Sunrise and Sunset, Living and Thinking

No 1431 of Living Life Series 1

When we have sunrise, we look forward to sunset. When sunset comes, we look for sunrise. The one who has inner peace is content and at peace, come sunrise or sunset.

He never waste time and when he has sunrise, he is with sunrise and never asks for sunset. When he has sunset, he is with sunset and never asks for sunrise. 

He who treasures not what is at hand is always in want. He never treasures the blessings of the moment and asks for tomorrow's blessings. Isn't he dead lost to blessings? 

Come tomorrow, he thinks of what he wants for the tomorrow of tomorrow. 

Take care of today and not waste away the today thinking of tomorrow. 

It would be worse still if he thinks of the bygone days. 

Be mindful that today cannot be forever. 

But this does not mean we live today as though we have not enough time for today. Then we will want to jam into the today to do far too many for the day. 

For sure, we cannot be at peace, be it for today or for days past and the days to come. 

Life will change like sunrise and sunset. It will never be the same but make sure we have the same inner peace, come what may. 

Do not be troubled when there is rain. Why not dance in the rain?

Do not be put off when troubles rain on us, nor rush around like there will be no tomorrow. 

Do not be ruffled when life rain on us with many issues. What matters is to be at peace and at ease.

What has to be just have to be. But we need not be troubled by the unpleasant nor overjoyed by good that come our way. Do not be down by troubles and rush around trying to gluttonize the good. Either way, how can there be peace?

Just move on. Do what we can at our own pace and time so that we can be at peace as much as we can, come bad or good in life. 

We are not perfect. Life too is more imperfect. 

At least, we can be better off if we have the peace in us. Then what are troubles seem small issues instead of big issues. This is the awesomeness of inner peace. With it, life is no longer awful. There is then more life in life.

Sometimes, we think we can be saints and think too much and waste time on this. Then we will regret and have no peace. 

Doing and living without thinking too is to be blind to life. Then there will be problems and no peace as well. 

We need to juggle. Good to think but don't let the world go bye and live in our thoughts and not in life.

Be what we are but try to be better. Never think we are saints. 

Readers must not spend too much time reading this post and thinking or else they will be living in thoughts and not in life. 

There is need to juggle. There is need to balance. There must be allocated time set aside for thinking (quiet time) and more time to live.

Bo Tien 武 天 points out to us all the above. He tells us of sunrise and sunset and the need to have inner peace. We need to juggle and find our balance. 

Don't just live and not think. Don't just think and not live. 

Thoughts to share on life

No 1430 of Living Life Series 1

If we are at old age, we keep losing weight even if we eat more as all the organs are not able to handle food. They are not functioning as before.

But before we are old, say below 65, our organs are functioning well enough. 

We are lucky if we are still growing upwards when young. 

But come the late twenties and especially in middle age, though our organs are functioning, the food we take add on to sideway growth and not to height. 

This is life and we have to accept it. 

This has to do with the certainty of change. The only certainty in life is uncertainty or change. 

Be at peace with uncertainty or change. We must accept change in us and around us.

We handle life changes with inner peace come what may. Then we will be able to face change, even the storms in life. No big deal at all. Don't be at mercy of life. Be at peace and count our blessings which we still have. This is the universal truth.

Do take care of health and meditate. Go for solitude where we can. Often we get caught up with life and have no time for self. 

If we fear change and are  at the mercy of life, how do we handle the four inevitables - disease, decay. old age and death? 

We must not do nothing and just suffer. 

We can do something but what matters is to be at peace. 

Be with life and don't avoid life. Don't ever over indulge nor give up. Hold the ground and inner peace needed for this.

What is said above is nothing new and not the purview of anyone or religion. The truth said is in life and in all religions. This is the universal truth. 

As this is in life and in all religions, Bo Tien 武 天 refers to this as the Inner Truth. This Inner Truth is there all the time. Bo Tien 武 天 is merely doing his part to share that this is in life and in all religions. 

The abuse of religion and God belief in life

No 1429 of Living Life Series 1

We often like to make the excuse not to try hard enough in life. We keep on saying that God will help us and answer our prayers. 

When we look for a job we like, we may just apply for that one job and wait it out. We are confident that we will get the job. Why? 

We simply have confidence that God will answer our prayers. 

When we don't get the job, we dare not question why God did not answer our prayers. We simply insist that God has better plans for us. 

Leave it to God. Is this misconceived faith in God? 

Why must we fold arms and not do more. Just wait it out and the job will be there for us. It is the will of God and we will get the job. Whether we get it or not is of no concern. Have faith and God will provide. If it is the wish of God, the job will look for us even if we do not even apply for it. 

Is religion meant to make us like that and out of touch with reality and always living in the fantasy world? It is simply so wonderful to stay on and hold on to the dream. 

Religion then makes us replace reality with dreams. The dreams become the reality and we live in. It is as though we are not in this world, out of this world. We even deny the real world and even deny our family. 

We may even arrive at the conclusion that God will have much better plans for us if we cannot land ourselves with any job at all. God will bless us so that our family and our parents will provide enough money for us. 

This will be even better as we have all the time and all the money we want. Just ask the family and parents and God will make sure they will give more money to us. 

We become more grateful to God and may think little of the good intention of the family and parents. 

When parents and family question us why we still do not have a job, we shout back at them telling them not to question and to trust us as we are grown-ups. We tell, they should not meddle with our lives and leave us alone. We may even shout at them because we think Satan has made use of them to interfere how we want to conduct our grown-up life. 

