Did the lord saint decree that his image be burnt if there is no doctrine mission?

Learning Point No 259
Reference Historical version of Bo Tien Chor Choo's 1978 Anniversary Message...

 

 

Book Lord Bo Tien's Guidance
published by Bo Tien Temple
Singapore in year 2000

On page 25 of the book Lord Bo Tien's Guidance published by Bo Tien Temple Singapore in year 2000, the lord saint Lord Bo Tien remarked in His 1978 anniversary message that His image was at the Temple altar throughout 365 days and yet His presence was not being felt at all. 'My Doctrine', He said, 'is my image and my image is my doctrine.' He urged them to look closer at His Doctrine and they would understand Him better. He affirmed that God Almighty personally sanctioned the setting up of the Temple and His Doctrine. Should this generation fail to fulfill His Mission, His image would be lifted up to heaven*. The next generation of people or perhaps many generations to come would fulfill it. The cycle of this task would go on until a day when it would succeed. (Extract from The 1978 message of Lord Bo Tien set the direction for the mission.)

 

DISCUSSION:

Did the lord saint decree that his image be burnt (lifted to heaven) if there is no doctrine mission?

Lord Bo Tien is set on His mission to spread His doctrine of Four Pillars around the world. The doctrine is all and is even His image. If the generation in a temple with his name is lukewarm for doctrine and takes no interest, his image might as well be burnt* and this could well have happened literally, if not at least figuratively.

He seems to imply that His image be burnt so as to return it to heaven if there is no doctrine mission. Is this the case? Perhaps so and yet not so as there are the limited many still keen on doctrine and the practice and spread of doctrine through good works.

The best good work is not an aged home or welfare activities but the gift of doctrine to others. This too the lord saint said in his 1978 message.

  

On page 26 of the above mentioned book, the lord saint said "Now that the Aged Home had been established, it was the time to put forward His Doctrine. He said, 'Good deeds are in many forms.'  "

On pages 33 and 34 of the book, at the end of the lord saint's 1983 anniversary message, the lord saint said to those present at Singapore.

"The past year messages were to teach and guide us so that we would not go against Heaven. His coming was to spread the Doctrine for Heaven to all beings." 

"He then likened us (followers) to be the pillars of His temple  and if the Doctrine is not used and understood, then it should be returned to Heaven."

This 1983 reference on return of Doctrine to Heaven resonates with what he said in 1978 that his image is the doctrine and the doctrine is his image. The mission is to understand and use the doctrine, spread it to the world. There is need for setting up the doctrine for the world. Should there be failure to do this, "his image would be lifted to heaven*"

In that 1978 message, he stressed that "My doctrine is my image and my image is my doctrine." and thus his image or doctrine must be lifted up to heaven if followers fail to set up the doctrine for the world.    



Elder Ling

In his own independent initiative, inner truth netizen with Elder Ling as mission head (annointed mission head or Ah Tau by Lord Bo Tien) effected setting up of the Doctrine on the w.w.w. to  complement the efforts of the many in the spread of the doctrine to the world of men. Thus is the aim of the Living Life Series.  

 

*PS  Please do be wary and cautious not to draw unfavorable conclusion with regards to a post-2004 incident in a Bo Tien mission related temple. The incident even had the support and enthusiasm of inner truth netizen. That it came to pass was perhaps just purely incidental without any relevant or pertinent connotation of sorts. People do from time to time want to have a more refreshing and motivating new image. This is sometimes for better fengshui for both environmental and social harmony. They will thus burn off the older image but Elder Ling said that an old image retired off from active service could be kept in the attic or museum of a temple.

The act of burning off an image of the lord saint so that there be place for a better looking one is understandable and humanly acceptable by public, though the lord saint said that what is important is the doctrine, never mind if his wooden image has a crack as even his image like the rest of nature is impermanent. Obviously, it will in time crack as it is made of wood.

This reference can be found in the 1980 anniversary message of Lord Bo Tien and is in the last paragraph of page 27 of book LORD BO TIEN'S GUIDANCE published in year 2000 by Bo Tien Temple Singapore. The lord saint said, "As the image is made of wood, it would crack over time. This is unimportant. The important factor is that men would be able to grasp its significance (the doctrine as depicted in the image) and put it into practice."