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The Living Life Series is dedicated to Lord (武天) Bo Tien. The doctrine is in His image. The image is the doctrine. He who sees, understands and effects the doctrine sees and knows Him. He who does not see, know and effect the doctrine sees not and knows not the saint even if the saint or His image is beside him. The far may be near and the near may be far. Let the doctrine and the saint be part of our life. The lord saint in your life can be any heavenly saint of any religion, sect or school. The doctrine of truth is behind all and this is the Inner Truth that leads all (regardless of their religious affliliation or even if none) to inner peace and heaven on earth here and now and not just in the after life. The ideal worship and devotion is to know and effect the doctrine of God and the saints. The best gospel is the gospel of life. We learn from our life and the lives of others. The true temple is the world we live in. The sky is the roof of the temple and religions and sects are the pillars of the temple. All under Heaven are in the temple. The whole wide world and web is the temple and must be regarded as a sacred place --- a temple for living and learning. It is more important that everyone that counts plays a role in this universal temple if due focus is to be given to the Mission of Heaven. Men must not be distracted by the agenda of men and end up serving the mission of man. That would be a far cry from the Mission of Heaven.

Sunday, March 31, 2013

No big deal in eating or not eating meat

Learning Point No 280 


"What is important is what goes through the heart and not what goes through the gut" Ji Gong the Living Buddha










How on earth did many think that  the followers of the Buddha think that they must be vegetarian and not eat meat. Nothing bad about being vegetarian and not eating meat. 

Some are even not taking food cooked with garlic or onion for these would give a bad breath and smelly mouth when one breathes or talks. 

Avoiding meat or eating less of it may be healthy but will it help one to be enlightened. The answer is both yes and no. 

Yes, those who are motivated will want to be true to being good, to wish no harm or ill will to others, animals included. 

No, there are those who are vegetarians and yet  have dislike or unpleasant thoughts of their comrades in the same temple, of their friends and colleagues at work. 

They have foul mouth and speaks ill of others even if they do not smell of onion or garlic. 

Even if they think, speak and act ill, there may be health gains if they persist and are more orientated to vegetarian diet provided they do not go all the way and be overboard.

But have those who believed in the historical Buddha, Siddharta Gautama ever realised that when he went out for alms before noon, what were offered in his alms bowl must generally be accepted. 



He cannot be choosy and specify what he wanted. He had no clinging or attachment. Thus, he would still eat meat or food with garlic or onion. 

He would think, speak and act without clinging, without defilements arising from ill will, greed and false views. He is the fully enlightened Buddha and yet he would eat meat which was offered.

Eating meat would be wrong if one relished the idea of killing animals as game for food. That would be having thoughts of killing. 

Of course, if we wish that there is no killing of animals and eat less meat that would be good. But then again, did not the Buddha teach that there must be realism, there must be right views? 

We must avoid false views. There are two extreme views to avoid, one is denial and the other is indulgence. 

In denial, we simply wish away all forms of killing. Farmers kill pests, insects, ants and rodents just to grow vegetables. So it is wishful thinking to wish away killing by being vegetarians. But generally a vegetarian diet approach is good for health, more than for spiritual gains. 

In indulgence, we wish and have great fun albeit ill will in thinking of the pleasure of killing animals for food. We go to say seafood restaurant and choose life seafood like fish or prawns to be cooked live in front of us. Some restaurants or farms even allow patrons to choose which suckling pig to be killed to be roasted. 

What is important is in the heart. This was also  stressed by Amitabha Buddha. 




How we think determines how cultivated we are, how pure and enlightened we are. But we must not struggle with our mind and be vexed. Rome is not built in one day. We take one step at a time. We improve bit by bit and cannot be buddha over night.

When pilgrims from other countries went to India to learn more of the teachings of Buddha and other saints or gurus, they cared not the religion or label. So when they meet gurus or monks, they learnt from  them and religion did not cross their mind. 

The concept of religion as an institution is a later day or modern day innovation and such labeling was otherwise really non-existent in ancient times. So the ancient day pilgrims from Asia, China and Tibet met many other monks or gurus who practiced not just what Buddha taught but what these monks learnt from other gurus as well. 

