A Meditation on the Lord's Prayer

In this article I shall quote the Lord's Prayer and interpret it according to what I have learned about the Bible. If this interpretation differs from any other official interpretation, then it is to glorify God and bear witness to the return of the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

First let me introduce the first part of the prayer:

Our Father, who art in Heaven
Hallowéd be thine Name
Thy Kingdom come
Thy Will be done
On Earth, as it is in Heaven.

In the first five lines of the Lord's Prayer is the promise that the Kingdom of God will come upon us, though it be without warning. This is a distant reference to the Millennial Age when Christ will rule over the Earth before the End of the (Latter) Days is upon us.

These five lines have been written in my heart as the penultimate Millennial Promise of God sung by the angel of song.

In the second part of the Lord's Prayer we have:

Give us this day our daily Bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us
and lead us not to temptation
and deliver us from evil.

Contained in the first line of this part of the Lord's Prayer is the transubstantiation of the body of Christ from the bread of sacrament. Although we as Christians have sacrament on the Sabbath — the day of rest — it represents the renewal of the covenant and reminds us to remain repentant — and thus refrain from sin.

In the third and final part of the Lord's Prayer is the acknowledgement that the Kingdom, the power and the glory is of God, which lasts for a long, long time.

For thine is thy kingdom,
the power and the glory,
Forever and ever.
Amen.

Commentary:

With respect to the history of Christianity — founded by Jesus and written by Luke, it is like the history of ancient Rome — founded by Romulus and written by the Roman historian Dionysus — and the history of the Hebrews — founded by Moses and written by the historian Josephus — with each founder being born from God.

For Romulus was born by the river Tiber, while Moses came floating down the Nile and Jesus was baptised in the River Jordan.

Over the past two thousand years his being born from God has become the literal truth in the Christ's story as an established Truth that frees all of humanity who accepts Jesus as their savior from their past sins in apostasy, now ritually cleansed away by baptism, provided that they "go and sin no more."

That provision — to go and sin no more — is the essence of repentance.

Afterwards, repentance becomes an ongoing process that is sanctified by weekly church meetings on Sunday, and by daily prayers based on scripture. Indeed, the weekly taking of sacrament of bread and water that symbolizes the body and the blood of the Christ renews their covenant with God. That covenant consists of following the commandments of their church and the observance of fasting and taboos of the respective religious denomination.

In the case of LDS theology, their taboo that addresses addiction consists of no coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs.

Additionally, the taboo regarding the law of chastity implies no coveting of another person for immoral purposes, such as fornication, be it heterosexual or homosexual. This also includes adultery, including that of the heart e.g. looking upon another person as a sexual object. Finally, there is a taboo against masturbation and pornography.

I can see wisdom in making these things taboo: having no money to buy energy drinks prevents temptation of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs.

With respect to chastity, my choice of the term "coveting" means the wanton desire to use another person for sexual purposes. Fornication implies a sexual act. As for masturbation, the avoidance of pornography is the result of the taboo against it.

Indeed, the study of the Scriptures — the Bible (Old Testament and New Testament) and the LDS scriptures (Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price) — is purported to be an inspiration to keep the law of chastity.

Though I prefer a cold shower now and then.

Returning to the first part of the Lord's Prayer, I still hear it being sung as though by an angel of song who clearly sings the promise of Jesus Christ to return to rule over the Kingdom of God in the Afterlife when End of Days is upon us.

Our Father, who art in Heaven
Hallowéd be thine Name
Thy Kingdom come
Thy Will be done
On Earth, as it is in Heaven.

---

Reference:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_the_Apostles#Genre.2C_sources_and_historicity_of_Acts
  
• Wikipedia article on the Lord's Prayer
  
• The Lord's prayer - The Singing Nun- this is the song I heard on the radio in the 70s.

Authors of Destiny

Nowhere in the Bible does it state that Satan is the author of evil, for this is blasphemy. Rather, God is author of good-and-evil, which is the complement of good and evil.

For man is not only capable of great evil but also great good.

All that the devil can do is accuse or tempt us. We are perfectly capable of making mistakes on our own when temptation leads to desire.

Of course, the devil exists in Christendom. However, the devil never made a person do anything. That's merely an excuse for being wicked until one is damned by ill will.

This is why it's important to attend church regularly, and serve the church selflessly to renew your covenant with God.

That's what repentance is about.

Although God is the author of good-and-evil, people are the authors of their own destiny.

