The State of Mission in 2013

Mission History and Commentaries No 24
- divine message as inspired by Lord Mou Chi Sun for the good of the many

The mission of the lord saint has entered the 45th year in 2013 and the three phases had been rolled out. The first phase of 13 years is from 1969 when the lord saint Lord Bo Tien introduced himself through human intermediary. 

Pioneers were inducted and many of them were ordinary and even less than ordinary. This is the phase of faith and interaction between saint and men. This is the phase of "belief and the door will be open" and "seek and ye shall find" 

To lead the bunch, a man steady as a rock like the unpolished diamond was asked to guide and provide the backbone for the mission. Elder Ling was the chosen one. At that time he was a senior police officer. 

Together with some of the first batch of national servicemen in Singapore like William Chew, Ong K. L, Tay C.K. and another handful of those from police at Queenstown, the mission was registered officially as a temple. 

The second phase saw the setting up of the Aged Home and the Mutual Help and Care to distribute provisions to the needy in society. 

The first two phases were only the beginning or the starters. The third phase of doctrine soon set in to replace the first two and to take the stage when the mission moved to permanent concrete premises. 

Younger people took over but they soon displace the old and the pioneers. They reap the fruits of the efforts of the past. This can be good so long as they can promote the doctrine mission. 

But to do so they must take the mission through the human obstacle as predicted by the lord saint. The mission had undergone the fire and water obstacles in the early years. Fire engulfed the very early temporary make shift shrine. Water did inundate the latter awning temple and aged home across the road. 

These two events gelled the members together and with zest under Elder Ling and Senior Brother P. Philip, they moved mountains and seas. They traversed drought and wants and soon they succeeded to go to new concrete premises. 

Then came the few over eager young ones to take over the reins and displace Elder Ling and the oldies. They did well to maintain and level off but they were but like enthusiastic insects out to get nectar* from the flower - the analogy referred to by Lord Bo Tien. 

This was as expected and as divined, since men in mission must traverse the human obstacle. Old and new must work as one to do so. 

Heaven however expects all men in mission to move from mundane to supra-mundane. Surely, they can propel the mission beyond the gathering of nectar and do their part to support The Mission by Heaven to save all souls through their respective religions and sects. They need only to play supporting roles and rise to the occasion and the times. 

God bless them. Lord Mou Chi Sun the faithful executor of Lord Bo Tien will never fail to be with them so that they can do better. 

Like it or not, it is inevitable that Elder Ling and the old timers will make a come back. Those in the past who are no longer around will return however far they might and may have moved away from the mission. 

They will be back to the fold even if they have professed to cut off allegiance for the mission and even if those already there are not ready for their return. This is the will of Heaven. 

The far will be near and the near far. All far and near will be both far and near to the lord saint. This is and always will be. 

They will come as one like the twin dragon supporting pearl. The latter is the personification of the doctrine of balancing the yin and yang so as to lift up the divine pearl of salvation.

* This may cause fragmentation of mission phases separating them as separate missions independent of one another e.g.welfare from temple.

The Great Sage and The Mission

Mission History and Commentaries No 23

A good account of The Great Sage, (Monkey God in English) can be found at 

http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/chinese-mythology.php?deity=MONKEY 

The account may appear like fairy tale but if it is too far fetched, than it does not imply that the Great Sage is not real but the creation of a story teller. 

Likewise the belief in God Almighty in the West is no less downplayed by fairy tale like Adam and Eve story. That the story of Adam and Eve is like a child's fairy tale does not make God any less the God Almighty we know. 

If men can accept the historical and spiritual relevance of Adam and Eve in the West, then men too can accept the historical relevance of the character of the Great Sage as the religious backdrop for imparting spiritual values to Chinese in China in ancient times and even in modern times of 2013, not just to ethnic Chinese but to all men.. 

The beauty of the epic of Monkey God is that it is intriguing and arouses thinking on life and its values and how to arrive at practice of Tao. How much of the fable reflect the truth of the Great Sage (Monkey God) and the workings of Heaven is not as important as the lessons that it conveys to men. 

He embodies the never say die spirit. He will bring the wrong to their senses but interestingly at the same time help those who know they are wrong and willing to make good. 

