In the Ofudesaki, God tells us to remove the dusts of regret, covetousness, self-love, greed, and arrogance. We acknowledge these dusts, and often say how important it is to remove these evil thoughts from our minds, but that is not sufficient, unless we settle our own minds. It is like observing a picture, and saying how beautiful it is, but God tells us that this is not sufficient. We must purify our own minds.
God tells us that when our minds are pure, only joy will come from our own hearts/souls. There will be no fear, sufferings or worries. God also tells us that any blessings will be provided by God. Some will be doubtful that such a simple solution will bring upon joy to our lives. Other religions will tell you that one needs to follow a certain protocol, like giving donations, performing certain rituals, pilgrimages, and attaining certain beliefs or faith before one can be saved. But like the air we breath, the Joyous life is assessible to any one in the world for free.Am I saying religion is not necessary? For those who want to share their happiness with others, religion does play a role. It is this spreading of God’s truths that we need God’s assistance to save the world from sufferings. Many times it is difficult to convince people of a new concept, or belief. This is why we need God to help us do this. We have a special prayer, the Joyous Service that we perform with a pure mind that ask God to help people who we have spread God’s truth, to sweep their evil thoughts to purify their minds. Remember the spreading of God’s truth precedes our prayers with a pure mind. We must not put the cart before the horse.
Pure Mind Results in a Happy Life
The most accurate English translation of the Ofudesaki can be obtained from Amazon. Please search Ofudesaki, 5 Steps to Self-healing.
Heaven's Truths, in Living the Joyous Life 