To make matters worse, we may assume others know what we are talking when in fact we talk few words to them. We jumped at them for not being attentive and always tell them off with "How come you don't know? " 

We don't even let them any space and time to explain. We just rubbished them off and think they are plain stupid and dumb. We stay out of the way even in the same house, shut our doors to them and get them out of our sight. We want to have as little to do with them. 

If religion makes us this way, then isn't that awful? But we insist that God is awesome and we are in fact better off and more comfortable, with all the time in the world and still have plenty of money. All we need is to pray to God. If we persist in asking family and making a fuss and din for family, money will come our way. We even tell off our parents that they should spend less and give us more. We tell them that they do not know how to spend money wisely. 

Has religion and God belief gone into our heads and make us bonkers? We can be better off without religion and God belief. Why is this so? Isn't that being godless and lost even with God in every minute and second in our mind? 

Bo Tien 武 天 says that humanity must learn from life and learn from the mistakes of other men so that humanity can be better than what they are, better in all aspects of life, in religions and outside and beyond religions. 

There is more truth in life. Often popular religion misused by men may end up derailing men from the truth that is in life and in all religions. 

This is the Inner Truth as it is in life and inside all religions. Bo Tien 武 天 highlights this. 

Those in religions who are derailed from reality and create more unreality or untruths for themselves seem near to God and saints but yet very far from God and saints. 

Bo Tien 武 天 says the near can be far and the far near. If we are far from any religion, but are realistic about life and do not abuse the God-belief, we are near to God and saints though far. 

We don't even have to idolise God or saints if idolizing and hero worshipping them make bonkers out of us. 

Bo Tien 武 天 says that in any religion, God is the Word and the Word is God. If we know the Word or truth in life and common to all religions, we know God and saints. If we do not know the Word or doctrine of truth in life even if we worship God and saints, we do not see God as God but see only the devil in us in God. Do you get it? 

Make religion great again, perhaps more than great

No 1428 of Living Life Series 1

There should be the call to make religion great again. Religion must be with the people, by the people and for the people to make them be with God, live by God and for God. 

As God is the Word and the Word is good, religion must be with all the threefold goodness. These are the three - religion with goodness in mind, religion must be by goodness of men and also the third aspect is religion for the goodness of men. 

It must stay clear of that which is bad. There must be no ill-will and dislike for other men. That will not be good. Do not damn others but help them. Do not wish them hell. This will be worse if done in the name of God and saints. There must be good feeling all round for all, even those who do not believe in God or view God and religion differently. 

Religion must be good for the far and the near. As Bo Tien 武 天 says, far and near is relative. 

The near to God if they are only good to their kind and creed and not good to all fellow men are far from God. 

The far from God who do not go to any temple or profess any religion can be near to God if they are good to all fellow men. 

Do not trample on other men. This will never be good and make religion far from great. 

Do not go to religion for entertainment or to be fellow schemers to highjack religion for far from religious causes. 

Do not do in God's name for ungodly gains of self and one's own kind. These have been making religions not so great though still good as some good is still done. 

But let us go the mile and make religion great again by staying clear of the not so good and living in the goodness of truth that is God. God is the Word. 

God is the unlimited goodness - good even for those who are not good. 

Religion can be great again if we judge not, lest we be judged. See not the dust in other's eye yet not seeing the dust in one's own eye. 

Religion can be great again if people in religion can learn from their own shortcomings and learn from the good and the weaknesses of not only one's own religion but from all other religions. 

Life is the greatest teacher. Bo Tien 武 天 says we can learn from our own lives and from the lives of others. We can learn from our own religion and from all the other religions and their sects. That way every religion will be better and greater. Do make religion great again. 

Any temple of any religion should strive to be great again by embracing all factions, big or small, worthy or not and let not anyone fraction or agendum monopolise the temple to the exclusion or expulsion of the rest. 

Respect the have-been beacons of a temple who are no longer able to contribute because of one reason or another. 

Do not crucify them just because you think you know better. They may still be better but you may not agree because you tend to fractionalise and monopolise. You want to take all the credit. That is far from good

Make religion great again by honoring and respecting the have-beens, the elders and the parents. Let them play some role to lead if you can for without them, there will not be the today, be it the today of a religion or a temple. 

May the elders listen and incorporate the views and ways of the young and come to some consensus and cooperation. Live and let live. Share and all will be more aware. That is the way to make religion great again.

Make religion great again by ensuring all comply and respect the laws of the land. Then both religion and the land can grow and flourish in goodness for the common good.

Dear all, there are so many ways to make religion great again. Make religion great again. 

Religion must raise us up when we are down and resurrect anew the zest and hope ever the more. Isn't that the intent of any religion? 

Make life great again and again through the fervor of religion. Recharge religion with love for all without bias and favor to bring more life to all and not just the select few. 

Make religion great again and life will be great as well. Do not give up with religion. Do not give up with life. 

Religion must give hope and love to renew and resurrect life. We must make religion great again for all to be great ever the more with life. 

Favor no one or any one religion. Love and cherish not just one or few but all, be this be religion or man we refer to. This is the way. 

Make religion great again. Our life too will be same as well. Make religion great and life too will be great. 

Do not live as though we are the only ones in this world and our religion is the only religion when we are with many others and their many religions. 