His benevolence has no equal in Heaven. When he makes up his mind that Heaven must give way, relent and relieve someone of the hardships due to the wrong that man had done, he will exact forgiveness and reversal of the run of mill heavenly decisions at all costs and make sure Heaven is not heavy handed and rigid in meting out justice. He will go to the end of Heaven if necessary. 

(Incidentally, that is perhaps why he is an ally and subordinate of Ji Gong The Living Buddha who too may not follow the norms because of benevolent nature. Ji Gong will even rewrite history of past births to avert or minimise the bad fate of men)

Mind you, he will not hesitate to challenge Heaven and that is the signature characteristic of the Great Sage and why he is equal to Heaven. Some even say there is no equal to him in the whole of Heaven except perhaps the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Goddess Kuanyin. 

This is not that he is not for justice but that he knows that no saint or God's army should expect too much of mortal beings like men. If immortals impose their standards on mortals, mortals would have limited chance to make good. 

This is perhaps because he himself had learnt the hard way and was harshly handled for his excesses which include even fighting his way to Heaven and wrecking havoc in the court of God Almighty the Pure August Jade Emperor. 

Please do not at any time think that he is on the side of the devils and demons. He makes sure that he will harass the devils and demons till they change their ways, if not to flee for good. He cares not if the demons are capable of over powering him. 

This did win him and continue to win him acclaim and backing of God and Buddhas. (God incidentally consults Buddhas when they find him a pain in the neck). His divine rod was awarded to him in recognition of his goodness. 

When Lord Bo Tien was given the mandate for the Mission to em-place religions and sects on better footing to save souls through invigorating the basic teachings and spirit of the pioneers of religions, he needed no invitation. 

He came forth, set up a temple at Kranji Singapore and it is at this temple in 1969 that he came into the body of Philip a Catholic by birth. He introduced Lord Bo Tien to the world and every time thereafter he preceded Lord Bo Tien when the lord saint descended to bless the men. 

Thus in the first phase of Mission which spanned 13 years, he played his part opening the way and removing obstacles at every transient premise of Bo Tien Temple at Woodlands area. When the temple faced fire and flood obstacles he was there to assist. He will obviously play his part when the temple mission faces human obstacle and is tardy in doctrine push. This remains to be seen at time of writing of this article or post in 2013

His loyalty and devotion to Lord Bo Tien and the Mission of God knew and knows no bounds. He does not believe that men cannot overcome bad fate and will even help men to fight and remove bad fate though men must be willing and want him to do so. He tried to help the medium to avert the bad fate of cancer but the late medium had his reservations and wanted to go on his own way.

Tai Seng - The Great Sage deputising 
for the First Pure One at the Cave Altar 
at Bo Tien Temple. On his right and left 
are the other two Pure Ones. 
Picture depicts him carrying the wand 
ornament  of the First Pure One
in his right hand

Tai Seng - The Great Sage can even deputise for the First Pure One. as depicted at the Cave Altar at Bo Tien Temple. On his right and left are the other two Pure Ones. The Three Pure Ones are in the Supra Heavens outside the Universe of Heaven, Earth and Hell dimensions. God The Pure August Jade Emperor was appointed by the 1st Pure One to rule over the Universe we are in. The Great Sage is a help to many divine ones and can even deputise for the First Pure One. Thus this lend credibility to his title of being equal to Heaven. Some even say that in Heaven, there is no equal to him.

Being trained as immortal and then attaining enlightenment, Tai Seng is more than suitable to initiate men to the Tao or Way for immortality. The three Pure Ones of Supra Universe are the masters for immortality. In front of the cave altar of the Pure Ones, the masters for immortality, men can cultivate the divine art by inviting the divine force thereby having a direct link to Divinity. This is just the first step to being recruited but whether one succeeds to be on the path to divinity is another matter. Many had lost interest despite being initiated but a quiet few have made it but remained in the sidelines and out of the limelight. 

Great Tai Seng is there to save souls and train men for Mission to save souls. He is and ever will be victor of all endeavors. His devotion to Mission is second to none. 

What next after concrete?

