Yin yang aspects in salvation of souls

Learning Point No 288

At the end of this post or article, you should be able to have inkling why Ji Gong is frequently portrayed as always looking and reflecting on crickets in a bowl. 

Why is Ji Gong fascinated by crickets? 

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The cessation of trancing as way for Lord Bo Tien to communicate with men in Singapore by 1984 is to indicate that this will no longer be the way as men have the gullibility to mistake the saint in man and the man in saint. Men may be worse off in the end. Men tends to see the means as end and the end as the means.

Lord Bo Tien

The cessation by the lord saint of trancing was  and is because the doctrine has been imparted in the 13 years of the first phase of his mission since his first descent in 1969. 

We must grow the candle flame of knowledge based on on the basic doctrine and understand the need to kindle and bring on the grasp of the basic doctrine in other men. 

They must understand that the basic doctrine of God and the need to be like God and to be near to God by yin yang balance is basic to all religions. 

Men cannot be saved by good works alone and men too cannot be saved by just asking to be saved. 

There must be combination of these two but the proportion may differ from man to man and from life station to life station in the same man. Yang is active. Yin is passive. Just believe and seek refuge. There is yang within yin as well. 

Even Kuanyin Posat requires more than just passive faith and confidence. She too imparts some doctrinal value of belief and need to be pure and steady, not to judge oneself or others but to grow the love of life for the individual and for others. 

"Release judgements about yourself and others and focus on the love and light that is within everyone." This is already doctrine and the active or yang nature of approach within the predominant yin. You need to live or practice doctrine and not surrender to be saved. 

While her vow is to help all even those who do not actively pursue doctrine, and all that beings need to do is to seek her help, her approach is still mixture of yin and yang though more of good passive yin - mere belief and confidence that she will keep to her bodhisatva vow to help all who call out to her. 

With Bo Tien Mission, there is the three prong approach as exemplified  by the trinity of images of the shrine, with Buddha at centre, Lord Bo Tien on his right and Goddess Kuanyin on his left. 

Each embodies both yin and yang and the balance of the two. There is yin within yang and yang within yin. Yin is translated as soft or passive  and yang as hard or active. This principle is in the Bagua as depicted by the dot within yin and yang.

Bagua

But Lord Bo Tien image embraces more of the yang - the discipline and doctrine than on mere believe in him. But as said before there is yin within the apparently predominant yang. 

Taken as a trinity, the three images personifies yin and yang balance. The three images too remind us that some need more of yin and some more of yang but in time all must have the ideal yin and yang balance and mixture as represented by Buddha. 

Amitabha Buddha

Now who is this Buddha, Gautama or Amitabha? This is perhaps immaterial for one is the other and the other is one though they are not the same, yet same. We should be able to see and merge the two as one and yet see the one as two. The divine energy of either pervades the universe and has no limits. They are one. 

Gautama Buddha

Yin yang understanding is necessary in mission to save souls. Need more be said.

Ji Gong Posat reflecting on yin and yang in life
as depicted by pair of interacting crickets in bowl

Deliverance from suffering and harm

Learning Point No 287

"Chiu-k'u-chiu-nan Pu-Sa lai!" 

(Save-from-Suffering - Save-from-Harm. Bodhisattva-come!)

Below paras are extracted from
http://inmortalkwanyin.blogspot.sg/#!

GUAN YIM AND THE THOUSAND ARMS

One Buddhist legend presents Guan Yim as vowing to never rest until she had freed all sentient beings from samsara, reincarnation. Despite strenuous effort, she realized that still many unhappy beings were yet to be saved. After struggling to comprehend the needs of so many, her head split into eleven pieces. Amitabha Buddha, seeing her plight, gave her eleven heads with which to hear the cries of the suffering. Upon hearing these cries and comprehending them, Guan Yim attempted to reach out to all those who needed aid, but found that her two arms shattered into pieces. Once more, Amitabha came to her aid and appointed her a thousand arms with which to aid the many.

Many Himalayan versions of the tale include eight arms with which Avalokitesvara skilfully upholds the Dharma, each possessing its own particular implement, while more Chinese-specific versions give varying accounts of this number.

Like Avalokitesvara, Guan Yim is also depicted with a thousand arms and varying numbers of eyes, hands and heads, sometimes with an eye in the palm of each hand, and is commonly called "the thousand-arms, thousand-eyes" bodhisattva. In this form she represents the omnipresent mother, looking in all directions simultaneously, sensing the afflictions of humanity and extending her many arms to alleviate them with infinite expressions of her mercy, while the thousand eyes help her see anyone who may be in need.

