The Power of Prayer

Posted on July 15, 2013 by heaventruth

Throughout the world, we can see good people, but we still  see also  greed, arrogance, hatred, and suffering. In the Tip of the Writing Brush is the following:

The present path  is covered with evil (greed, arrogance, and self love). Take up God, and begin the sweeping.  3-145

The path thereafter will be broad and clear.  Take along with you as many as you wish.  3-146

What does this mean?  Taking up God is equivalent to praying. We are praying to God to help us eliminate the evils (greed, arrogance, and self love) in the minds of the world. When God accepts our sincere prayer, God will bring people into our lives and help them sweep evil from their hearts.  With this process the world will live in joy with everyone helping each other.  The power of prayer brings people to God.

Heaven’s Truth Church/Tenrikyo Church

 

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The Zimmerman case revisited

Posted on July 15, 2013 by heaventruth

There are many people that do not believe in the law of causality. The law of causality states that good thoughts and actions brings forth joy, and evil (greed, arrogance, and self love) thoughts and actions brings forth suffering in the future. Although the western world does not believe that there is a relationship between our thoughts and our future, the judicial system operates on this principle of cause and effect. Let us take the example of the recent George Zimmerman case.

George Zimmerman was found innocent of the murder of a young individual yesterday.  Yes the jury and the world knew for a fact that Mr. Zimmerman had killed the youth with his own gun. The jury determining the cause of the killing (effect) would determine George’s fate.

Without an actual witness viewing what had occurred prior to the shooting, the prosecution of Mr. Zimmerman would be difficult. The prosecution team wanted to prove that Mr. Zimmerman’s had a prejudice past (cause) toward African Americans.  They wanted the jury to believe that this prejudice would lead to the killing of the defenseless child.  At the conclusion of the trial, the jury could not conclude that Mr. Zimmerman was prejudice toward African Americans, or what had occurred prior to the shooting.  It is  because of this mystery of the origin (cause) that the jury had to determine a not guilty verdict.

If we are proponents of the law of cause and effect, we believe that this natural law will eventually determine the fate of Mr. Zimmerman and the youth.  The realization of this self-regulating process will eventually bring salvation to the world with everyone helping each other. Ponder over the events that occur in your lives. Ponder their origin!

Heaven’s Truth Church/Tenrikyo Church

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Understanding what is happening

Posted on July 12, 2013 by heaventruth

Why is it difficult for many to understand Causality or the natural law of cause and effect.  Good actions and thoughts result in joy, and evil (greed, arrogance, and self love) thoughts and actions result in suffering in the world.  The law of cause and effect  must be comprehended before God’s original truth can be understood. God’s original truth  is that we were created to live the joyous life with everyone helping each other. When we understand this from our heart, how can we treat others with disdain and arrogance?  We need to make God’s original purpose  come true!

In summary, why is it so difficult to realize that there is a cause for every effect? It certainly is difficult to see the relationship because  the time lapse between cause and effect may be prolonged.   It is the same with the beginning of mankind. There was a cause for this herculean effort by God. The cause or purpose was to create mankind to live a joyous life. Know the origin or the cause!

Heaven’s Truth Church/Tenrikyo Church

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How do we spread the truth?

Posted on July 12, 2013 by heaventruth

Sometimes it is very difficult to spread God’s teachings. Some go door to door with pamphlets hoping for a chance that the occupants would open the door. Others place their message on bill boards hoping to gain converts. I remember one religion placing advertisement on radio and television.  But do these bring in new converts to your religion.  What type of media or mode do we use to bring in new converts? How about the power of prayer?

How about asking God to bring them to us? Bring them to us for what purpose?  We want God to bring them to us so we can teach them that God created mankind to live a joyous life by helping each other. We must let them know this “Origin” of mankind.

It is this prayer that we must spread to the world; and it is this sincere prayer that God will work to bring people to you, to understand the purpose of the creation of mankind.  There is no magic formula except the power of the sincere prayer!

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Finding God

Posted on July 11, 2013 by heaventruth

We pray to God to have mankind understand causality (Innen, Karma). The law of cause and effect states that good action and thoughts result in joy, and evil (arrogance, greed, and self love) thoughts and actions result in future sufferings. When one can understand causality, one can understand the “Origin” or why mankind was created for. Mankind was created to live the joyous life. The law of causality exist to self regulate the evils in our minds. The law of causality uncovers a loving God that wants to save everyone in the world. Our prayer begins this process.

Heaven’s Truth Church/Tenrikyo Church

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Why is church membership shrinking?

Posted on July 9, 2013 by heaventruth

I sometimes wonder why our religion does not spread rapidly as God has promised in the Tip of the Writing Brush. Recently I found a verse in the Osashizu which I found interesting. It stated that God helps weed and fertilize, making the harvesting of  timber (spirited members) easier. But before God can help us, we need to plant the seeds. What does this mean?

