In the Ofudesaki (Tip of the Writing Brush), God tells us that we do not understand the heart (soul).

Looking all over the world and through all ages,

I find no one who understands the heart (soul). 1-1

Uncovering the heart may reveal the mysteries of life. The significance of this verse, as it is the first of over 1,000 verses in our sacred book cannot be ignored. So what is the soul, and its relationship with our lives? Why does God want us to understand the heart (soul)?

On a side note, let me discuss a molecule called Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). It is the building block of the human body. It contains all the information needed to construct our bodies. Who could of imagined 100 years ago, that we could possible construct human organs, or even a whole individual from a molecule called DNA! From this perspective, can there be an entity like the DNA molecule in our bodies that can predict our fate, and explain the happenings in our complex world.

I am introducing the heart (soul) as it is described in the Tip of the Writing Brush (Ofudesaki) and the Osashizu (Devine Instructions). It is not clear if the soul is the physical fist sized heart in our bodies, or an intangible entity of energy that is described in our sacred book. The heart is said to be a pure positive source of energy derived from God that brings upon joy; but the heart has another function of collecting our negative thoughts that come from our minds. These negative thoughts are greed, arrogance, miserliness, covetousness, and self-love. These evils are sometimes called dusts in our religion. For some, the soul becomes covered with these dusts of evil derived from the mind; and for others the soul is unencumbered, and brings upon only joy.

The heart or soul like the DNA molecule stores our information. Like the DNA that stores our genetic makeup, our hearts stores our disposition. We reap what we sow. Every negative thought is delivered to the heart (soul). What becomes of these negative thoughts that encircle our souls? God tells us that they determine our fate.

The unencumbered pure heart only brings upon joy, while each dust surrounding the heart eventually is detached from the heart. The detached dust manifests into suffering or inconvenience. We reap what we sow. Our soul continues to remind us of our state of mind.

For some, the repeated episodes of suffering, pain, temptations and inconveniences derived from these dusts may bring upon more evil from their minds. They do not understand the soul. But for those who understand the soul (heart), they may decide to calm their minds and not act upon their negative thoughts when confronted with adversities. This will eventually eliminate the evils originating from the mind. By this process their souls will eventually shed the dusts surrounding it, and become restored to it pure form.

It is interesting that the heart is one organ of the body that usually is free of cancer. Can the physical heart be the soul or pure heart mentioned in our sacred books? It is something to ponder about!