Origin and meaning of Om Mani Padme Hum

Learning Point No 286

The paragraphs below are extracted from

http://www.mykwanyin.com/kwgoddess.html 

Entwined in the faith of Buddhism, her first real appearance in literature seems to be around 400 AD. By that time, Buddhism had been around for nearly 1000 years, spreading from its birthplace in India to China, and subsequently to Korea, Japan and Tibet. 

Devotees of Avalokitesvara, or Avalokita, Bodhisattva of Compassion of Indian Buddhism, brought the concept of Avalokita to China. There, Avalokita, or Kwan Yin, was adopted as a god in the male form and later was gradually changed by some to resemble a female, lending a rather androgynous element to her. 

By 1200 AD she was definitely a female portrayed in flowing robes. 

Avalokita is depicted with many arms, hands and heads, sometimes with an eye in each palm representing the ever watchful omnipresent mother, ready to immediately reach out in any direction to alleviate suffering. 

In Buddhist mythology, it states that Avalokita was born from Amitabha Buddha's right eye, after which he proclaimed, "Om Mani Padme Hum" -- Hail to the jewel in the lotus -- a sentiment of her preciousness to him. Some believe she is actually an incarnation of Amitabha Buddha. 

The Chinese translation of the Sanskrit Avalokita is Kuan shih Yin, the full form of the shortened Kuan Yin, or Kwan Yin.

Kuanyin on who she is

Learning Point No 285

"Although I am Bodhisattva, I am energy. I am not a person. Basically, the Kuanyin energy was never in one single body. It has always been a great part of the energy of all of compassion of all the Universe." Kuanyin

The name "Kuanyin" is a derivation of a Chinese name for the goddess that is this energy of  motherly compassion. This is really a description of her energy ("she who hears the cries of the people") which has become accepted as her name on earth. Although there are variations, the feeling is the same. She responds to the heartfelt needs and anguish of the people of earth regardless of background or belief.

Kuanyin is depicted in various forms and poses. She always appears cloaked in white, the color of purity, and her gowns are long and flowing. Often she will be holding a rosary in one hand, a symbol of her devotion to Buddhism and its tenets. She will also have either a book (The Lotus Sutra, which refers back to her origins), or a vase, which symbolizes her pouring compassion on to the world.

The above extracted from  

http://www.mykwanyin.com/kwgoddess.html

More to the image of Kuanyin

Learning Point No 284

Below are extracts from the comprehensive write-up at  http://inmortalkwanyin.blogspot.sg/#! 

Guan Yim is usually shown in a white flowing robe - white being the symbol of purity -, and usually wearing necklaces of Indian/Chinese royalty. 

In the right hand is a water jar (as the Sacred Vase the water jar also one of the Eight Buddhist Symbols of good Fortune) containing pure water, the divine nectar of life, compassion and wisdom, and in the left, a willow branch to sprinkle the divine nectar of life upon the devotees as to bless them with physical and spiritual peace. 

The willow branch is also a symbol of being able to bend (or adapt) but not break.  

The crown usually depicts the image of Amitabha Buddha (Fully Conscious Infinite Light), Guan Yim's spiritual teacher before she became a Bodhisattva. 

A bird, mostly a dove, representing fecundity is flying toward her. 

A necklace or rosary is associated with her calls upon Buddha for succour, each bead of it representing all living beings and the turning of the beads symbolises that Guan Yim is leading them out of their state of misery and repeated rounds of rebirth into nirvana, hence the beads represent enlightenment. 

Should a book or scroll of papers be within the portrayal, it is representing the Dharma, the teaching of Buddha or the sutra, the Buddhist text, Guan Yim is said to have constantly recited from. 

Guan Yim is often depicted either alone, standing atop a dragon, accompanied by a bird, flanked by two children, or flanked by two warriors. 

The two children are called Long Nue and Shan Tsai. 

The two warriors are the historical character Guan Yu who comes from the ‘Three Kingdoms’ period and the mythological character Wei Tuo who features in the Chinese classic 'Canonisation of the Gods'. 

Knowing Kuanyin Posat

Learning Point 283

The name Guan Yim also spelt Guan Yin, Kuan Yim, Kwan Im, or Kuan Yin, is a short form for Kuan-shi Yin, meaning "Observing the Sounds (or Cries) of the (human) World".

In Chinese Buddhism, Guan Yim/ Guan Yin/Kuan Yim/ Kuan Yin is synonymous with the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the pinnacle of mercy, compassion, kindness and love.

(Bodhisattva- being of bodhi or enlightenment, one who has earned to leave the world of suffering and is destined to become a buddha, but has forgone the bliss of nirvana with a vow to save all children of God.