If we love ourselves and our religion, we too must love others and their religions. This will make life great, make religion great and everyone feel great. 

Make religion great again. Make life great again. Make all feel great again. 

We seem to have lost this feeling of greatness in life, in religion and in all that live and are with us in this world. 

We need to get this back and feel great again. All that is needed is to embrace all and love all the way we embrace and love ourselves.

As Bo Tien 武 天 says, a saint like him is like the great ocean that reaches out to many a shore. Religions together must promote love, peace and boundless goodwill that reaches out to many a man and shore like the great ocean. 

Religions must show that they have the same love and concern for men. The love religions promote is same whatever the religion. 

This is just like the taste of salt. The taste of salt in the great ocean regardless of which area or location of the ocean is the same. Regardless of the ocean of religions and their practices and ways, there is but one taste, the taste of same divine love. 

This must be understood and accepted. Then we can make religion great again. Do make religion great again. 

Do so meaningfully and make it happen. Men become greater in their own religion if they respect and love all religions and learn more from other religions so as to be better in what they are in their own religion. 

There is need to be better in being good. Goodness is common to all religions and inside all religions. This is the Inner Truth Bo Tien 武 天 refers to. 

We know better and can be better in Inner Truth in our respective religions if we can learn more perspectives of this same inner truth in other religions. 

Won't that make religions greater than great again? This is the mission of Bo Tien 武 天 not just to make religions great again but to be greater than great. 

Focusing and capitalising on the Inner Truth can make religions greater than just being great. Make religions greater than just being great again.  

There is no better time to do so than in the here and now of the life of men in all religions. This can be achieved through any religion and no religion is better than another for this end. 

Be with God anywhere and not with men in a temple

No 1427 of Living Life Series 1

Why do people go to a temple or church? 

They go there to be with God and saints - to be one with God and saints. 

But what many see in a temple are men and not God and saints. They only have worldly eyes to see men. 

We should go to a church or temple to be with God and not with men though what we see at such a place are men. 

Bo Tien 武 天 says that man is man and God is God. 

So why go to a temple or church where we end up facing other men before we can even be with God. 

Men speak to us before even God can speak to us. What we hear from men may not be what God would want to say to us.

We might as well  be outside a temple or church as we can be with God or saints anywhere. 

In fact, Bo Tien 武 天 says the whole world is the true or universal temple with the sky or heaven as the roof. Religions are the pillars to support the roof of the world temple. 

Let us be with God anywhere and not in a temple where we may end up with men rather than with God. 

Bo Tien 武 天 says that the problems of men are many and plentiful. 

So where men congregate anywhere be it for any matters or even for worship, they bring their problem but end up bringing and creating more problems for other men. They end up far from being at peace and embroiled in the designs of men. 

This can well happen if they go to a church or temple where men congregate. Though near and supposedly in a house of God built by men for God, they are far. 

Bo Tien 武 天 says the near can be far and the far near.

The one who stays clear from a temple and from the designs of men is more likely to find the peace of God and be with God. 

He is also more likely to handle worldly life better as he is at peace with himself when he can be one with God. 

He is not embroiled by the whims and fancies and the politics of men, be this worldly or religious based. 

As Bo Tien 武 天 did remind all regardless of religion or even if none that man is man and God is God. 

Know who is God and who is man. Know what is of God and what is of man. 

We are more likely to mistake what is of man as that which is of God in a temple or church. 

Give this some thought, won't you? 

The choice is yours. 

Do you prefer men and the politics and problems of men? 

Or would you rather have peace and be away from the trivialities of being man just by being one with God in the world - the true temple or church of God? 

Some prefer to be with hell created by men than seek the heaven here and now by being one with God. 

The choice to be with God rather than men is obviously the better choice. 

Then we can have heaven here and now and not hell here and now.

Dare to differ and let others differ

No 1426 of Living Life Series 1

In life more so in religion, we must dare to be different and let others be different. No two can have same life and same blessings. There will always be difference. We cannot be someone else and others cannot be like us. 

But in religion, it is odd that men want to be busybodies and expect others to do and believe in what they do. How can that be? 

When someone in religion pray for a worldly blessing, if all in the congregation too pray for that same blessing, what do you think will be the result? 

Obviously, out of 100, if only a few will get that identical blessing, that will be wonderful enough. What about those 95 or more who do not get? 

This is like the lottery draw. If one strike a million dollars, others too will want to do so. But most will not get it. 

Yet, in religion, despite reality, men expect prayers for same thing to be answered. 

If men are to question the belief in God and the rationality behind prayers, they will be told not to test God. 

So ultimately with this line of approach, men just have to believe and not to question why. 

So who is the true religious man? Is he the one who believe and not question why but to do and die? Is he the one who questionS and thinks all the time - ever having doubts of one sort or another?  

He is supposed to be one to be able to fathom the truth in life. To do so, he cannot just believe and not to question why. How can one know if this or that is true if one does not find out for oneself? One cannot afford not to have doubts and just accept at face value. 

Doubts arise simply because a man could not understand and wants to investigate and get to the truth of the matter. If this cannot be done, then how can a person see the light. 

Bo Tien 武 天 says that it is alright to have doubts and doubts will lead one to find out and know better. Doubts do not hurt in the least God or saints and a doubt by anyone does not hurt or put God off.

In fact by having doubts if a person is able to find out more, he will be even more convinced with the teachings of God and saint in the end. He will then be even more closer and near to God than those who just believe and not think and not have doubts. 

