Life in this mortal world is like the lightning and the spark. Even if we may live a hundred years, it is only thirty-six thousand and five hundred days. The day when we take our last breath, nobody can be revived and nobody can save us. Nobody knows then where he will go and what he will be. In the first place where did we come from? Before me who was I?

Usually separation comes suddenly after we are emotionally engrossed, and death comes when we least expected. Attachments between spouse, children, relatives and friends have to be separated ultimately, and we have no choice. We come with a cry and go with tears. We have to be awakened from this illusory life.

The Ancient said: "An eighty year old man with white hair was recollecting his childhood memories. He was riding on a horse when he was young but now he is old. Life is like a dream and it passes rapidly. Husband and wife will eventually have to be separated and the children, each pursues his own course. The wealth and properties do not belong to us once we leave this world and where should we go after we passed away? We may become wandering spirits, separated from the mortal world. If we had acquired merits during our life time, then we will incarnate into the celestial world. If we had sinned, then we will incarnate into Hell. Henceforth you are advised to accumulate merits while you can."

Time flies, if we waste our time and refuse to abandon our misconception, years will pass and soon we will be old and feeble in a flash like the lightning and the spark. Do not be enchanted by this dream of illusory life, we may be too late to realize the need to cultivate ourselves and accumulate merits.

The Ancient said: "The human and the beast live together on earth and the only difference between the two is morality. Without morality, we will be no different from the beast. If we are busy for our lifetime without any constructive achievement, then our life will be insignificant and meaningless. It makes no difference whether we are living or dead. When our time is due, we will leave empty handed. Even if we are very rich and have a lot of properties, we cannot bring along any of these. We can only bring along our sins to see Yama (King of Hell). Dont you deem it regrettable to come to this world just to take a walk for nothing?"

We have to be awakened to this saying of the ancient and faster start cultivating so as to acquire merits. We should realize that suffering of birth, ageing, sickness and death are endless. Cultivate ourselves diligently and gain enlightenment to the Truth of life. An ancient cultivator who had attained enlightenment by the name of Luo Zhuang Yuan said,

"Once we incarnate into this earthly world for a few decades, we will encounter a lot of troubles and earthly matters. Once we commit sins, we will create a burden that will bring worries and sorrows to our life. Thus we must establish our goal to be a cultivator so that we will be liberated from sins and return to Heaven in the future."

Another enlightened cultivator of the ancient 'Zi Jie Wen' said, "Dont think that we still have a lot of time and are still healthy and strong. We must understand that it is difficult to predict when we will leave this world. Once we die, we will not know in what physical form we will assume in the next life. Now that we are still healthy, we must treasure everyday that we have and put in effort in performing wholesome deeds. By cultivating virtue and accumulating merits, our life will be more meaningful and worthy so that there is no regret upon death."

My Heavenly Teacher JiGong said, "Very often, people pursue the illusive (unreal) things and things that bear shapes and forms. However, things such as merit, fame, wealth and nobility would also disperse like smoke and clouds one day. Wait till you close your eyes, even though you are a king, a marquis, a general or a prime minister, no matter how great your nobility is, in the end, it will all be emptiness."

We have to wake up from this illusory world and start practising the Truth. One way is to be enlightened to the teachings of Tao of Heaven. It embraces all religions and faiths that teach the truth of life and salvation. Everybody is welcome and it is not a religion. It opens our third eye or divine eye or the dot of conscience through the ceremony of the "fire and holy spirit" so as to allow us to see through this illusory world.

Author: T.A Chew