Nothing is cast in stone.

Learning Point No 343

The one who is closer to the lord saint needs not be one who is in a mission related temple of the lord. 

In fact, it is more likely that someone in a Bo Tien mission related temple may still be far from the lord saint compared to someone not in such a temple or who does not even know the lord saint. 

The far may be the near and the near may be far. The lord saint said

The adherent of a religion needs not be near to the prophet or saint of that religion but someone who is not may well be. 

The son of the father needs not be close to the father than a man who is not the son. This may appear odd but in many instances, it is the case though not invariably so. 

Oddities may well be the norm. Sometimes, it may be better to know the prophet or saint of a religion by knowing those who are not adherents but who still live by the Word of the prophet or saint. 

They know the Word but do not or may not know the saint. But by knowing the Word, they are closer to the saint. Thus even if they know not the saint, they do know the saint as they know the Word. 

Perhaps it is true that we can know more by not knowing. Those who know more may in fact know little but generally those who know more do know more but this needs not be the case. 

This applies not only to doctrine and saints, but also to all aspects of life. Does it mean that the right though right can be wrong at times and the wrong though wrong may still be right at times? 

Can we know more by not knowing? This should not be the case but if we look deeper, this can be the case and yet is not. 

Have a second thought or a rethink and go for the 360 degree appraisal. Only then can there be more insight and fresh perspectives. Thus the wise never say "no" and never say "yes" but he says "yes" at times and "no" at other times. 

Proponents of a religious belief may both be right and wrong. It all depends on the people, times and circumstances. Nothing is cast in stone. Don't be rigid and be a stick in the mud. Don't be a pain the the neck. 

This does not mean you cannot hold to a view but you must know when and how to apply the view, to hold on to it and when to let go, vary or differ. This is so that you will ever be a renewed blessing to yourself or other men and be ever more blessed by God and saints. 

This not mean you are fence sitter or have no backbone, but that you look at life in 360 degrees. You are no hypocrite but a realist with 360 degree insight. 

Sometimes to know your own religion or saint, others not in your religion and who do not pray to your saint may well know better than you and you can learn from them. You can get fresh angles or know more angles and views. 

Others may know you better than you know yourself. This is true and yet not so. Do think again. Nothing is cast in stone. That too is true and yet not so. 

Try telling a man of faith that nothing is cast in stone and you will be viewed as odd, a sinner who better repent, someone who challenges dogmas and who has befriended the devil, someone who should be feared and who need to be saved. 

Well there is more to all these than meet the eyes. The very reason why religion has succeeded may well be the same reason why it has failed. 

Remember that nothing is cast in stone and yet in the uncertainty, there surely will still be certainty. This is perhaps just the manifestation of duality the sages of old in the East refer to as yin and yang, the soft and hard attributes of life. 

Because nothing is cast in stone, in any religion, there will be many sects and in any sect, there will be many schools. There will be many independent denominations and stand alone temples or churches. 

This is why Lord Bo Tien said that religions and sects become sort of archaeological departments for seekers of truth to dig out the inner truth that the forefathers talk about - the basic truth that are buried by time and by layers of added on beliefs, thinking and traditions of men over the centuries. 

That is why a true seeker of God can only know God more by going away from religions and sects after going into religions and sects. 

Peace above all else

Learning Point No 342

It is not what we believe that is important and whether what we believe is true or not too is not critical to our salvation. 

It is not how much we know. In fact, knowing a little may not be a set back or disadvantage. 

Rather, what we believe must have positive impact on us, not only in next life but in the here and now. 

What we know however little this may be and even if it is not exactly true or correct may still be worthwhile so long as the little we know or that which we believe make the difference in our life. 

Are we better off? Are we at peace with life now? If we can be, then we may well stand the hope to be at peace in the life hereafter. 

There is no need to daydream or to dangle carrots of paradise in the life beyond. What is at issue is how we are now. Do we have the peace that the sages of old talked about? 

It is not who we worship and how many gods or saints we idolise. Rather, it is what we learn from them and the doctrine we gain from them. 

