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There are two hells men must not be in even before they transit from this life to the next. What are these two?
One is the giving up of life, saying that we do not deserve to have life and the few comforts of life until others are no longer suffering. Worse still, we may think that we must deny the blessings of life we already have and suffer so that by doing so, by crucifying ourselves thus, others may be saved.
Surely, we will suffer but whether any good will come about is another matter. The answer is plain and obvious.
We would have already forgone whatever finite good or blessings we have and the likelihood of having any good out of giving up, out of the so-called heroic self sacrifice or to put it crudely, out of the crucify-thyself mentality is rather dubious.
Even if some good could come about, we would likely forgo the good as well. This is so that we may save many more others. This would be our delusion or wrong way of self sacrifice to save others. We think we are equal to martyrs.
Surely, we will suffer but whether any good will come about is another matter. The answer is plain and obvious.
We would have already forgone whatever finite good or blessings we have and the likelihood of having any good out of giving up, out of the so-called heroic self sacrifice or to put it crudely, out of the crucify-thyself mentality is rather dubious.
Even if some good could come about, we would likely forgo the good as well. This is so that we may save many more others. This would be our delusion or wrong way of self sacrifice to save others. We think we are equal to martyrs.
The other hell is the going for more and more, the more the better. Greed is good. Go for more, grab more and seize more out of life, never mind the toil and suffering, never mind if we become the victims of wants, never mind we have no time to get what we want and enjoy what we get, never mind if we become jacks of all trades and master of none, or never mind if we do become rolling stones that gather no moss.
Often we may even think that we should have more worldly blessings, as if we don't, we have failed God. We may think it is God's wish or plan that we have more, indulge in more even at expense of others. We may think it is God's will.
Surely we may have plenty but we will never have enough. We will suffer from want and pain as such and we may think that this too is God's will. We may end up in jail because of running foul of the laws of the land, the laws of Man. That would not be at all right.
But we might think that it is necessary for us to undergo the pain and indignity so that we will come through better in the end to be stronger to even go for more and to do God's bidding or ministry.
Often we may even think that we should have more worldly blessings, as if we don't, we have failed God. We may think it is God's wish or plan that we have more, indulge in more even at expense of others. We may think it is God's will.
Surely we may have plenty but we will never have enough. We will suffer from want and pain as such and we may think that this too is God's will. We may end up in jail because of running foul of the laws of the land, the laws of Man. That would not be at all right.
But we might think that it is necessary for us to undergo the pain and indignity so that we will come through better in the end to be stronger to even go for more and to do God's bidding or ministry.
Some of us go for more not because of God's bidding but because we think why bother if there is God, why bother if there is life after death, why bother how others will be so long as we ourselves have ever the more. But we too would never be happy because the more we want, the more we must want and the wanting is itself the pain we will have. This can prove to be endless and what next?
As men, we must avoid the pitfalls of the two hells in life before the afterlife. We must tread life by not denying and by not indulging in wants.
We must go for balance, take care of bodily needs and have enough of blessings to have peace but not end up in pain from incessant wanting.
This is the Middle Way in Buddhism and the Tao or Touli Way in Chinese culture and is depicted by the image of Lord Bo Tien with feet balancing the yin and the yang or as depicted by the two fish-like symbols of the Bagua.
We must go for balance, take care of bodily needs and have enough of blessings to have peace but not end up in pain from incessant wanting.
This is the Middle Way in Buddhism and the Tao or Touli Way in Chinese culture and is depicted by the image of Lord Bo Tien with feet balancing the yin and the yang or as depicted by the two fish-like symbols of the Bagua.
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| Lord Bo Tien |
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| Ba gua |
Balance yin and yang to avoid the two hells in life so that we may have peace without denial of wants and suffering from wants. This the sages refer to as peace in life here and now - the heaven that we can have even before the afterlife.
Avoid the two hells in life if we want a heavenly life of peace. Omitofo.
