13C-2000 05022000

Date: 5 Feb 2000.

Location: DBKL Crematorium, Cheras 

Contents:

  • (A) Observe good etiquette at all religious obsequies. [50:17 – 55:52]
  • (B) Sometimes, we cannot differentiate between good and bad. [55:53 – 02:49]
  • (C) No relationship after death. [02:50 – 06:57]
  • (D) Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know and I know. [07:00 – 12:50]
(A) Observe good etiquette at all religious obsequies. [50:17 – 55:52]
  1. The way we conduct our sermon during an obsequy must be realistic, factual and supported by materials like books.
  2. If we do not have supporting materials, do not give sermons as Xian Sheng did earlier. You need to bring along books or photostat copies as proof. 
  3. It is good that we bring along supporting materials about Jesus living in India. However, we should only talk about it if we have the evidence on hand or refrain from talking about it. We should state clearly that these are what the authors of the books said and not something that we concoct ourselves. 
  4. As Baitiangong followers, it is important that if we attend any obsequies conducted by Muslims or Christians for our siblings or relatives, do not disrupt their ceremonies. 
  5. Xian Sheng: If you want to recite the Baitiangong prayer, recite it in your heart. No! Recite in your mind as your heart is only a pump. When you reach home, you can kneel down and pray to the CREATOR for the deceased.
  6. Do not disturb others when they are conducting their obsequies by reciting the prayer out loud as if letting everyone know we know the prayer very well. 
  7. Let them conduct their obsequies as they see fit whether it is Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and etc. We are there as observers and not to disturb them.
  8. When they are reciting their prayers, do not recite the Baitiangong prayer even louder. No! Do not do that.
  9. The people who behave like that are people with no knowledge. Knowledgeable people do not behave like that.
  10. Xian Sheng studied until he graduated from the University of Malaya (May 1969 – June 1970. He graduated with a Diploma in Public Administration). If we did not study at UM, then we should listen to Xian Sheng who willingly shares his knowledge that we should not disturb others’ religious funeral processions.
  11. Xian Sheng emphasises again that we should neither recite the Baitiangong prayer out loud nor sing the Baitiangong prayer song out loud as it is not the right thing to do and the actions of people with no knowledge. (Empty vessels make the most noise.)
  12. However, when that happens to us, we should not blame them but treat them as ignorant people and just ignore them. 
  13. We have Baitiangong followers who are lawyers, accountants and university graduates too. We have wealthy followers too, but their status in society is not an important factor.
  14. What is important is that we have followers that are knowledgeable. They respect the religious rituals of other religions. And if they do not like what they are hearing, they would just walk away. It does not matter to them.
  15. In the event that our siblings or our father are Muslim converts and we are unable to protest against a Muslim burial, we should just attend the funeral to observe and listen. If we are unhappy with their sermons, we should just step aside. It does not matter. But if you want to say a prayer for them, then recite it in your mind.
  16. Today is a good day as it is the first day of the Chinese New Year. In Baitiangong, every day is a good day (if we are able to do good for the day like attending obsequies). Therefore, it is a doubly good day today. 
  17. Bro Yong Koon Sang (obsequies two days ago) and Bro Ng Foong Huat are related through their wives. They are fortunate to be Baitiangong followers as Baitiangong does not subscribe to the taboo that attending funerals is bad luck during the Chinese New Year.
  18. We came in droves to pray to the CREATOR for them. What is important is that more brothers and sisters pray for them.
  19. Different people have different takes on obsequies. The other day, someone opined that we do not need to pray for the deceased as they bore their own sins. 
  20. Xian Sheng said that kind of mindset is inappropriate. In a person’s lifetime, they would have done good deeds or committed bad deeds.  There are good deeds that we are unaware of and there are also bad deeds that we are unaware of.  
  21. As we would not know whether a person has done more good or more bad in life, we should just pray to the CREATOR for them. There is no disadvantage to us whatsoever in praying for them. 
  22. We cannot be of the mindset that the deceased is well off and does not require our prayers.
(B) Sometimes, we cannot differentiate between good and bad. [55:53 – 02:49]
  1. A person will never know whether they have more merits or more demerits in life until the day they die.
  2. Some people acquire demerits by doing actions that they think are good deeds.
  3. Xian Sheng gave an example of a third party reporting to the wife that her husband was holding the hands of another woman. The husband was just being cautious crossing the street and therefore led the other woman across by holding her hand.
  4. A heated argument ensued between the wife and her husband as a direct result of the misconstrued reporting and the wife demanded a divorce.
  5. Xian Sheng asked who committed a bad deed here. It was the meddlesome person with loose lips.
  6. She investigated and found her husband was indeed guilty of holding the hands of another woman while crossing the street. The husband agreed to the divorce out of anger for his wife’s rash assumptions and actions. Nevertheless, he brought the woman home to show to his ex-wife exclaiming that this is the woman he held hands with while crossing the street. The wife was shocked that the woman turned out to be an old lady. 
  7. Is she happy she divorced him now? And all because of a meddlesome person with loose lips. Xian Sheng said that this is not right.
  8. And that is how when we think we are doing a good deed, in reality, we are doing a bad deed instead. 
  9. Sometimes, we cannot differentiate between good and bad. And our actions can result in the suffering of others like divorce and etc.
  10. And that is why we accumulate merits and demerits during our lifetimes.
  11. Xian Sheng describes merits as positive (+) points and demerits as negative (-) points.1