Do we live in the doctrine and are we at peace? So long as we can be at peace, even if we kowtow or prostate to no saint, we are alright. 

But no man can go it alone. Man needs shelter and help every now and then. Do be wary that man must not have crutch mentality and be disabled. 

Also, of what benefit is wealth, psychic abilities and power of any kind, if we are not at peace. 

If we have arrived in life or think we are about to arrive, be it spiritual or otherwise, we must have that peace and on the path to more of the peace. 

Life, spiritual or otherwise, has to do with more peace - peace above all else. 

How we are in the mundane world has to do with whether we are at peace. 

At the spiritual level, how we save our souls or others souls has to do with peace in ourselves and in others. 

Peace must be above all else.

Men of religion must be more at peace

Learning Point No 341

What is the use of religion if an adherent is not at peace with those who do not agree with his belief? 

What is the use of being a fellow adherent of  a religion if fellow adherents are saying that they are of different sects and that their sect is more correct and the others are not, even though they are of same religion? 

What is the value of one's religious inclination if it spurs him to talk bad, wage harm and cause death to others? 

How can there be justification in the name of God and saints to condemn others, to harm others, to hurt others and to wage wars? God and saints will not want them to do that! 

There must be peace in men and the more men with peace the better. We would expect men of religion to take the lead in being peaceful and loving. Indeed men of religion are trying their best to do that. 

The world will be a far better place to live in, if those of different religious affiliations are more at peace and more in harmony with one another. There is indeed more room for improvement.

But the irony is that even in a Bo Tien mission related temple, there is no peace of level that will do the lord saint proud. 

On the contrary, such a temple may deem fit to ostracise those who hold different perspectives and even feel it is right to ex-communicate and make persona-non-grata any pioneer elder who is loud forceful and persistent in feedback and criticism. 

What has happened to the peace which all parties in any temple or church are supposed to have, not to say in a temple of the lord saint? 

Learn from the failings of men of God

Learning Point No 340

What would you think and how would you react if men in charge of a temple or a church got carried away by their good faith and erred? You may say that this won't happen if men are grounded in faith in God and saints above. 

But it is because they have faith that they think that as long as what they did were in good faith and done in the name of God and saints, nothing would happen to them and all would be well if they did not do their administrative house keeping correctly. 

They might think that what mattered was that they are brethren and family of God and saints. They might hold the view that God and saints would be with them. 

They might become bold, careless and indiscreet by not keeping to the laws and regulations of the land. They might think that as long as the congregation and cadres condone and didn't mind, what could the government of the day do to them? They had good faith in God and saints and were prepared to do the unthinkable out of good faith.

This possibility cannot be ruled out in any temple church or mission. It can even happen to any Bo Tien mission related center or temple. 

It is with hindsight and trepidation that the core pioneers of the mission realized why the lord saint Lord Bo Tien said that men must abide by the laws of the land as much as they want to abide by the laws of Heaven. 

Inner truth netizen 2 the writer cannot help recalling the biblical teaching when he was in a mission school that the bible says that men must give to Caesar what is due to Caesar and to God what is due to God. 

Thus in the running of a temple, church or center, men need to draw the line and be right or else they may actually bring problems to themselves. They  would then be no longer role models for other men who look up to them out of good faith in God and saints. 

This is sadly because of their good faith but lacking in wisdom and lacking in grounding in the Word of God. God forgives them for their wrongs.

Blame not the flower for insects coming to it for nectar. This the lord saint Lord Bo Tien said with regards to his mission. The flower may wilt but the fruits and seeds that result will ensure new flowers. 

People will learn from the mistakes of others and be wiser not to repeat them. This will be the fruitful outcome.

But then there will always be the same problem because men are still men and not God and saints. Men often claim they know allot but actually they either do not know enough or do not practise what they know. This, like it or not, applies to ourselves as well for we are yet to be saints.

The weaknesses of men of good faith are but lessons and chapters in the gospel of life. Hopefully there will be men who wake up and make good. 

But in the process they may hurt their brothers in faith but it is better that their brothers be hurt and be wiser and better off in the end. 

Praise the lord. Praise God.