There was no clear division into that this was Buddhism, this was Hinduism etc. This accounted for why many Buddhists in 2013 believe in being vegetarians when Buddha himself was not one. 

There is really therefore no big deal in eating or not eating meat. 


Ji Gong


One saint Ji Gong lived in China more than 1000 plus years ago as at year 2013 of writing this post. He ate meat and even drank wine. 

He was in fact asked to leave, literally expelled from the monastery for this. But he proved himself to be a saint and considered also a buddha. He helped many and has followers around the world. He says that what matters is the heart and not what goes through the gut. 









No one can be expelled from the temple

Learning Point No 279




The temple in Singapore
that echoes the universal temple
Lord Bo Tien refers to.

All temples and churches
too must echo the universal temple



No one is persona non-grata to the temple of the lord saint. Why you may wonder? 



The lord saint said that the true temple is the universal temple of God and all under Heaven are in this temple. The sky or Heaven is the roof. Religions are the pillars of this temple. 


Lord Bo Tien


Lord Bo Tien is a messenger of God to reinvigorate the oneness of religions under God and that all must make good to be with God one day. This is the temple of Lord Bo Tien. This is and should be the true Bo Tien Temple but if you and others are of other religious affiliation, you would refer it as the Church or what you prefer. 

There is not just one way to God but many. What is good for one is not good enough for another even if the two are of same sect or religion or under same priest or pastor. 


So dear friends we are brothers in this universal temple. We may still be strangers but we are one. We may be different but we are still one. We may not see eye to eye but we are still one. The earlier we come to terms with this, the better. 


Even if you do not comply with the norms and traditions of others in the same sect or religion, they cannot expel you for you will always be under the same roof and in the same temple of God. 


Ji Gong or Lord Ji

Thus when Ji Gong as monk Daoji in Hangchow China some 1000 plus years ago was frowned at for not keeping to the norms and expectations of monkhood, he was asked to leave the physical premises of the monastery. 


He left but in reality, he did not leave the temple. For he was already well cultivated in the Way or Tao, not superficially outwardly but at heart. What matters is the heart and not what one does or what goes through the gut. 



That he ate meat and drank wine is not the issue but whether he was pure and clear minded is the heart of  the matter. It was not renunciation of meat and wine that mattered. 

It was not running away from life in society but it was how to be true and correct with life, how to embrace life without the trappings of the three impure mental roots of greed, ill-will and delusion or false views. It is the embracing of good life by renouncing these roots that lead to problems in life.


Ji Gong embraces the world
and is in the universal temple

Ji Gong embraced the world at large and won acclaim and  displayed the true heart of a saint or buddha. So what if he was expelled from the monastery but he was always in the temple of God and saints and was able to serve beings in all realms under Heaven.


Elder Ling too was expelled from the physical Bo Tien Temple over his style and issues but whatever the issues, there is no place for so-called expulsion for that was and will never be an option. It would be absurd in the light of what is the true or universal temple.  

It may well be due to lack of spiritual leadership and lack of spiritual direction. perhaps absence of formal, not ad-hoc structure for counselling by a collective spiritual council which the lord saint wanted to have in place. But men being man wanted to have the last say by having a simple two in one. That is a human decision and independent from divine wisdom.


If those who decided that he be expelled, they must be forgiven for the error - for their lack of understanding of the teachings of Lord Bo Tien. For no one can be expelled. All are always in the universal temple of God and this is the temple of Lord Bo Tien. 


Elder Ling of course is not a saint like Ji Gong. But he is someone who has made his mark in the mission of God of which Lord Bo Tien is the messenger.


No one can be expelled from the temple of the lord. They may stand to be corrected or queried but they will always be in the temple of the lord, Lord Bo Tien to be specific.


No one can be expelled from the temple. They will always be in the temple. Even God will not expel beings from the universal temple, so it would be audacious and also that much unacceptable for a man to pronounce expulsion over another in any temple, church or house of worship. 


