I know many of you are wondering why I am emphacizing the heart (mune) in my interpretations of the Ofudesaki.  Why would God tell us that we do not understand the heart in the first verse of the Ofudesaki. and the Yorozuyo? Wait, some of you may say that mune is God’s heart that we do not understand. This is what Tenrikyo Headquarter advocates. But what is God’s heart? Some would interpret the first verse to indicate that we do not understand God’s mind. This may be true; but are we translating mune correctly? If we are not translating the first verse correctly, might it not hinder the progression of God’s intention to save the world?

What is this heart that we do not understand? Could our hearts be our physical hearts that keep us alive? Could it be our soul or spirit or contained in our soul?  Why does God tell us to ponder what comes from our hearts? Why does God tell us that the heart and mouth are the sand and filter?  Why does God tell us to purify our minds by using a filter and sand (3-10)? Why does God tell us to show our sincerity from what comes from our hearts ( 7-32)? Why does God tell us that we are all dependent on our hearts (13-117?. Could our hearts be our souls or contained in our souls, that continue for eternity?  Could our hearts explain why reincarnation and karma exists? Do we reap why we have sowed because of the heart?. Does the heart monitors our behaviors? If this is true,it may not be  God that rewards or punishes us for our behaviors. Could God have been only watching us?

Some of you may wonder, if God does not participate in our daily lives, do we need God?  In the Ofudesaki, God tells us we do not know the Origin, or why God created human beings. God tells us that we were created to live the Joyous life, without illness or suffering. But in this world there is illness and suffering. Because of this suffering in the world, God descended from heaven to save us. The instructions to save us are all in the Ofudesaki, and summarized in the Yorozuyo and the 12 songs.  But if we cannot even understand the first verse in the most sacred scripture, we may not be able to understand God’s instructions on how to save the world. I will leave you with song 11  that emphacizes the importance of understanding the heart in the dissemination of our religion.