Avalokitesvara: The word ‘avalokita’ means "seeing or gazing down" and ‘Êvara’ means "lord" in Sanskrit).

The above are extracts from the comprehensive write-up at 

http://inmortalkwanyin.blogspot.sg/#!

The double standards of some men in a temple or church

Learning Point 282

In any temple or church, when the pioneers take the back seat due to age, new generation takes over. They are the younger lot and it is commendable they have interest to take on leadership roles in the management committee of the temple or church. 

The usual problem is that the some of the old will lament that they the some of the young lot are not spiritual enough and are more interested in pursuing their social status, wealth and personal gains. They want recognition and award even knighthood or it's equivalent. 

They will even go to the extent of short changing the spiritual interest of the temple for the interest of secular society. They seem to be worshiping and idolizing the secular leaders of society rather than the saints of their temple, trying to please the secular big guns and forgoing the mission of their temple saint or saints. 

They make use of the temple as platform to spring board their job and personal business. Some even go for new spouses and forgoing the old spouses by manipulating temple as a cover to achieve this.   

This will usually provoke the ire of some old timers who will say that these young lot are not making it spiritually. They are only making use of the temple for their non-spiritual pursuits and for obvious personal advantage. The oldies may be adamant that these young men should be exposed. 

But the oldies forget that they too once were young, once sought wealth, status and education progress to be somebodies, example to be medical doctor.  They made use of the temple and its saints to springboard their worldly gains. Their worldly wishes were granted and this spurred them on subsequently to be more religious. 

But now they are singing a different tune. They want the young lot to forgo worldly gains and attainments and go direct to spiritual. Isn't this double standards? They could do the seemingly unthinkable before and now they tell the young lot that this is wrong and a mistake. The younger lot should at all cost not do this. 

They the oldies may be well off and have many properties, made all efforts to enable success of their children to be professionals by sending them overseas if they cannot make it locally. But they tell others that all these are not good and better to forgo them and be spiritual. Children should not make good in life and just be monks or nuns. Spiritual is more important. 

True it is not ideal but everyone goes to a temple or church to seek divine blessings for personal gains.  Without this nectar, no one will come to the flower. but hopefully they will grow to go for more lofty spiritual ideals and not just for the nectar of worldly blessings. 

Who don't want to strike a lottery? Who don't want to attract the opposite sex even in a temple or church? Who don't want to get knighthood and justice of peace by leveraging on a temple or church as springboard to get recognition by secular society? Everyone does but will tell you they are genuinely religious. This is why we are men after all and not yet saints. 

Lord Bo Tien

To round up, Lord Bo Tien has one good advice for all. "The same values that ensure spiritual gains if applied to worldly life will ensure worldly gains." 

He further adds that there must be yin and yang balance and when young, the focus must be more on worldly than spiritual for we are men after all. 

The balance of yin and yang will tilt in favor of more spiritual and less worldly matters as we grow in life. 

We must accept that we must succeed as man, learn to be man even if we want to be saint. The same values that help us to be saint one day will work well for us to be man as well. That way we would find our niche in society as man.

We must never forget to be man. We must cheer the younger lot along if they can be more man than saint when young. We should not despise them for being worldly wise - going for status, titles and social acclaim. 

This is just being man but know the limits, know how to balance life out - the spiritual and the mundane and that the balance point shifts with the station in life and as we grow older in life. 

It is alright to be somebody in society but learn to be nobody as well by being a spiritual somebody. We have to learn to be humble and meek but not empty and worthless - not running from life but embracing life, both spiritual and mundane. 

The old timers in a church or temple should not have double standards. They did one thing when young and tell the next generation in the temple or church not to do that same thing just because they are no longer young and no longer need to do that thing.  The young are still young and not old. Be mindful of that...please do....

We will always be man in this body of flesh and blood. Let us be man enough to be man and not be insane to think we have arrived and are already saints though we may cultivate the spiritual in us. 

Ji Gong the saint prefers
to show he is like man,
like the pauper at the street corner.

Even Ji Gong has no qualms to behave like ordinary man, like the beggar at the street corner eating meat, drinking and frolicking around. This is in spite of the fact that he is already a saint and no longer man like you and me. 

Ji Gong

Ji Gong is more like man but he is a saint. But some of the oldies or old timers in a temple pretend to be a bit saint when they are not even decent men, perhaps less decent and forthright than the vagrant and pauper. 

They who are invariably old timers have double standards and want the next generation young not to do what they had done in their younger days as man. The double standards of some men in a temple or church are not uncommon and will be there to irk others. 

Ji Gong