 

Do not expect life will be smooth sailing and that is the problem when we believe too much on grace. 

Grace brings hope and there is no doubt about that. This is good. But belief in God or saint cannot be the end-all and the everything in life. 

We will then think that what we want, we just pray and wait. Everything will go our way. We are the chosen ones. 

We may even think that others are the losers if they do not believe in the way we do. We will make others envy us and give the impression that they are left out by God and think that their religion or sect is not of God. 

This is not good as this will create ill-will and create conflicts. It is good to believe, but belief should not be over placed. 

What happens if things don't turn out as we prayed? We will feel lost and lose our cool and confidence. We will become depressed and ask ourselves why has God forsaken us and left us. What have we done wrong? Is God angry with us? Well, in reality grace is a double edge sword. It cuts both ways. 

What has Bo Tien 武 天 to say on this? He says that those who seek God or saint, God or saint will come to them. It is good to have faith. 

God or saint will answer prayers. Issues will be no issues. Some issues if big will end up as small issues. 

But there is the element of fate. We reap what we sow. We have to face this. But he reminds us that storms in life will not last forever and there will be calm seas. 

But during a storm, God or saint will hold our hands and shelter us. This will be reassuring and gives us more faith. We can better weather a storm that way.

But faith and divine grace are two different issues. We do not get blessings in life by grace alone. 

We have to bless ourselves. We have to work for what we want in life. Sometimes we succeed. Sometimes we fail. This is the reality in life. There will always be the ups and downs in life. 

But Bo Tien 武 天 adds that we must have fellowship. Others with us can bless us by helping us. We can help one another and bless one another that way. 

Do not depend solely on God and saints and think that grace is everything in life. Faith and grace are two different aspects of devotion. 

Life depends on faith for many of us. But belief in divine grace is another matter. Life cannot be run based on grace of God and saints. 

Good to hold on to faith but not grace. Belief in faith will not let us down but belief in grace can mislead and disappoint us - even shake our faith. 

Depend not on grace but faith, and more importantly what God wants us to do. God wants us to know the God knowledge - how to be good and be at peace come what may. The Word is God. 

Good work alone is not good enough if we do not know and live in the Word. Many do good to get acclaim for themselves. Some just want to get and bribe God for a place above or to be in his good books. That is far from good though of some good. We need to know and not just know but live in the Word. Then any good work is really good

What is the Word that is common and underlies all religions? This is the Word. 

We must be pure and have love for life. We must favor not the self or others and sacrificing self or others - condemning and damning self or others. We must be at peace with self and others even those far from our initial liking. We must have no foes. We must have love and compassion for all including self. We must be at peace even in storms, be it in the mind or in life we are in. Storms do not last forever and calm seas will return. 

What works is Faith and the Word, not Grace. This is the message of this post. Good works without living in the Word is not good enough. Have faith and live in the Word common to all religions. Bo Tien 武 天 refers to this as the Inner Truth - the way to inner peace.

Why the world is the universal religion

No 1402 of Living Life Series 1

You can be loud and noisy when in your own religion and house of God. But for goodness sake, do not be loud about what you believe and be imposing. 

You must not make others want to hide their beliefs and their own religion. Do not make them shy of their religion and way of life. 

You must learn to accept and appreciate others and their religions. They should be made proud of their religions and want to share with you what they believe. 

In the process, you will see more common ground and understand better what your religion teaches you on the same common ground. Learn from your own but there is also more to learn of your religion through knowing other religions. 

This is what Bo Tien 武 天 says all the time. Learn from other's life and ways and in the process, be better at your own life and ways.

This is life, be it in religion or otherwise. Life is the greatest teacher. Life is the holiest of the holy texts. Life is the overall religion. 

Bo Tien 武 天 says that the whole world is the universal temple - the temple of all temples. God and saints shelter us and the sky is the roof of the world temple. All are in the same world - the same universe. Religions that we know are like the pillars of this universal temple. They should support the sky - God and saints in sheltering and guiding those in the universal temple - the world. 

We belong to the same world. The world is the universal religion and religions we know are but only the sects. We are of the same world or universal religion though we profess to be of different religions. 

What religion should be can be contentious.

No 1401 of Living Life Series 1`

Whatever will be will be. This is the case with religion. We cannot insist that a religion must observe certain practices. If we do so, that religion will lose its shine and will not be in keeping with the times. 