Outer Darkness and Inner Light

Here are my thoughts on Outer Darkness, which might seem heretical to the orthodox Mormons, who believe it to be a place rather than also a state of mind. The Inner Light of the soul that God created is incorruptible, even when a human being is cast into Outer Darkness by his apostasy through acts of rebellion (sins).

Outer Darkness consists of the behavioral and mental negativity such as hate-love, happiness-indifference, sadness-indifference, anger-kindness, jealousy-equanimity, lying-sincerity, miserly-generosity, lust-chastity, and other dualities.

God is the author of good-and-evil, which is not a duality but complementary opposites, for indifference is the true evil. Thus all things are neutral in essence until MAN judges some of them good and their true opposites evil.

This is why acting amorally is evil and acting morally is good.

However, neither acting good or evil but indifferently is a greater sin than picking either good or evil. Choosing devil over God is only a sin when you worship the devil and forget Jesus is lord of us all, but acting devilishly in ignorance is forgiven when you repent of it.

In the final analysis though, Outer Darkness is like wearing black: when you shed the darkness through prayers of earnest repentance, your Inner Light shines.

Be Nonjudgmental of Lost Sheep

Be nonjudgmental of the lost sheep whose behavior would damn them by their wicked deeds.

Furthermore, do not label them "damned" or call them "wicked." Only the truly apostate are only destined to stand before the Fire. Therefore while they live, there is still hope for reconciliation.

For we who are children of the light are only projecting our fear of their destiny, if they do not repent of their wickedness, by judging them thusly.

Yet it is up to the children of the light to bring light into the darkness of the lost. Thus, treat kindly and firmly the lost sheep, and patiently guide them back to the Lord.

Born Again

This article is a continuation of my daily personal testimony about my Mormon baptism of which the immersion part occurred August 29, 2014 and the Holy Ghost part occurred on Sunday, August 31, 2014.

On Friday the baptism went very well. I got baptized and as I surfaced, experienced catharsis and almost cried. Then I swiftly recovered, and later changed back into my clothes from the baptismal garment. Then, when called up, I read the poem I wrote for this occasion.

On Sunday, church went great. I received the laying on hands for the baptism by Holy Ghost, and was requested to read my baptismal poem again. Tactfully, nobody complimented me on that because there is no point in it. This is church, not Toastmasters.

Everyone who knew me, congratulated me and welcomed me to their community.

Since the end of May I have been coming to church. and right now,

Every time I attend church and Tuesday instructions, I feel like I fit in. Whether I am at home or at work, I smile more. My mood has improve greatly over the past three months.

I actually look forward to any calling assigned to me. It is not in my best interest to lose faith and sit around home feeling lonely. For I belong.

Regarding any claim by anti-Mormons that the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saint is a cult, I consciously joined the Mormons with eyes open because I know what I am getting into. Nobody pulled the wool over my eyes, and I am not fooling myself.

Honestly, being a people pleasure led to positive feedback that motivated me to improve my personal hygiene, buy a white hoodie, new underwear and socks, and wear a white shirt for church. This is because I always liked to fit in, and my fellow church members make me feel at home.

Gee, the improvement in hygiene made me wonder who I was falling in love with — indeed, it's like I am in love with the Christ. It reminds me of a dim memory when a Christian asked me, "Did you know Jesus loves you?" Yes, and I love Him. Indeed, God loves me, wants me to be successful and His desire is to bless me.

Sometimes I hear my inner voice explaining that this is all self-justification, that soon I'll lose faith, feel out of place at church, and at future church events, but it always stops talking when I confront myself mentally and focus on my memories of Friday's immersion baptism and Sunday's baptism by Holy Ghost.

At the moment I feel thankful to God for His Mercy, and His guidance, especially when I picked Luke 15 which contains the trilogy of repentance consisting of the lost sheep parable, the lost coins parable and the lost son parable. It reminds me of that part in the Lord's Prayer that goes "Thy will be done."

When I ask myself How I shall make this love for God last until my death after a well-examined life, the answer is simple: through prayer and meditation.

At the moment, i am reading Sydney S. Reynolds' article "He Knows Us; He Loves Us" in the 173rd Semi-Annual Conference (October 2003) after searching for "God loves you." Once again, it is like God is guiding me to the material to complete my daily prayer and meditation.

It is almost like I let go and let God guide me, and I really am fine with that! Thanks to God, I am a Mormon.

