Interpretation:
When the heart/soul is purified, the mind is also purified. When this occurs, God will provide any blessings.
OFUDESAKI 13-98
Interpretation:
God sees our fates in our hearts/souls.
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OFUDESAKI 13-97
Interpretation:
Today most people also do not know the definition and translation of shinjitsu. It is the Original pure mind given from heaven to the first couple that started human beings. It is a mind without regret, covetousness, self-love, greed, and arrogance.
OFUDESAKI 13-96
Interpretation:
God places illness as guidance, to help us understand what our own hearts/souls do for us, to help us purify our minds.
Fate and its Origin
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 13-93
Interpretation:
The occurrences are God’s guidance as illness. God is showing us what our own heart’s/soul’s do for us. By sufferings that occur that are delivered by our own hearts, we can purify our own minds. Ponder your own minds, when illness or obstacles appear in your own lives.
Is Religion too difficult to Understand?
Somethings to Ponder
I hear from so many people that the teaching do not work. I remember reading a Tenrikyo minister’s sermon at dendocho in los Angeles saying that the teachings are too difficult to convey, and was resigned to accept failure. But are the teachings too difficult for the common person to understand? Are there too many loopholes that we have to jump through to be saved? What does it mean to be saved? These are questions to ponder.
I believe that the instructions in the Ofudesaki were intended for the early followers of the religion, including the instruments used in the creation of human beings (the Nakayama family). There are two parts of the Ofudesaki. One part gives the instructions to purify the mind in order to live the Joyous life. The other part is intended for the people who want to spread the teachings to the world, and save the world. Again what doe it mean to save?
I believe we are having problems understanding both parts of the Ofudesaki. First, we do not understand the word shinjitsu, or the Original pure mind. We do not know how to attain this pure mind. God tells us only, when we attain the Original pure mind, only joy will come into our lives. God tells the early followers how to attain this Original pure mind. When the Original mind is attained, then God tells the early followers that the salvation preparation will be taught to help save others.
FOR THE ORIGINAL PURE MIND, THE MIND IS PURIFIED. UPON THAT,
TO SAVE, THE PREPATION QUICKLY WILL BE TAUGHT. 13-113
God is telling the early followers to attain the pure mind first, before they can save others. Again what does it mean to be saved? What are the preparations that are necessary to save others. God tells the early followers that their minds must be pure. God tells the early followers to spread the teachings, especially about the Original pure mind, and how to attain it. Then God tells them to perform the Joyous Service, to ask God to help sweep the minds of the people they have spread the truth to. These instructions are all in the Ofudesaki. As one can see, these procedures are only for people that want to save others after they have attained the Original pure mind.
Where does the confusion come into play? As yobokus or missionaries, we are not spreading the truth about the Original mind, and how to attain this pure mind. Instead we are telling people to perform the Joyous Service, Yorozuyo and 12 songs in Japanese, make donations, and make pilgrimages to Japan to thank God. These are procedures that are done to save others. These procedures are not meant to be performed by most of the world, but by selected individuals that want to save others.
I do not think that besides the early followers, God does not expect everyone to be timbers (yobokus) or missionaries (yougi).
Missionaries (yougi), however a small amount it is not. Because
50 to 60 in number I want. 7-24
These numbers, forever not to decrease. The workings
forever to continue, without and end to the workings. 7-25
As missionaries or yobokus, we first need to tell people about the Original pure mind, and how to attain this mind. This is the most important step in saving the world. Again what does it mean to be saved?
To be saved means to have the Joyous life. When one attains the Original pure mind, only joy or positive fates will come from our own hearts/souls. This is the joy God envisioned when God created human beings. This is what it means to be saved. For those who want to save others, God has given us the instructions in the Ofudesaki. For others, the attainment of the Original pure mind is the desired effect of our prayers. This is the salvation of the world.
The Pure Mind Results in a Happy Life
Heaven's Truths, in Living the Joyous Life 