A person deemed far from God or saint by many because of his doubts will in the end be more near to God or saint and the Word or teaching God or saint stand for. This is true in all religions. 

Bo Tien 武 天 says that all religions teach the same basic goodness but many don't think so. It is alright for them to think that way but when they see that that which are different are the additions added over the years and not the initial core teachings, they will understand better. Why is this so?

Any man must dig away the many layers of the various religions to arrive at the core or inside of religions - the need to balance and be atop the ups and downs of life to cultivate the inner peace that makes us more like God and saints. 

Bo Tien 武 天 refers to this as the Inner Truth that is one and same in all religions. But we must dare to be different and let others be different. We should not just believe and not question why. 

What applies to one person, may not apply to another. That is why in spiritual life, there are the religions and within any religion, there are denominations and what have we. 

Arguing till kingdom come as to who is right or more right is futile and frivolous. Let everyone dare to be differ and let others differ. That is to encourage all to think. That is the way in life, be it religious or otherwise. What applies to spiritual too applies to the life outside religion. This did Bo Tien 武 天 say as well. 

If the writer of this blog series, can talk of the same inner truth in so many ways in so many posts, surely men can have religions of so many kinds and with any religions the many sects, sub-sects and denominations of all shades and color as well. 

But ultimately it is how to see that same inner truth in all. Do let us dare to differ and let others differ. This will stimulate more to think and the more they think and find out the better. 

Do get to the inner truth that leads to inner peace regardless of religions or starting points. 

So please dare to differ and let others differ. Humanity is like that. We have to differ and let others differ. No two is same even if twins. But all must get closer and more of the inner peace at each one's own time, pace and place. 

Do not be a busybody and dictate what others do in the same way we do not want others to do so to us. But of course all must obey the laws of the land, otherwise all are not free to do what all want to do and let others do what they want to do. 

Bo Tien 武 天 says that we must comply with the laws of the land so long as we are in the flesh and not yet in the afterlife. If anyone tries to run foul of the laws of the land and disrupts the differing religious ways of others, then such a one is far from God and saints though he thinks he is near. Bo Tien 武 天 did say that the self-proclaimed near to God may be far, didn't he?

Live with and love elders to be near to God and nation

No 1425 of Living Life Series 1

Why is there the need to honour the elders even if their days of guidance and leadership are over? They may no longer be as good when they grow old and may know less than the young who are often better educated than them. 

While it is in religion to honour elders and parents, there is sometimes the contradictory call to regard God as the father and this some may mistake as the justification to sidestep the elders and fathers on Earth. 

Even if fathers are imperfect more so when they are old, there is need to bow to their wishes where we can and not to hurt them when this cannot be done. Do not hurt them even emotionally. 

Whilst we look to God and saints as perfect in every way, what God and saints can do is to bless us somewhat but we still have to learn from them how to be good and to manage life on our own for the main part of our life. 

We cannot expect God and saints to give us perfection. In fact, the only perfection we can have is imperfection. Uncertainty is the only certainty. Uncertainty or call this impermanence if you may is the greatest imperfection.

A seemingly imperfect God provides the perfection for us to learn. A perfect God never guarantees perfection and never say we will not have the ups and downs in life. Likewise, our elders and parents are good for us when we are young and we need them to grow up. They never say we will not have the imperfect ups and downs in life. 

But what they want to teach us is how to grow up and how to depend on ourselves and not on them all the way - how to be as perfect as can be to handle life.

It is a reality that elders and parents become no longer of direct help when old and therefore far from perfect and more a liability. In fact, they need help instead. Nevertheless, we should have as perfect as can be the respect for them as though they are God and saints. 

Like God and saints, elders and parents cannot live our lives for us. This is the imperfection that really is not imperfection but perfection to allow us to learn and to be good more and more on our own so that we can have peace especially inner peace as we journey through the major portion of our life. This is what any religion is for and this starts in the family and in society with parents and elders.

We have to learn to live with uncertainty as the only certainty. The inevitable certainty is ageing and death. We must learn to handle even death. God and saints cannot take away certainty of ageing and death.

God and saints cannot promise us that we will not die. It is not that they are imperfect like our elders and parents in some way but that in this, there is the perfect or divine way for us to learn how to be perfect in handling the vissicitudes of life such as ageing, chronic diseases and death. 

The perfection is in teaching us the perfect way to handle life that leads to death - the perfect way to handle death even way before death happens. This is the way that overcomes not death but the fear of death. 

Do not be deluded that we will be resurrected in the flesh and can escape death. We can be resurrected instead in spirit with divine peace come what may even before death - for the countless days and seconds of we are alive before death. That there is death does not mean there is no life. 

Parents and elders do their part to grow us up to handle life and death. That they cannot handle life and death for us and mind you that they have to die as well should not be taken as their being imperfect. 

We should not sidelined them and replace them with God and saints who too leave us with the truth or Word to handle life and death despite the ups and downs. Do not be deluded that we will not age and die if we believe in God and saints.

Elders and parents are the first gods or saints and our homes the first temple or church. Family, kin, loved ones, colleagues and friends constitute the first religion. This is stressed too by the Buddha

Bo Tien 武 天 reiterates that respect for elders and parents is a precept or commandment in any religion. 

There is no perfect life, only perfect way to live. God and elders lead us to perfect the way to life - not a perfect life. No perfect life, only perfect way to life with elders as the first gods. 