It is said that it is unbecoming to dance, jump, hug and sing in a place of worship. But then many will no longer be attracted. The only way is to have dance, songs, hugging and clapping - perhaps even kissing in time to come. This will raise frowns on the conservatives. 

Religion must be like a flower so that ants and insects will come to it for nectar. This was said by Bo Tien 武 天 decades ago. 

But many just don't know why he said so. But out of respect, they just leave it at that. They dared not even repeat this to others. 

Are people of religion like insects and ants? On the contrary, the conservatives are not. They don't want ants and insects anywhere in or near the holy place which is referred to as the flower. 

But those out there who don't care about religion and who just want the material and indulgent life will be attracted to religion if religion can provide a better place for material and indulgent life. 

By all means, go ahead, let down your hair, sing, clap hands, hug and dance to heart's content in a holy place. This will not make God or saint less God and less saint. 

This will not desecrate the place but will inject life that is vibrant and noisy which some say is not appropriate. But it is far better to have this in a religious place than to let the many orbit away from religion and end up in bad company. 

The conservative will argue that there must be peace and quiet in a holy place. Silence is golden. Peace is about silence and calm serenity. 

But why for goodness sake castigate those who are not ready for this. They want noise and clatter of drums and what have we. 

At least, those who come to the house of God like insects and ants coming to a flower for nectar have the chance to be near to God though far from quiet and peace. 

They are of course not insects and ants. They are humans and God and saints want them to be in religion - not out of religion. God and saints want the far to be near. Bo Tien 武 天 did say the far is near.

There will still be some good even if they turn a house of God into a disco of sorts. Religion is not for the goody lot alone. 

The so-called self proclaimed goody lot are in minority. Religion must reach out and appeal to the majority who would otherwise not care to take a second look at religion. 

What is important is the end not the means. Judge not the means as the end and say that this or that is not what religion should be. What religion should be can be contentious. 

Thus if you see Chinese monks and nuns singing and dancing while rapping on "namo amitabha" and saying "one, two, three" and clap and turn around and around with the followers echoing in chorus and joining in, you should not be surprised but be awed and amazed, You should not say they have erred. God and saints don't mind and why should you.

Yes, they have in a way broken some of the rules of monks and nuns. But please for God-sake, know what is their intention. 

The intention is noble but the means may raise eyebrows. Bo Tien's 武 天 reference to the need to go upstream against the current instead of flowing downstream with the current is worth further reflection. The saintly Bo Tien 武 天 would not have said it frivolously. 

Monks and nuns should flow downstream with the current  but how many are indeed brave enough to say that this may not help more in society. 

To attract and bring in the lot who would otherwise be lost, let there be outpouring of joy, exuberances, dancing and prancing. What is the difference between lion dancing and prancing in a temple on holy days and young people doing the same in a temple? 

When I raised the issue with a conservative colleague of a temple I used to go to, he said we should remain silent and keep the peace. Don't encourage. Don't discourage as well. Do nothing. But if less and less come to a temple, then a temple will become a relic of the past in time to come. 

Obviously there must be a judicious mix or balance of the two and with shades in between. This the orient refers to as yin yang balance which was surfaced by Bo Tien 武 天. This manifests in a religion having many sects, each sect many schools. Perhaps this enables counterbalance and moderating effect on one another. 

But mind you and this is for real, the greatest and all important moderating influence comes from the government of the land more so if it is secular. 

Bo Tien 武 天 echoes what saints of all religions remind followers. They all say  that all must obey and comply with the authority that be in the land, This provides a buffer to offset any excesses and to promote more yin yang balance of religions, sects, schools and temples. 

Reflections that are related to Vesak

No 1400 of Living Life Series 1

Vesak is the celebration of not just who is the Buddha, when he was born, when he had enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree and when he passed on and leave his physical body, it is more than that. 

It is the celebration of what man can be capable of, not only for himself but for the benefit of others through what the Buddha stand for - the doctrine to being good and pure free from defilements of the self. 

It is the giving up of the self and yet it is the elevation of the person beyond his ego or self. He is then not his ego or self but a purer and purer being with peace - not just inner peace but peace and love for all around. 

He is no longer his past self as he has eradicated the ego. He is no longer self but is more real than what the self or ego he was before. 