Mission History and News No 22

The concretisation of the mission to the premise at ground zero is no small feat. It is undoubtedly the summation of the will power, toil and sweat of the people from the formative years since 1969. 

The handful self assured people who came after did come with enthusiasm like insects to the flower. Can they do better and bring the mission through more paces and to greater height? Certainly they can, can't they?

What have they done? Can they do more to make the difference to show that the temple mission sets the pace for others to follow or is it just continuing with the pace already put in place and doing what many other temples have done or are doing? Can it set more examples for others to follow? That is the crux of the matter. 

Can the mission do without the influence of those involved in the formative years? Can it rise above mediocrity? 

Certainly, it should and can. There is always and should be the 'can do' and 'will do' spirit at least with the immortals above if not with men. The mission after all is by Heaven and not by men. 

Those on the ground can be expected to do better in their own respective ways and perspectives. That is their prerogative. Leave them to do what they know best. Judge not lest we be judged. 

Likewise, the efforts of writer in Living Life Series should not be judged as the main mission or separate from the mission. Just do what needs to be done and hope all will fall in place and be well received, be it by Heaven above or by men below.  

Better it is to do and do and not to ask why. Don't be nosy. Just contribute in some way to the mission which is after all by Heaven and not by men. 

Tien Xin Chor Soo

Mission History and News No 21

The descent of Lord Bo Tien to the world was in 1969 and the first phase of 13 years was the phase of faith in the saints of God. There were three main images at the shrine of Bo Tien mission related temple - The Buddha, Lord Bo Tien on His right and Goddess Kuanyin on His left. 

The first quarter of the first phase saw the direct representatives of Lord Bo Tien coming down to guide the early pioneers who were a loose bunch from all walks of life. There were both the right and left hand representatives who came and did their part. 

Mou Chi Sun with his crossed arms pose is the right hand representative and he is a heavenly being who speaks little but executes the will of the lord. 

The left hand representative is doctrine centered  He and the others in his camp were the ones who explained the doctrine and teachings of the lord - the Tou-li. 

But alas, the men in the bunch were not in tune with the purity of the lord and his representatives. But the lord saint did not forsake the men though men might had forsaken him. 

There came to the temple of the lord a heavenly being who can be said to belong to both the right and left hand camps but yet he is not. He is likely to be a high level deity who volunteered to help in the mission. 

His signature pose is the crossed swords pose. He is Tien Xin Chor Soo. He paved the way for the Aged home and Mutual Help and Care initiatives at the old premises at Woodlands Road. His human buddy is one businessman nicknamed Poona. 

Poona single handedly donated the awning that sheltered the shrine when it went outdoor at old premises at Woodlands as the shrine hall was vacated to house the aged destitutes. He was given the unique honor of gift of the ceremonial double swords to Tien Xin

Tien Xin took over the helm of mission, coordinating both the left and right wings. Tien Xin paved the way and guided the mission through the second phase. His double swords signify that he has the authority to represent both the right and left wings.

He phased in the mission to welcome the double dragon supporting pearl decree. But towards the latter years of the second phase, he remained in the background when the doctrine and key elements for the mission were em-placed. 

That both the direct right and left hand representatives of Lord Bo Tien as well as Tien Xin no longer came to the fore after the first phase and the early years of second phase is significant. This marks the milestone for mission proper. 

The doctrine of Lord Bo Tien had been delivered through the annual messages during the anniversary mission days of 13th day of the ninth lunar month. These messages were further augmented by periodic messages, sermons and talks by the various representatives as well as those by Tien Xin. 

Thus in the second phase proper and thereafter, they receded to the background and to this day are in the background for the doctrine has been activated and the mission will move on with the doctrine leading men. Men must be led by doctrine, live in doctrine and activate the doctrine in the lives of other men.  

The writer of this blog remembers Tien Xin fondly. He had left his lasting mark on the mission. Tien Xin is still with the Mission but the mission must be led by Doctrine or Word for the Word is God. God and saints of God are one in Divinity. 

Where the Doctrine is in the lead, therein is the Mission. If this be the case, then the Mission may well be in any temple church or religion and not in a temple bearing the name of Lord Bo Tien. It is in such places that saints and deities like Tien Xin will be in the background to provide the support and backing.

