There is a passage in one of our sacred books about a painting that we may admire and say it is beautiful, but do not understand what the artist wanted to convey. It reminds of the epic movie, “Planet of the Apes”, where the enslaved people were chanting a rant, which was incomprehensible; but upon slowing the recording, revealed that they were saying the Pledge of Allegiance. These people somehow knew how important this pledge was, and admired it; but did not understand the contents and meaning of the pledge, which may have contributed to their fall from civilization
The above passage in the Ofudesaki referred to the 8 dusts, but it could also be relevant to our sacred books and ceremonies that we perform in our churches. We in our churches can say how beautiful our sacred books and ceremonies are, but we must understand and settle the meanings in our minds. Unless we do this, we may fall from God’s grace.