For God so loved the world...

Learning Point No 339

For God so loved the world that he sent not only one saint but many so that they may be saved not by mere good works but by more than good works. He gave the Word through his saints and the Word is God. 

Men must not live by good works alone but by the Word - the doctrine that was there even before time, before the advent of creation and the created, before the world came to know of saints and religions. 

This in  nutshell refers to the inner truth that Lord Bo Tien said since 1969. He only descended for 13 years and that was enough as he has left word that we should re-invigorate the spirit and fervor of the pioneers of religions in the Word. 

The Word is what matters. The Word is God. Know the Word and live in the Word and you will know God. No need to know who is the lord saint Lord Bo Tien. Know the Word and know all, not only the lord saint but God and all saints. This is the truth we need to know. This is also the way and the light. 

All should have their lives lighted up like candle flames. The amassing or collection of candle lights would be far better than the lone flame in lighting up the way for others to know the truth, the way and the light. 

Men and religions must work as one like the collection of candle flames. This the lord saint Lord Bo Tien did say in 1975. 

This is the focus of The Four Pillar Doctrine with the four pillars depicting the religions of the world in all cardinal directions. This came to be known later as the Inner Truth. 

There is no new religion or sect through Lord Bo Tien but merely the better grasp of the inner truth common to and behind all religions or sects. 

That the model of a Chinese style temple was elected or chosen as the center to springboard his mission is just to show that even in such cultural setting, there is God and the Word of God. 

The Word is God. The Mission is for the Word. It has to do with the love of God and why God sent his beloved saints to save the world of men and all beings through the Word.

Know the basics and that will suffice

Learning Point No 338

There is more to life than what we know. There is more to religions than what they are. There is more to God and saints than what are made known to us. 

What we know are like the leaves in the hand and what we don't know are like the leaves in the forest. But it is better to know what are in our hand than to know all the rest. We need only to know the basics that will suffice. 

This the lord saint Lord Bo Tien refer to as the inner truth behind religions and sects. 

The truth is there is God or Divinity and that God is compassionate enough to be open minded and to have more than one way or religion to reach out to all beings, not just men. 

There are no chosen ones and there will be more than one prophet or heavenly saint. This is the will of Divinity.

All the ways of sects and religions, of all saints and prophets revolve around the same understanding of the true nature of life - not to deny being human and not to go overboard but to find the balance. 

The values of spiritual if applied to mundane life will ensure basic adequacy and comfort enough to promote spiritual rapture with Divinity. 

No need to deny or indulge in the mundane. Just have enough of the mundane to make it in life and at same time be springboard to pursue the lofty divine aspirations

Know the basics and that will suffice. Isn't that simple but for many, they expect more and instead in converging on the basics, they diverge, are lost and do not know how to get back to basics. 

They literally think they need to be a doctorate of philosophy before they can serve God and be with God. 

The reality is that we do not need to go beyond the basics to serve God and be with God. We don't need even to have a religion but religions do serve their purpose. 

We don't even need to worship and adore any saint but we should respect all heavenly saints under God. Adoring more than one prophet or saint is alright but insisting that all go to God through one and only one saint is unbelievable. 

No saint or prophet would ever say so. Only men may say so and that is because men are men after all. Men can be jealous and overzealous but not God and saints. 

Well, to be simply more convergent and to surmise,  the wake-up call is for all to know the basics and that will suffice. Be simple and be pure. What else can be better and more effective?  

On life and death and what have you?

Learning Point No 337

Many would not even think of death even if they may be near death. This is simply because it is not a pleasant thought. This does not mean it is wrong not to be bothered by death. Most would not want to even think of death

But it is sometimes a good thing to have death as our backdrop in life, even if not in the fore. The more we are aware of death, the more we value life and we will obviously not deny life, wasting it, and we will not live up to the nines and act as though there is no tomorrow. 

Death as backdrop is a moderator of awareness of our approach to our day to day life - a wake-up call of the reality of life both at the individual and group level. 

