What if we advertised and spread only the meat of the teaching? Spread the truth of causality; spread the prevention of the dusts, and most important, spread the Joyous Service.
What if we advertised on the billboards of the world, on radio and television stations, and in newspapers? What if we directed our limited financial resources on advertisements? In Chapter 14, God encourages us to inform others of our special prayer.
What if we perform the Joyous Service with sincerity (without greed and arrogance) in a language we could understand? Would God then give us the blessings that are promised in the Book of Prophecy (Ofudesaki)? Would more people begin to understand causality?
In the Book of Prophecy, God continues to warn us that we do not understand? Even the children of the chosen one (Oyasama) did not understand. They did not understand the significance and the power of the Joyous Service in settling the earth.
Unfortunately in religion, ceremonies and tradition usually supersede the purification of the mind. Even today in the Tenrikyo Religion, the leaders of the church require that we perform a rigorous ceremony, dressed in ancient Japanese attire, and performed perfectly in Japanese for God to give his blessings. We are not too different from the cultures that sacrificed animals to appease their Gods. We believe that God needs to be praised and offered our sacrifices (ceremonies) before his blessings are granted. But does God need our praise?
The Joyous Service differs from any prayer on earth. It asks God to help others understand causality, and helps them understand why we suffer or have joy. It brings people to us so we can help them purify their minds of greed and arrogance. It is a prayer asking God to help others. It is a self-perpetuating prayer that supposes to bring understanding to the world. Like a fertilizer, which brings upon an abundance of crop, this prayer brings people to us, so we can teach them God’s truth. It is a prayer that we need to spread to the world in every language.
What if we begin to concentrate on our special prayer? Will we then receive God’s blessings?
