I Kuan Tao (Yi Guan Dao)

Have you ever heard of I Kuan Tao (Yi Guan Dao)

I Kuan Tao differs from a religion in that the Tao is the root of all holy teachings while religions are branches of the tree that grew from the root. Toa is our conscience, true nature, and real self. Receiving the Tao is not accepting a new belief or religion but realization of our true self as we engage in the worship of God through our religions. With this relisation of our true self, we become stronger in our love for God.

A spiritual temple is a House of God. It is a place where we honor God through sacred ceremonies. In the I Kuan Tao Temple, holy functions such as Receiving the Tao, repentance, and praying are conducted under the Holy Spirit in the highest respect to God.

As in any temple of worship, the I Kuan Tao Temple has specific holy settings pertaining to the devotion of God. These holy settings provided for the fundamental sacred environment to facilitate our worship of God and allow for the divine spirits to easily flow through the temple.

Descriptions of the holy settings in the I Kuan Tao Temple are summarized below.

The Photos on the Wall in the Main Temple.
The pictures are our holy teachers the Great Master Chang Tien Jan and the Great Mistress Sun Su Chen. They were the last patriarchs who made the Tao available to the people in China. Their propagation of the Tao in China eventually created the establishment of Tao teachings in Taiwan and worldwide after 1949.

Great Master Chang Tien Jan was the reincarnated Buddha Chi Kung and Great Mistress Sun Su Chen was the reincarnated Bodhisattva Yueh Hui. Both of holy teachers overcame multiple challenges to propagate the Tao and participated in many events of miracles.

The Three Levels of Altar Settings. They represent the three levels of the universe describes as follows:
- Upper Altar Table - Heavenly World and the Tao relating to the True Self.
- Lower Altar Table - Spiritual World and the Yin and Yang connecting the Six Senses.
- Cushions - Physical World representing the Physical Body.

The Eternal Lamp and Dual Lamps.
The Eternal Lamp at the center of the Upper Altar Table represents the Light of God as the origin of all manifestation and essence of truth. When we receive the Tao, the holy teacher will use the incense stick and draw the light from the Eternal Lamp and point it towards us. This symbolizes that the Light of God has lit our internal spiritual lamp.
The Dual Lamps with one on each side of the Lower Altar Table represent the Yin and Yang. The duality means that the two separate parts of the same unity and one cannot exist without the other. This meaning is shown in the diagram of Tai Chi where it protrays the harmonious relationship of the Yin and Yang.

The Framed Writing above the Altar in the Main Temple.
This writing describes the divinity for each of the five major religions and they listed as follows:
- God in Christianity
- Origin in Taoism
- Heaven in Confucianism
- Buddha in Buddhism
- Allah in Islam

The Buddha Statues in the Main Temple.
The Buddha Statues are on the Altar as representative reminders forus to continously walk on the holy path. We need to remember that the Buddha nature is always within us and when we follow the holy philosophy of the Buddhas, it will bring our inner self closer to God.

One of the Buddha statues in the temple is Buddha Maitreya who has the big belly to show a sense of forgiveness, acceptance, and is always smiling. Buddha wants us to smile often so that we can release our stress.

The statues of Bodhisattva Nan Hai and Buddha Ji Gong are also in the temple. Bodhisattva Nan Hai is the Goddess of Mercy who always has compassion to relieve people from disasters. We can faithfully chant her name to help solve our problems. Buddha Ji gong represent good deeds, righteousness, and high virtues.

Fruits on the Altar.
We express our gratefulness with fruits because all fruitful results come from the grace of God. The arrangement of fruits are placed in odd numbers to represent Yang for symbolizing God. The many fruits and their colours each have different meanings.

Incense on the Altar.
We offer lit incense to represent the center of our guiding principles for improving ourselves toward divinity. The smoke arising from burning incenses shows that our ignorance is gradually disappearing as we consistently cultivate righteous thoughts and actions.

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The Great Compassion Mantra (Da Bei Zhou)

The Great Compassion Heart is Vast, Great, Prefect, Full and unimpeded in its ability to relieve our suffering and save us from distress. The Compassion Dharani can deliver us from suffering.

Therefore, devotees should commit to memorise the Great Compassion Heart Dharani. To uphold and master the Great Compassion Heart Dharani Dharma-door, one should diligently and sincerely recite this mantra daily. ONe can recite it 3 times or 5 times, or even 108 times or any numbers of times according to one's convenience and suitability.