This is what Buddha wants all to achieve - not just his followers but all. We don't need to label ourselves as Buddhists. Doing so becomes another ego pursuit.

It is not self destruction but release of the person to be pure and peaceful with time until one day he is as pure as the enlightened ones - the saints above the saints. 

He becomes attractive to others. His love for life is unmistakable. If others are likened to ants and insects, he is like the flower which attracts insects and ants coming to it for nectar. 

This is how Bo Tien 武 天 tries to explain what a person should be and also what temples should be. This is one way he tries to make all understand what they should go for. 

Others sadly come to a pure person for blessings of worldly nature and not for the way to be pure, free and liberated from need for worldly nectar. 

Even if he wants to enlighten others, others will still ask from him for worldly favors - just like they go to God and saints for nectar of material and worldly blessings instead of how to be pure and at peace. 

God and saints understand that many still need nectar of material blessings as means to have some physical comforts to enable them to be better at ease to achieve inner peace and purity. 

But when many go for material and earthly needs, they want more and more and spiritual peace and purity will never be in their sight or horizon. 

With regards to Vesak, there are many other associations than reflected on above. No doubt, Vesak brings the joy of knowing the Buddha more so what he stands for. But it is perhaps more than coincidence that Vesak follows the yearly Chinese visitation of the graves and niches of their departed elders. 

But this is in line with what Buddha says that the home is the first temple and the elders the first gods. The first notable event in the lunar new year of the Chinese is the month of the visitation of the graves and niches. 

This represents the first thing we must do in life - the respect of the first gods namely the elders. This is applicable to all regardless of race or culture. No point knowing God, Buddha or the way to inner peace and purity if we know not and respect not the elders in the family. No point in knowing and commemorating Vesak if we forget our roots - the elders.

In fact the Chinese lunar year begins with new year celebrations when all pay respect to their parents and elders that are still around and living. In turn, the elders bless them with red packets. 

Then soon after, there is the yearly month long season of visitation of the graves and niches of the departed elders. Only soon after that comes Vesak. 

Thus Vesak becomes that more meaningful if we first respect living elders, then departed elders and love ones before observing Vesak. This is not for the Chinese alone but applicable to all races and cultures. Respect for elders and parents is stressed by all religions. This Bo Tien 武 天 reminds us. Any civilised and ethical society will do that.

Vesak thus brings into association a number of values and principles in life we should have. There is also the need for us to prioritise them - respect and treasure the living, then the departed elders and then the call of divine as represented by Buddha and the truth Buddha stands for that is in all religions and cultures.

Respect for elders and parents in religions?

No 1399 of Living Life Series 1

Are we game enough to take part in the culture of others? This is good and wholesome so long as we continue in the culture we are brought up in. But the problem comes when some bright sparks insist we change to their culture and disown our own. 

This is exactly going on and will create dis-ease and disquiet. By all means do what others do, when we are in their culture or religion. But do not bring home that culture or religion and tell our home that we no longer want to be in the culture or religious practices of the home. 

Worse still is when we tell the home that our father is the one above and this means that our father on Earth is of secondary significance. We listen to the bidding of the father above and relegate our father at home to the backstage. 

Isn't that giving no proper respect to our elders. If we can be so unreliable in respecting the elders at home and family, how trustworthy are we in respecting the father above. It is more probable that we only respect our own self and we are making the excuse of God as the father as the way not to do what our elders and father want us to do. 

Then our children will grow up the same way and when this happens, they break away at the earliest opportunity to live on their own if not married or set up nuclear family if married. 

What happens to respect for family and elders? There is then disintegration of big extended family support to no family support. To each his own becomes real and this the sages of old regard as unwise and uncivilised. 

Has civilisation create ego and self-centered monsters out of us? We sow what we reap and we will end up reaping loneliness and isolation in the long run. 

Even the stand-in extended family in the form of social fellowship and cell groups in a house of worship will not last as time passes. In time to come, the younger people do not join in the same cell groups or fellowship. One day our own self group will be not effective and die a natural death. 

That is why Bo Tien 武 天 like the saints of all cultures and religions stresses on need for respect for elders. Respect for elders is the foundation of all religions.

Respect for elders is the pillar of life and must begin at home. Family comes first. Family fellowship is the base. 

Do not ditch the family and elders in the name of religion or God. Respect for elders at home is the cornerstone of religiosity. 

