Help Others to ………

Posted on March 12, 2013 by heaventruth

What is better?  To be good because you  think God will favor you, or to be good because it comes from your innermost heart. Some people believe that God will help them if they follow the doctrines of a religion. Others think that God will favor them if they  help others. But  in both cases, their actions may be acts of  “quid pro quo” (favor for a favor). We expect God to favor us because of an act we perform. Both are for the good, but are selfish acts neither less, and may not create true joy.

In the Tip of the Writing Brush,  it is emphasized that we act from our  inner most heart, which is pure, without greed, arrogance, and self love. It is only when we help others from this mind set, can we bring true joy to the recipient, and to ourselves. Help others not to benefit yourself;  help others because it is the good and the right thing to do.

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True Joy is ………..

Posted on March 12, 2013 by heaventruth

What is joy? Is it joy when you eat a sumptuous feast, or when you are driving in that special car?  These events do bring some happiness, but are they joy?  But what happens when we over eat, or when the smell of the new car wears off?  These joys are temporary and may be considered selfish.

Many times we receive  joy from helping others, especially when we don’t expect anything in return. Events like graduations, weddings, and anniversaries bring much joy to the participants. Each event is  brought upon by much hard work, sacrifice, and mutual help.

How about the joy brought upon by a smile of a toddler walking toward you?  Sometimes our smiles in return become effortless due to the joy created by the innate unselfish acts of  children.

Donations given to charities, or strangers  without any expectations in returns brings us joy.  Some give to charities for tax purposes, or to distinguish themselves in society. These situations may not bring upon true joy?

In the Tip of the Writing Brush is the following:

What do you think  path (joyous path)  is to be?

It is solely mutual help among all people in all matters. 13-37

True joy is difficult to describe; but it is a feeling that makes you happy that you are alive. If one could put it in a bottle and sell it , one can make infinite amount of dollars. But  to sell it and buy it,  would be selfish, and would not  bring upon true joy.  True joy is free. All we have to do is free our minds of greed, arrogance , and self love. This  will create an positive attitude, and bring upon mutual help among all people.  When this occurs, there will be true joy!

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Why Does a Baby Cry?

Posted on March 11, 2013 by heaventruth

The previous post we talked about cause and effect or causality.  Their are many skeptics on the subject of cause and effect since the time lapse between the two may be too  prolonged for many of us to make a relationship.  The following is from the Timely Directions:

Why does it the baby cries at night, cries at night? What is God persuading you to do? The rain may fall, the wind may blow, spring days may be balmy. In a single year, there are all kinds of days. You wonder why the baby cries. If you only think of the present moment, how unlikely that you will see!. How unlikely that you will understand! Listen and understand well.   Timely Directions  October 9, 1889

Of course the previous topic concerns a baby’s cry, but  it can be other sufferings; In contrast if we do good, we may reap joy in future. But again, the effect may be delayed in happening.   God tells us to ponder everything that happens in our lives, and tells us why we suffer from our evil thoughts..   

In the absence of any knot (suffering), everything goes in one ear and out the other. You cannot listen or understand unless faced with a knot.                           Timely Directions  October 9, 1889

By pondering over everything that occurs, we can be vigilant to avoid greed, arrogance, and self love . When evil is swept from our minds ,  we have planted our seed for happiness in the future.

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The Cause, but where is the Effect?

Posted on March 11, 2013 by heaventruth

Some people believe that whatever we say or do , as long as no one sees or hears it , it is all right. Is it proper to talk behind someone’s back? Is it all right to steal as long as we do not get caught?  In the Osahizu, it is written:

The world’s path is a path of manifestations, whereas God’s path is the path of the heart.  In the world’s path, you can do whatever you want and get away with it, so long as no one sees you do it. But in the path of the heart, it all comes to bear on yourself.        Osahizu January 27, 1891

The expression “it comes to bear on yourself” you are probably wondering what it means. Is this talking about cause and effect? Imagine whatever we do good or bad, it comes back to us in joy or suffering in the future.  Would this prevent many of us from thinking or  performing evil (greed, arrogance, and self love)?  Possibly, but many of us do not see this relationship between what we do now and the future. When this relationship is understood,  greed, arrogance, and self love will disappear. Everyone will start to help each other.  Only joy will blossom in the future.