Now, over 9 hours after the baptism by Holy Ghost and over 28 hours since baptism by immersion, I genuinely feel like I have been born again.

My Baptism (poem)

When one sheep out of a hundred sheep is found,
It is cause for celebration.
When one coin out of ten silver coins is found,
It is time for rejoicing.
When a person who was once lost is found,
Let the world know of the good news.

Having been made aware of penitence
He who has found the Light
Will be cleansed of all past sins
As he arises out of the water,
And shall find his new life
To be a complete change from the old.

I am that sheep,
for I am reborn.
Many thanks to God
And all witnesses.

Amen.

Be Discreet in Your Confessions (satire)

Regarding the confession of sins before the clergy by a church member, I find that what a person does in his or her home should not be aired in church, even when such a confession might be warranted in private.

This article is about confessions of sin in religion. If the gentle reader is not at all religious, then this article is still useful as a guide in being discreet when being candid with a trusted family member, friend and even a coworker or a work supervisor.


From what I have been able to understand, the clergy believes moral responsibility implies that they should pressure their members and their children to suppress natural human desires in order to enjoy a utopia in the afterlife. Additionally, some of them would pry into the privacy of one of their members, using the ruse that confession of sin is good for the soul while sometimes using the private information revealed to them unethically.

Personally, I feel that what people do in the privacy of their home is their responsibility. Airing one's dirty linens in a confessional risks the sinner being subject to invasion of privacy and needless shame. It also opens a whole ball of wax, because it's more socially acceptable to be sincere about keeping the faith than to be totally candid about personal privacy.

Indeed, a few unscrupulous clergy may have used their position of authority to make a vulnerable member compliant to what amounts to emotional blackmail, which is a violation of the sanctity of confession of sins.

It is truly unethical for the clergy to take advantage of a church member who is candid about his or her sins. Indeed, it is morally irresponsible for the clergy to force a member to do something against his or her will through the use of emotional blackmail to keep them quiet.

For this is devilish of clergy to behave in such a way, especially when it is excused by declaring that it is done for the member's own good i.e. ensuring one's destiny in the afterlife.

By exercising power and control over a church member in such a manner, the clergy certainly is not behaving ethically, regardless of any justification made.

So I would caution church members to be careful about what sins they confess before clergy. For personal privacy means that any member is free to maintain her privacy about personal questions that the church has no business asking.

Am I suggesting that a church member lie? No, if the questioning gets uncomfortable, then the church member should sincerely declare that she is not there to air her dirty linen without a supportive witness present.

It also is unethical for a witness for emotional support to side with the clergy should the member be candid about her sins. That witness' role is to provide emotional support, not gang up on the sinner.

Even so, it requires much prayer before being candid about one's sins. The clergy is actually practising a form of psychological abuse when demanding a full confession of sins with the threat that lack of candidness means a trip to Hell.

Indeed, warrantless emphasis on the destiny of the wicked as 'damned to Hell' without presenting the strong case of mercy by a loving God through repentance is itself a kind of sin that equally damns anyone else. For it is indeed devilish to needlessly frighten a church member into compliance.

This is why I would caution church members to be ever vigilant when in an interview with clergy or a member of high standing, so as to not complicate the confession process needlessly.

It is far better to confess privately to God your private sins, and pray for forgiveness than to confess about them with clergy, unless you trust them to keep your sins secret and to remain morally responsible in light of your confession of sins to them.

I am sure this is why we are selective about who we confess our errors to, lest the empaths try to shame us into repentance, which is different from freely repenting.

We are not perfect, being human. Yet there might be some unscrupulous person to abuse their moral responsibility by violating their sense of professionalism and turning sociopathic, if only to "teach us a lesson".

So be discreet about what you confess to a confident who you trust, and always be open to repentance.

Regret (satire)

When stress leads me to say things I later regret, mental fatigue leads me to that mental state.

So I will endeavor to speak wholesomely for the betterment of myself and other people.

For I am thankful that my errors are clear to me, and the solution is so simple for all to see: to hold my tongue rather than speaking,
unless I am asked to provide instruction or to explain in honesty my personal opinion in brevity.

In retrospect, sometimes I say things I regret. The only person I should be apologizing is to myself for denying responsibility for my words.

Indeed, at all times it is wise to closely guard my words. It is obvious that I have broken the Buddhist precept about lying. However, I am harming myself by subjecting myself to the hellish qualities of regret due to misuse of guilt.

In order not to make it worse, I will not provide the details of what I had said over the past week since things have worked out for the best.

