Somethings to Ponder
In the Tenrikyo religion people talk about casaulity or innen to explain why one suffers or have obstacles. We reap what we have sowed appears to be the appropriate phrase. Innen can also be positive fate, resulting in joy. What is the remedy when negative fate or innen occurs. There are some that say one must practice tannou, or the acceptance of any suffering with gratitude. This is the way to eliminate all our negative fates they say. But for some, the amount of suffering may be too much to bear. When will it stop!
In the Ofudesaki, the word tanno or tannou is not mentioned. In the dictionary, tannou is defined as enjoying, satisfaction, satiation, or having one’s fill of something. The appearance of suffering is certainly not anyone of these. What is the purpose of these sufferings or obstacles that appear? Is it just punishment for our past sins that we should accept with gratitude. We have no control over what happens to us, as we do not know the extent of suffering that lies ahead of us. Or do we have control when suffering or fate appears?
In the Ofudesaki God tells us to calm our minds, and ponder our own minds when suffering or obstacles appear. This does not mean that we should just take our sufferings in stride, and have gratitude. We should not just be resigned to say that we have committed wrongs, and should suffer all our consequences.God wants us to ponder our own minds for the evil dusts of regret, covetousness, self-love, greed, and arrogance. We should not blame others or God for any sufferings, but ponder our own minds, as these sufferings are the result of our own past actions. Then we should not act on any of our evil thoughts. This is the way we can purify our own minds. This in the Ofudesaki is called the path of the Original pure mind or the path of the heart. Don’t just accept your sufferings as karma or innen, but accept it as a way to change your mind or way of thinking. More specifically a way to purify your own mind.
Some will say that before we are born, God erases our memories and thoughts from our previous live. But God never interferes with our thoughts (dusts), and the fates associated with them. We carry these baggage to our next lives. It is only through our own efforts that we can purify our minds. These sufferings or fates that we have unknowingly created, give us the opportunity to remove the evil thoughts associated with them. When karma or suffering appears, if we ponder our minds for the thoughts that created them. we can purify our minds. Lets not just accept karma or innen, but use their appearance, to purify our minds.
In summary, our fates appear because the evil thoughts that created them still exists in our minds. If we just accept our fates, we do nothing to eliminate the evil thoughts in our minds. We must ponder our own minds to locate the evil thought or thoughts that created the fate. Then we must not act on these thoughts to purify our minds. When our minds our purified, only positive fates will come from our own hearts/souls. We must eliminate the dusts of regret (oshii), covetousness (hoshii), self-love (kawaii), greed (yoku), and arrogance (kowman).
Pure Mind Results in a Happy Life
OFUDESAKI-GOD'S TEACHINGS 