  12. Xian Sheng explains that human is an advanced computer. The most technologically superior computers in the whole world can never surpass the superiority of a human because computers are made by man. 
  13. Xian Sheng studied Computer Science and System Analysis at the University of Malaya. 
  14. One of the quotes that Xian Sheng would never forget is garbage in, garbage out (GIGO) which is a concept that states that if we input garbage (flawed data) into the computer, the computer would produce garbage (flawed data) as output. 
  15. The computer Xian Sheng used at the university has never been seen by the younger generations. It consists of punched cards as input instead of the standard keyboard and mouse and magnetic drums (magnetic tape wound on 10.5-inch reels) for data storage instead of the 3.5-inch hard disk drive (HDD). Xian Sheng asked if anyone knew what computer system he was using and someone replied that it was the IBM 1130.
  16. Computers nowadays are significantly different in terms of input and storage but the IBM1130 is still a computer. 
  17. This is similar to praying to the CREATOR. 
  18. Xian Sheng: In the past, the Chinese were praying to the CREATOR. Today, you are praying to the CREATOR. You have not changed. There was an interim period where you stopped, but you have since resumed praying to the CREATOR.
  19. Praying to the CREATOR is eternal. Bai TIAN GONG means pray to the CREATOR. It can never be wrong.
  20. If people try to badmouth Baitiangong, let them talk. If people dislike Baitiangong, let it be. But they should not take it to extremes. 
  21. There are those who dislike Baitiangong and utter degrading, deplorable and derogatory insults at us. Xian Sheng advised them to refrain from doing so as there are laws (The Divine Laws of Nature).   
  22. If we want to say something, we stick to the facts or we hold our tongue. 
  23. Xian Sheng referred to his earlier sermon (A2) where he have photostat materials on hand. If someone were to ask him for references, he would show them the photostat copies of the books and refer them to buy the books themselves to read. This is a good way to keep them informed.
  24. They can buy these books and read them for themselves. And if they still are doubtful, they can travel to India to find out for themselves.
  25. Xian Sheng initially did not completely believe these books when they stated that Jesus lived in India.
  26. Xian Sheng used himself as an example to illustrate his point. If someone were to tell him during his university years that computers in the future use keyboards to enter input information and hard disk drives to store data and software to process the information, he would not have believed them unless he witnessed it with his own eyes.
  27. Xian Sheng returned to his earlier point that a human is an advanced computer. The whole body consists of energy while the soul is the life force. 
  28. When the soul leaves the body, the body is discarded. What does the soul hold? (The video terminated abruptly)
(C) No relationship after death. [02:50 – 06:57]
  1. In death, a father and a son will not know each other anymore. (Refer to 09A-2000 B7-B8)
  2. In life, do you think a father and a son know each other? Perhaps they do not. There are cases where both the father and the son claimed to be characteristically different from each other. They may be related as father and son, but the reality is that they really do not know each other.
  3. When Xian Sheng started to preach Baitiangong to the masses, his father who was an idolater, reacted vehemently against his teachings saying that Baitiangong is not right. His father said that he does know Xian Sheng and practically disowned him as a son as he was left out of the estate distribution. Xian Sheng’s brothers got their share while Xian Sheng received nothing.
  4. The reason was because of their difference in religious ideology. Xian Sheng taught others to pray to the CREATOR while his father was a firm believer in deity worshipping.  
  5. Xian Sheng expressed that his father was fortunate that he sent a few of his managers (in Baixian) to convince his father to leave Sabah and come stay with him.
  6. Xian Sheng: Fortunately and thank GOD he eventually accepted Baitiangong and pray to the CREATOR now.
  7. Xian Sheng asked what would happen if his father did not accept Baitiangong. He would not know what to do for him anymore. His father would likely join Christianity due to the influence of his Christian relatives.
  8. Xian Sheng urged his father to sign a Letter of Intent (A document where the signatory stipulates the terms of their obsequies according to the Baitiangong Way) and make a sworn statement while he was still of sound mind stating that he will undertake the Baitiangong Way of Obsequies. This would ensure that nothing untoward could happen that results in a Christian funeral for his father.
  9. Xian Sheng took the opportunity to remind the elderly to quickly sign a Letter of Intent. This should be followed by a video recording stating the following:
    “I am a Baitiangong follower. I want to follow the Baitiangong Way of Obsequies. I want to inform my children who are Christians that I am a Baitiangong follower and want to follow the Baitiangong Way of Obsequies and not any other burial ceremonies. In the event of my demise, please report to the relevant party.”
  10. To be on the safe side, ensure that the Letter of Intent is signed, the video is recorded and the sworn statement is made.  
  11. Xian Sheng instructed Bro Phuah Kim Yean to carry out his instructions for the elderly who are Baitiangong followers but their immediate family members are not Baitiangong followers.
  12. In the event that their children do not honour their parent’s wishes, the Letter of Intent, the video recording and the sworn statement would enable us to make a police report so that they can ensure that we can retrieve the body for Baitiangong Way of Obsequies.
  13. Do not procrastinate until the day comes and the situation turns rowdy.
  14. When we attend the funeral of our relatives or siblings that subscribe to different religious beliefs like Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and etc., we respect their beliefs and just observe their funeral rites. 
  15. In reality, there is no religious extremism. It is people who disturb and interrupt others that are the extremists.
  16. Sometimes the government restricts religious teachings as they view them as extremist but Xian Sheng views it differently.
  17. Nevertheless, in Baitiangong we only talk about facts or refrain from speaking otherwise.

