Thursday, January 8, 2009
Truth and Peace
"Peace is such a precious jewel that I would give anything for it but truth" Matthew Henry (1662-1714). In today's world where there is daily war, many people are praying for "World Peace". But peace without truth is a false peace which will collapse sooner or later. It is better to take a longer route to eastablish truth, and peace would follow.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The Wait and the Promise
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. (Psalm 27:14 KJV)
My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust. (Isaiah 51:5 KJV)
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 KJV)
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:9 KJV)
My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust. (Isaiah 51:5 KJV)
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 KJV)
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:9 KJV)
Monday, January 5, 2009
One year ago today, MIL died without Christ
One year ago today, my Mother-in-law died without Christ as her Saviour. A Buddhist funeral was conducted and rites and chants were performed during the funeral service to assist the dead to induct her way to rebirth. Based on Chinese Buddhist beliefs, the soul would now be in an intermediate state (中阴身) and should reincarnate with 49 days. Every 7 days, the nun will perform some rites to assist her. Before the 49 days is over, the chief nun told my sister-in-law that my mother-in-law came to her in a dream to tell her that she could stop the rites because she was reincarnated.
Like World of Warcraft, Second Life and Maple Story, a whole world was created based on the belief in reincarnation. It makes me wonder what will happen to the dead who do not believe in all these, like the Christians, Muslims and other non-Chinese Buddhist (they built their own reincarnation-based worlds). Are we disadvantaged because no nun perform those rites for us when we die? Or is the other world like this world, divided into different political entities. So when the Buddhists die, they go to the Buddhist immigration counter which will then go through the 49 days procedure. When Christians die, they go to the Christian immigration counter and etc. Then the next question is, do these nether world political entities fight wars like we do on earth? Maybe they do and our religious wars are an extension of these wars.
It is fun to think and imagine about these, but if it is true, it would be so pitiful for mankind. Fortunately, we know that reincarnation is baseless, and all systems built on it are virtual worlds, like our internet computer games. Fortunately, my faith is based on facts that happened on this earth and in this dimension, not something which happened after death and has yet to be proven true.
Like World of Warcraft, Second Life and Maple Story, a whole world was created based on the belief in reincarnation. It makes me wonder what will happen to the dead who do not believe in all these, like the Christians, Muslims and other non-Chinese Buddhist (they built their own reincarnation-based worlds). Are we disadvantaged because no nun perform those rites for us when we die? Or is the other world like this world, divided into different political entities. So when the Buddhists die, they go to the Buddhist immigration counter which will then go through the 49 days procedure. When Christians die, they go to the Christian immigration counter and etc. Then the next question is, do these nether world political entities fight wars like we do on earth? Maybe they do and our religious wars are an extension of these wars.
It is fun to think and imagine about these, but if it is true, it would be so pitiful for mankind. Fortunately, we know that reincarnation is baseless, and all systems built on it are virtual worlds, like our internet computer games. Fortunately, my faith is based on facts that happened on this earth and in this dimension, not something which happened after death and has yet to be proven true.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Back to the Future, Reincarnation and Sperm
Some movies are exciting to watch. But if you take the plot seriously, you may find that it is not possible to be true. For example, the invisible man, if he exists, would be blind, since he cannot have an opaque cornea which allows sight.
Another exciting movie plot is time travelling. In the movie "Back to the Future", 17 year old Marty McFly, who has a nerdy dad, alcoholic mum, an elder brother and an elder sister, accidentally warps himself from 1985 to 1955, where he meets both of his parents when they are teenagers. Marty unintentionally interrupts his parent's first meeting together. Our hero must now reunite his parents-to-be, lest he cease to exist in the 1980s. Being a good sci-fi movie, everything ended well. After some adventures, he re-unites his parents and return back to 1985. He finds that his dad is now a famous author and his mom was sober. He still has his brother and sister, except they are leading better lives.
Nice story, except it cannot be real, even when time travel is possible. Even though Marty re-unites his parents, there can be no guarantee that his siblings and him will be born. First, he cannot ensure that his father (who is now an author) and mother (who is now sober), will have sex exactly at the same time as they had before the time travelling occurs in order to produce Marty and his siblings. Even if Marty can ensure that they have sex exactly at the same time for that three occasions, he cannot ensure that the same spermatozoon will fertilize his mother's egg. If it is a different spermatozoon, it will be a different person, even with a different sex. Marty may well be born as Martina. Even the egg produced may not be the same.