Living Life Series is made up of several blogs. It is doctrine based and focused. Where there is doctrine, therein is the Mission and for sure, saints and deities like Tien Xin will exert their presence. May the blessings of Tien Xin Chor Soo be with one and all. 

He was and is most willing to engage and talk on the issues of men. He was frank and forthcoming. He endeared with the faithful and those in need.

As his honorific title suggests, he is the deity or saint (Xin) of Heaven (Tien) to assist Lord Bo Tien in execution of the mission to save souls. He was sent by God as mission coordinator.

He helped to consolidate the first phase (faith and discipline), phased in the second phase (welfare and human mundane needs) and launched the third phase (doctrine and spiritual practice) of the mission. 

The three phases correspond to the three images of Lord Bo Tien, Goddess Kuanyin and Amitabha Buddha. The three phases did and do run both successively and concurrently and continues to do so. They were set in motion by the coordination of none other than Tien Xin Chor Soo. He is the divine overseer.  

It was significant that he accompanied Mou Ji Sun some time in 1983 to 1985, when cross armed Mou did his last curtain call at Woodlands back room shrine. 

He did a backward 360 degree flip and called for the ornaments of the five guardian angels. He held the five as a bunch and did a tongue ritual whilst in trance in body of medium. When Tien Sin followed, he advised that the medium be not told of the ritual. 

The ritual signified the going it alone or launch of the mission by Heaven bypassing men who tended to be tardy. Men could wait but Heaven could not.  

The event signified the first and last time Tien Xin and Mou Chi Sun got together in the temple. It was also the last time Tien Xin descended in the body of medium. The mission was set in motion by Tien Xin even if men might not be ready. 

Tien Xin tried his best to bring as many men into the fold of the mission as he could. Thereafter, the zest for mission took a turn and men turned towards their own expectations instead of mission proper. 

Thus if in any mission related temple in 2013, there is little or scarce sign of mission especially doctrine mission, this should not come as a surprise to men with some insight. 

It was Tien Xin in his usual frankness some years after 1975 who said that the writer should take every opportunity to better get to know the doctrine whilst the writer had opportunities to have divine encounters with representatives of the lord saint Lord Bo Tien. It is only in 2013 that the writer understood the impact of what Tien Xin said. Perhaps the writer was dumb....

Tien Xin had merely added to what Lord Bo Tien in 1975 anniversary message remarked to the writer that time would reveal that the writer would be adept in worship of the saints. 

Lord Bo Tien had actually been explicit on the doctrine. He had said that those who are good and adept at worship of saints must be good at the doctrine. "He who knows the doctrine knows the lord saint. He who does not does not know the lord. " This too Lord Bo Tien said in 1975. 

Time has indeed passed and the writer deeply regrets that he did not devote that much more attention to the sessions he had with the representatives of the lord saint led by Tien Xin Chor Soo. The writer only knew on hindsight his role in putting to pen on the world wide web the doctrine elucidated by the lord saint. 

The medium had passed on and many years before his passing on, the lord saint and his representatives no longer came down. The reason was and is that the doctrine has been passed down and elucidated. 

The doctrine is the lord saint and the lord saint is the doctrine. The lord saint needs not come down in person but yet he is with us through the doctrine. This is the message of all messages of the lord saint.

It is very much left to men to grasp, further explain and activate the doctrine not only to men in a temple of the lord but to all men and beings of the world regardless of religion, sect and affiliation. This is the mission. 

Prophesy that many may misconceive the lord saint as the concoction of man

Mission History and News No 20

There are two references made by Lord Bo Tien in his messages in connection with His image

 

If brethren are to understand the saint, they must first understand the Doctrine that the saint expounds. If the Doctrine is understood, that brethren will understand the saint. Whosoever knows (understands) the Doctrine will know (understand) the saint and whosoever knows (understands) the saint will know (understand) the Doctrine. Lord Bo Tien's 1975 Anniversary Message

 

He remarked that His Image was at the Temple 365 days and yet His presence was not being felt at all. "His Doctrine," He said, "is My Image and My Image is My Doctrine. Should this generation fail to fulfill His Mission, His Image would be lifted up to heaven. The next generation of people or perhaps many generations to come would fulfill it. The cycle of this task would go on until a day when it would succeed. Historical version of Bo Tien Chor Choo's 1978 Anniversary Message...