Note: The recording quality is bad and certain parts are unintelligible or unclear. I had to reconstruct the sentence as closely as I could.

(D) Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know and I know. [07:00 – 12:50]
  1. Xian Sheng wanted everyone to firstly ‘fear nothing except the CREATOR’ (2nd Spiritual Guidelines) and secondly ‘think good, see good, hear good, speak good and do good’ (3rd Spiritual Guidelines).
  2. Today, everyone present is ‘doing good’ as they came to pray to the CREATOR for Bro Ng Foong Huat.
  3. We are ‘doing good’ because every time we pray, we receive a good point. And that is why the Baitiangong brothers and sisters attended.
  4. People will do good and do bad during their lifetime. Xian Sheng said frankly that no one knows.
  5. As a son, you may be unaware of what your father does. Similarly, as a father, you may be unaware of what your son does. Xian Sheng asked if we understood what he said.
  6. There may come a time when you read in the newspaper that your son was caught for armed robbery. That is when you realised what he does. The same applies to the father too. There are likely many people who do not know their own family members. This same applies to husbands and wives too.
  7. In reality, we do not know whether a person do good or do bad. If we do not know what our husband does, how would we know what our father does? 
  8. Xian Sheng gave the example of his own uncle and aunt who are Christians. They have two grown-up children. When his uncle passed away, another woman turned up who claimed to be his wife too. She is a Christian too. She also brought their children along. Xian Sheng and his aunt have no knowledge of their existence at all.
  9. Xian Sheng asked the Christian attendees to confirm that Christianity does not accept multiple wives or polygamy. However, his uncle has two wives. Xian Sheng: So how do we deal with that situation?
  10. No one knows about this shocking turn of events? Xian Sheng quoted the famous Chinese saying, ‘天知地知你知我知’ or the Heaven knows, the Earth knows, you know and I know.
  11. Back to the subject of a person doing good and doing bad during their lifetime, Xian Sheng said that it is not for anyone to know except “Heaven knows, Earth knows, you (the deceased) know and I (Xian Sheng) know”.
  12. Therefore what is important is just to pray for the deceased. (Do not question whether they have done more good or more bad in life, do not say that they will bear their own sins, do not say they have done a lot of good and therefore do not require our prayers.)
  13. Pray to the CREATOR in the following manner, “Please forgive Bro Ng Foong Huat of his sins, pardon his sins and lessen his sins . Please let him leave peacefully. If deserving, please give him a good place in heaven.”
  1. When we do a good deed, we will receive positive points, e.g. 50. If we do a bad deed, we will receive negative points, e.g -30. Many people naturally think that the end result would be 50 + (-30) = 20. This is not the case. Our sins are not deductible. Whatever sins we have committed will remain until the day we die and not be subtracted. This means that a person who raped and then murdered someone will suffer two punishments. Our sins are not subtractable. However, Xian Sheng has given us two ways to reduce our sins. The first way is a three-day fast in the month of October where our sins “could” be forgiven, but only a one-time deal. If the same sin is repeated, then the three-day fasting would not subtract that sin anymore. The second way is we bring a person into Baitiangong to save their soul. The more people we can bring to pray to the CREATOR, the more opportunity for forgivenss of our sins. However, as a Baitiangong follower, if we knowingly commit a bad deed as we believe we have more good deeds to override it, that is unfortunately not the case. While we may still go to Heaven as we have more good deeds, we will still have to suffer for that sin in Hell first.