Ci Saint Foundation基礎忠恕慈聖講堂
ABOUT
William and Mary welcome you to join Ci Saint Family!
The Purpose Of Ci Saint Foundation:
To spread I-Kuan Tao in the City Of Walnut, California State USA, and surrounding area. To teach attendees to reveal one’s true nature and become a Buddha Maitreya’s family member, to achieve a balance life, to gain wisdom and build up a harmony family and peaceful society.
To encourage members to become vegetarians, and prepare vegetarian meals. To reborn at Buddha Maitreya’s Pure Land in the next life.
The Purpose of Tao:
To venerate the Heavens and the Earth.
To worship God and revere the Zhu-Tian-Shen-Sheng.
To be patriotic, loyal, and responsible.
To be of virtuous character and uphold the Rules of Propriety.
To carry out the filial duties to one's parents.
To honor and respect one's teachers and elders.
To be faithful to friends.
To live harmoniously with neighbors.
To rid oneself of bad habits and evil, and to pursue good thoughts and deeds.
To expound upon the Five Bonds of Human Relationships and the Eight Cardinal Virtues.
To preach the main principles of the founders of the five world religions.
To obey and respectfully practice the Four Ethical Principles, the Three Mainstays of Social Order, and the Five Constant Virtues.
To cleanse the mind, purify the soul and eliminate unclean thoughts.
To cultivate one's true-self by utilizing untruths.
To recover one's original Buddha-nature.
To continually develop one's innate wisdom and natural abilities until perfection is achieved.
To establish and reach one's own goals and to help others do so.
To transform the world into a peaceful, honest, and orderly society.
To enlighten the minds of people and enable them to return to a state of benevolence.
By pursuing this path, to bring the world into a state of equality, fraternity, harmony, welfare, and justice - the World of Dah-Torng (Da-Tong).
The Fifteen Disciplines of the Buddha:
1. Revere the Buddhas
The Tao is real, the Truth is real, the Heavenly Decree is real, therefore the Buddhas are also real. If any of the above is not real, the rest would also be false.
Since we are cultivating ourselves with serious intent, we cannot be disrespectful to the Buddhas. We revere them as if they are present. If our hearts are in the right place, the Buddhas will always be with us.
2. Respect the seniors and mentor the novices
In Tao cultivation, we all have people who went before us and those who follow after us. We should defer to the virtues of the senior cultivators and listen to their teachings. We should also look after new Tao cultivators, and patiently guide them on the right path.
3. Be restrained, dignified, centered and principled
We should restrain and discipline ourselves, act with proper dignity, hold to the center, and maintain principles without compromise.
4. Follow rules and observe boundaries
Following rules can make one well-rounded. Observing boundaries can make one morally upright. If we follow all the rules in the Tao, we can cultivate without crossing boundaries, and become the honorable person who can be both well-rounded and morally upright.
5. Accept responsibilities
Since we are Tao cultivators, we have a heavenly task to be benevolent. We need to take on this responsibility with sincerity, so that we would not be remiss in our duties.
6. Emphasize the divine over the mundane
Enlightened people all understand that the greater whole is the most important, while personal affairs are not as important. That is why we must emphasize the divine over the mundane. Although we usually spend more time on mundane matters than divine duties, we need to make sure that mundane will not interfere with the divine.
7. Be courteous and kind
If we can be humble and courteous to the older generation, we will receive the benefit of their teachings. If we can be nurturing and kind to the younger generation, we will earn their love and respect.
8. Do not discard the sacred admonitions
The messages written by the Buddhas are to be valued and cherished. They must never be discarded. Keep them with care, for they have the power to protect us against being tested by temptations.
9. Do not obsess over appearances
If we are too attached to appearance, it will tie us down and keep us from being able to transcend beyond. If it is the Truth, we should have faith in it; if it is the Tao, we should advance upon it; if it is the Heavenly Decree, we should revere it. Nothing else matters.
10. Keep all procedures transparent
When we work with financial accounts, we must keep everything clear. When we manage our work, we must keep everything organized.
11. Departing and returning
We should let the seniors know before going on a journey, and ask for their words of advice. We should also let them know when we return safely, so they wouldn't worry about us.
12. Do not disrupt the system
Our Golden Thread system maintains order, so that leaders and followers never overstep their boundaries. This is a principle that runs through everything we do.
13. Protect public property
Items meant for public use, such as books to be given away, belong to everyone. They come from the resources donated by fellow Tao cultivators. Let us not be stingy when we use them for a good cause. At the same time, when it is not necessary to use them, we should not waste anything, not even a needle or a thread.
14. Be lively in handling affairs
Being energetic and upbeat is natural for the positive mind. When we work on tasks in the Tao, we should value this active, dynamic approach. When we sense there is something missing or imperfect, we should have the initiative to take action and find solutions.
15. Be cautious in words and actions
If we remain quiet when we should say something, we may miss the chance to communicate. If we talk when we should remain quiet, we may miscommunicate. A man of honor does make such mistakes. He proceeds cautiously, as if standing by a cliff or over thin ice, because he understands that loose talk and improper conduct can lead to failure.