08A-2000 23012000

Date: 23 Jan 2000.

Location: Raub, Pahang.

Table of Contents

(A) Increase fasting donation amount [00:03 – 03:20]
  1. The donation amount for Fasting is set to RM3. This is the minimum amount required for basic survival in a day.
  2. When RM3 is not enough to maintain the bare minimum needed for survival in a day, Xian Sheng will increase the amount to RM4. However, we have not reached that stage yet.
  3. Xian Sheng himself does not eat expensive food. He eats the standard dishes that most people do. To a question about Bak Kut Teh, a popular Chinese dish, Xian Sheng said that is an occasional treat for him. Xian Sheng eats fruits from food trucks and drinks filtered water from the tap. Xian Sheng explains that he is frugal when it comes to food.
  4. At present, one can live on RM3 by buying 3 packets of bee hoon for breakfast, lunch and dinner and drinking filtered water. However, if that changes, then we will increase the donation amount to RM4 and subsequently RM5. Xian Sheng gave the followers permission to increase but discourage them from doing so for now.
  5. Xian Sheng joked about the laughable antics of some people. They refused to fast if the donation amount is raised by RM1. They complained about the price increase for fasting. Some refused to join the Spiritual Movement because they find it weird that they have to pay for not eating. They are used to paying to eat and not the other way around.
  6. Xian Sheng explained that the earthly aspect of fasting is for followers to get a taste of how it feels to be hungry and how it feels to live with a scarcity of food. When we fast without food and water, we will feel the pain of starvation.
  7. The spiritual aspect of fasting is when we fast for 72 hours without food and water. We want to let the CREATOR know that humans are still existing on Earth. When the CREATOR created humans, humans do not know how to eat and drink for the first three days. Humans learn to drink when raindrops trickled down to their mouths. Humans eat fruits from trees and later discovered eating animal meat (after forest fire cooked the trapped animals and the wind carried the aroma of cooked meat to their nostrils). Human’s ability to learn and progress is due to Free Consciousness (as opposed to Predetermined Consciousness which limits the level of intelligence of animals and inanimate objects to serve its intended purpose to ensure humans’ survival.)
(B) Do not negotiate terms and conditions with GOD [03:35 – 06:58]

Xian Sheng referred to the parable of the man who lived and prayed to the CREATOR for 500 years. See 05A-2000 G1-G9.

  1. GOD asked the man how to account for the 500 years of life given to him. Normal human lifespans range from below 80 years to more than 100 years. This man was not only given 500 years (but all his needs were also taken care of by GOD too). Not only he cannot account for all that is freely given to him but he dared to demand for a better place in Heaven.
  2. Xian Sheng asked the followers to remember his teachings to never give GOD terms and conditions. We pray to the CREATOR until the day we pass away and we continue to pray even after we passed away. Do not tell GOD that we practised Think Good, See Good, Hear Good, Speak Good and Do Good in life and therefore want a good place in Heaven. Do not verbally ask GOD for a place in Heaven. Just continue to pray and we may automatically find ourself in Heaven. Do not emulate the man in the parable who thinks himself pious for praying for 500 years and demanded to be rewarded with a good place in Heaven.
  3. Do not negotiate terms and conditions with GOD, do not say GOD is biased and do not say GOD is not magnanimous. Xian Sheng allowed the followers to vent their criticism on him, but never ever talk negatively about GOD.
  4. To a question about whether a person is aware that they have passed away, Xian Sheng replied that some people know and some people do not know. He added, “If you are an astute person, you would know. If you are not an astute soul, you would not know.”1
  5. In order to be an astute soul, we have to pray to the CREATOR with our mind, body and soul.
(C) Request vs. Demands [11:13 – 12:35]
  1. The souls of followers who passed away should continue praying and request as follows, “GOD, please forgive me of my sins, lessen my sins, and if deserving, please give me a good place in Heaven.” The soul can request but cannot demand from the CREATOR. They cannot follow the example of the man who prayed for 500 years and demanded for a good place in Heaven.
  2. Xian Sheng repeated that we can request for anything in our prayers. Requests are not considered as giving terms and conditions to the CREATOR.
  3. However, if a person said, “If you don’t heal me, I will not pray to TIANGONG. If you heal me, I will pray to TIANGONG”, that is considered as giving terms and conditions to the CREATOR. That is why many people cannot be healed because they gave the CREATOR terms and conditions.
  1. An astute person knows the importance of praying to the CREATOR with their mind, body and soul and aspires to achieve it. They know that the soul has to be trained to pray to the CREATOR and the way to achieve that is with the stoutness of the mind and conditioning of the body. The astute soul would know to kneel down to pray to the CREATOR when it sees brothers and sisters attending their obsequies kneeling down. When their soul kneels down to pray, the soul would know that it has passed away. On the other hand, people who are not astute would not have an astute soul and would not know to kneel down alongside their brothers and sisters attending their obsequies and therefore, not aware that they have passed away.