There are many of us brethren who are upset by disappointments even when we have blessings coming our way. Often we will be happy with a new job, a promotion in our job or doing well in an examination. But when we examine or get used to the blessing, we become unhappy.
We asked why we made certain mistakes in a test or examination and why we cannot be better. We asked why we could not have as many a promotion in our job as some others and the promotion which was actually a blessing was regarded as something to be depressed about. We become sad when the blessing we have could have been better.
Lord Bo Tien has reminded us that in life we can have blessings or happiness but they are like the flower. The flower is beautiful as a whole but when we examine the flower in parts, we may not admire it as much and may even find the parts ugly. Life blessings are like that. When we do not have them we want them. When we have them, we soon find them wanting. Worldly blessings are like the flower, beautiful to behold as a whole but not so when examined and taken apart.
When we have worldly blessings we attract others to us, just like the flower its beauty and the nectar. When the nectar is no more, many of our so-called friends may leave us after getting what they want. Knowing thus, we should be mindful to go for blessings, appreciate and harness them but not indulge in them nor deny ourselves of the blessings. The flower and nectar attracts admirers and opportunists. We too attract others to us. Flowers too will wither but this does not mean we do not admire the flowers or treasure and utilize the blessings. We appreciate the flowers or blessings but do not over indulge. They are only means to an end and not the end in themselves. This is the Moderated or Balanced Way as expounded by Lord Buddha, avoiding the extreme of self-mortification or denial on one hand and over indulgence or attachment on the other hand.
Lord Bo Tien further explained that we can lead the family life but the same principles that put us on the path to spiritual success would stand us in good stead for the family or worldly life. The reverse may not be true. We should not renounce or give up the family or worldly life but make use of worldly blessings so that we can have the health and mind to be better poised to lead the spiritual life firstly for our own good and then for the good of others if we can. The success factors and methods for long term spiritual goals will bring on material success. We need to succeed first before we can share our success with others. We need to love ourselves before we can love others, namely our loved ones, then our friends, our society and lastly our foes. We need to view and handle blessings correctly and enjoy more blessings. But if we view them wrongly and handle them incorrectly, we turn them into liabilities.
We should not expect perfections in life. Blessings too are no exception be they material or otherwise. The greatest blessing, brethren, is the blessing of Truth or what the Great Sakyamuni Buddha referred to as the Greatest Gift. “The greatest gift is the gift of Truth” Lord Bo Tien’s Mission of God is to make this gift more reachable and better perceived, accepted and harnessed by beings of all creed and color and by people of all walks of life, faith and sects, by those with religion and those without.
The inner truth behind the truths expounded by religions and sects are the same. The precepts and endearments by prophets are packaged to attract and help more beings. They guide us to be on the path of the commonality behind all faiths, what the good lord refer to as the inner truth. Whilst the inner truth is the blessing of all blessings, we need to put this into practice and make it an integral part of our life. We will be able to understand it better if we could make it a driving force of both our worldly or family life as well as the basis of our spiritual path. The one who understands and perceive truth will not indulge and be way laid by the woes of materialism but will not deny the need for taking care of our human needs. We neither deny nor indulge but move on in life with for four sublime saintly virtues of (a) love, (b) compassion, (c) rejoicing in blessings of others even if rejoice in our own, and with inner peace of (d) equanimity. Then imperfections will not be sore points and our obsession in daily life. We will be like the lotus which grows in mud (imperfections) and which nourishes on nutrients (blessings) within the mud (material society). The lotus grows as a plant (our worldly or material life or existence) and in time will flower (the spiritual goal).
We should not renounce or give up the family or worldly life but make use of worldly blessings (nutrients) so that we can grow as human beings to have the health and mind to be better poised to reap the spiritual life (the lotus flower). The success factors and methods for long term spiritual goals will bring on material success. We can learn from the strengths (nutrients) and weaknesses (mud) of one self and of others.
We can learn from one another as advised by the Lord. Amongst us will be some who have skills and will be asset and blessing to others both for the worldly life and the spiritual life. We can help one another. Every one of us has strengths which will be a blessing to our selves, a boon for the nurturing of not only oneself but for others, a candle to behold and to light up the way for others. The amassing of such individuals is like amassing candles. Each one is a candle flame and the amassing of many candles will light up the world with blessings of truth and hope for the life now and the life here after. Every one has plus points and minus points. Coming together will amass the good points and potentiate them collectively. Coming together for the good of the many will negate the minus points. Look not at the imperfections of the flower. The parts of the flower play their good roles to make up the flower. On their own, the parts may be ugly to behold, but together as whole flower, it is complete and wholesome. We should harness blessings for the good we can derive but there will be imperfections for blessings especially worldly blessings are means to an end but not the end in themselves. They too do not last. Even spiritual attainments or blessings are means to the end but not the end itself. The end is ultimate liberation of enlightenment. Do not grumble on the incompleteness, on the short comings of what we have or can have. Do make full use of the blessings.
Like the raft, blessings are to help us to cross the sea of existence, to have full life here and now and in the future. They are not for us to behold and to analyze why they are ugly or beautiful. The raft may appear ugly at times, but it can serve its purpose. We do not hold on to the raft but use it to reach the opposite shore. The raft too does not last forever. Put it to good use and the benefits are obvious. Leaving it aside will not preserve it. It will be subjected to ravages of time and folly of un-use.
We too should not hold on to old blessings. For if the old blessings do not go, the new ones may not come. Blessings like flower do have to come and go. We may not be able to handle too many blessings at one go. Old blessings must make way for new. Do not lament therefore of past blessings but move on in life to harness more blessings. A temple of the Lord or any saint is a blessing. If you do not make use of it, do not leave it idle. Let others make use of it. A temple is not just for the old faithful or disciples but for the new and the others yet to be reached by a saint or the lord messenger of God, the Jade Emperor.
The lord saint did make reference in one of His anniversary messages that we should tend to our life or temple like we tend to a tree. As the tree grows, we must nurture it and not act as insects and parasites to harm the well being of the tree and cause decay and rot. In the tree of life, not all the branches and leaves can be healthy. In life too not all the issues in our life are pleasant but we must focus and tend to the pleasant. If necessary we must axe away the decayed and rotting branches to prevent tree rot from spreading. This is so as to ensure the other branches remain healthy and more healthy branches can grow. We must not wallow in frustrations. We need to keep them out of the radar of our life. We need to keep our radar on the blessings and nurture more blessings.
The same applies to a temple. A temple is like a tree. If there is tree rot on any branches, these branches may need have to be axed to save the rot from spreading to the rest of the tree. A temple needs to be mindful and be prepared to revamp to get rid of human rot from spreading. One such rot is poor governance. Another is complacency and the others include the pitfall of hero -worshipping man rather than Heaven. Worship Heaven and not man. Another fallacy is for a temple to stay where it is and rest on its laurels. There is fallacy to stay put and stagnate, even retrograde or back slide. There is often no attempt to re-invigorate the founding members vigour and religious thought. The original agenda is subsumed by so-called pragmatism and forgotten. The vigour and original religious thought and fervour need to be reborn in the new members. This is like growing more new and young branches and roots of a tree.
The lord saint Lord Bo Tien reminded us on all these in His initial sermon and subsequent sermons. What that were said applies to any society, temple, group, or to individuals, not just his followers but adherents and followers of any faith, sect or group. There is much truth but often we see not the truth. Truth of life is simple and universal but appears profound and difficult to perceive. It appears hidden and we need to rediscover it from time to time on the inner truth way to life and blessings. Thus this blog is titled LIFE AND BLESSINGS - THE INNER TRUTH WAY