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I Think, therefore I am

Posted on March 10, 2013 by heaventruth

 

“Cogito Ergo Sum”

Sometimes I wonder when I die, do I just disappear from existence. Does my thought process end? The great philosopher Rene Descartes stated “Cogito Ergo Sum” (I think, therefore I am) to prove his existence.  So does the thought process substantiate existence? This would be a good question for the pro-life/pro-choice debate of when life begins. When the thought process ends, does our existence ends? But does it?  Enter the soul.

The soul has been called the intangible factor to describe what happens to us after death.  Some call it the spark of life, possibly initiating the thought process in the developing fetus; and ending our thoughts with the withdrawal of the soul. But what is this soul? Is it made of matter or energy? Where does it locate in the body? What does it contain?

Some would think the soul would be located in the brain (cerebrum) due to the mental complexity of this area in thinking; but others would say it would be found in the heart region, due to the prime importance of this organ to sustain life. The expression from your innermost heart may allude to the soul’s location in the heart.

But what is contained in the soul. Could there be all our characteristic of the individual, and thoughts that make up these characteristics. In essence it is who we are.  The soul is said to have been pure when mankind was created, but evil thoughts (greed, arrogance, and self love) have permeated the soul, imbuing the soul with these negative characteristics, resulting in our negative attitudes and beliefs.

It is this soul, with all our information that is thought to leave our bodies when our physical bodies cease to function. From a physical perspective our thought process ends with our death, resulting in our nonexistence and departure of the soul. But where does the soul go?

This soul is said to require a mind to grow and mature (become pure). Many believe that further growth will occurs in the grasp of God’s mind in heaven. Others believe we come back, returning in the developing mind of a fetus. Some believe in a combination, eventually culminating in a joyous life in heaven or heaven on earth.

 

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Church Donations

Posted on March 9, 2013 by heaventruth

 

Offerings, sometimes called sacrifices are a common way people express their gratitude in response to protection from a god or gods.

Offerings can come in a variety of forms, from treasures such as gold and silver, to the fruits of harvest or wild game hunted in the mountains or caught from the sea. Sometimes offerings are monetary donations that come from a person’s salary.

Although the gods do not actually eat these food offerings or use the money; they are offered with the belief that they will accept the sincere heart of the person making the offerings.

But in the divine directions, offerings of physical materials are not solicited from God. It is the offering of the pure mind that God accepts.

Sah, offer to Me your minds filled with promise, filled with promise. Then I shall accept, I shall accept. If you do it with tears, with tears, God cannot accept. Do not bring Me things worth a million. It is the sincere mind of a single cent that I accept.                                                                   Osashizu, July 20, 1902

In summary, when church solicitations come along, contribute as much as you feel comfortable; Offer to God, to purify your mind of greed, arrogance, and self love. Do it with sincerity and without any emotional attachments, and God will accept your resolution and provide any protection.

Resource from Tenrikyology.com

 

 

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Sowing Seeds of Sincerity

Posted on March 8, 2013 by heaventruth

 

I have always wondered about people who donate anomalously. Is their money or property tainted? Who won’t  want a building or complex named after them after donating millions of dollars. Why won’t we want people seeing us donate to a good cause? In the path, the act of serving with sincerity without seeking any tangible results is held in high esteem.  God wants you to think of others first.

The world’s thinking is that one loses out unless one is self-assertive and is noticed.  It is not very easy to continue to make material or monetary offerings and contribute physically out of the sight from others. We all want to be noticed for our generosity. But good deeds that are out of sight from others may bring upon more joy.  The following is a similarity between a seed we plant, and any sincere efforts we make.