  

In fact, his representatives often refer to the need to go beyond the image and devotion. There is need to know doctrine. The risk is that those who do not do so would be shaken when the medium or close followers of the lord saint erred, were not up to the mark and were not role models.

They may mistake man as saint and saint as man. The day might come when they think the lord saint is not real but the concoction of man.

Even subsequent generations at a temple of the lord saint if not rooted in doctrine may think likewise and may even wonder if the temple has any doctrine. They would then think thus. Lord Bo Tien and his temples have no doctrine.

 

Those who know not doctrine will one day think the lord saint is not there. The lord saint is real only to those who embrace doctrine but a concoction of men to those who do not know the doctrine. Thus it has been prophesied by the warriors / representatives of the lord saint that many may misconceive that the lord saint as the imagery of man.

This is likely even with men who adore the saint and make no effort to understand what He stands for and why He makes himself known to men. When men fail to see the doctrine and that the mission is doctrine and not just to meet social work and personal agenda, then they will be easily misled by leaders who portray the saint in way that make men idolise the saint.

The same applies to any saint or prophet and leaders who are wolves in sheep's clothing will capitalise on their idolatry. They will say that belief in the saint is all that would be needed. All believers will be saved by mere belief alone. With such approach, what can we expect.

In time, many will be turned away and the house of worship will be empty or only filled with remnants of people who idolise their saint or prophet. They too will in time lose their zeal and will soon think that the prophet or saint is not as great as made out to be by their leaders who are in fact acting as defacto false prophets. Worse still they will think that the saint or prophet is no saint but the concoction or over portrayal of men. All these are the result of not knowing the doctrine or teachings the saint stand for. The fault lies in both the leaders and the men under them.

  

In Lord Bo Tien's 1975 Anniversary Message, it is stated thus:-

The Lord Saint said that He descended that night "not to exhibit the qualities, majesty and magnificence of sainthood but to expound the Doctrine and to help beings visible and invisible, here and in other dimensions.

No saint would want men to idolise him. And if men want to idolise a saint, they can do so even without any wooden image or picture of that saint. Many who point fingers at others for idol worship are in fact greater idol worshippers who idolise their saint even without any image of their saint in a church, temple or home.

As Lord Bo Tien said, we need not know how great or powerful He is, but we do need to know what He stands for. We need to know the Doctrine - the values He stands for.

Likewise, no father would like his children to idolise him but to learn from him the values of life that he wants to share with them, so that they, the children, can stand on their feet even if he is not around at times or in time to come. This is just rational thinking or simple logical common sense to be expected of all men.  Idolising someone, be it saint or parents, will serve no long term purpose.

Thus it can be readily understood why the prophesy that many may in time misconceive that the lord saint, or for that matter, any saint or prophet is the concoction of men. This will happen when they lose their zeal, wonder if that saint is real or as great as conceived and feel their fellow men are somehow deceiving them. How long can men idolise another being be it a saint or a man?

The answer or  solution lies in knowing the Word or Doctrine and its practice. He who knows the Word knows God and saints. He who does not, knows not. Fot the latter, the day will come when he will fail God and saints and think God and saints don't exist or don't matter. Then, he will feel empty and be in hell even in the temple or church dedicated by men to God and saints.

For goodness sake, no idol worshipping please. Do not idolise a saint the way men would idolise a film star or singer. That would be crazy, unbecoming, or worse still belittling the saint. Go for the Godly values and doctrine that a saint stands for. That is what a saint expects and that way we will be more blessed.


 

 

 

Mission is beyond temples

Mission History and News No 19

The initiative of the mission of the Four Pillar Doctrine has moved away from the mission related temples to the world stage and this is as predicted by the lord saint that his mission will spread far and wide. Mission is beyond temples and the agenda of man. Man may not be ready but Heaven is. Man will not be ready as man is bogged down by face value and social agenda. Man goes for the here and now and man's needs in the immediate social milieu. The near at mission related temples may be near yet far and the far away from the mission related temples may not remain far for long. They will be near and dear to Heaven. Go for the temple of God with the sky as the roof and religions as its pillars. It is difficult for a temple of concrete or wood to rise to the needs of the mission and such a temple at best can only be a temple of man, not of God and saint.

