「道」是很抽象的，所以具體的說，傳「道」，就是傳「心」。

無根基難得道，無緣分難修道

求道-就是籍由天命明師，開啓我們塵封已久的佛性。。

救人身命是【肉體命】，救人性命是【自性佛】。。

濟公活佛慈訓 超越了物質 超越了形象界 超越了無常。。

感恩要找源頭，源頭根本就是家；【家】有屋蓋讓你。。

佛與我們只是一念之間。。

現在萬教齊發，在劫難頻傳的末法時代裏，展開各項救渡工作，每個宗教都標榜自己的宗教最上乘、最高超，而向芸芸眾生招手，好像推銷鞋子一般，都說我的鞋子最便宜、最美觀、最耐用，但是你買回來以後，是否適合你穿？。。

（世間不要住、小瓶不要帶）有名望的人如今在那裡？

  「30學40堅50病60月70日80黃90牆壁100掃墓」

 ※恩師云：人生最大的佈施功德是渡…法施無窮。

 ※『救人一命勝海七級浮屠』舉例：

 ※『你救人天救你、你佈施免看醫』。。

()感謝美國全真道院提供分享()

Initiation Ritual Q&A by Derek Lin

The Initiation Ritual

In Chinese, this is known as the Qiu Dao ritual. Qiu (pronounced like chio) means request, and Dao is simply the Pinyin transliteration of Tao. Together, these characters denote a ritual where the seeker requests the Tao, which is then transmitted by the ordained Master of I-Kuan Tao. The ordained Master (Dian Chuan Shi), is someone who has received the Heavenly Decree (Tian Ming) to perform this ritual and carry out the sacred task of Tao transmission.

Q: Are there any vows associated with joining I-Kuan Tao?

A:  In the initiation ritual, you have to affirm that you seek the Tao of your own sincere free will ！ i.e. you are not being forced into it, have not been brainwashed into it, and you are not harboring deception or hidden agenda. You also affirm your intention to be respectful of the teachings and the avatars of the Tao (Buddhas, Taoist immortals, etc.).

Q: What are the further instructions initiates receive and how do they receive them?

A:  They receive the Three Treasures of I-Kuan Tao during the initiation ritual. These are powerful tools to help you with your own spiritual cultivation. The ordained Master performs the ritual of transmission of these Treasures, then either the Master or a lecturer will explain their meaning and help you practice them a few times so you can start applying them in your life immediately.

Q: Are there prerequisites and/or period of time an initiate must complete before initiation into I-Kuan Tao?

A:  The short answer is no. The long answer is that it all depends on yuan, the Chinese term for karmic affinity. If you have this affinity with the Tao and the temple, then you will sense a positive energy associated with the ritual and yourself. When that is the case, you should go with the flow and ask for the ritual. It can be conducted for you right away. There is no waiting period necessary.

What if you wish to go through initiation but you are far away from the temple? If you have a powerful affinity to the Tao, you will find yourself at the temple one way or another. If you cannot go to the temple in the immediate future, it may be that the time isn't right yet. Keep your eyes open to watch for the right time. An opportunity may present itself sooner than you expect.

Q:  What is the Tao?

A:  When you go through the initiation ritual, you are said to have received the Tao. But what does that mean? What exactly is this Tao that you have received?

The word "Tao" can have many different meanings, depending on context. In one particular sense, the Tao is already a part of you, just as it is in everything, so it isn't something you can receive.

In yet another context, the Tao is a path of spiritual cultivation. It is a never-ending process and a journey of discovery. In that sense, the Tao that you have received from the Initiation Ritual is a direction. It is a path that has been illuminated for you.

What are some of the other meanings of Tao? We can speak of the Tao as the source of everything that exists. In that sense, the Tao can be seen as the creator of the universe, also known as God.

The Tao can also be the unifying force that underlies all forces, or the ultimate principle that give rise to all natural laws. Or, we can say that it is the progressive power that drives the march of time, the proliferation of life, the progress of evolution, and the cosmic movement of celestial bodies.

From a spiritual perspective, perhaps we can describe it as the totality of all the souls in the metaphysical realm where we are all connected at a fundamental level. Or, we can call it the ultimate spiritual truth that gives rise to all the religions of mankind.

The most important concept in I-Kuan Tao is that all of the above are in fact one and the same. This realization is what gives I-Kuan Tao its name - the Tao that unifies everything as one.

Q: What is the meaning of the I-Kuan Tao shrine?