Religion goes to the dogs if there is no respect for elders of family. Live with the family if you are truly a man of God and saints. Breaking and staying away from elders in family makes us far though we may be near and frequent a house of God. Bo Tien 武 天 says the near can be far.

If we break from the elders in the family and stay apart from them, how likely are we to break away even from a house of God or a nation we belong to? 

We will end up as liabilities to not only family but to religion and to the nation - all because we pay lip service to the respect for elders. We respect and care only for our self.

Respect for elders is the foundation of family, society, religion and nation. Respect for elders is the cornerstone of life religious and otherwise. 

The Buddha says our home and family is the first temple and our parents the first gods. Respect for elders is the foundation of all religions. 

Perhaps values have changed with time. We want instead to stress on our privacy and our own needs. We serve our own needs and if others come in the way, then we cannot help it. We act as though we are the first gods to be respected and adored by ourselves. 

There are other ways to handle and help elders and parents. We need to leave them alone and this is even what they want. We help them only when necessary. Sometimes we leave then in retirement homes or in nursing homes. That is what they want not like their counterparts in the days of old. 

That is the reality but this is how society flows along downstream. If we are to go back to the old days as stated above, we have to swim against the current and flow upstream. This was mentioned by Bo Tien 武 天. 

But Bo Tien 武 天 would not say so without a reason. He even encouraged setting up of homes for the destitute few but not for those who can be with their families or live on their own. For the latter two categories, he encouraged distribution of weekly free rations or meals. 

There are thus two ways of looking after parents and elders as described above in this post. 

One is to stay with them even when married and the other is to stay apart from them and visit them periodically. 

A cross between the two is to stay part of the week with them and if married children can do so in turns, there will always be a grown up married child with grandchildren with the parents and elders every day of the week. 

This is perhaps a sort of yin yang balance or hybrid of the two ways described earlier. Yin yang balance makes life work and makes the world go round. 

Bo Tien 武 天 reminds us of the need for yin yang balance to be right and to have peace in self, family and society regardless of our religious, racial or cultural background.

But the worst scenario and unthinkable is to be away from parents and elders and not talking to them or visiting them at all. 

Some let parents and elders stay with them but ill-treat them. They are like some animals who kill their parents and elders once they grow up. They want more space for themselves. They don't even want to live with parents - let alone care for them. 

Those who rear hamsters as pets will know this. But we are humans - not animals or hamsters. 

Whatever the life situations, there will always be a suitable and better means to respect elders and parents. There is no excuse for not doing so and no excuse for doing better. 

This respect and care for elders is the beginning, the middle and the end of what divine love and compassion is all about. Bo Tien 武 天  reminds all regardless of religions on this. 

Buddhists refer to this as loving kindness. Loving kindness is not just to love our own life but others around and must start with the close ones and extend outwards to society and eventually to the world. 

Not to do so this way and to boast of helping others far away while neglecting kin and friends is not loving kindness but hypocrisy. Be mindful of this. 

But many are like that. They want praises and acclaim. They are not sincere but Bo Tien 武 天 says that what they do is still good but not as good as should be. These people will still be blessed to some extent in the good they do but the good is finite and limited. This is regrettable and we should feel sorry for them. 

Thus there are some who go to churches and temples to do good, to care for others, say in their cell or care groups. They spend more time there and leave their parents and elders at home. 

They should take steps to correct this and find yin yang balance. Charity or care begins at home. Have we cared for ourselves and our parents and family adequately? If not, then why spend time and resources to care for others and neglecting family, elders and parents? 

Society somehow tends to end up this way. How good can this be, even if there is good? But of course, it is better than nothing - not doing any good at all.

Pope Francis on love, forgiveness and inner peace

No 1398 of Living Life Series 1

On 23rd April 2017, Pope Francisco at a retreat said words of wisdom that apply not only to the Catholic faithfuls but to all. He obviously wanted to reach out to all and dwelt on the common space of all religions what Bo Tien 武 天 refers to as the Inner Truth. Excerpts of what the learned Pope said are appended below.

"There is no perfect family. We do not have perfect parents, we are not perfect, we do not marry a perfect person or have perfect children. We have complaints from each other. We disappoint each other. So there is no healthy marriage or healthy family without the exercise of forgiveness. Forgiveness is vital to our emotional health and spiritual survival. Without forgiveness, the family becomes an arena of conflict and a stronghold of hurt."

