OFUDESAKI-GOD'S TEACHINGS

How important is our service prayer?

In the Tip of the Writing Brush, the importance of the service is emphasized many times. This prayer is a sincere request to God to save all mankind. The following is some of the verses from the Tip of the Writing Brush concerning the importance of the service.

What do you think this Service is? II-9
It is the preparation to save all mankind

Any salvation whatever is all through the Service VII-83
If only you do just as God says.

Little by little, I will teach the Service. This preparation, VII-95
I will sweep clean everyone’s innermost hearts.

By this Service which teaches the path quickly, VII-99
all minds in the world will be purified.

However serious your future illness may be, X-20
you will all be saved by the service done single-heartedly.

If you quickly unite your minds, and with conviction XIV-92
do the Service, the world will settle.

This regret, how will it be cleared away; XV-85
Solely by the Service, everything will be revealed.

The Service, never think that I have other intentions.  XVI-65
I have only the single desire to save you.

But you must remember that your prayers must be sincere for God to answer them. What is sincere? Sincere means that you must believe sincerely from your heart that mankind was created to live a joyous life.

Prove this prayer to yourself, and help spread it to the world.

Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo     Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo

If you have borrowed something from another, you will need           III-28

to pay interest. Return it quickly with a word of thanks.

What does this mean?

My interpretation is this:

When God places a disorder on your body (sweeping evil),  return the illness back to God, by pondering over the disorder, and thanking God for the guidance.

The next passage  III-29  continues with information on God’s guidance.

Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo     Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo  

Why is the origin so important.

In the Tip of the Writing Brush, God consistently advises us to know the origin. What is this origin?  More specifically God wants us to know the “naru moto“, translated as becoming the origin. This term refers to  the instruments used in the creation of mankind, and the purpose for this creation.

This “naru moto refers to the  parents that started human beings. They were instructed  and protected by God. This first couple  conceived  at a specific location (Ojiba)  to begin the creation of mankind.

Mankind was created by God to live a joyous life.

The reason God began human beings                                    XIV-25

was the desire to see you lead a joyous life.

If we sincerely believe in the story of creation, and believe that mankind was created to live a joyous life, God will give you assurance and take control over everything.

If you but sincerely think this to be true                     X-23

God will discern it and will take control over everything.

If we sincerely believe in this origin, there will be no failures in our prayers of the Joyous Service.

Since God  will take control of everything,                     X-24

There will be no failure in a thousand.

How are you hearing about this talk?                             X-25

It is the Service of the Kanrodai (Joyous Service)

Again we must remember what we are praying for:

1. to get rid of arrogance, greed, and self love.

2. to spread God’s truth to the world.

Believe in this origin, for your prayers to be answered.

Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo     Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo

Some people believe in a heaven and hell and others believe in reincarnation. Is there any significant difference between the two?

If you believe in heaven and hell,  

heaven  is a place of joyous life,  

hell is a place of turmoil and suffering.

If you believe in reincarnation,

earth is a place of joyous life,

earth is a place of turmoil and suffering

Both believe in the merit system, where good behavior leads to heaven or a better next  life.  Bad behavior leads to hell or suffering in the next life.

Even for the worst of sinners, most religions have a salvation clause, getting them into heaven, or an improved subsequent life.

Most religions have a prophet who introduces the after life , and is a conduit to God, and holds the special privilege of sitting next to God.

As you can see, there  is not much of a differences in the two views of the afterlife.  But what makes our religion, Heaven’s  Truth Church (Tenrikyo) so different from other religions?

Where other religions believe that some will not be saved.  We believe that all mankind will be eventually saved. When this occurs, all mankind will live a joyous life on  earth. This will be heaven on earth.

Heaven’s Truth Church    Tenrikyo     Heaven’s Truth Church    

In our religion, we are granted the  power to heal the sick. But we see that many of our prayers are not answered. Some say that the person is not healed because of our lack of faith. Could it be that some suffering are result of our past actions, which God has no control of?

There can be no help for what you have done self-centeredly.          XVI-32

I can only look on caringly.

For example  in one of the stories from the Anecdotes of Oyasama, a child went to Oyasama to ask if she could save his mother who was dying from a serious illness. Oyasama told the child that she could not heal the mother, and that she was destined to die. But the child kept on praying and asking for what was not possible. Oyasama eventually granted the child’s request due to his sincerity, but this was an exception to the rule of cause and effect.

Some illness and disorders are healed with our prayers because these illnesses are a result of God’s guidance. God is showing us our future by these disorders. God distinguishes our minds, and places these disorders on our bodies.  These disorders are healed by our sincere prayers.

So when disorders come upon your body, it may be God guiding you to change your present way of thinking, or it may be the result of  your past actions. But in both situations, if one ponders, and leans on God, the future will be bright and we will be one day closer to the joyous world

Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo     Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo   

Sometimes when disorder or illness comes upon your body. You can brush it aside, and think that it is just a cold, or soreness that will eventually go away.  We may think that we have no control over what happens.

Or is the illness or disorder  God’s guidance?  God is distinguishing the way you are using your mind.

This time, I shall make your future known in this life time.                           V-2

Look at the disorder of the body.

This time, bodily disorders will appear here and there.                                  VIII-81

Know that it is the care being given by God.

So next time, when  illness or disorder appears in your body, ponder if you have been arrogant, if you have been greedy, or if you have been thinking only about your self interests. God may be trying to help you sweep these evils from our minds. This will lead you to a joyous future.

Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo     Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo

To become angered at what others say, it cannot be said that the mind is pure if one is angered. If the mind is pure, no matter what others may say, anger will not arise. That is the purified mind. What I have been teaching until now is so that anger will not occur, so that worry will not occur. If you have anger, you do not understand the teachings.

March 22, 1887 Osashizu
Do you have much anger and worry?  Do you know God’s truth?

If you do, please read the Tip of the Writing Brush.

Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo     Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo

Why do we have to know the origin before our prayers are answered by God?

The origin from the Tip of the Writing Brush states that mankind was created by God to live a joyous life.

This is the purpose of our prayers.

Without believing in this purpose sincerely, it would be difficult to God to answer our prayers.

From a human perspective, it would be easier to forgive a person if we knew that this person who we may have negative feelings about, may someday also be saved like everyone in the world.

Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo     Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo

There is nothing at all which should be called illness. III-94
It is only because there are paths of the mistaken mind.

These paths are miseliness, covetousness III-96
self love, greed, and arrogance. These are dusts.

What does this mean?
When we pray to God, God places illnesses and disorders upon the body by distinguishing our minds today. These disorders are meant to have us ponder on how we are using our minds today. We can change our future by changing how we use our minds today. When we lean on God and pray, God will take these illnesses away.

But suffering brought upon by our actions in the past, it would be difficult for God to help us. Some would call this Karma or casuality. These misfortunes are a result of our past actions. These situations differ from God’s guidance given in response to how we are using our minds today. These sufferings cannot usually be resolved, but may be lessened by praying to God.

Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo     Heaven’s Truth Church     Tenrikyo