If we are aware that death is inevitable, we would value life and not go for personal or group gratification or glory but for satisfaction that last beyond gratification. We go for peace and invest in life so that we reap the peace of life here and now and beyond life - never mind if what we get will be what we will have to give up in time.

Whilst the true nature of life, that is, the raft or doctrine  of life is important, it as doctrine should not be merely admired and adored as academic but we must and should live in grasp of doctrine and internalize it in our life as integral to our soul or spirit. It would be futile to admire the doctrine like a raft and not use it to cross the river of life. 

The doctrine or raft too is useful for us to fish in the river of life, the worldly life that is. This is not withstanding that we think we are far removed from and have yet to reach the end shore of life which is death or end of life. The end of life is ironically the beginning of another life, hopefully a better life. 

Even if we view the end as bleak and as the snubbing out of life, we should not run away from this future event. But the reverse too is no better. We should not look back in life, relishing in past glory, gone and no more or suffering in past pain when that suffering is no more there. 

We must not let our spirit or drive for and in life disintegrate but pull the spirit together to be whole so as to live snugly in the now and look forward ever positively to the future. This strong forward looking stance is necessary in the journey of life as emphasized by all saints. Ji Gong kept reminding all on this axiom. 

Ji Gong wanted us to have zest for life. Let peace prevail at every nook and corner of life. Look forward and move on and do not look back.

Even unto the end or when death looms and is inevitable, there must be this indomitable spirit. Never must there be gloom even in the face of death. 

Death is just part of journey in life. Death is no joy but it will not doom us. So let there be no gloom. Let the zest for peace and life prevail. 

The portrait of Ji Gong below aptly portrays this drive or spirit in life - the drive for that indomitable inner peace coming from the core, emanating and effusing from the heart and unruffled and unaffected by everything else around, not even gain or pain, not even death or end. 

We should not fear the end but be calm and collected and let the inner wish for peace be the primary driver for life, come what may. Never let peace elude us and peace must always prevail. 

We should be mindful that the future is beyond the here and now and certainly beyond death as well. Death is no issue or impediment for us if we have that indomitable peace emanating from the heart.

Lest we forget, we should not be blind to the future and see only the glory of the now. The glory of the now would wow us and unsettle the peace that we so painstakingly tried to cultivate. 

This would undoubtedly be perhaps wasteful of all past efforts and would be making mockery of and undermining the inner divine calling of our soul for more peace. 

That would effectively be cheating life - our own very life. Those who go for glory of wealth and status forget that they are in the journey of life and that death or the end shore awaits them. 

The other shore is not the end but opens up a vast land - the many other options. Death is not the end but the beginning of other options

At the mission or group level, myopic men would mistake the mission as to help others so as to glorify themselves. They forget that there is need to move on and not be drowned in the river of life - the woes of self glory for name and form. 

That would be submerging in the water of vanity of worldly greatness and burying themselves in more of woes and throes of life, even if they are wooed by the wows of human vanity. 

They forget that they have to cross the river and save themselves. They forget to be on the raft and use it to cross the water of life. The raft or religion or temple become a source of pride to boast about, to boost their image in eyes of fellow men and to bring them closer to the body politic  

They not only forget to save themselves but they also forget that they must save those who are stranded in the water and place them on the raft of life. Thereafter they have to help them use the raft to cross to the other shore.  

The doctrine, temple or religion like the raft is only useful if used but once we cross the river of life, it is no longer useful and on land, we need other more elaborate doctrines or vehicles to move. 

The apparent teachings and institutions of religions provide the different types of rafts and all types can help. It matters not if one looks better than the other. A raft is a raft. Whatever raft we use, all we need to do is to cross the river and reach the other shore without fear or trepidation, never mind if it is make shift and not at all elaborate. What matters is the functionality 

The other shore looks daunting remote, unreal and far. But if we harbor fear and distaste and we don't dare set our eyes on it, we will just move around in circles in the river of human life, blind our eyes to it and never want to reach it - which of course is wishful thinking. 

We may be drowned and not make it at all in life. For some they may be lucky to start all over again. For the many others, mind you,  they  may well become creatures of the water in sub terrain caves of hell before they can be in the river of human life.