Elders are the first gods even before we know God. If we cannot revere elders and parents, how can we truly revere God and saints? 

Respect for elders and parents is the gateway for us to be with God and saints. 

If we shut our doors on elders and parents, we will effectively be shutting away God and saints even if we are in a religion or frequent a temple. 

We may think we are near to God and saints, but we will be far instead. Bo Tien 武 天 says that the near may be far. 

In fact, those who respect parents and elders but do not go to a temple or even profess a religion are near though far from a temple or from man-made religion. 

They are the more reliable ones whom society, nation and divinity can count on. God and nation love those with respect for elders. They are near to God, society and nation. 

Such people will live with their parents and even other elders even if married and even if they have their own children. Do you do so and are there excuses not to do so? Would you like your children to do to you in the same way you do to your parents and elders? 

Men always have excuses. No wonder Bo Tien 武 天 says that the problems and issues of men are many and plentiful. This is exactly why life is the greatest teacher and the holiest of the holy texts - the Word of God in any religion or culture. 

Those who do not respect elders will be less likely to heed their advice with regards to life and even religion. They do know better but please have second thoughts; otherwise, they will not have inhibitions and have radicalised way of practising religion. 

They think they know best and overrule even the majority. They end up loving themselves and not loving others though love is always on their lips and they are proud to let others know of their good deeds to the poor and destitute. But they see not their disrespect and ill-will to elders as problem - even justifying this as right and proper. The consequences need no elaboration. 

They claim to have God with them but there is not an iota of God in them. How can God loving persons have hatred and ill-will? As they care less about elders and parents, what do you expect of them? Isn't this obvious dislike for elders and parents. Do they love their parents and elders? Do they think ill of them? 

Such men are to be found in any religion and culture and the tell-tale giveaway is that they respect not parents and elders and keep away physically from them for most of the time in any week. Respect for parents and elders must be the cornerstone of any religion or culture. 

Temples and societies who mistreat their have-beens, the elders and make them subservient and do the bidding of the young they nurtured are in obvious decay and lack moral not to mention divine fibre. 

They are even a few notches worse than keeping away from elders and leaving them alone. They demean the elders and sometimes make the elders do cleaning up jobs for the young in family or in public domain. 

That they do in fact pay them allowances does not compensate or nullify the meanness. This may be wrongly regarded as kindness if taken out of context. 

Yes, the elderly need money and there is no doubt about that. The context and way it is given makes the difference between real love and respect on one hand and superficial or put-up love and degree of meanness on the other hand.

God, forgive them for they know not what they do though with every word from their mouth they claim to have you in mind, yet they do not honour their parents and elders. 

But do know that if elders still need to upkeep family because their children are disabled or poor, to deny the elders cleaning jobs is unthinkable and definitely not kind at all if such jobs are what they can handle.

Even in loving God and saints, there are those who end up patronising human dignitaries instead of God and saints on the very day meant for celebration of God and saints. 

Instead, it would have been far better on such holy occasions that they celebrate the past good works of the elders, the have-beens without whom they will not be standing where they are. At least, these elders are the very ones who brought them God and saints and who initiate them in the goodness of God and saints and bring them the Word of God and saints. 

But alas, many are those who are attracted to religion or a temple like insects and ants to a flower. Blame not the flower for insects and ants coming to it. This Bo Tien 武 天 did say. 

Blame not God and saints for their coming to religion for wrong intention and even making elders and pioneers as persona non grata and even rewriting the history to deny the roles of the elders in the bygone days. These are the very elders who bring them to God and saints and pass the baton of leadership to them. 

Such godless people may claim to be with God and saints but abusing the good name of God and saints by degrading the elders at a temple or religion and even forsaking parents at home. 

They proudly without any shame at all make it known that to serve God and saints, they need to forsake parents at home and elders in a temple or religion. 

But the wonderful and ridiculous part is that there are those who buy what they say. What has indeed become of man in such an eventuality? It is because of such men that saints like Bo Tien 武 天 have to do their part to wake up such men and make good what they did wrong. 

But such men are present in any religion and temple - even in a temple in the name of Bo Tien 武 天. This allows observers to learn from their mistakes and not to make the same mistakes in their life. 

Observers can learn why it is important to live with and love elders to be near to God and saints, even if these errant men stubbornly stick to their folly of running down elders and sacrificing parents and family in the name of religious calling. 

Bo Tien 武 天 reminds us that regardless of our religion, we should learn from the lives of others, not make the same mistakes and be better in our own life and our own respective religion, even if we cannot change such men to be better for their own good and for the good of others. 

They will get the hang of it and one day by just being in a religion or temple, they surely will see the light and not stay in darkness. It is far better for them to be in a temple or religion and being wrong in a holy place than to be wrong outside in the world outside religion. 

Let them come to a temple or religion like insects and ants to a flower for nectar as said by Bo Tien 武 天. Blame not the flower. Blame not God and saints but let time and divine presence change them in the long run. 

Religion must never be the excuse to escape from worldly and family responsibilities. Religion always say that we must give to the world and family what is due to the world and family. Give to God what is due to God. 

Don't end up giving money to God when money is of the world. God do not need money but men of God do. Be aware of the difference. Men of God doing God's work need money to do that. But God do not need money. Confuse not what is for men and what is for God.

Our elders and parents do need money. But money is not enough. More than money is needed. Support for elders and family must be beyond what money can provide. 