..... To recite it a full five times in one evening is to wipe away your heavy offenses of hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of millions of aeons of birth and death...

-The Dharani Sutra-

The Great Compassion Mantra (Da Bei Zhou)

Na Mo He La Da Nuo Duo La Ye Ye
Na Mo E Li Ye
Po Lu Jie Di Shuo Bo La Ye
Pu Ti Sa Duo Po Ye
Mo He Sa Duo Po Ye
Mo He Jia Lu Ni Jia Ye
An
Sa Pan La Fa Yi
Shu Da Nuo Da Xie
Na Mo Xi Ji Li Duo
Yi Meng E Li Ye
Po Lu Ji Di Shi Fo La
Leng Tuo Po
Na Mo Nuo La Jin Chi
Xi Li Mo He Pan Duo
Sha Mi
Sa Po E Tuo Dou Shu Peng
E Shi Yun
Sa Po Sa Duo Na Mo Po
Sa Duo Na Mo Po Qie
Mo Fa Te Dou
Da Zhi Tuo
An E Po Lu Xi
Lu Jia Di
Jia Luo Di
Yi Xi Li
Mo He Pu Ti Sa Duo
Sa Po Sa Po
Mo La Mo La
Mo Xi Mo Xi Li Tuo Yun
Ju Lu Ju Lu Jie Meng
Du Lu Du Lu Fa She Ye Di
Mo He Fa She Ye Di
Tuo La Tuo La
Di Li Ni
Shi Fo La Ye
Zhe La Zhe La
Mo Mo Fa Mo La
Mu Di Li
Yi Xi Yi Xi
Shi Nuo Shi Nuo
E La Shen Fo La She Li
Fa She Fa Shen
Fo La She Ye
Hu Lu Hu Lu Mo La
Hu Lu Hu Lu Xi Li
Suo La Suo La
Xi Li Xi Li
Su Lu Su Lu
Pu Ti Ye Pu Ti Ye
Pu Tuo Ye Pu Tuo Ye
Mi Di Li Ye
Nuo La Jin Chi
Di Li Se Ni Nuo
Po Ye Mo Nuo
Suo Po He
Xi Tuo Ye
Suo Po He
Mo He Xi Tuo Ye
Suo Po He
Xi Tuo Yu Yi
SHi Pan Le Ye
Suo Po He
Nou La Jin Chi
Suo Po He
Mo La Nuo La
Suo Po He
Xi La Seng E Mo Qu Ye
Suo Po He
Suo Po Mo He E Xi Tuo Ye
Suo Po He
Zhe Ji La E Xi Tuo Ye
Suo Po He
Bo Tuo Mo Jie Xi Tuo Ye
Suo Po He
Nuo La Jin chi Pan Qie La Ye
Suo Po He
Mo Po Li Sheng Jie La Ye
Suo Po He
Na Mo He La Da Nuo
Duo La Ye Ye
Na Mo E Li Ye
Po Lu Ji Di
Shuo Pan La Ye
Suo Po He
An Xi Dian Du
Man Duo La
Ba Tuo Ye
Suo Po He

Too many things to do with too little time.. good to have a place to pen down my thoughts. Questions that cross my mind today.. what is the meaning of life. Becoming someone successful, influential, with tons of money? Be someone's faithful wife, mom and do what one duty is suppose to do? Is this the true purpose of life? Spirtual answers might helps but who is there to witness that this is the way and should be the way. If this is the way and should be the way, mankind is just too afraid of doing what they are suppose to do and follow the majority to be continue blinded by what is on the surface without understanding and practising what should be done.

Guess for the time being, i should practice and trained my mind/will power.. to wear so many hats at the same time is not difficult but yet is not easy. To be a filial daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt, niece.. one has to wear so many roles in life. Indeed life is not easy.. to be the best of what i can be is what i wish and hope to achieve for the time being. Setting up schedules and time tables are easy, to follow closely is tough.. my mind just seems to wander and can hardly stick to one schedule or time table easily.

Inventions are good but are destroyer, luxuries are good but poisonous, money are useful but harmful, time are precious but wasted..

hmm.. good to have a place for a getaway of the mind.. end for now.