No one can be more God than God in the house of worship of God. Man must know his place and not stray into what is for God to decide and when perhaps God had already decided from the start or genesis of time.


If someone has erred, it is more important that they remain in the temple or house of worship and be convinced that they have erred or perhaps it is some of the rest who have erred and need to be convinced that they have erred. 


Omitofo





Saturday, March 30, 2013

Boss Qian and the tumor - a Ji Gong Parable

Learning Point No 278


Go to http://www.chinaexpat.com/2010/09/30/boss-qian-and-the-tumor-a-chinese-parable.html/




Don't expect the world of a church or temple

Learning Point No 277








Many temples and churches have open doors and try to be popular. This is good as only by being attractive will people come to it. 

But a flower too is attractive but what it attracted are insects who do not value the flower but only go to the nectar. They hack care what happens to the flower after getting the nectar. The flower wilts but there is still good outcome and the good outcome is not the intention of the insects. 

The good outcome is that though the flowers wilt and die, seeds are formed and dispersed to far away areas so that new plant and flowers will result. These would benefit others and attract new admirers or followers. Of course, there will always be insects coming to the new flowers. Don't blame the flower for insects coming to it. 

In a temple or church, if good is done, the beauty of the temple or church will  attract people but more often than not, genuine seekers of God are few and far between. The many that come go for the nectar of personal and social gain. 

That is how a saint or prophet starts a temple or church. Only a handful are genuine but the majority rest are out for personal and social gain. But at least they could become wee bit spiritual and good in some way. Otherwise, God knows what would have become of them. 

It is easier to attract and bring together such a loose bunch to kick start a new temple or church than to try to bring together a group of good spiritual men who because of pride that they know better but yet not enlightened (that's why they have pride) will split hairs on what best be done and the temple will never be able to grow and be set up. 

So wise up and do not expect the world of a church or temple. Do not gasp in aghast when you find the pastor or priest charged with incest, embezzlement, corruption or even sexual misconduct. At least whatever good they can do, they could not do if they are not pastors, priests or monks.

Don't expect the world of a church or temple.  Any Bo Tien temple too is the same like any other temple or church.




Mission hampered by lousy men?

Learning Point 276 





Lord Bo Tien is hampered in His Mission by sheer lousy men. This may be the superficial conclusion of some. 

If this is true, what is He trying to prove? Perhaps it is that the mission can go along without men and the mission is the mission of Heaven, not of Man. 

Perhaps, He can teach lousy men a thing or two and make some good out of them. 

But are men lousy and if they are, then He won't be executing the mission to save them for you can help them a little but not much. 

The Mission is to save souls and men being imperfect will benefit from the Mission. This applies even to lousy men

Such men are perhaps not lousy but simply have to alot to learn. That we have alot to learn does not mean we are lousy. University students have alot to learn. So are politicians but are they lousy? 

Many have a long way to go but what matters is to make it by learning a thing or two or perhaps more here and now in this life. Cheers





Tao is best cultivated when you are man

Learning Point No 275




Many beings in all realms, even those men refer to as heavens want to live life as man because there are many opportunities to learn as man. 

But many men are tired of being man and wish they are in heavens even before their time. 

Many populist approach religions and sects peddle tickets to Heaven. You can even bribe your way and reserve a place there and that is the sad state of affairs. You only need to believe and embrace God. There seems to be no need to cultivate yourself. 

Men forget that it is a privilege to be man and such privilege may not come their way again. This life they have as man may not come their way again. 

They should make the best of the privilege. God and saints will help those who help themselves but they must want help in first place. 

They try to motivate men to continue being man. They moderate their life problems so that small issues be no issues and big issues at least be small issues, if they cannot be no issues. There will always be fate or providence the sages say. 

The crux is that men be wiser from the issues in life. Men must learn and life is learning. Life is the living gospel for men to learn. 

Saints liven up the learning in life so that learning is at pace suitable for men. This learning in life dear readers and friends is what sages of old refer to as the Way or Tao. 

Life is Tao and Tao is life from the moment of birth to death. Tao is best cultivated when you are born as man.