Review of the pivotal role of precepts

Learning Point No 403

The universal precepts introduced by Lord Bo Tien
1. I must believe in One God
2. I must believe in what all the Saints preach in words, thoughts, deeds and all that are written.
3. I must not kill.
4. I must not steal and do what is extremely bad to harm my neighbours or their belongings.
5. I must not covet my neighbour’s wife.
6. I must respect my parents and all those elder than me.
7. I must not bear false witnesses against my neighbours

Precepts are good for those who do not know doctrine and have little devotion but still want to be in religion at superficial level. Only with some devotion to God and saints can there be spiritual conscience. Precepts are good for the many who are in this category. 

To comply with precepts, there must at least be some sense of conscience. Those without devotion has no spiritual conscience. 

Those who break precepts are either those with no spiritual doctrine and hence no conscience or those who know but yet ignore doctrine and precepts. They end up living beyond the out of bound markers we know as precepts. 

They end up with sexual misconduct and no respect for elders and parents. All they want is that they benefit and they want glory for themselves. They go for tuff guarding and take over others' tuff. They often belittle the elders, scoff at them and some are even openly adulterous partly because they do not respect hierarchy and personal space.

Many in a temple break precepts and they do so because they are wanting in devotion, doctrine and conscience. They are after all like insects coming to the flower for nectar. 

If men of a temple cannot keep precepts, they cannot carry out the mission of the temple saint. They are only interested in their own secular interests or agenda. We can say they are only going for their own mission. 

Those in the mission of a temple saint may not know the doctrine or tou-li well but must at least be able to keep the precepts. This is really the bare minimum. If they can keep precepts, they can still be reliable, have faith or devotion to the temple saint and the potential to know the doctrine. 

But do be aware that the temple saint cannot stop those who cannot make it from coming to the temple, for the flower cannot turn insects from coming to it for nectar. This the lord saint Lord Bo Tien did say. 

It is best that men who cannot keep precepts learn to be meek and humble and not act high key to denounce others, unless they themselves have clean slate in the past. 

Judge not lest we be judged. The exalted will be humble and the meek and humble will be exalted. This can work both ways, that is affect both parties with disputable bone of contention. 

Those who couldn't keep precepts and did not make amends, yet quick to point fingers at others or perhaps even nonchalantly and knowingly carry on breaking the precepts will face retributions they created. 

They may even have to undergo correctional training here or in the after life. This is for their own good and not out of ill-will or wrath of Heaven. 

The common transgressions of precepts are telling lies, putting on records that which are not true with intent to mislead and malign, not valuing a spouse and throwing him or her away for another, having adultery with another member's wife or with wife's sister or kin, despite still having religious frontage and stature. 

The more high profile a temple or church is the more likely will there be breaches of precepts. The modern world is replete with new fad for breach of precepts. One is the misuse of money or finance. which is tantamount to stealing and day light robbery. 

There is always the tempting tendency when there is abundance and plenty and when men of high stature are fallible and their following gullible. This is likely when they have catapulted themselves into leadership through charisma and deceit such as twisting the holy word and slanting it.

Precepts are the pillars to guard against impropriety and men acting like they are insects coming to a flower when they are in the house of God. The flower cannot stop insects from coming to it. 

But in the house of God and saints, precepts give ample notice and are wake up calls to men who may transgress and face what they themselves create. 

God and his saints are kind to give advance caution but men may throw caution to the wind. Don't ever say God and saints are unkind when men commit transgressions and tarnish the good name of God. 

Such men also create their own consequences of their actions. Blaming God for the consequences is ironical. But the good God will still help them though of course in God's own terms. However, they will still face the law of the land even after facing the softer laws of Heaven. 

Thank Heaven that though the problems of men are many and plentiful as noted by Lord Bo Tien, a mission related temple of the lord saint can still make it somehow. With divine blessings, issues big and small will be no issues even if big issues can at times end up still as small issues. 

Men can learn but let them learn at their own paces. Do not be a busybody. No two men are alike. Thus even for seemingly identical problems, different solutions for the two may be warranted. 

One size fits all will not work, more so in religious matters. Hence over exuberant evangelism can often create more headache and woes than solve them. A little may still be alright.