A:  The meaning of the shrine starts with the recognition of oneness. The idea is that we human beings may have many different names for the divine, but all these names are ultimately varying descriptions of the same thing - the one great spiritual truth - that which we cannot comprehend fully, and yet makes us resonate so powerfully in the deepest core of our being.

The most important thing in the altar is the flame. It can be called Buddha Light or Mu Light. Either way, it's a representation of the Tao. Because the Tao is the ultimate force or principle rather than a father-figure supreme being, I-Kuan Tao represents it with fire instead of some human visage. No human likeness or material symbol can capture the essence of the Tao. Fire, the ethereal manifestation of energy, is a far better symbol than anything human beings can craft.

There is a small metal plate behind the flame, inscribed with the Chinese characters wuji, which literally means "without boundary" or "without limit." We can translate it as "infinity." When the flame is lit, it casts a shadow through this inscription, thus reminding us that the infinite variations of creation are but myriad reflections of the Tao.

The central text in Chinese behind the flame can be roughly translated like as:

The Clear and Brilliant God

Unlimited and Tranquil

The Ultimate divinity of the Utmost Reverence

True Ruler of the Universe and All Living Things

In a typical I-Kuan Tao shrine, there are also figurines arrayed in front of the Mu Light. The Maitreya Buddha is always in the center position. He may be accompanied by Jigong, the Living Buddha; Guan Yin, the Bodhisattva / Buddhist Goddess of Mercy; Guan Gong, the God of War.

The Mu Light is the central focus and the most essential part. Indeed, senior masters of I-Kuan Tao have remarked that when it is not possible to create the shrine completely, the Mu Light alone is sufficient to serve as the representation of Lao Mu / God / the Tao.

I-Kuan Tao  Q&A   by Derek Lin

Why do some Tao cultivators insist that I-Kuan Tao is not a religion?

One can certainly practice I-Kuan Tao as a religion if one wishes, and many people do, but this is by no means an absolute requirement. The advanced cultivation of I-Kuan Tao is a way of life that transcends the religious practice. The authentic teaching is "dao fei jiao" - meaning the Tao is not a religion. The Tao is the source of all things, including all religions, so it is far more than any religious institution.

In that perspective, I-Kuan Tao is simply a path that one can travel to approach the source of divine spirituality. It does not claim to be the only path or a "superior" path to the source - but if you feel an affinity for the Tao, then it may be the right path for you.

The followers of I-Kuan Tao worships various gods. Would that not be a religious practice?

Those who practice I-Kuan Tao as a religion worship deities in similar ways as followers of other faiths.

Those who practice I-Kuan Tao as a way of life have a slightly different perspective. They go back to the original meaning of the Chinese character bai, which is often mistranslated as "to worship," but actually means "to venerate" or "to revere." To them, the various deities are powerful symbols of human virtues, and they pay respects to the ones representing virtues they would like to cultivate in themselves. This is essentially an associative conditioning process to transform the spiritual state.

Why is vegetarianism a requirement for I-Kuan Tao followers?

Actually, for most followers of I-Kuan Tao, vegetarianism is a recommendation, not a requirement. It is recommended not only for its health benefits, but also because it is a meaningful gesture of compassion toward animals. It is not required because the Tao has no interest in forcing anyone to do anything.

However, vegetarianism is a requirement if you wish to set up a I-Kuan Tao shrine in your home. This is because the owner of such a shrine serves as an example to others by making a commitment that many people may not be willing to make. Those who are not ready for such duties can always set up their own altars or sacred spaces without going through the temple.

The majority of vegetarian restaurants in Taiwan are owned by the vegetarian members of I-Kuan Tao. They have elevated the art of vegetarian cuisine to a level that must be experienced to be believed.

What are the five religions often mentioned in I-Kuan Tao?

To beginning Tao cultivators, they are Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity and Islam. They see the term as a literal list.

Advanced Tao cultivators recognize the fallacy in trying to assign five specific religions to the expression. The ancient Chinese arbitrarily put the "five" label on many things - five sounds, five flavors, five colors, etc. They did this despite the fact that such definite categorization was not always appropriate or correct. For instance, most people recognize more than five colors in the rainbow. Also, mixing the three primary colors produce three additional colors for a total of six. No matter how we look at it, we have to conclude that "five" should mean a multitude rather than literally the number five.

Thus, when we see "five religions," our understanding should be that it means all the significant spiritual or philosophical traditions that have the potential to uplift and inspire people. In that sense, the expression also includes Hinduism, Judaism, and many other paths, not just the narrow five of the beginner's understanding.