We must be with the parents and elders, live with them and support and cherish them beyond what money can do. Money can buy services of a house helper but nothing can replace the support in person by us.

God does not need our support but we need God blessings and support. What has gone into our head if we think we need to bless and support God. 

The problem is that educated and capable people do that. To make matters worse, they give all they can muster for God and plain forget or just give token service to parents and elders. 

Perhaps the world we know has gone upside down but many don't agree with that. They should know better what they should or should not do, what they can and cannot do. 

They must make the choice and live by the consequences of that choice which many refer to as free will. We should not judge, otherwise we be judged. 

Do we live up to the expectations we expect of others? Are we not hypocritical if we cannot do so? Often we like to see the dust in another's eye but fail to see the dust in our own. 

Life certainly is the greatest teacher of truth. No need to be in a religion or two to learn about life and God. One great lesson of life is that we must learn to live with and love elders to be near to God and nation.

Religious barriers are by men - not by saints

No 1424 of Living Life Series 1

No way for anyone to make spiritual headway if they go by the way of what men delineate as religion or sect. 

Men must always question and not accept as untouchable any teaching or tradition set up as rigid and unquestionable. 

Not to believe and to have doubt is frowned at and this puts off men in none of two ways. 

If they do not accept, they cannot stay on in the religion and must leave. This can be an issue in religion. 

If they want to stay on in the religion,  it is taboo for them to ask and question why but just to do and to die by that beliefs set up by men in a religion when they reach the end of life. 

Prophets known to men had always not accepted what religious beliefs they were born into but they always questioned, challenged and changed the beliefs so that others may not go blindly into and stick to the beliefs and die by the beliefs. 

Prophets were never born into any religion. They were just born into popular beliefs of their race. There were no religions then and no issue of this was your religion and that was mine. 

How come, men can put together what the prophets taught as a religion when what the prophets were born into are never termed religions then? 

If men never had coined the term religion, it would be so simple. Men do as what others do in others' place. Then they will be accepted by the others. Then if men do differently, others too may pick up what such men do and this becomes what the others do when the others are back at their own place. 

Isn't this to be good and to be expected? In time, men integrate what men learn at others' place into what men do at their own place. This is simple, logical and cool. No problem at all and this is best. 

But the moment humanity use the term religion, this automatically spells problems. Humanity runs the risk of erecting mental walls to separate one group from another. Men take what are practised in another religion as distant and if possible not to be accepted. 

This will be more so, if some in a religion tells others in another to give up what these others do spiritually if the others are to accept what they believe and do in their religion. 

Fortunately among those involved with religions, with more level headedness and globalisation, such barriers are breaking down and the lines drawn if any are blurred. 

But some of the faithful in a religion stick to their religious passion and insist on drawing the lines and creating barriers and walls among men. 

This will of course run counter to what religiosity should promote - the oneness of people. Instead this primes men into distinctive groups even within the same religion or sect.

Bo Tien 武 天 said that he came to this world therefore not to further create any new religion or to favor any but to open the eyes of men to see that they can learn from all beliefs to make them better in what good they already are. 

Religion is only a label. It has become the reality and there is no avoiding that. 

But religion as a label and identity can cause humanity to lose touch with the reality of the oneness of truth common to and behind all cultures and belief systems. 

Humanity can always integrate the systems, add or subtract in a given culture and promote better understanding how to be good and be with God and saints - how to have the divine peace of God and saints. 

This is inside all belief systems and cultures. It does not mean men must denounce their own culture and become members of another culture. Men can imbibe and have cross learning. Men can develop a national, a community and a global culture. No need to draw the lines but better to overlap and enlarge the common ground. 

But men cannot disown themselves from being in a specific ethnic group so as to be members of another ethnic group or race. This is the reality society have to live with but men in society must appreciate one another for what men are and for the differences in men. 

This is so simple and the in-thing but somehow sections of humanity can be blind to this. 

Alas, to have a racial or ethnic label is already drawing the line and introducing social barriers. For some on the edge and not in the mainstream, they rigidly hold on to religion and use religion as another social identity. 

They can even feel so proud of their religion and pride get into their heads. They feel they are in a class of their own. This is to add another potential problem to the potential problem of ethnicity. 

Bo Tien 武 天 commented that the problems of men are many and plentiful - even more so with spiritual matters. 

Men can be immature and blind when they get passionate with identities. Race as an identity is one. Having clan and dialect as additional identities further divides. 

Then what happens if on top of all these, we have man-made religious labels which never existed as labels during the lifetime of the religious prophets. 

Men become religious to solve problems and find happiness but may end up creating problems and unhappiness. Problems are sure to surface if some men are out to erect religious barriers. 

Any quotation of a prophet or saint if applied out of context centuries after the lifetime of the prophet or saint can twist the meaning and intent of what was said. 

This can lead to more problems for religions and more barriers between one religion and the others. This can do great injustice to the wisdom of the saints and make them appear more like man than saints. 

Their mindset can be explained when we accept that man is no saint and will always err. But what if such men cause problems to other men in the name of a saint? Well, do not blame the saint for the fault of some men. 

Bo Tien 武 天 says man is man and saint is saint. There will be no end to the problems of man. The potential for problems and to incite problems is simply there waiting for the slightest of triggers for problems to materialise and happen. 

Some men simply have to learn the hard way from life even if they fail to learn from what a heavenly saint taught and the sad part is that they may even misconstrue the good intention of God and saint. 

