- based on explanations by Lord Bo Tien who is not here to start a new religion or sect but he is here to show that the same basic doctrine is there in all religions and sects. He seeks no one to worship him. The future of his temple if any is of no consequence compared to the awakening of men to the basic doctrine - the inner truth in all religions and sects.
Everyone in a temple or church likes to think he is the chosen one and without him, the temple will not be as good. Whilst this thinking is in a way good, it is also not good as it means that he is attached to or clinging on to the temple or church.
He either needs the security of the temple saint to back him up or he needs to use the temple as stepping stone to be somebody in society so that he can get national award or knighthood.
He may well be also taking some risks at work or job and hopes the temple saint will ensure that he don't run into troubled waters and be censured or taken to task by secular society.
Both these two motives are acceptable. Why is this so? Most people including ourselves do seek God and saints for such blessings.
But to the more insightful and discerning, there must be doctrine that would make them realise that there is more than these two motives in coming to a temple saint.
What is perhaps or obviously more paramount is not just worldly blessings but how to go further than worldly or mundane blessings.
It is true that our worldly or mundane life must be satisfactory so that life will be less problematic. Big issues will at least be small issues even if they cannot be no issues.
Men must go for more than what the material or mundane world could provide, that is, which cannot be derived from worldly and mundane life.
Men must realise that more and more from worldly life may not be more but end up less and less for life will be that more onerous and problematic.
The peace of life that men wants cannot be from the material world. At the same time, men cannot go away, give up and deny (do without) the material world.
There are somehow at least certain basics and what these tantamount to depends on the individual and do vary from person to person.
Beyond the basics more can be counterproductive and can in fact be less. How to decide on how much is really enough or optimum depends on insight or awareness. No two persons are alike.
What we want subconsciously is the peace come what may.
Having no worldly trappings of mundane life brings no peace. Having too much even if we can have all we want can embroil us to hectic high pace life and there is no peace but allot of headache trying to attend to and maintain or have more.
When we cannot have all and more, we would suffer from torment of getting what we want, when in fact, we already have more than what others could even hope for.
Thus we must have mind keen to have balance in life, not only of mundane or worldly life but also the spiritual or supra-mundane.
We cannot go more and more even of spiritual or supra-mundane, for then, there is incessant wants and no peace.
We could also not give up every thing in life for that would result in void and no peace.
We must go for peace of life moment by moment and try to have a little incremental improvement of that peace from time to time.
Even if we do backslide but still have some peace, we should be accepting and be peaceful - never be ruffled by the apparent down for the time being.
We should know that the balance of the ups and downs or the contingencies of life is a dynamic one.
What we go for is peace, be it less for now or more for now or the same as before. This is a good habit.
We need to be contented and be restful. We should have less of restlessness of the mind but fear not having restlessness if this happens.
We must take stock and be aware. Mindfulness is half the battle won and we will have peace and not war within.
We should not let fear or guilt have the better of us but if they do happen, be aware of them as feelings or emotions. Just by being aware, they seem to be less intense and to subside.
Sometimes, perhaps even often, the faithful in any religion will call on the names of the saints. By their faith and by virtue of the vast meritorious energy of the saint, the restlessness, fear or guilt will dissipate and problems will seem to go away.
Why do we need to call on the name of a saint such as Omitofo? We are still on the path to have peace. We are novices at that and few are adept at the path or Tao (Way) to have more lasting peace. We do need self cultivation but often this is not good enough.
We then call on Jesus, Omitofo or any of the many saints that God provides through religions and sects and even outside religions and sects.
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