One stated purpose of I-Kuan Tao is "to cultivate one's true-self by utilizing untruths." Shouldn't the word "untruths" really be "truths"?

This is an imperfect translation of a well-known saying in I-Kuan Tao, which literally says "borrow the unreal to cultivate the real." What it actually means is that we make use of the material world to cultivate the soul.

From Buddhist as well as Tao teachings, we understand that the material world is ultimately illusory, and therefore unreal. The soul, unlike the transience of the material world, is eternal, and therefore real.

Put the above together, and you have a clear yet concise statement that explains our purpose in taking on physical existence.

What is Dah-Torng? I also see Dah Tong and "The World of Da Tong." What does it mean, and what is the correct spelling?

All of the above that you may have seen in various I-Kuan Tao web sites are erroneous renditions of the two original Chinese characters. The first character is da. It means big or great. The second character is tong. It is pronounced with an "oh" sound instead of "ah" sound. It rhymes with "wrong" instead of "kong" or "bong". It means together or togetherness.

The two together can be written as datong, da tong, or Da Tong. There's no "Torng" in Chinese. It got written that way because the first person to attempt translation did not understand Chinese romanization and made up a quick fix on the spot. Others that followed also had poor understanding of romanization, so they kept repeating the first mistake, thinking it must be some sort of standard set by an expert.

Regardless of how it is romanized, da tong is not a specialized term that has to be rendered phonetically. It can be translated very accurately as "great unity." Thus, "The World of Da Tong" is simply "The World of Great Unity." It refers to an ideal utopia where people live together in harmony and everyone is looked after. This was first described by Confucius, so "Great Unity" has become known as a Confucian concept.

The Chinese translators who used "Da Tong" instead of "Great Unity" did so for the simple reason that they did not have enough knowledge to do the translation properly. Remember, the language barrier affects both sides equally. Justs as we may think the Chinese language is difficult, they feel the same way about English.

Do I-Kuan Tao members have scriptures or books other than TTC?

One of the central ideas in I-Kuan Tao is that the Tao is not a religion. The Tao is the driving force behind all things - including all religions. There is definitely something that compels so many people to delve into Christianity or Islam or Buddhism or other religious practices; we can call that something the way (the Tao) of humanity.

This being the case, someone who is aligned with the Tao would feel quite comfortable in studying scriptures and books from any and all spiritual traditions. So while there is such a thing as a Taoist canon in religious Taoism, there isn't in I-Kuan Tao. Or, you can say that the I-Kuan Tao canon covers all books that are sincere attempts to approach the divine. In the mindset of the Tao, there is no "us versus them" or distinctions in terms of "these are mine, those are yours."

Thus, most I-Kuan Tao practitioners study from a wide variety of sources, but since they are mostly Chinese, the books they choose to study tend to be from Chinese culture. Other than TTC, many also study Chuang Tzu, I Ching, the Analects, the Heart Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, etc. Some also study the Christian Bible. I haven't heard of anyone studying the Koran, but that's because historically Islam has not been as influential on the Chinese as Christianity, relatively speaking. There would certainly be nothing to stop anyone who takes an interest on the subject.

Is there any literature available on I-Kuan Tao?

There is, both printed and online. I am familiar with most of them, but I'm afraid there isn't much written in English that I would describe as an accurate reflection of the authentic Tao. Many web sites emphasize the religious practice while neglecting the aspects of I-Kuan Tao that transcend religion to encompass the totality of life.

The sources that I can comfortably recommend are, at this time, limited to the following:

1) Learn Chinese and study the authentic stuff. I realize for many people this is simply not a practical plan.

2) Ask people who are actually involved with the practice and can communicate with you in English. In this regard I would humbly submit myself and Bill Bunting for your consideration.

3) Read up on the I-Kuan Tao information at http://taoism.net/ikuantao/home.htm

4) Consider participating in the Sunday meetings via Internet audio conference. It's available to anyone who has a broadband connection (DSL or cable modem) and you sure can't beat the price ($0).

濟公活佛云：

任何一位衆生，

只要受爲師這一指點，

即是種下金剛種；

不管他修得如何，

生生世世一定會再遇到佛，

即使在四生六道，

輪迴中也一樣，

只要的這明師一指，

終有一日比較成佛。

經過明師指點 你今受一指

飄飄在天堂  無有生合死  終日煉神光

明師指點  可以保證你超生了死。。