This erect walls to set their religion as distinct and superior to other religions. This sadly can cause problems when they try to impose their views on others. Religious barriers if any are erected by such men and not by saints. 

These are the few men who are loud and such men can unsettled others and even cause pandemonium for the silent majority. They even do so in the name of saints and try to sway the usually silent majority. 

They think they know best. They deem the majority as ignorant and apathetic. They are so intoxicated by their beliefs to extent of being deluded and out of touch with logic. 

They are no longer rational and in touch with reality and they are in a world of their own. They impose their world on others.

They end up stirring disquiet, problems and unrest. Then what is supposedly meant to be religious in religion become far from religious. 

Society must help such people who can be in any religion. No religion is spared from such wayward people who are in the minority. So for goodness sake, do not point fingers at any religion. Though small in numbers, what they believe and do can wreck havoc. 

What can society do to them for the greater good of all? Well, only love can change them. Surely, any action based on dislike or worse still hatred will not work but will make matters worse by making them more entrenched in their fixation. Make them feel loved and wanted instead - not abhorred. Then in time, they will get out of their mindset. 

This is the divine love or loving kindness God and saints talked about. Bo Tien 武 天 says that to be at peace and have inner peace, there must be love all along the way of the spiritual path, from the start to the end and beyond. This is core to the teachings of all saints and all religious systems.

There is no place at all for hatred and prejudice in religiosity but only for love and acceptance, otherwise religions will pose barriers for religiosity.

Religious barriers if any are by men and not by God and saints. The use of the term religion may be the root cause. But wider society all over the world have embraced the term religion and the term is here to stay. 

Whatever the case may be, with or without the term religion, some men fueled by the passion for their religious or belief fixation will somehow justify hatred and prejudice as the right to have God-worthiness in religiosity. 

Then there will be no religiosity at all as long as there is hatred, dislike, partiality, bias and prejudice. Hatred or bias has no place in any belief systems, call these religions if you prefer to do so. 

No religion is spared from having the odd characters who consider hatred as a religious virtue - the mother of all virtues to have in religion. This is just badly misplaced and misconceived passion. This is absolutely not in keeping at all with God and saints in any religion or culture. 

We need to embrace and love such oddities and win them over with love and goodwill. We should not isolate them and frown at them - not even speak ill of them. 

We should not criminalise them but rehabilitate them with love. They are actually at worst deluded and misguided. 

They do love God and saints in their own way but they idolise God and saints and forget the Word that God and saints stand for. That this has to be about love, goodness and peace. 

They need help and they badly needed to be integrated with the mainstream and the world. Society should turn them over to the mainstream. Like what ancestors of the orient always said that if wild horses can be tamed and reined in, the horses can help to win the race and be assets.

Why do they need help? Who exactly are these few? They are the ones who have been sidelined in society and likely those who cannot find satisfaction and recognition in society. 

They somehow end up finding satisfaction in fringes of religion by joining up with like minded few. They become heroes in their own deluded world and try to impose their errant views even on the rest of their own chosen religion, not just the world. 

So love must be extended to them. Help them to have a place in wider society which have eluded them and sidelined them to the fringes. Help them to get the satisfaction which they failed to get in society before they become the radically different. 

Then there will be no need to enter the fray of radicalised religion. This few are not just in one or two religions but can be found in all religions. No religion is spared from this aberration. 

Additional factors that promote religious divides or barriers include the following two :- 

                  (1) The need to be different from elders and parents become a factor to make some to be radically different. When respect for elders is downplayed in religion in attempt to win over numbers, some can end up radically different from mainstream in their religious views and attempt to take over leadership from elders. 

                 (2) The feeling that these few think they know better drives them to think that those not with the same view as them are lost and need to be saved. This will create unpleasantness.

Humanity must make efforts to break down the barriers that create distinct interest groups, be it in religion or otherwise. These are man-made barriers and not at all the design of God and saints who depict divine love. 

Divine love is not for select few but for all even those who have erred, transgressed and are offensive. Humanity too must do likewise. 

Religious barriers in particular are by men - not by God and saints. Religious barriers are divisive. Such divides in a religion and between religions are by man-made. Chew on this and ever be mindful.

Religion should not deny the world, family and fun

No 1423 of Living Life Series 1

Life cannot be without fun. Fun cannot be all that is in life. We need to attend to routines and to work for a living. 

Routines and work need not be serious matters. We need to inject some fun even in serious matters. 

Even for fun, there need to be some purpose for fun. There need to be some element of seriousness in fun. We cannot be aimless even with fun or we waste away and be lost to life. 

There is a place and time for rest and fun and a place and time for serious work. 

Bo Tien 武 天 states the obvious. Most rest by night and work by day. What is day will still end up as night and what is night will still end up as day. Fun and rest are needed to make the world go round and life to go on. But work and the serious realities of life must still take the centre stage for man. 

Life too is a serious matter but must still be fun or it will be drudgery. 

If life is all fun and no work, we will just be wasting life away. If life is all work and seriousness and no fun, we will tire out and wear ourselves away. 

Even monks serious about spiritual cannot do without serious work. Though supported by the masses, they have to have routines, like cleaning up and maintaining the monastery. 

When we say that they are not into the serious work, we mean they do not have worldly life. But they are in life and in the world. They cannot do away with worldly life. They need to eat, work and toil in monastery and they do need to interact with those in society and be in tune with them and their aspirations. 