"Without forgiveness, the family becomes ill. Forgiveness is the asepsis (purity from ailments) of the soul, the cleansing of the mind and the liberation of the heart. Whoever does not forgive, does not have peace in the soul nor communion (oneness or in tune) with God. Hurt is poison that intoxicates and kills. Keeping heartache in the heart is a self-destructive gesture. It's autophagy (eating oneself up). Those who do not forgive are physically, emotionally and spiritually ill."

"Parents are the childrens' source of life. They are there to protect their sons and daughters and not to compete with them."

"That is why the family must be a place of life and not of death; Territory of cure and not of illness; Stage of forgiveness and not guilt. Forgiveness brings joy where sorrow has produced sadness; Healing where sorrow has caused disease."

Thank you Pope for your words of wisdom. You are a blessing to mankind regardless of culture, faith or sect. 

Don't make religion absurd and misleading

No 1397 of Living Life Series 1

To believe in God or saint is good. But to be over dependent on God or saint is not. 

Do not enslave yourself to anyone. God does not want that. Perhaps the Evil One wants that. Then, aren't you making God behaving like Satan. 

Then again, who is Satan. If you put the blame for all our bad experiences on him, aren't you faultless and perfect like God. Satan is more an excuse for not doing right and for not blaming God. 

You are who you are, what you did or do, what you thought and think. Isn't that obvious? 

But like all, you want to deny and live in denial. Wake up and have hold on yourself. 

Ups and downs are to be expected - the yin and the yang as reminded to us by Bo Tien 武 天. This is the wisdom of the sages of old. We must come to terms with yin and yang. 

We can ask for blessings now and then from God and saints. But who faces the music? Who lives life? It is you and you must live life. Don't expect God or saint to live life for you. 

Bo Tien 武 天 says that we still need faith. When we pray, God or saint will come to us and he will see how best to help us. Usually, it is to open a way out. 

We have to decide what to do. We still have to walk the way ourselves. But at least even if our issues cannot be resolved, these will be lesser issues. Bo Tien 武 天 says. 

But certain issues cannot be helped and we just have to accept. We may say this is fate but better to refer this as karma. 

One such example applicable to all is death. God or saint cannot stop us from dying though we can postpone death. 

We need to be at peace with life come what may. We must practise this every moment and be mindful. This is mental cultivation that is common and referred to by God and all saints. 

This inner truth talked about by Bo Tien 武 天 is universal. This is in all religions but people just pay lip service to this and just want to be spoon fed by God or saint and blame Satan what God or saint cannot give. 

That is how ridiculous and absurd many can be - including you and me - including us. We can make religion absurd and misleading. We can make God look bad... That is unthinkable but is not uncommon. Isn't this sad?

Why this happens is because what was appropriate centuries ago when people were simple and not so well informed will if applied to 2017 and beyond be out of place. Religion will be off the mark if we apply what was said in ancient times to a very different context from ages past. Don't make religion look absurd and misleading. 

While killing even in religious context was the way of religion in ancient times in unruly lands where nothing worked without the sword, this is unthinkable in the context of other times and in other countries. 

It certainly is odd and giving a bad impression if we go by the letter of what was acceptable in ancient times. Times have changed. If society fails to be more aware of this, then society may make religion look absurd and misleading. Society risk tarnishing and soiling the good name of Gods and saints. That is blasphemy of sorts, isn't it? 

Why religions work even if far from ideal

No 1396 of Living Life Series 1

Are religions serving the divine purpose? Are the thinking of the crowd what God and saints would hope for? How sure can we that a religion is the one for us? 

Why are there many sects even for the same one religion? Doesn't that imply men think differently from one another? Doesn't that mean the thinking of men will never be the same as God and saints? Who are the ones who go to religion or a sect?

What if as what Bo Tien 武 天 says insects and ants are attracted to flower for nectar. What if people are attracted to religion for worldly and self gains? Then, it is far too easy for unscrupulous few to rise up as leaders and create the unthinkable - the ungodly in supposedly a Godly place. 

Monks and priests should be service providers - not leaders. People should not see them as stand-ins for God and saints. 

Who are the Godless? Are they the ones who frequent organised religious services and pay lip service to the Word or are they the ones who do not but live in the Word? Can the Godless be godly? 

