Date: 2 Jan 2000
Location: Xian Sheng’s house at 202 Taman Melawati.
(A) Sunday Meditation.
Parents should not bring their children to attend the Sunday morning meditation.
The father and mother will have to take turns to attend. This is to ensure they can meditate in peace without their children constantly interrupting them or making noises disturbing everyone.
Everyone sits on their personal mats at two arm’s length from each other.
Those who are unable to get public transportation early in the morning are welcome to spend the night at Xian Sheng’s house.
(B) Silent Meditation.
Xian Sheng said that the Spiritual Movement’s progress in preaching to newcomers is too slow.
Xian Sheng hoped that all followers would ramp up their preaching activities in the year 2000.
Xian Sheng proposed to change the way we conduct meditation and preaching.
Parents should not bring their children for the morning meditation sessions.
Only adults should be present for silent meditations.
Xian Sheng would continue to preach in the morning, but only on topics related to meditation.
This will enable followers to bring newcomers to experience meditation without the chaos and noise of past meditations.
Ideally, they would stay back after the meditation to debate with Xian Sheng.
Xian Sheng looked forward to debating with newcomers on their spiritual beliefs.
Xian Sheng said that we needed to change our old ways and split up Sunday evening meditation and preaching into silent meditation in the morning and preaching in the evening.
(C) Sunday Meditation.
A sister asked Xian Sheng to compromise on the meditation schedule, as she is unable to join the morning meditation sessions.
Xian Sheng told her to come in the evening to listen to his preaching, as there would not be any meditation in the evening.
Xian Sheng said that he would propose topics and listen to our presentation instead of speaking for the entire evening.
After Xian Sheng listened to the arguments from followers who are unable to join the morning meditations, he relented and decided to alternate between silent morning meditation for adults only and standard meditation every other week.
Whenever Xian Sheng is not around to conduct the morning meditation, the Elders who attended the Spiritual Retreats will take over.
(D) Preaching in China.
- Xian Sheng agreed with Brother Phuah that Baitiangong is very suitable for the people in China.
- During the early communist era, many people in China had stopped praying to deities for a long time.
- If these people were to start praying again and accept Baitiangong because they understand Xian Sheng’s teachings, instead of reverting to their traditional way of worshipping the deities and their ancestors, this would be the best-case scenario.1
- However, Xian Sheng does not want a situation where Malaysia has to sponsor their assembly hall and annual membership.2
- The reason why Xian Sheng is reluctant to spend a lot of money is that he wanted the followers in China to shoulder the responsibility and claim ownership of the Spiritual Movement.
- However, if we have a business operating in China, then the proceeds can go towards maintaining the Spiritual Movement there.
- Once again, Xian Sheng stressed that the followers in China must also put in the effort and not become dependent on financial support from Malaysia.
- Xian Sheng was informed of the availability of a property in China costing around 600k renminbi, or slightly less than 300k Malaysian ringgit.
- Xian Sheng suggested that Sister Wong and Sister Vera travel there to check the viability of the house for preaching activity in China. If it is not viable, just abort and look elsewhere.
- Xian Sheng proposed to set up a travel agency in China under Baixian Holdings and use the opportunity to preach to China tourists to Malaysia and let them experience meditation too.
- However, they must be informed never to meditate without supervision back in China. See Spiritual Meditation for the inherent dangers.
- Xian Sheng asked Sister Wong and Sister Vera to visit the China Embassy to learn about setting up a travel agency in China with a majority shareholding controlled by Baixian.
- Xian Sheng disagrees with the idea to purchase property for China’s followers unless they set up a business to sustain themselves.
- There are many other considerations for setting up a private limited company in China, including shareholding, shareholders and a person in charge, preferably a retired follower from Malaysia.
(E) Change. GOD’s forgiveness.
For the new millennium year 2000, Xian Sheng requested we ask ourselves whether we have a clear conscience towards ourselves and in our relationship with our parents, children and spouse.
If we do, then Xian Sheng lauded us. Else Xian Sheng told us to change ourselves.
We are more fortunate than those who have passed away before the new millennium year 2000, as we still have the opportunity to change. The most important thing is that we must change.
Xian Sheng referred to Brother Law, who passed away on 27 December 1999.
He was 4 days short of reaching the new millennium. There is a possibility that Brother Law may change in 2000 and accept Baitiangong’s teachings and pray to the CREATOR.
However, it was already too late for him to change in life.
He is nevertheless fortunate, as his obsequy was conducted in the Baitiangong way of obsequies, where Xian Sheng, Baitiangong’s brothers and sisters and his family members prayed to the CREATOR for forgiveness for his soul.
Brother Law may have lost his opportunity to change to praying to the CREATOR when he was alive, but if his children were to convert to Baitiangong and pray for him, he would still have a chance to pray to the CREATOR in death.3
Xian Sheng hoped that followers can influence Brother Loh’s children to accept Baitiangong so that they can pray for their father’s soul.
They would have to pray twice a day for the rest of their lives to make this possible.