They cannot be dead serious about spiritual life but must still have some worldly fun in life. They need to know the joy and fun side of life. They need to make spiritual life for themselves not boring and still have the fun side. They need to enjoy spiritual life. 

The common men who are not monks too can be like monks though they may be on different sides of the fence of life. Bo Tien 武 天 says that we need not be monks. 

We can go about the worldly life but still live in the truth or doctrine of life. We too can have inner peace and in fact we are in somewhat better position to do so when we are in worldly life. We are fully immersed in the reality of life with the ups and downs, the storms and calm seas - the yin and the yang. 

We are not insulated in a monastery but even monks in monastery face the same yin and yang though some say there will be less. Life for the laity is obviously more challenging. It is rich with the yin and yang of life providing us with wealth of learning. Life is the greatest spiritual teacher.

There is greater tendency to be derailed from achieving inner peace because the laity faces head-on the yin and yang of life. Life is rich with yin and yang and is fertile ground for learning to have inner peace for the laity. 

But some degree of fun must punctuate this serious pursuit. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Too much of dead spiritual pursuit can be a liability more so for the many who have some long way to go to achieve the lasting and higher levels of inner peace. 

The bottom line for the laity is that there is no excuse not to pursue spirituality and reap inner peace. 

Inner peace from spirituality is within the reach of all. No need to be monks, priests or pastors. Spiritual calling is not for the few but for all. 

But do not say that we cannot have all the fun just because of this calling. Aimless and excesses of fun of course will put us way off course. Have spiritual life but not give up the worldly life. 

No need to forgo fun and be dead serious on spirituality. The road for spirituality is long and what matters is to stay on course. 

Bo Tien 武 天 adds that the guiding spiritual values that ensure that we have more and more of inner peace despite the yin and yang will if applied to worldly life contribute to worldly success but not the reverse. 

Worldly success cannot be the end in itself but only the means to the spiritual end of attaining more and more of divine inner peace. Then we are attuned to the divine peace of God and saints and be with God and saints. 

We can do so without giving up the worldly life. We can have some honest and pure fun along the path for inner peace. We can have duality of worldly and spiritual life with touch of fun as well.

In fact this is true in any religion. We cannot forgo the family and the world of our job and social circles just to be hero to champion the call of God and saints. 

If we do so, we are irresponsible and sacrificing the family and the friends and colleagues we have at home, at our office and at the community. We may speak at length about our concern for family, friends and society but we do the exact opposite and stay away from society and hide away in churches or temples half the week. This would be ironical.

That is not loving and that is misplaced spirituality - no honesty and purity expected in the religious. What inner peace can we have then? 

We will be doing the exact opposite of what God wants in us and this is due to ignorance and fear that God will disown us. We will only find solace that we will not incur the displeasure of God. But is God like that? Is God so demanding and insecure?

We will then be far though we intend to be near God and saints. No wonder Bo Tien 武 天 says the near may be far, didn't he?

God and saints want us to serve men, family and society. We are not to serve only ourselves and least of all God. If God is God, he will not need us to serve him but to serve the world instead so as to bring peace and heaven to all in this world. 

So spend more time with the world - with family and society. Do not use God as excuse to neglect the world, family and society. Do not end up ungodly in the name of God. 

Don't neglect and give up the world in the name of spiritual pursuit. Be with the world and be with spiritual life that requires us to be with the world, and enjoy the fun that is in daily life that way. 

Bo Tien 武 天 says that the true temple is the world with heaven God and saints as the roof. All below the roof are in this temple - the ultimate holy place. This world is the world or universal temple for all religions. Religions are the pillars that uphold the roof of God and saints. 

As the world is the universal temple, for spiritual life, we have to be in the world, embrace and not deny it - no where can we leave the world. Do not try to leave the world. You will only be rattled and be lost to life and the world. Do not deny some fun in life even in spiritual life. 

For spiritual, choose the world, be with the world and deny not the simple fun in life. There must always be the light side of life. Make it sort of fun to have the spiritual life. Choose the world and not deny it. 

Embrace the light moments of life. There must be fun too in spiritual life. Be true to what is in our hearts and not put up pretence. We cannot be the holiest of the holy overnight, and even in just one lifetime. We cannot make it otherwise. 

What matters is what is in our hearts and not what we do to show other men. That would be putting up a show and sheer pretense. What matters is not what goes through the gut but what goes through the heart. 

This is the noble advice by Ji Gong 济公. He did not leave the world. He left the monastery to be with the world and he made it. He helped many to see the spiritual light and be happy and have fun even while living the worldly life. 

He is full of fun to be with and he ensures that those he come across and assisted too have fun while becoming more spiritual without leaving the world - without denying the world, family and friends. In fact, they will have more life, more friends, more of family and more of the world.

Do not live as though you must deny life and the world and to show that you have given up the little joys and fun in life. That will be tormenting yourself and making yourself creating and carrying more unnecessary burdens - all self created. 

For spiritual, choose and not deny the world and the light hearted and pure fun side of life. What matters is to be pure at heart and to be at peace with life and the world and not battle with the world. 

Do not carry the cross of the burdens of life. By being with life and the world, we can better be on top of life burdens, and not be crossed with life and the world.  

Expect not others to carry your burdens. God and saints can only show you how not to do so. Without their teachings, we will end up picking up more burdens every time we are relieved of burdens.