Take a seed of any fruit.  A seed does not sprout buds unless it is placed inside the dark soil out of view; sincere contributions likewise become seeds that sprout buds of joy when such efforts are concealed. In summary, any contributions seen or unseen by others are good; But sincere efforts not seen by others may bring upon more joy for both the giver and recipient.

Resource from Tenrikyology.com

 

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Arrogance

Posted on March 8, 2013 by heaventruth

Sometime when I attend meetings, I get memory flashes of my high school biology teacher,  Mr. Crough , a middle aged obese , and bald Biology teacher. I truly believe his goal each day was the find students who had not read, or understood the assignment, and pin point them out to the class.  I remember that feeling in my stomach when he was ready to unleash his fury on the class. He would stare out to the class,  to pick his subject. I remember his countenance when he exposed a student’s lack of knowledge, almost like a smirk and satisfaction that he was superior.

Some people will defend this type of teaching, but to me it made me hate biology for awhile. I believe my only concern while in the class was avoiding humiliation in front of my peers.  It made concentrating  and  learning difficult.

Unfortunately I still see this type of  teaching in the adult world. I still see Mr. Crough, with his arrogant demeanor, the silence of the prey  and audience,  that uncomfortable moment when we wish the hunter would stop.  Do these people really believe that people would learn with these high school teaching methods? Are these people arrogant to treat their fellow employees in this manner?  In the Tip of the Writing Brush, arrogance is an evil we must avoid to create suffering in others: but also having arrogance in our hearts, prevents us from having the joyous life.

I also remember a popular math teacher, Mr. LaRue.  He would ask questions to the classroom like Mr. Crough. But  when no one raised their hands, he would select students in a different manner than the infamous Mr. Crough. He would choose students that knew the answer.  I can still visualize  the joy in Mr. LaRue’s face and also the  faces of his  eager students.   Mr. LaRue passed away many years ago.  May God bless you Mr. LaRue!

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Distorted Mirror Revisited

Posted on March 8, 2013 by heaventruth

What does a distorted mirror have to do with religion?  In the Tip of the Writing Brush, God throughout the sacred book, tells us that we do not understand the teaching.  For example, verse III-50

Though I have gathered many and varied trees (followers),              III-50

those that cannot understand reasoning (distorted mirror) will not do.

In this world, there are many people that cannot understand or refuse to understand new information that is given to them. In politics, some refuse indisputable facts and continue to support their candidates. In religion,  it is very difficult to change the mindset of a follower, even when faced with factual data.

A distorted mirror, will not  reveal the true reflection of what we look like;  as a mind that attaches to old  beliefs may not be able to see what is true.  God  warns us to understand whatever occurs.

Sometime God gives us guidance to sweep away our evils (greed, arrogance, and self love). Observe, and then ponder what ever occurs.

 

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Maturing of the Child

Posted on March 8, 2013 by heaventruth

Sometimes don’t you wonder why some people behave so badly? Why don’t they understand God’s teachings? Perhaps they do not know where to receive this truth?

It is said that Oyasama taught the following over and over:

“It is not that the incorrigible child does not understand. It is that the teachings of the God have not reached him. If the teachings of the God reach every nook and corner, the maturing of the child can then be seen.”   196 Anecdotes of Oyasama

In summary, the people we consider evil do not change their behavior not because they do not understand God’s truth, but because they have not found the truth.  It is when God’s truth is spread throughout the world, that the incorrigible will become the corrigible. God’s children will begin to eliminate evil (greed, arrogance, and self love) from their hearts.  It is this process that will create a joyous world with everyone helping each other.

Whether it is door-to-door, media advertisements, billboards, etc., it is imperative that we spread God’s truth to every corner of the earth. Remove greed, arrogance, and self love from your hearts to live a joyous life!

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