The lord saint predicted that His image would crack in 20 years from 1980

Mission History and News No 18

In 1980, the lord saint Lord Bo Tien came down to deliver His message at the old Woodlands premise and the image before him was a one metre wooden image that had just been installed a year or two earlier, either in 1979 or 1978. The image was not colored except for the golden armour and was similar to that portrayed in this blogsite.

The following paragraph comes from the 1980 message. Historical version of the 1980 anniversary message of Lord Bo Tien 

 

"Boss (Lord Bo Tien) stressed that though this Image is important to us, it is important to Him, because it signifies such great importance in the facts of life and mission we are to carry out. Although the Image is made of wood, in 20 years time it will crack. This is not important, the important factor is that men will be able to grasp its significance and put it into practice. Thus there is no permanency in life. To live is suffering, but do not forget that after a storm there is a calm. There is sorrow, there is happiness. There is pain, there is joy. That is not important for the soul is the purest of them all. For our purpose in life is to care for our soul not the wealth and status we will attain during this lifetime."

 

What is important is the significance behind the image. The image reflected the facts of life. There was no permanency and in 20 years from 1980, it would crack.

 

This the lord saint said but this statement on 20 years was deleted from the later version of the 1980 message in the year 2000 publication LORD BO TIEN'S GUIDANCE by Bo Tien Temple Singapore.

 

The earlier version of the 1980 message was published by the late Senior Brother Chong Sim  in his first draft book My Interpretation of LORD BO TIEN'S MESSAGES. Historical version of the 1980 anniversary message of Lord Bo Tien 

 

Chong Sim wrote the draft book in the last few months of his terminal illness and had the intention of writing the draft so that the final version would be named LORD BO TIEN'S GUIDANCE. He obtained photocopies of the historical scripts of nine of the lord saints messages from Peter Kong and wrote his understanding based on the messages and from his long association with the lord saint. But he was too sick to bind the 108 copies and had to depend on a lady colleague to bind it. Ten copies were sent from Kedah  to Singapore.

During his last admission to hospital at Singapore, he called Elder Ling and Peter Kong to his hospital bedside and shared with them that they should treasure time, should do more for the mission of the saint.  Unlike them, time was not in his favor. He said that both Elder Ling and Peter should be more serious in undertaking the mission and he regretted for not contributing enough in the past.

Only in the wee hours of his life when he was in pain that he was able to write his draft book. He advised both of them to be more serious in mission. Upon his return to Kedah, not long after that, he passed away on the eve of the anniversary of Lord Bo Tien's mission day. Though weakened by cancer, he dressed in white after his wife bathed him and after praying to the lord saint, he passed on.

Whilst his draft book mentioned that 20 years from 1980, the image of the lord saint would crack, the mention of 20 years time frame  for it to crack was somehow omitted in the year 2000 publication LORD BO TIEN'S GUIDANCE by Bo Tien Temple Singapore. Why this came about may perhaps have to do with the person/s who edited the message.  They might have felt uneasy with the accuracy of the prediction. The motive for this is obviously a very human one and no one will ever know.

 

True to the word the image did crack in year 2000 before the Singapore temple moved over to Jurong in 2003.  The happening of the crack in base of the image occured in the same year as the publication of the book LORD BO TIEN'S GUIDANCE and this is more than coincidence.

After Elder Ling stepped down as President in 2004, the temple found the crack at the base of the image inauspicious and disposed it by burning and replacing it with a new and better looking one despite respecting every word of  what the lord saint said in the 1980 message.

 

"Although the Image is made of wood, in 20 years time it will crack. This is not important, the important factor is that men will be able to grasp its significance and put it into practice."

 

The importance is the doctrine and mission depicted by the image and the image too echoes the nature of life such as impermanence and the dualities of life  - happiness and sorrow, calm and storm, wholesomeness  and decay (crack). What is important is not the transitory worldly beauty but the more lasting beauty of the soul. We should go for purity and wisdom to enhance the spirit or soul of life. 

