The Know Insider Weblog

Emperor Huang ruled China around 2600 B.C; which marked the beginning of China as a nation. Many inventions appeared during this period including: money, medicine, clothing, boats, carts, bows and arrows, compass, calendar, astrology, musical scale, palaces, etc and the invention of Chinese characters.

Emperor Huang was seeking for the truth from seventy two masters but all of them knew only about the worldly matters. One day the Emperor posted an announcement in the city that a reward of a thousand gold pieces would be given to the person who could introduce the Emperor to the True Master of Tao.

There was a living Buddha incarnated as a priest who was only thirteen years old and living at a small temple called Small Grove Temple. His name was Kuang Cheng Tzu and his uncle was a soldier taking care of horses. His uncle saw the announcement and removed it from the post and was then taken to see the Emperor.

He reported that his nephew possessed great virtues and wisdom. The Emperor replied: “The ages of all my seventy two teachers are between fifty and sixty years old and they knew the dharma of the worldly but not the dharma of the divine. How is it possible that a thirteen year old boy is able to possess such great virtues?” But the Emperor accepted his recommendation on the condition that if he was enlightened in three days after being initiated, he would award the soldier with a high position, otherwise he would execute him by chopping off his head.

The soldier was very frightened and returned to the temple. He mentioned the matter to his nephew, but Kuang Cheng Tzu regarded the event as a trivial matter.

On the next day the Emperor came with five hundred palace guards. With supernatural power knowing that the Emperor was coming, Kuang Cheng Tzu ordered a boy monk to cut down a tree to block the road. When the Emperor came upon the fallen tree, he realized that he had come without sincerity, and decided to return to his palace and come back through a small road with his General Juen Lien.

Again, Kuang Cheng Tzu ordered the boy monk to block the road, but this time with reeds tied in seventy two knots. When his impatient General encountered the reeds, he was ready to cut the knots with his sword, but the Emperor said one should be humble when one comes to receive the initiation from a teacher, so he asked the General to untie the knots one by one so that he would kneel down and bow when each knot was being untied.

When he arrived at the temple after seventy two bows, he saw the boy monk and asked if this was the Small Grove Temple. The boy monk replied: “Small Grove Temple is only known by a few. Tying the reed as a gate is the secret of revelation. The dharma of the Buddha is just and without comparison of high or low. Do not enter if you are arrogant.”

Obtaining realization from the poem, the Emperor came to the second gate and saw another boy monk using a stick to hit a peach tree. The Emperor asked why he hit the peach tree. The boy monk answered that he is punishing the tree for not bearing fruit. The Emperor asked how long ago the tree was planted. The boy monk answered that the tree was planted three days ago. The Emperor said: “How can the tree bear fruit only after three days?” The boy monk answered with a poem:

“The peach tree planted three days ago did not bear fruit yet, how can one become enlightened after receiving Tao for three days. With a generous heart and cultivating calmly, the time will arrive when the roots are deep and leaves are dense, then the fruit will appear.”

The Emperor came to the third gate and saw an old monk sweeping the ground. He asked for the master and was shown to the east room. The Emperor bowed and entered and saw a child sitting calmly inside. The Emperor kneeled down. Kuang Cheng Tzu said: “I heard my lord has been seeking Tao through seventy two masters. Which one has the true Tao?”

The Emperor answered: “Each teacher has Tao, but the disciple was unable to learn. I would like to ask the noble teacher how could one transcend one’s own life and death?”

Kuang Cheng Tzu answered: “If a person is away from all visible forms, he will not grow. And when wood is away from fire, it will not turn to ashes. Study Tao carefully by following the dharma persistently, then you will succeed.”

The Emperor was enlightened and thanked the teacher before returning to his palace. Later, the Emperor returned to the temple and cultivated Tao diligently until he reached Nirvana.

This is a poem from my Heavenly Teacher, JiGong:

“From ancient to modern times, ten thousands affairs have been changing and disappearing like burning candles. The fleeting existence turns out to be a journey in the dream. Those who realize this deeply are like spring water in the mountain, and the moon in the sky - how leisurely it shines!