Reincarnation is like these movies. As long as you treat it like a nice fiction, it is okay. But when you think of how it can be implemented in the real world, you have to grapple with the problem of the 2 cause-and-effects, the normal scientific cause-and-effect and the Karmic cause-and-effect. Of course you can argue that we do not understand everything, which is why we need faith. But faith that is not based on facts is very dangerous. When the foundation cannot be proven true, then anything incredible can be built on it. Thus in Chinese Buddhism, you have 6 realms (六道: 天．人．阿修羅．畜生．餓鬼．地獄) to be reincarnated. Is it true? Nobody knows. I can also come up with my own theory of reincarnation. This is the reason why although the Chinese are very smart people, but Science comes from the West, where the religion stress on Truth.
Another exciting movie plot is time travelling. In the movie "Back to the Future", 17 year old Marty McFly, who has a nerdy dad, alcoholic mum, an elder brother and an elder sister, accidentally warps himself from 1985 to 1955, where he meets both of his parents when they are teenagers. Marty unintentionally interrupts his parent's first meeting together. Our hero must now reunite his parents-to-be, lest he cease to exist in the 1980s. Being a good sci-fi movie, everything ended well. After some adventures, he re-unites his parents and return back to 1985. He finds that his dad is now a famous author and his mom was sober. He still has his brother and sister, except they are leading better lives.
Nice story, except it cannot be real, even when time travel is possible. Even though Marty re-unites his parents, there can be no guarantee that his siblings and him will be born. First, he cannot ensure that his father (who is now an author) and mother (who is now sober), will have sex exactly at the same time as they had before the time travelling occurs in order to produce Marty and his siblings. Even if Marty can ensure that they have sex exactly at the same time for that three occasions, he cannot ensure that the same spermatozoon will fertilize his mother's egg. If it is a different spermatozoon, it will be a different person, even with a different sex. Marty may well be born as Martina. Even the egg produced may not be the same.
Reincarnation is like these movies. As long as you treat it like a nice fiction, it is okay. But when you think of how it can be implemented in the real world, you have to grapple with the problem of the 2 cause-and-effects, the normal scientific cause-and-effect and the Karmic cause-and-effect. Of course you can argue that we do not understand everything, which is why we need faith. But faith that is not based on facts is very dangerous. When the foundation cannot be proven true, then anything incredible can be built on it. Thus in Chinese Buddhism, you have 6 realms (六道: 天．人．阿修羅．畜生．餓鬼．地獄) to be reincarnated. Is it true? Nobody knows. I can also come up with my own theory of reincarnation. This is the reason why although the Chinese are very smart people, but Science comes from the West, where the religion stress on Truth.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Reincarnation and sperm
Samāra or rebirth or reincarnation in Buddhism is based on the law of cause and effect (karma). According to Buddhist belief of reincarnation, one is born to the next life in a higher or lower form according to good or bad deeds done in current life.
In those days people do not know of the existence of sperm and egg and the technical details of conception. They assume that it is a very simple matter. Some liquid from the man goes into the woman and out pops the baby.
But now we know. Each ejacuation can produce millions of sperm. Usually only one will succeed in penetrating the egg. When a spermatozoon penetrates a mature egg, conception or fertilization takes place. Different spermatozoon will produce a different baby. So are there millions of soul, one in each sperm, waiting to be reborn? Is the successful spermatozoon successful because of its good karma, or because of the condition in the fallopian tube favours it? The mind boggles at the number of complexities we have to grapple with, both the karmic and scientific logic, in order for the Buddhist reincarnation to be implemented.
What will happen to the souls of those unsuccessful sperm? Or is the soul assigned only when the conception is successful? Or is the soul assigned at the point of birth? What happen if one day science can prove that reincarnation is false? While reincarnation may never be scientifically proven, the chancy way in which a spermatozoon fertilize an egg makes reincarnation unlikely. If the basic foundation of Buddhism is so shaky, I really do not want to build my faith on it. I am so glad that I am not a Buddhist. My faith rests on a sure foundation, which is Christ the Rock.
In those days people do not know of the existence of sperm and egg and the technical details of conception. They assume that it is a very simple matter. Some liquid from the man goes into the woman and out pops the baby.
