Interpretation:
The Origin of human beings started by God taking a fish and a sea serpent as the first couple.
OFUDESAKI 6-31
Interpretation:
Izanagi and Izanami were the two sea creatures in the muddy oceans (fish and sea serpent) that were used by God to create human beings. We believe the Izanami had the soul of Oyasama.
Path of the Heart
If no one sees a crime occur, or claim they did not see a crime, did a crime occur? This is the thinking of the world. But in the path of the heart, if one commits a crime, even if no one sees one doing it, the consequence of the evil deed eventually comes back to oneself. One reaps what one has sowed. I believe that this is what God wants us to understand, the path of the heart. This is why in the first verse of the most important scripture in the world, God tells us we do not understand the heart. Song 11 of the Mikagurata-uta tells us:
Until this time, everyone did not understand the heart. What regret!
This year accompanied by the fertilizer (Joyous Service),
many people we cultivated and brought in.
How delightful, how grateful.
Song 11 is confirming how important the information of the heart is. Without conveying this information, our prayer of world salvation may not work. What are your thoughts?
OFUDESAKI 6-30
Interpretation:
The Joyous Service is a prayer for the salvation of human beings, but it also represents the beginning or Origin of human beings. One of the members represent Oyasama, the original parent of human beings.
OFUDESAKI 6-29
Interpretation:
These teachings that were not known before, are about the heart and what God will do to save the world. The Joyous Service is the prayer that God has given us to save the world. This is the Service that God wants us to perform with a pure mind.
OFUDESAKI 6-2 8
Interpretation:
God is talking about the path of the heart. God is preparing the early followers to perform the Joyous Service, which will help them share the truth of the heart with others, and will eventually save the world.
OFUDESAKI 6-27
Interpretation:
Everyone wants to know why human beings were created by God. The Ofudesaki gives us the story of creation of human beings, and why human beings were created. God is telling the early followers to look at other religions to see if they do the same.
The Mind, Body, and Heart
In the Ofudesaki and the Mikagura-uta, God tells us that illness on our bodies comes from our minds. These dust or evil thoughts in our minds are regret, covetousness, arrogance greed, and self-love. We can probably all agree that these are selfish thoughts in our minds. How do these thoughts cause our disorders in our bodies? We know that fear and stress can have a consequences on our bodies, affecting our immune systems. But how does thoughts of greed and arrogance cause illness on our bodies? Does God place illness on our bodies because of these dusts or evil thoughts in our minds? Many of you will say that God does not place illness on our bodies. If God does not, what or who does place illness on our bodies. Enter the concept of the heart, which in the first verse of the Ofudesaki, God tells us we do not understand. It is our own hearts that collects and stores our demerits caused by acting on our evil thoughts in our minds. Our heart, when opportunity arises, manifest these demerits as negative fate or illness upon our bodies. We reap what we have sowed because of of own hearts. One can say our hearts monitor our behavior. This concept is difficult to understand because the effect of our actions often are delayed until our next lives, when opportunities may be more appropriate for our hearts to manifest our fate.
Some may wonder when we receive an illness from our hearts, what do we do? Remember these illnesses or sufferings were caused by acting our our evil thoughts. So God tells us to ponder these evil thoughts, and not act upon them. When this happens, we can gradually eliminate these evil thoughts. When our minds are purified, our hearts will bring upon only positive fate. Not acting on our evil thoughts is easier said then done. It take much patience and diligence not to blame others, but to ponder one’s own mind to eliminate our evil thoughts. Some of us, due to our past indiscretions (sins), we may have to confront much inconveniences, but if we continue to ponder and not act on our evil thoughts, we will be able to purify our minds. In the Ofudesaki, God compares this process to digging up a root. It takes much effort to eventualy attain the Original mind, or the pure mind. But again, when we do this, we can attain the Joyous life.
It is the heart that connects the mind to the body. This is why God throughout the Ofuedesak tells the early followers that they do not understand the heart. I will leave you with the following from song 11 of the Mikagura-uta:
The residence ground, Digging it up (the truth of the heart),
you only just carry it to another location (hinokishin).
Until this time, everyone
did not understand the heart. What regret!
This year accompanied* by the fertilizer (Joyous Service),
many people we cultivated and brought in.
How delightful, how grateful.
OFUDESAKI 6-26
Interpretation:
I believe even today, there are some people that worship at more then one church or religion. People are always trying to understand the purpose of life and why we suffer or have joy.
OFUDESAKI 6-25
Interpretation:
God is going to tell the early followers about the heart, and how to purify their minds. God will also tell them how to spread this truth to the world.
OFUDESAKI-GOD'S TEACHINGS 