Blend into the light of the sun and the moon. Unify with the virtue of the heavens and earth. Be together with the Ever-Existing Old Mom (Lao Mu - God). Get on the same vehicle and ride together with all Light Beings (Buddhas and Bodhisattvas). Explode the sparkle of life and light up the gloomy world. Keep the sources flowing forever and ever then it is not a waste to encounter the Holy Way (Tao) in this life.”

Author: T.A Chew

T.A Chew encountered Tao the first time in 1975, the second time in 1993 and the third time in 1995. JiGong in 1995 told him that he had to wake him up three times before he could understand Tao. The Tao he encountered is the same Tao as Emperor Huang’s. He realized it is not a waste to encounter the Holy Way in this life. Website: http://www.white-sun.com

The proponents of “Scientific Creationism” are quick to point out that God requires Christians to believe the Word of God when it comes in conflict with the words of men. And here they have said well. But what happens when we apply this standard to “Scientific Creationism” itself? Uh-oh. They weren’t counting on this. So let’s start the counting:

Scientific Creationism Error #1:

Turning the Word of God found in Genesis into a “scientific model” is a strictly forbidden practice in Scripture. This is because models remain fallible (might be false); Scripture cannot be false; it is infallible. Models are to be tested; the Bible is not. It is written: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” Testing Scripture (unless you are judging one Scripture by another) falsely presupposes there exists a standard for truth HIGHER than Scripture somewhere outside Scripture. Thus, scientific creationism actually promotes the very problem it purports to solve in opposing evolutionism. It accidentally fosters the idea that the words of men (some standard other than Scripture itself) must be used to test the Bible.

Scientific Creationism Error #2 — It promotes the fallacy of division. God gave the Scripture to be taken as a singular unit, where any one part is to be understood ONLY in the context of ALL of the other revelation given, not one piece by itself. This is the lesser doctrine of the reformation known as “Tota Scriptura.” And the Westminster Confession of Faith marvelously names the integrated unity of Scripture “The [mutual] consent of all the parts.” Yet, Scientific Creationists ignore the “irrefragability” and absolute integrity of Scripture (wherein the same Holy Spirit speaks throughout) by making a “model” of a small part of Genesis — perhaps the first 10 chapters — in isolation from the rest of the Scripture.

This falsely ignores what is called the “analogy of Scripture,” and fails to do justice to the fact the the Bible has the consent of all the parts. In contrast to this, Jesus said, “And the Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:30).

Scientific Creationism Error #3:

It promotes the use of multiple final authorities in matters of knowledge. Scientific creationsts often contend that both science (meaning THEORETICAL science APART from a biblical warrant) and Scripture can yield knowledge independently of one another. Sometimes they do this by using a “two book metaphor,” where supposedly the “book of nature” tells us about the real world outside the narrow domain covered by the biblical record, and the Bible tells us about “matters of faith” in the “book of faith.” Scripture says, “There is no authority EXCEPT that which comes from God” (Rom. 13:1). And knowledge that can oblige others to believe or act (obliging knowledge) is a matter of authority. And again, “NO one can serve two masters.” The Bible affirms that the God of creation wrote the 66 books of the Bible and that it speaks with final authority on all matters of faith and knowledge. There is no “book of nature” which has authority to declare what is true about the world APART from a biblical warrant. Special revelation finally declares the content and character of natural revelation.

Moreover, the history of science shows that theoretical science cannot yield knowledge about what the universe is really like because the truth-status of its successful theories flip-flops over time. In the theoretical sciences, what is true today probably will be false tomorrow. This, of course, means the theory in question never was true in the first place. But “the Word of the Lord stands forever.” One historian and philosopher of science, Dr. Larry Laudan (Science and Values) catalogued over 33 different “absolutely proven” or “highly succcessful” theories that later turned out false.