Repentance and Humility: Tools of the Faithful

The idea that satan curses the faithful with poverty is a pernicious fallacy. For the very idea that material wealth is the sign that God has blessed you is actually a sign of spiritual materialism.

Indeed, in some cases, wearing a silver cross is such a sign. It shows that a person of faith has sacrificed time to afford a valuable trinket rather than performing acts of repentance.

How foolish! Were a religious person truly aligned to God, he would remember Jesus' saying "Blessed are the poor, for they shall inherit the kingdom of God."

This is why I, as a Buddhist, will not convert to Christianity. Far too many financially success Christians have attributed their new-found wealth to being blessed by God. They forget that a repentant attitude is caused them to stop sinning. By making beneficial choices motivated by their faith, they actually profited, because those choices gained respect with their peers.

As long as the attitude of Christians is reflected in the philosophy of material wealth being a blessing from God, their spiritual materialism will blind them to repentance. Furthermore, they may fear poverty so much as to be influenced by satan to oppress the poor, be it through taking advantage of them or worse, teaching them that the road to riches is by attributing it all to the work of God.

Any Christian who believes that satan is the author of poverty might also believe that, satan being the enemy, it is right to let the poor in need suffer. This belief contradicts Jesus' attitude of the poor, and also shows that popular Christian preachers with a large flock may actually be wolves in sheep's clothing.

If I as a Buddhist know this, then it's amazing how large that block of wood in the eyes of the faithful actually is.

For even in Buddhism, much value is placed in repentance as its helps the Buddhist to make choices which benefit all sentient beings.

Meditation on People Who Do Evil to Children

May all evil people that perpetuate evil upon children suffer as a result of the evil that they create, equal to the depth of their denials. The Hells has a special place for them.

Excluded are those people who have been caught and are sincerely filled with remorse, and readily admit to their wrong-doing. When they turn about and give up creating evil, dedicating themselves to perpetuating good on all people, their time in the Hells will be a brief reminder of what their afterlife might have been.

However, it is up to them to decide whether they wish to be reborn in the Realms of Desire or choose to be reborn in the Pure Land.

If the latter, then burning off evil karma is as simple as many utterings of the name of Amida Buddha.

Why would anyone choose to reincarnate in the Realms of Desire?

Mental Negativity is the Dark Side of Ego

Sometimes I'd rather be a Westernized Asian rather than fall for propaganda designed to create hatred against another nation, be it Japan, Germany or America.

Hatred causes and arises from mental negativity. It is but an ally of anger which is the root of all negativity.

Indeed, negativity is the dark side of the ego left in control of the mind, sometimes with tragic yet preventable results (war, famine, and other human problems).

Only patience and love will stand up to anger. As for hatred, it is transformed by love into compassion. For love has opened the eyes of people who once hated and they repented.

Within context of Buddhism repentance is mandatory after admitting your faults in front of fellow Buddhists.

This brings out humility, which helps the Buddhist vow to "think good thoughts" as Zen Master Hui-Neng suggests.

Clear as the sky above (poem)

Clear as the sky above
is the mind freed of the Ten Evils.
Through actions and meditation,
the Ten Evils are transmuted into
the Ten Virtues by not doing them.
Not doing the Ten Evils is
repentance in action.
Thus the faithful freely
give of themselves
in compliance with the Dharma.

The Fivefold Incenses and the Formless Repentance

Zen Master Hui-Neng said:

"The first is the Sila Incense, which means that our mind is free from taints of misdeeds, evil jealousy, avarice, anger, spoliation, and hatred.

"The second is the Samadhi Incense, which means that our mind is unperturbed in all circumstances, favorable or unfavorable.

"The third is the Prajna Incense, which means that our mind is free from all impediments, that we constantly introspect our Essence of Mind with wisdom, that we refrain from doing all kinds of evil deeds, that although we do all kinds of good acts, yet we do not let our mind become attached to (the fruits) of such actions, and that we are respectful towards our superiors, considerate to our inferiors, and sympathetic to the destitute and the poor.

"The fourth is the Incense of Liberation, this means that our mind is in such an absolutely free state that it clings to nothing and concerns itself neither with good nor evil.

