'Showers of Wisdom' is taught by JiGong, the Heavenly teacher of Tao of Heaven appointed by Lao Mu. JiGong is a very popular deity worshipped by Taoist in the millions. He was the reincarnation of one of the 18 Arhats and he was a monk dressed like a beggar during the Song Dynasty. A man of boundless virtues, he walked thousands of miles without a penny in his pocket and a roof over his head, preaching the truth until the day he died. In the teachings of Tao of Heaven, Master Chang Tienzen of Jining, Shantung Province was the rebirth of JiGong. He was born on the 19th day of the 7th lunar month in the 13th year of the reign of Guangshu (1889) during the Ching Dynasty. Master Chang Tienzen became the Heavenly master in 1947, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, when the moon was the biggest, roundest and brightest. When he was born, it was stated that the Yellow River went clear signifying the birth of a sage. His left palm had a red mark of the sun and his right palm had the mark of the moon. Part 1 of 3 is only a small portion of his teachings and this is what he says about bitterness of life to let us understand the pain and suffering that we have to face in life. [1] The greatest sadness in a man's life is to have a spiteful wife and an infilial son. [2] The most wicked thing is to have someone repays one's kindness with injury. [3] The greatest misery is to be in an extremely distress state. [4] The most disheartening thing is for one's friend and family to abandon him. [5] The greatest frustration is to have success snatched from one's easy grip. [6] The greatest regret is to let one's words or actions stray into the wrong. [7] The most exhausting thing is to be under tremendous mental pressure. All these are the most painful and bitter encounters of a person's life. Life's most unavoidable circumstances. [1] The pain of not having what one desires to have. [2] The pain of being separated from the one you love most of all [3] The pain of feeling bitterness toward someone [4] Illness, hunger, struggling for food, working hard for fame and profit, anxiety about the burden of family.... All of life's accumulated virtues can be destroyed by just one vice, just like a bird in its ardent search for food is suddenly seized by a predator. All such tragic instances are caused by greed. To get bullied or killed by unnatural means, to get caught up in natural and human caused disasters, war and ruthless destruction...these are the most tragic fates of a person's life. Author: T.A Chew Website: http://www.white-sun.com |