Scientific Creationism Error #4: The fallacy of Affirming the Consequent. One commits this fallacy when he reasons upon any subject in the following manner: If A is true, then B is True; B is true, therefore, A must be true. This is a formal fallacy, meaning that it matters not at all what the content of the propositions (dubbed “A” and “B”) are; it is the FORM of the argument that makes it fallacious.

Here is the relevant example followed by — get this — ALL SCIENTIFIC MODELS, when one uses predictive ability to prove “veracity of theories:”

If my model is true, when should expect to find X, Y, Z. We did find X, X, Z; therefore my theory (or model) is true. This follows the pattern, “If A, then B; B, therefore A, and so it affirms the consequent.

A brief example might highlight this problem: If Iraq attacks the United States, the United States will invade Iraq. The United States did invade Iraq, so that means Iraq attacked us. As is obviously the case, the U.S. might invade Iraq for a whole host of other reasons (e.g. “Iraq attacked Kuwait,” “Saddam didn’t listen to the U.N.’s demands,” or “Saddam is an idiot”). And Iraq attacking the U.S. - since it never happened — obviously is not related by logical necessity to the idea of the U.S. invading Iraq.

Other biblical and logical errors dot the creation science (as well the evolutionistic) landscape. But these should suffice for a short article. For more on a related topic, see Carson’s article entitled, “The Galileo Conspiracy: 5 Questions Your Science Professors Hope You Never Ask.”

By now, the reader may be wondering, “How could anyone ever come up with something so fallacious and counter-biblical as “Scientific Creationism,” and still manage to convince so many Christian people that this is what the Bible teaches? You’ll never believe this, but I was wondering the same thing.

Carson Day has written some 1.3 gazillion articles and essays on all manner of diverse topics. These aim to glorify God and offer people real help to live wisely and well. You can visit Carson’s websites at http://ophirgold.blogspot.com (The Omniblog, where Carson blogs everything) or http://extremeprofit.blogspot.com (Carson’s Day Trading Outpost). Thanks for stopping by.

This holiday season has seen an upsurge of one of the
oddest (to my mind) campaigns to keep Christmas in the
season. Emails are flying around the internet about
Christmas trees and there are Christian groups having hissy
fits about people saying “Happy Holidays.”

Yes, for the Christian community all over the world, it IS
Christmas. But, Christians are not the only group
celebrating Holy Days this time of the year and they need
to remember that.

December 25th this year also marks the beginning of
Hannukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. It begins three
days before the moon closest to the Winter Solstice, which
just occurred the 21st. It is the time of rededication for
them in remembrance and celebration of when the Macabees
retook the Temple of Jerusalem from the Syrians and
rededicated it.

December 26th marks the beginning of Kwanzaa, an African
American celebration of the family and the self. While it
is not considered a political or religious holiday, it does
include some spiritual aspects and being of the family,
should be honored.

That day is also Boxing Day, or Saint Stephen’s Day in the
United Kingdom. Since Stephen was the first martyr for the
Christian cause, I’d say it’s pretty holy.

Ramadan is in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and
happens to fall now, too. It is a time of submission to
Allah for the Muslims. A month-long celebration with
fasting and prayers. Holy times, indeed.

There are many more celebrations that fall now that are
holy to those that observe them. The Winter Solstice (12-
21), Bodhi Day (a.k.a. Rohatsu–the day the Buddha found
enlightenment–12-8), Day of the Holy
Innocents (the victims of Herod’s attempt to exterminate
the Christ were all male children under the age of two–12-
28).

The largest complaint going around is against the retailers
like Target, WalMart, K-Mart, etc. for not keeping
Christmas in their advertising or, supposedly, not letting
their employees say, “Merry Christmas.” As one of my co-
workers said, “The holiday season begins at Thanksgiving.
By the time Christmas comes, you’re so used to saying Happy
Holidays, you don’t say anything else.”

I know for a fact(as a former employee) that WalMart does
NOT forbid the use of Merry Christmas, but as a Christian,
I will not intentionally offend those that are not
Christians. Did it once and got my ears pinned back–and
rightly. So, I am more circumspect about it.