"The fifth is the Incense of 'Knowledge obtained on the Attainment of Liberation.' When our mind clings to neither good nor evil we should take care not to let it dwell upon vacuity, or remain in a state of inertia. Rather should we enlarge our study and broaden our knowledge, so that we can know our own mind, understand thoroughly the principles of Buddhism, be congenial to others in our dealings with them, get rid of the idea of 'self' and that of 'being', and realize that up to the time when we attain Bodhi the 'true nature' (or Essence of Mind) is always immutable. Such, then, is the Incense of 'Knowledge obtained on the Attainment of Liberation.' This five-fold Incense fumigates us from within, and we should not look for it from without."

...

"May we, disciples so and so, be always free from the taints of ignorance and delusion. We repent of all our sins and evil deeds committed under delusion or in ignorance. May they be expiated at once and may they never arise again.

"May we be always free from the taints of arrogance and dishonesty (Sathya). We repent of all our arrogant behavior and dishonest dealings in the past. May they be expiated at once and may they never arise again.

"May we be always free from the taints of envy and jealousy. We repent of all our sins and evil deeds committed in an envious or jealous spirit. May they be expiated at once and may they never arise again."

---

Reference:

Chapter 6: On Repentance: http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/huineng/huineng6.html
http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/huineng/huineng6.html

We Betray an Unsound Mind

By amending our mistakes, we get wisdom.
By defending our faults, we betray an unsound mind.

-The Sutra of Hui Neng

"Amend our mistakes" refers to repentance for violating the five precepts for laypeople. This requires developing a sense of shame.

"Wisdom" refers to the ability to choose wisely, based on amending past mistakes.

"Defending our faults" refers to how an unskillful person acts when his mistakes are highlighted.

"Unsound mind" refers to the ordinary Monkey Mind, committing mistakes that hide Buddha Nature. Recovering Buddha Nature, the mind encounters the brightness of the Bodhi Mind.

With repentance, we desire to amend our mistakes.

Afterwards, wisdom helps us to helps us to learn from our mistakes by reminding us about those amended mistakes.

When a person defends her faults, she shows signs of an unsound mind.

When a person admits to her fault, it is possible to amend her mistakes.

This is known as "getting wisdom."

---

Originally posted: Feb 11, 2006 2240H
Update posted: March 8, 2013 2057H

Shinran's Word on Sect Differences

Today, the people of single-hearted nembutsu and those of the Path of Sages engage in argument, claiming that one school is superior and the other inferior. Thus, enemies of dharma appear and slandering of dharma becomes rampant. But does this not slander and destroy one's own teaching?

Even if all the other schools together proclaim, "The nembutsu is for foolish beings; its teaching is shallow and vulgar," you should not object. And instead simply reply, "We are taught that foolish beings of inferior capacity like ourselves, unlettered and ignorant, will be saved by entrusting ourselves to Amida. As we accept this and entrust ourselves, it is the supreme dharma for us, regardless of how vulgar it may seem to people of superior capacity. No matter how superb other teachings may be, if they are beyond our grasp and mastery, we cannot uphold them. Since it is the basic intention of the Buddhas that we shall all together go beyond birth-and-death, you should not hinder us." In this way, if we have no rancor, who would want to hurt us? An attesting passage also states, "Where there are arguments, various kinds of blind passion are awakened; the wise should avoid them."

The late master also said, "The Buddha predicted that there will be people who shall entrust themselves to this dharma, as well as those who shall slander it. I have already been made to entrust myself to the dharma, while there are those who slander it - by this we know that the Buddha's words are true. In fact, we should realize that our birth is even more firmly settled. If, contrary to this, no one denounced the nembutsu, we might wonder why even though there are believers, there are no slanderers. But this, of course, does not mean that the teaching should become the object of slander. The Buddha taught this because he knew that both believers and slanderers would exist. It was to dispel any doubts that might arise among us. — Chapter 12, Tannisho, Unno version

Recently I made rash statements about Zen Buddhists.

If I slandered anyone, then I apologize. This post is the final word on the matter.

When one's motive behind being of the True Pure Land school of Buddhism is through both self-power (jiriki representing desire to be reborn in the Pure Land) and other-power (tariki representing Amida calling to me through the Nembutsu), Buddha Recitation is done for the good of all sentient beings including myself.

Likewise, when the motive of Zen Buddhists is to achieve peace of mind through zazen, it is done for the good of all sentient beings including themselves.

Since both of us know that Buddhist practice is done for a cause higher than merely chanting or just sitting, any discord was due to misunderstanding the purpose of our respective paths.

I am thankful to Zen Patriarch Hui Neng as his words support both Pure Land and Zen, as do all of the Zen Patriarchs.