In the Ofudesaki God tells us about God’s guidance to help people understand their own soul. God knows that it will be difficult for people to understand the teachings, so God has granted us the Youki-tsutome. This is a prayer asking God to help us spread the teachings to others, so they can purify their minds. The following is from the Ofudesaki concerting God’s guidance:

(kono you o)(hajimeta Kami no)(yuu koto ni)

(sen ni hitotsu mo)(chigau koto nashi). 1:43

These workings (of guidance), started of God, to say about,

in a thousand even one, to fail occurrence nonexistent. 1:43

(dandan to)(mieta kita nara)(tokushin se)

(ikana kokoro mo)(mina arawarru). 1:44

Little by little, seen appeared (of guidance) if so, be convinced,

what kind of mind also, all to reveal (by God’s guidance).

God is showing people the kind and amount of negative thoughts are present in the mind by the guidance given. It is these thoughts that they will act upon creating their negative fates that their own soul delivers back to them. God is showing them their future if they do not remove their negative thoughts.

Why are the teachings not spreading to the world? God tells us in the Ofudesaki that God will help us spread the teachings to the world. God tells us God will begin to place illness as guidance to help people understand the soul. Almost half of the Ofudesaki is about God’s guidance. God tells us in Chapter 17 of the Ofudesaki:

(sato sato ta-oto) (ta-oto byou-sama)(brou-sama)

Discern discern do respond, do respond illness appearance, illness appearance.

By this verse, God is telling that when God’s guidance appears on the body, to discern it, and respond by not acting on one’s negative thoughts. This is how one purifies the mind. When the mind is purified, one is saved. Only health and happiness will appear from one’s own soul.

なぜ教えは世界に広がらないのでしょうか。

神様はおふでさきの中で、教えを世界へ広めることをおたすけくださると教えておられます。また、人々が魂を理解できるようにするために、お手引きとして身上をお見せくださるとも教えておられます。おふでさきの約半分は、この神様のお手引きについて述べられています。

神様はおふでさき第十七号で次のようにお教えくださっています。

「さとり／＼たおと　たおとびやうさま　びやうさま」

「悟れ悟れ、応答せよ。応答せよ、病の現れを。病の現れを。」

このお歌によって、神様は、お手引きが身上に現れた時には、それを悟り、自分の負の思いに従って行動しないように応答しなさいと教えておられると考えます。これが心を澄ますことであり、心を成人させる道です。

心が澄めば人はたすかります。そして、自分自身の魂からは健康と喜びだけが現れるようになります。

Today I would like to talk about tanno or tannou. In the dictionary it is defined as satisfaction, and pleasure. In Tenrikyo, it is said to be the acceptance of suffering ( of karma) with joy. In both the Ofudesaki and the Mikagura-uta, the word tanno or tannou is not mentioned. Why am I talking about tanno? I happened to view a sermon by Pastor Owen Nakao. He was talking about a discussion with a Buddhist Priest discussing karma. The Buddhist Priest said that in the Buddhist religion one must accept the suffering of Karma. Pastor Owen told the priest in Tenrikyo, we accept karma with joy. By this process we can lessen our fate or eliminate them completely. Pastor Owen said that the Buddhist Priest had not known of this before, and was impressed by the teachings of tanno.

But do we need to accept karma with joy? In the Ofudesaki God tells us ” Mune no uchi yori, shian seyo. ” What does this mean? God tells us what comes from the soul, to ponder the negative fate that appears, and ponder the negative thoughts that are associated with the fate that appear. God tells us not to act on these negative thoughts. This is how we purify our minds. When the mind is pure, only positive fates will appear from our own soul.

So when fate or suffering appears, we must accept it like the Buddhist, but I do not think we need to accept it with joy like Tenrikyo tells us. But we must realize that it is our own soul that manifest these fates to help us purify our own minds. These instructions on how to purify our minds, and how to spread the teachings are in the Ofudesaki.

In the Ofudesaki, God tells us if we remove our negative thoughts from our minds, only health and joy will appear from our souls. But it is difficult for people to understand this. This is why almost half the contents of the Ofudesaki is about God’s guidance of illness placed on the body. What does God’s guidance do? By the illness placed, God is showing people the negative thoughts in their minds. These are the thoughts that people will act upon, resulting in the creation of negative fates that our own soul collects, and manifest back to us as suffering. God is showing us our future if we do not remove our negative thoughts by the guidance given. The following is from the Ofudesaki:

(kyounohi wa)(yokome furu ma mo)(nai hodoni)

(hayaku shoukou)(dashite miseru de). 12-124

Today, sidelong glance to carry out also, not because,

quickly the proof (guidance), revealing to show. 12-124

(kore mitara)(donna mono demo)(tokushin se)

(panino hanashi mo)(mina kono douri). 12-125

This if seen (God’s guidance), what kind of person however, be convinced (of what thoughts in the mind).