It is not even about being “politically correct” (what an
idiotic term–not much correct about the politics of this
country, but that’s another article). It is about having
care for your fellow humans and honoring their right to
observe their beliefs, just as they should honor ours.

This country was founded on a desire for religious freedom
and tolerance. Why are we so intolerant now? Why curb the
freedom of others to enjoy their religion?

So, what is wrong with Seasons Greetings or Happy Holidays?
Well, these groups claim to be fighting to keep Christ in
Christmas, but it seems to me that they might better direct
their efforts toward keeping God in our everyday lives.
For instance, the atheists fighting in the courts to remove
“In God We Trust” from our currency are a greater threat to
the Christian beliefs this country was founded on than
‘Happy Holidays’ is.

Not being able to display the Ten Commandments in public
places is a greater threat. Not being able to display
religious symbols publicly in squares or public traffic
areas is a greater threat as well. Why make an issue of
“Christmas” versus “Holiday?” Seems to me there are
greater battles to fight.

For the non-Christians, we ask that you tolerate us if we
do wish you a Merry Christmas. It is simply our way of
expressing the joy we feel at this time of the year. Wish
us a Happy Hannukah or Blessed Ramadan or Great Kwanzaa
back. We won’t be offended–usually. At least, I won’t.

The majority of religions in existence today honor a
supreme being. Whether you call it God, Goddess, Allah, or
whatever, the basic tenet of all the beliefs I’ve looked at
seems to be love for others. So, why not express that love
at this time, rather than enmity? Why separate ourselves
further from our fellow humans just because they believe a
little differently? This seems to be a jihad being fought
on the internet and about issues I don’t believe Christ
would advocate.

But, that’s just my opinion.

C. Rogers Upson is a published author on several websites and in
several anthologies. This article can be published on your website or in your newsletter, so long as the resource information is intact and nothing is changed. Her website is http://www.edragonmarketing.com and she has a blog at http://edragonmarketing.blogspot.com.

There has never been a better time to realize that if money could talk to you, it would say: “Good bye!”

There has never been a better time…to realize that it is the financial failure that pays all of his bills and living costs first and then tries to tithe and save out of what is left.

There has never been a better time…to control the misuse of credit cards because they are a major contributor to our present financial problems.

There has never been a better time…to understand that prosperity can only be achieved when we become obedient stewards of the money God entrusts to our care. Our first step in obedience is to demonstrate our faith in God by returning to Him 10% right off the top of our gross income.

There has never been a better time…to grasp the concept, the idea, that you cannot save by buying — and that the planning and management of money is more important than the money itself.

There has never been a better time…to understand you can succeed as a money manager if you will prayerfully maintain a sincere desire, over a long period of time to achieve the goals of your money plan. Part of your money plan must include a plan to get out of debt. It may take as long as 18 months to 3 years to accomplish this, but - it can and must be done!

There has never been a better time…to pray and ask God to help you become a better manager (steward) of the money He provides for you and your family. If you don’t know where to start consider this: there are over 2,000 instructions about money management in your Bible. All of them were put there to help you. Then as you follow those instructions, one-by-one, one day at a time, you can be assured and absolutely certain of this: your future will be - the best of times!

Terry L. Weber http://www.crafty-ones.com/web/viewproduct.asp?prodID=1244 http://www.yrret.stirsite.com/page/page/3455602.htm Terry Weber is a retired advertising/direct mail sales letter copywriter and inventor of several useful items. Terry and his wife Doris are Habitat For Humanity, RV Care-A- Vanners who, for the past eight years have volunteered to help build more than 39 houses all over the USA. They travel to and from the 2- week long builds in their RV. The money they make on their Crafty-Ones website helps them pay their expenses to and from those volunteer Habitat builds. P.S. Due to the high cost of gasoline we can no longer afford to drive the RV to Habitat builds. The RV is parked until gasoline prices come down. (4/28/06)