Well, the far can be near and the near far. The ones who are right can turn up wrong and the ones who are wrong may well be right. It depends on situations and insights - how you analyse and perceive.

Though the ones who know more tend to keep their mouth shut rather than talk out what they know, it is those who know less and know wrongly who make the most noises. Empty vessels make the most din and noise. 

Without empty vessels, a religion may not be heard. Without them, the curiosity of men for other religions would not be kindled. People do want to know alternative views. 

But they must learn more of the common spaces of religions - not the private spaces. The alternative views express the common space or inner truth common to all religions in various ways which cast light for better understanding of the inner truth.

No matter what, we do need religions even if they may be off the mark or far from ideal. Religions do work even if far from ideal.

Can the Godless be godly?

No 1395 of Living Life Series 1

There is the pervading silence of God and saints. Only men tend to be loud and they often speak before they can think through what they should speak. 

God and saints do not need to talk and they know that what they talk can often be misconstrued. Men can make God appear so ungodly. 

It is often the men who come to God that tend to be ungodly. Such men are near to God but yet far. 

They refer to those who don't join them in a house of God as ungodly. 

Do we need to proclaim to the world our belief in God? Does that make us closer to God? 

In fact, there are some who don't even believe in God. Can such Godless men be godly? 

Yes they can if they believe in silence and peace - not shoot away with their mouth like a machine gun and hurting people and misrepresenting the ways of God. The far can be near. 

Bo Tien 武 天 says that regardless of religion, the near can be far and the far near. Give this some thought. 

He added an illustration that trees in an orchard may wither if they are not taken care of and watered. In a drought, they will wither. But the solitary trees outside the orchard though not watered and tended to will flourish the whole year round if they are rooted in subterranean water. 

The orchard represents religion. The farmers at the orchard are the leaders in a religion. The subterranean water is the Word or doctrine - the values that god or saints want all to be rooted in. 

The Word is God. Men without religion can be closer to God if they are rooted in the Word or values that God or saints stand for. The seemingly Godless can be godly. 

The trees at the orchard depend on the farmers. But in a drought, the farmers too are affected by the drought. How can they take care of the trees in the orchard? 

Religious leaders are like the farmers and the trees in the orchard represent the congregation. Members of the congregation cannot stand on their own feet and are heavily dependent on the religious leaders. 

They can be misled by the leaders. Religious organisations can readily end up as cults. They can run foul of the laws of the land. 

The leaders end up as stand-ins for God. Nature has provided subterranean water. God has provided the Word and life is the greatest teacher of the Word. Men must be in touch with the Word just as the solitary trees rooted in subterranean water. Often men are blind to the Word and depend heavily on religious leaders. 

Those that do not belong to organised religion but live in the Word are godly though others may consider them as Godless. Does this answer the question, "Can the Godless be godly?" 

Well, it always depends on where you are coming from and what perspective you are dealing with. Right and wrong is relative. No view is exactly this or that. What is right can still be wrong in some ways. What others consider as wrong may still be right in a way.

Believe in all religions. No need to draw the line

No 1394 of  Living Life Series 1

While there is need for private space, we should not draw the lines too clearly between one person and another. This applies too to religion. 

When we draw the lines too clearly and try to increase the private space of a religion, this will not go unnoticed. This will be too glaring and encroaching. 

It is better to enlarge the common spaces and if possible, to break all barriers. Have no lines drawn for religions. Then we can do what we like and practice what we like. 

This has happened in Chinese culture and sometimes it is difficult to answer the question what religion a person professes. 

Believe in all religions. Blur the lines. Better still is to have no lines drawn. Bo Tien 武 天 stresses in 1969 that he champions no religion. He favors none. He is for all. 

We must believe in all religions and all saints. Learn from the teachings of all religions. Know what is by man and what is by God and saints. 

Men create religions and insist in making one religion stand out more. Is this good? 

Better to have common space and no private space in as far as religion is concerned. Believe in all religions. No need to draw the line. 

In a family, when one member decides to practice another religion different from the family, it will be alright if he does not insist that he cannot continue to do what the family does. 

If he insists on doing so, and refuses categorically to continue in the religious practices of the family, then he is disowning the family in a way. 

He is destroying the common space of religious practices in the family. Who to blame then? Definitely, not the family but he himself for drawing the line. 

If he continues to take part in family religious practices and in addition take up the religious practices of a new religion, then all will be well. This is because he did not draw the line. The family did not do so all along.