But now we know. Each ejacuation can produce millions of sperm. Usually only one will succeed in penetrating the egg. When a spermatozoon penetrates a mature egg, conception or fertilization takes place. Different spermatozoon will produce a different baby. So are there millions of soul, one in each sperm, waiting to be reborn? Is the successful spermatozoon successful because of its good karma, or because of the condition in the fallopian tube favours it? The mind boggles at the number of complexities we have to grapple with, both the karmic and scientific logic, in order for the Buddhist reincarnation to be implemented.
What will happen to the souls of those unsuccessful sperm? Or is the soul assigned only when the conception is successful? Or is the soul assigned at the point of birth? What happen if one day science can prove that reincarnation is false? While reincarnation may never be scientifically proven, the chancy way in which a spermatozoon fertilize an egg makes reincarnation unlikely. If the basic foundation of Buddhism is so shaky, I really do not want to build my faith on it. I am so glad that I am not a Buddhist. My faith rests on a sure foundation, which is Christ the Rock.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Science, Buddhism and Christianity
The Dalai Lama had declared the Buddhism is not reliable. Okay, he did not say that. But what he said effectively means that. In an article he wrote in New York Times on 12 November 2005, he said, "If science proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then Buddhism will have to change." Hey, that is dangerous. A lot of things in Buddhism are not verified by Science. The most important foundational fact, reincarnation, is not proven by Science. If Science prove that reincarnation is false, what will happen to Buddhism? How about the stories of Buddha and all his past lives?
The same is not true for Christians. The Bible is always true. Until today, facts proven by Science has not contradicted the Bible. Neither do Christians expect it to. Since the Bible is truth, Science would never contradict it in all provable facts.
However, some science theories, such as Evolution, contradicts the Bible. It would be a matter of time before Evolution will be proven false.
The same is not true for Christians. The Bible is always true. Until today, facts proven by Science has not contradicted the Bible. Neither do Christians expect it to. Since the Bible is truth, Science would never contradict it in all provable facts.
However, some science theories, such as Evolution, contradicts the Bible. It would be a matter of time before Evolution will be proven false.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
The rich young ruler and Jesus, Job and his 3 friends
How do we handle people who are justified in their own eyes?
We can look at the positive example set by our Lord Jesus when the rich young ruler confronted Him (Matthew 19:16-24, Mark 10:17-25, Luke 18:18-25), and the negative examples of Job's three friends, when they try to console Job.
The rich young ruler told Jesus that he was perfect in keeping Moses's Law (Matthew 19:20, Mark 10:20, Luke 18:21). Jesus did not challenge him on that point. Instead, He ask the rich young ruler to do something else, to sell all that he has and follow Him (Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 18:22). When the rich young ruler heard that, he was sad and went away, proving that his real god is his wealth (Matthew 19:22,Mark 10:22,Luke 18:23).
Job likewise tell his three friends that his dire circumstances were not caused by any sins that he has done. Job did not claim to be sinless, rather he was blameless. He felt that he did not deserve what as happening to him (Job 1:13-19, Job 2:7). But his three friends challenge him on that point, but they could not prove it.
When we meet people who are justified in their own eyes, we should not challenge them on their past accounts of their own goodness. How can we know their heart? We will end up debating with them about their past, trying to find fault with their lives, which was what happened to Job's three friends. We should ask God for wisdom and pose them new challenges so that they might know their own hearts.
We can look at the positive example set by our Lord Jesus when the rich young ruler confronted Him (Matthew 19:16-24, Mark 10:17-25, Luke 18:18-25), and the negative examples of Job's three friends, when they try to console Job.
The rich young ruler told Jesus that he was perfect in keeping Moses's Law (Matthew 19:20, Mark 10:20, Luke 18:21). Jesus did not challenge him on that point. Instead, He ask the rich young ruler to do something else, to sell all that he has and follow Him (Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 18:22). When the rich young ruler heard that, he was sad and went away, proving that his real god is his wealth (Matthew 19:22,Mark 10:22,Luke 18:23).
Job likewise tell his three friends that his dire circumstances were not caused by any sins that he has done. Job did not claim to be sinless, rather he was blameless. He felt that he did not deserve what as happening to him (Job 1:13-19, Job 2:7). But his three friends challenge him on that point, but they could not prove it.
When we meet people who are justified in their own eyes, we should not challenge them on their past accounts of their own goodness. How can we know their heart? We will end up debating with them about their past, trying to find fault with their lives, which was what happened to Job's three friends. We should ask God for wisdom and pose them new challenges so that they might know their own hearts.
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