In the Tip of the Writing Brush is the following verse:

This Service (prayer), where do you think they will come from

From the high places they will come spiritedly   2-4

 I believe it is saying that God brings  people to us by our sincere prayer. This is planting the seeds.  God then  helps them sweep evil (arrogance, greed, and self love) from their minds as requested by our special prayer (joyous service). This is the process of weeding.

After the weeding where the mind is pure, God’s teachings  are given, especially the teaching that mankind was created to live the joyous life. This is called fertilizing the mind. When the individual understands this “Origin”, he or she becomes spirited and happy (salvation).

In summary, our prayer is the impetus that begins the path to a joyous life. We need to plant the seeds before God can help us. This is why prayer is so important for the salvation of the world.
Note: our prayer is only the joyous service (not the twelve songs)

Heaven’s Truth Church/Tenrikyo Church

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Know Your Origin

Posted on July 5, 2013 by heaventruth

Why is so important to know where we come from? Why do millions of people go on sites like ancestry.com to find their beginnings?  Why do adopted children eventually yearn for information about their biologically parents?  

We want to find our origins. Finding our origin gives us a starting point where we can judge and evaluate events in our lives. It is like having a location to set our compass. It helps us find direction in our lives.

In the Tip of the Writing Brush, Finding the “Origin” is a common theme throughout the sacred book. More important, the cause or purpose of the origin of mankind is the ultimate truth.  Mankind was created by God to live the joyous life with everyone helping each other. This is the purpose of the origin of mankind.

Without knowing this origin, or the purpose why mankind was created, it would be difficult to lead an unselfish life. But knowing this origin, it  gives us a compass or direction in  helping each other  attain this joyous world.

Heaven’s Truth Church/Tenrikyo Church

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Happy Fourth of July

Posted on July 5, 2013 by heaventruth

As we celebrate the 4th of July, in the United States of American, we are reminded of how blessed we are to live in this country.  The founders of our country formulated a constitution that protected the individual rights of the individual. These rights included the freedom of religion.

It is because of these individual rights that God has blessed this country. We have freedom to help others, and we also have the resources to accumulate wealth and power.  Our system allows us to help others, and it also allows us to take advantage of others. It is a breeding ground for both evil and good. Some would say, a good testing ground for God.

For our country to continue the blessings, we must continue to be a country that gives the individual the right to make his or her decisions, whether it is good or evil. It is this freedom that allows the individual to mature and become spirited.

Heaven’s Truth Church/Tenrikyo Church

 

Happy fourth of July!

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Believing in the Origin

Posted on July 3, 2013 by heaventruth

If someone asks what makes your religion so special, what would you say? What separates your religion from all the others?

In the Heaven’s Truth Church (Tenrikyo), we believe that God created mankind to live a joyous life. It is this origin that we must firmly believe in for our prayers to be answered.

Some may ask why is it so important that we must understand why humans were created?  If we believe in the origin, it would be difficult for us to take advantage of another human being.  We will be going against God’s wishes if we pursue our happiness at the expense of others.

Imagine what would of happened in the past if people had believed in the origin. There would have been no crusades, no holocaust, no slavery, and no wars. Imagine a world at peace. Imagine people treating each others with dignity and love!

As mentioned before  for our prayers to be answered we must believe in the origin that all mankind was created to live a joyous life. But you may ask,  what do we pray for?  We pray not for our selfish gains; we pray for the salvation of others by asking God to help sweep evil  (greed, arrogance, and self love) from their hearts.

It is this belief in the origin, or the purpose in God’s creation that we must firmly believe in before we can take our first steps in our spiritual growth. These steps or path will finally lead to the salvation of all mankind.

Heaven’s Truth Church/Tenrikyo Church

 

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What makes your religion special?

Posted on July 3, 2013 by heaventruth

If someone asks what makes your religion so special, what would you say? What separates your religion from all the others?

In the Heaven’s Truth Church (Tenrikyo), we believe that God created mankind to live a joyous life. It is this origin that we must firmly believe in for our prayers to be answered.

Some may ask why is it so important that we must understand why humans were created?  If we believe the origin, it would be difficult for us to take advantage of another human being.  We will be going against God’s wishes if we pursue our happiness at the expense of others.

Imagine if in the past history of the world, if people sincerely believed in this origin. There would have been no crusades, no holocaust, no slavery, and no wars. Imagine a world at peace.

As mentioned before, for our prayers to be answered we must believe in the origin that all mankind was created to live a joyous life.  What do we pray for?  We pray that God helps us sweep evil (greed, arrogance, and self love) from our hearts.

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