Yes we should not draw the line and believe in all religions. This is why the good Bo Tien 武 天 advocates this universal prayer. "To all heavenly saints, we greatly adore. We believe in your existence and thy glory is in the thoughts of men. We seek for thy protection and guidance so as to live better for the time to come."

Learn from others' mistakes and know God better

No 1393 of Living Life Series 1

Man has the tendency to make God so ungodly and still insist that that is God. 

For example, we are never born equal and that is for real. Yet, man say that this is the design of God. 

But in the first place, if he creates us, then why make us different at birth. The logical answer is plain and simple. He did not create us. 

We are our own creation. We end up what we are because of what we were in a previous life or lives. This makes more sense. 

Do God need to be creator before we respect him? The answer is he need not be. If he is creator, then he is ungodly in making us all different at birth. 

There is more to it than creation. We procreate and are the creator of our own species. 

Man wants to have the ideal in God and hold on to this. In the process, man does not do justice to God. Man makes God appear to be what he is not. 

By attributing everything to God, men is not doing justice to God or for that matter any saint. 

Man must grow up and not behave like a child who thinks the world of his father but when reaching adult stage realises that this ideal cannot be sustained. 

Bo Tien 武 天 says that we can gain in wisdom by knowing the faults and wrong thinking in others in addition to their strengths. This advice is applicable to everyone regardless of religion or sect.

We must learn how others respect God and saints but not what they err in doing so. 

This is better than trying to say that they are wrong or to be what they are and be one of them when we have to stop thinking and stop using our logic. 

When we stop thinking and live by faith, we may end up doing what others tell us in the name of God. Then there will be cults and problems with the authority that be in the land. 

There must be the balance. Think what we can and understand as much as we can. But at the same time just go along with open mind what we could not understand logically for now. 

This balance is the yin yang balance of the Bagua which Bo Tien 武 天 resurfaces for us to know better how to handle life.

Why God or saint does not answer many prayers?

No 1392 of Living Life Series 1

If God or a saint is truly who he is, do not expect him to answer many prayers. He may not answer prayers by giving you what you want. 

But some insist he will answer all prayers. In a way, this is true. Why? 

He may not give you what you want if it is not in your best interest. You may have to learn from the problem you have at hand. 

We can put it that he answers prayers often by not giving you what you want but make sure he meets your needs so that you can learn from the problem. 

This will make big issues be small issues but they cannot be no issues as stressed by Bo Tien 武 天. You have to learn. 

Sometimes, you may be fated to face big problems in life because of some mistakes in life, because of what you erred earlier in life or even in a past life. 

You have to make amends and certainly God or saint cannot do so for you. He can make it easier for you by blessing you in other areas. 

But if you backtrack and continue in your foolhardy ways, such blessings may make you a worse person rather than make you good and better. Then God or saints will no longer give you these other blessings which are meant to place you in better position to tackle your problem which you may regard as fated. 

Really, this is not fate  as fate implies the will of God but rather this is your own doing. Certainly what is done by you, you must undo so that your problem will at least be mitigated even if the consequences of a weighty mistake cannot be erased. 

But Bo Tien 武 天 says a storm will not last forever and calm seas will return. But if you continue to err and whip up the storm, the storm will last longer. 

Thus what will help you and all of us is to be enlightened, to be able to think right. We need to be good and how to be good is common to all religions. This Bo Tien 武 天 refers to as the inner truth. 

Then if we are good enough, we will have more peace. We will have peace in us so that we can weather the ups and downs of life around us. 

By being at peace, we will be more pleasant and moderate the immediate social and physical world around. We will be loving not only for our own selves but for others as well. 

We may not be able to change the world but we can change ourselves. In the process somehow what happens in us spills into the immediate world around us.

This post addresses the question why God or saint does not answer many prayers. But in reality he answers by seemingly not answering. God or saint does not forsake the long term interests of a person even if he is a religious leader. 

Ever the more, God will be more concerned and want the religious leader to learn so that he will not mislead the flock with him. God answers by not answering. That is kinder than vocal and outright admonishment.

Isn't that amazing and awesome? God does answer all prayers. His silence if any is loud and is the clear-cut answer. 

Bagua in religion also for life, nation and world

No 1391 of Living Life Series 1

Like what Bo Tien 武 天 always tell us, the principle or value that applies to religion or a temple too apply to society, nation and the world. 