Brother Law will be fully aware of his children praying daily for his soul, and his soul will also be able to kneel and pray to the CREATOR too.4
When it comes to filial piety to deceased parents and ancestors, Baitiangong followers are without equal, as they pray to the CREATOR for them twice daily for the rest of their natural lives.
If Brother Law’s children were to diligently pray to the CREATOR for the forgiveness of his sins and for his soul to be given a place in Heaven, Brother Law could possibly go to Heaven shortly and would not have to reincarnate anymore.
A person who has committed sins but changed his way could receive GOD’s forgiveness. Such is the magnanimity of the CREATOR.
(F) Change. GOD’s forgiveness.
Xian Sheng said he prayed for Brother Liew even though he knew and acknowledged Brother Liew had made a mistake simply because Brother Liew made the effort to change and return to praying to the CREATOR.
Xian Sheng knows the CREATOR is very forgiving and therefore prayed for Brother Liew to be granted another chance.
Xian Sheng explained that the followers have a very high chance of getting their prayers answered.
It depends on how we pray for it. If we pray hard enough and long enough, we will surely be granted our wishes.
Whatever sins that humans have committed are unimportant, insignificant, inconsequential, and trivial to the CREATOR.
The reason is that humans are infinitesimally small compared to the infinitely vast universe the CREATOR created.
If the followers achieved a deep understanding, they would realise that any soul can ultimately be saved.5
(G) GOD’s forgiveness.
Xian Sheng gave the example of Sister Lau Yoke Lan’s father.
Her father lived prior to Xian Sheng realising that he is the Disciple of the CREATOR and therefore did not have the opportunity to pray to the CREATOR.
Nevertheless, Sister Lau’s diligent prayers to the CREATOR gave his father the chance to go to Heaven.
In another example, Sister Ang Bee Choon had an out-of-body experience during meditation and witness her grandfather being whipped into a bloody mess in Hell.
Her horrifying experience took place before she accepted Baitiangong.
She approached Xian Sheng and asked how she could save his grandfather.
Xian Sheng told her to pray to the CREATOR for forgiveness for his grandfather.
In a later meditation, Sister Ang’s soul went to Hell again, and she saw her grandfather.
He was no longer being whipped, confirming what Xian Sheng said earlier that the followers have a very high chance of getting their prayers answered.
Once again Xian Sheng reiterated that we personally have to accept the CREATOR, pray to the CREATOR with our mind, body and soul and change our erroneous way before we can help our ancestors through our prayers. This is the way.
(H) Baitiangong way of Obsequies.
Xian Sheng requested to change the phrase on the Obsequies Board from “Rest in Peace” to “Leave Peacefully”.
Rest in Peace (RIP) is used by Christians because Christians believe that a person’s soul would rest in peace on Earth awaiting Judgement Day when Jesus Christ would come to Earth to resurrect them from their peaceful slumber.
In Baitiangong, we pray for the deceased soul to leave peacefully and not to remain on Earth.6
(I) Requirement for an Elder.
- The requirements to be appointed as an Elder are not dependent on their age.
- They have to be capable and can contribute to the movement.
- However, they should not be too young. Ideally, they should be married, but this is not important as long as they are capable and willing to contribute.
(J) Xian Sheng’s friend Eddy Choong
- Xian Sheng talked about his drinking bout with his long-time friend Eddy Choong from Penang.
- Eddy Choong or Dato’ Choong Ewe Beng DSPN (29 May 1931 – 27 January 2013) was a Malaysian badminton player.
- He won the All England Open badminton men’s singles championship in 1953, 1954, 1956 and 1957.
- He also won in many international tournaments in the singles and doubles matches. See Wikipedia. Eddy Choong
- According to Xian Sheng, our ancestors in the early China dynasties prayed to SHANG DI and TIAN whom we acknowledge as the CREATOR.
- An association is required to operate the Spiritual Movement in China so that the government recognise it as a controlled entity.
- A person can only go to Heaven if they pray to the CREATOR. Brother Law did not pray to the CREATOR and therefore would not have the opportunity to go to Heaven directly by his meritorious action and deeds alone. However, if his children were to pray to the CREATOR and pray for his soul, he would have the chance to go to Heaven, albeit indirectly by the prayers of his children.
- We are only given the chance to pray to the CREATOR when we are undergoing our examination in life. When we pass away and our souls go to the negative planes, we will not be given the chance to pray to the CREATOR anymore.
- The CREATOR is very forgiving as all souls suffering in hell will eventually be reincarnated to be given another chance to undergo their examination in life. The souls may reincarnate hundreds, thousands or even millions of times on any one of the habitable planets throughout the universe. Xian Sheng once mentioned that the average number of inhabitants that pray to the CREATOR with their mind, body and soul is 20 per cent amongst all the planets in the universe. It stands to reason that a soul reincarnated on an above-average planet would have higher chances to pray to the CREATOR.
- In Baitiangong obsequies, brothers and sisters should continuously take turns to pray to the CREATOR throughout the entire night to remind the deceased to also kneel down and pray. By doing so, the deceased would realise that they have already passed away and their soul can finally leave peacefully and neither remain nor linger on the plane of Earth.