As with regards to the image of the lord saint, what is important is the beauty and wholeness of the doctrine it stands for and not the physical beauty and intactness of the wooden image.  As like all of nature, it is subject to impermanence and will crack with time but the lord saint was even exact in saying that in 20 years time from 1980, that is in year 2000, the image would crack and the image did crack at its base.  Historical version of the 1980 anniversary message of Lord Bo Tien 

 

In 1980, the lord saint said, "... Although the Image is made of wood, in 20 years time it will crack. This is not important, the important factor is that men will be able to grasp its significance and put it into practice. Thus there is no permanency in life. To live is suffering, but do not forget that after a storm there is a calm. There is sorrow, there is happiness. There is pain, there is joy. That is not important for the soul is the purest of them all. For our purpose in life is to care for our soul not the wealth and status we will attain during this lifetime."

 

The lord saint predicted that His image would crack in 20 years from 1980 but His advice on the significance of this somehow fell on deaf ears because people were more keen to adore Him than to grasp the doctrine He and His image stand for. They burnt His image and replaced it with a new one.

As the image depicts the doctrine and the doctrine is in the image, this perhaps would be equivalent to the sidelining of the doctrine. In 1983, the lord saint said the doctrine would be returned to Heaven if not valued as the primary concern of the mission.  Historical version of the 1983 message of Lord Bo Tien...

Likewise it is not important if our body 'cracks' with time but it is more important that we embody the doctrine and practise it so that it will enrich, heal and and strengthen our spirit. No point having a new body or image be it for the image at the temple shrine or for the body which others see as us. The new image or body too will be subject to the laws of nature.

Chong Sim understood that and wanted Peter and Elder Ling to know and do better. Elder Ling had stepped down as President in 2004 and after physically leaving the temple, his understanding and grasp of the doctrine has improved exponentially whilst many of those still at temple have not because they go more for the face value or image and not the doctrine. The mission is a doctrine mission and all must know that.

Thus Elder Ling is a fine example when the lord saint said that the far may be near and the near may be far. Elder Ling since 2004, unlike others appears far from temple but is near because the doctrine is in him. Remember to grasp the doctrine in the image for the image is the doctrine. This too did Lord Bo Tien say.
 

That what form the mission should take and that whatever the form may be, the doctrine should take centre stage. This should be clear and indisputable. Elder Ling is adamant on this. The mission is the doctrine with welfare as part of the thrust for doctrine. The mission is the temple and the mission is one under the umbrella of temple. All welfare activities as decreed by the lord saint should be under the temple with one common logo that was sanctioned by him.

If Elder Ling has his way, there is no place for two separate logos, one for temple and one for welfare as the mission is one in doctrine. Welfare is a mere aspect of the doctrine and the predominant emphasis of doctrine is oneness in God and saving of souls through all religions.

If there be two separate bodies one for temple and one for welfare, then there is crack in the image of the mission and this is more serious than the crack in the wooden image of the lord saint. Even then this should come as no surprise as impermanence is pervasive in the world we live in.

What to do when men are never perfect and the world we live in, being eternally part of nature however good and beautiful will not be as good or perfect as what is in Heaven. This too did Lord Bo Tien say.

But if the not-so-ideal or far-from-ideal step has been taken, we should not be taken aback but should sit back and reconcile with the imperfection of man. Afterall, man is always man.

The imperfection of man is such that they see the mission not as doctrine mission but as a welfare mission based on loving kindness and compassion but they tend to be myopic and not see the long term view of the mission to enhance and save souls. For the latter may appear remote and not real to them.

The 'crack' in perception of what is the mission may explain why the lord saint reiterated that the mission is the Mission of Heaven and not the Mission of Man. But with proper alignment the two can be one. That will be the day.

 

Incidentally, the government would have relocated the mission related temple  to a common premise  with three other Chinese temples had it not been for it's having under its fold the welfare activities. Only Elder Ling lives today (2012) to share this grim reminder.

He was the prime architect to ensure that the temple and the mission it represents remains as an entity in its own right and not 'amalgamated' with other temples. That is why he is the unpolished diamond the lord saint refers to.