Of what talks also, all this truth (of thoughts in the mind). 12-125

But before God begins to work, we as church member must do our part. We must spread the teachings of the soul, pure mind, and God’s guidance to others. Then we must perform the Youki-tsutome asking God to help us spread the teachings to these people. If God accepts our prayer, God’s guidance will be placed on these people. If they understand God’s guidance, they will come to our places of worship to be healed by the Osazuke. This opportunity will allow us further to teach them so they can purify their minds by themselves. This is how our teachings are spread to the world. Are we doing this now?

In the last chapter of the Ofudesaki, God tells us:

(sato sato ta oto)(ta oto byou sama) (byou sama) 17-73

Church Headquarters tells us that these are the names of Oyasama’s relatives.

But if we read the Ofudesaki, we find that about 824 verses are about God’s guidance that will help people understand the soul to purify their minds. This is almost 50% of the verses in the Ofudesaki. The correct translation of verse 17-73 may be:

Discern discern do respond, do respond illness appearance, illness appearance. 17-73

God wants us to discern God’s guidance of illness that appears, and respond by understanding the soul to purify the mind.

Just something interesting. When you board an airplane , there is a recording or announcement of a flight attendant about what one should do when an emergency occurs. They tell us to place the oxygen mask on ourselves before placing it on our children. As parents, we need to save ourselves first, so we can place the mask on our dependents, especially if we have more than one child to save. This is like in the teachings of the Ofudesaki, we must save ourselves first, before we can save others. Where did our religion come to believe that we must save others to be saved ourselves. The following is from Tenrikyo Church Headquarter’s translation of verse 3-47:

Ponder from your innermost heart to understand.

Through saving others, you will be saved. 3-47

This is the original Japanese:

(wakaru you) (mune no uchi yori) (shiyan seyo)

(hito tasuketara) ( waga mi tasukaru). 3-47

But if you translate it to English word for word:

To understand the workings (of God’s guidance), the soul’s interior what comes from,ponder do it (to attain the pure mind)!

A person if saved (by attaining the pure mind), one’s own body to save. 3-47

So again, what translation is correct?

I wonder what would happen if we followed the instructions in the Ofudesaki? If we:

2. Understood our own soul to purify our own mind.
3. Spread the teachings to other about the soul.
4. Performed the Youki-tsutome asking God to save others.
5. Performing the Osazuke to them when they come to our places of worship to heal them and further instruct them about the soul to purify their minds.

Would we obtain a harvest of new members as promised in the Ofudesaki?

Do church leaders have the courage to implement these instructions?

It is interesting in the translation of the Ofudesaki by Tenrikyo Church Headquarter, verse 17-73 is talking about Oyasama’s relatives. Why would God talk about this? The following is Church Headquarter’s translation.

(sato sato ta oto) (ta oto byou sama) (byou sama) 17-73

Sato Sato Taoto Taoto Byousama Byousama 17-73

(kono hanashi) (aizu tateyai) (deta naraba)

(nani ni tsuitemo) (mina kono touri). 17-73

If this talk coincides sign for sign,

know that everything proceeds in this way. 17-74

(kore oba na) (ichiretsu kokoro) (shiyan tanomu de). 17-75

I earnestly request each and everyone of you

to ponder deeply over these teachings. 17-75

Are these translations correct? This is my translations:

(sato sato ta oto) (ta oto byou sama) (byou sama) 17-73

Discern discern do respond, do respond illness appearance, illness appearance 17-73

(kono hanashi) (aizu tateyai) (deta naraba)

(nani ni tsuitemo) (mina kono touri). 17-73

This talk, the signal  establishing (by performing the Youki-tsutome), appeared if so,

by what one acquires (guidance acquired from God) also, all this truth (of what negative thoughts in the mind). 17-74

(kore oba na) (ichiretsu kokoro) (shiyan tanomu de). 17-75

This God now, everyone the mind, ponder (of negative thoughts) of to request. 17-75

Which translation is correct?

If one sees twitter or X, one will see all the corruption, and human degradations. Will all this evil actions occur if the world everyone understood their own souls. We as a Tenrikyo Religion have much work to do. Of course we must understand the Ofudesaki. This sacred scriptures gives us the instructions to purify our minds, and also gives us the instructions to save the world.

X（旧Twitter）を見れば、世の中の腐りや人々の心の低下した様子が数多く見受けられます。もし人々が皆、自らの魂を悟り、その因縁や心遣いを理解していたならば、このような悪しき行いが絶えず起こるでしょうか。

私たち天理教を信仰する者には、まだまだ大切なつとめがあります。そのためには、まず『おふでさき』を深く学び、親神様のお心を理解することが肝要です。このおさしづきの書は、私たち自身の心を澄ます道を教えるとともに、世界たすけの道筋をも示してくださっています。

世界たすけのために、私たちはなお一層の信仰と実践に励まなければなりません。