He also says that the universal temple is the world or even a nation with the sky or heaven as the roof. 

A nation is run by a government. The government and people must be like the yang and yin of the Bagua. They may differ in certain ways but they must work together with one moderating the other. 

Nations of the world are different but yet share with one another the world. Some are more assertive or demanding. Others are less and may even be passive and submissive. We can say that some are more yang (active) and some more yin (passive). 

Nations need one another and if there is yin yang balance like in the Bagua, the world is more peaceful and progressive. If not there will be turbulence and even wars.

The ups and downs in life must be there. If there is no downs, we will never know what are ups. Ups and downs be it in a religion, a temple, a nation or in the world are there to stay. 

The issue is how to be at peace with both. Learn from the downs and treasure the ups to prepare for the downs. The Bagua emphasis too applies. 

The higher level of learning in life or you may say the Bagua of life is to achieve peace and calm come what may. 

Don't sink with the downs or be swept off the feet and be in the clouds with the ups. Ups and downs must be embraced like in the Bagua. Bo Tien 武 天 says that Bagua emphasis is there in any religion, in life and in the world beyond religion. 

The Bagua emphasis for a temple or religion

No 1390 of Living Life Series 1

Change is inevitable. The old guards of a temple will never be able to bring in the younger people, let alone keep their interests. This is a reality. 

One reason is that they know deeper of what a temple should be and what is the purpose of a temple. The temple is a means and not the end. 

When they reached this level, they will be out of tune with the new and the young. The doctrine they dwelt on will be at a higher level that will be meaningless and makes no impact on the young. The young will not come in. 

The old guards will be doing and thinking at channel which will be too way up in the clouds. Thus the young under them will become restless and want to take over from the old guards. 

They will think and do at exactly at the level which is the  very level  or reason why Bo Tien 武 天 wants all to break through and see the inner truth or doctrine basic to and common to all religions.

The young think the old guards understanding is out and not in keeping with worldly society. They would rather do what many have been doing. Like what Bo Tien 武 天 says, "They would rather flow along downstream instead of going upstream against the current. This is easy, so natural and needs little effort. 

This will defeat the purpose of Bo Tien's 武 天 descent in 1969. Bo Tien 武 天 says that his mission is not to do more of the same as in many temples but to be different and to stand out. 

A temple must awaken people to the inner truth or real doctrine of what is good and how to be pure. It is not to be more of the same that is going on. 

Then people will see the leaves and twigs and not the trunk, let alone the roots that anchor the tree. If a tree is cut, so long as the roots and base is there, the tree will be alive and grow again. 

But it is the leaves, the twigs and the visible tree above the ground that appeals - not the base and roots. 

If the roots are deep and in touch with subterranean water, the tree will grow again and flourish and bear fruits. Bo Tien 武 天 stresses on this.

Old guards who know more are like that. They grow roots and want to reach subterranean water of the common or inner truth behind religions. 

The young are like the tree above the ground and they care not if they are not rooted in subterranean water. When drought comes, the temple will wane and collapse, if we leave it to the young. 

But on the other hand, if we depend on the old guards alone, the temple or tree above the ground is not important. Then the crowd will not come in. This too is not good. Temple or religion will not reach out to the crowd. 

We need the young to make a fuss of the tree above the ground, the worldly concrete temple before the crowd will come in. They dine, party and have fun around the tree and this attracts the crowd - more so the young and worldly. But they cause damage to the base and roots. 

We need both the old guards and the young new to take care of the tree - the temple. We need both yin and yang in counter balance and both to work closely in embrace like in the Bagua. 

The Bagua doctrine was referred to by Bo Tien 武 天 .

Like in the Bagua, the old guards must also work with the young who will be the new subcontractors to till the land and bring in others to fuss over the tree but with the old guards teaching and reminding them on how to grow the roots of the temple to reach the subterranean water. 

This was explained by Bo Tien 武 天 and applies to any temple, church or religion. This is the Bagua emphasis for a temple or religion. 

Alas and regrettably so, in many temples and even in a temple of Bo Tien 武 天, this is difficult to achieve. Why? The young will always in the majority and have the final say. 

The mission to bring out the common space (the inner truth) behind religions cannot depend on the vehicle of a temple but depends on Heaven alone with perhaps one or two men through the world wide web.