神や教祖は、私たちに自分たちを称賛してほしいと望んでおられるのでしょうか。神を喜ばせるために御供を供え、神がすでにご存じのことを唱えながら神の前で踊る必要があるのでしょうか。これらは、人々によって作り上げられた古代の儀礼のようにも見えます。
では、神はいったい何を望んでおられるのでしょうか。

『おふでさき』によれば、神は私たちに自分自身の魂を理解し、**kokoro（mind）**を澄ますことを望んでおられます。神は、私たち自身の魂が自らの行いを見守り、因果の理を現すのだと教えておられます。私たちが蒔いた種を刈り取るのは、自分自身の魂によるものなのです。神は、**kokoro（mind）**が澄んだとき、人は救われると教えておられます。魂から現れるのは、健康と幸福だけです。これこそが、人間が創られた理由であり、「陽気ぐらし」を生きるためなのです。
太古のどろ海から完全な身体をつくるための道具が集められ、天より神の清らかな kokoro（mind） が、最初の男女に与えられました。

教えそのものは単純ですが、人々に理解してもらうことは容易ではありません。そのため神は、教えを他者に広めるための二つの特別な祈りをお与えになりました。第一は、陽気づとめです。これは、私たちが教えを伝えた人々の kokoro（mind） にある否定的な思いを払い清めてくださいとお願いする祈りです。

では、神はどのようにしてそれをなさるのでしょうか。神は、その人の kokoro（mind） の中にある否定的な思いの量や性質に応じて、病という形でお導きをお与えになります。これらの思いは、将来その人が行動に移し、後に不幸な運命として現れてくるものです。言い換えれば、神は否定的な思いを取り除かなければどうなるのかという「未来の姿」を、人々に示しておられるのです。
もし人々が神のお導きを理解すれば、癒しを求めて教会へと足を運びます。そこで行われるのが、第二の特別な祈りである「おさづけ」です。おさづけによって病は癒され、同時に kokoro（mind） を澄ますための教えも伝えられます。こうして人々は、自らの力で kokoro（mind） を澄ますことができるようになります。kokoro（mind） が澄めば救われ、魂から現れるのは健康と喜びだけとなります。このようにして、教えは世界へと広まっていくのです。

まとめると、私たちの宗教は本来とてもシンプルであるはずですが、神や教祖を拝むための儀礼や形式、行事を重んじすぎた結果、人々にとって理解しにくいものにしてしまいました。これは神の望まれるところではありません。神が望んでおられるのは、私たちが「陽気ぐらし」を生きることなのです。

Do God or Oyasama wish for us to praise them? Do we need to place food offerings before God to please God, and dance in front of God while reciting things God already knows? These seem like ancient rituals fabricated by people. So what does God truly want?

According to the Ofudesaki, God wants us to understand our own souls and to purify our minds. God teaches that our own souls observe our behavior and manifest the law of cause and effect. We reap what we have sown through our own souls. God tells us that when the mind is purified, one is saved. Only health and happiness will appear from the soul. This is why human beings were created—to live the “Joyous Life.” From the ancient muddy ocean, the instruments to create the perfect body were gathered, and from heaven, God’s pure mind was bestowed upon the first man and woman. This is in the 2nd part of the Youki-tsutome that is mentioned later.

The teachings themselves are simple, but it is not easy to help people understand them. This is why God granted us two special prayers to spread the teachings to others. The first is the Youki-tsutome. This prayer asks God to sweep away the negative thoughts from the minds of those to whom we have shared the teachings.

How does God do this? God provides guidance in the form of illness, depending on the amount and nature of negative thoughts within a person’s mind. These thoughts are the ones people will act upon in the future, creating negative fates that later manifest in their lives. In essence, God is showing people their future if they do not remove their negative thoughts. If they understand God’s guidance, they come to our places of worship seeking healing. There, the second special prayer—the Osazuke—is performed to heal the illness. At the same time, further guidance on purifying the mind is given. In this way, people become able to purify their own minds. When the mind is purified, they are saved, and only health and joy will appear from their souls. This is how the teachings are spread throughout the world.

In summary, our religion should be simple, but we have made it difficult for people to understand by placing too much importance on rituals, ceremonies, and acts of worship directed toward God and Oyasama. This is not what God desires. God wants us to live the “Joyous Life.”

I have heard people involved with the church say that their suffering is the result of God’s guidance. However, could it not be that this suffering is actually not God’s guidance, but rather something that emerges from one’s own soul as a result of actions taken in the past based on negative thoughts? Is it not that the soul is telling the person that negative thoughts still remain within their mind? That is why suffering appears. I believe this is the soul telling us, “Purify your mind).”

According to my understanding from reading Ofudesaki, God’s guidance appears only when we perform the Joyous Service (yōki-zutome) for the purpose of saving others. Guidance in the form of illness appears upon the people to whom we have conveyed God’s teachings. This begins when we perform the Joyous Service and pray to God, asking Him to “sweep away and purify the negative thoughts from the mind of others.” Then, how does God sweep away those negative thoughts? God discerns the person’s mind and, according to the amount and nature of the negative thoughts within it, gives guidance in the form of illness. Those who understand God’s guidance come to our place of worship seeking healing. There, they receive the Osazuke (a prayer for healing), and are further given teachings to purify their mind. When the mind is purified, a person is saved. What then emerges from that person’s own soul is nothing but health and happiness.

This is why church leaders and believers must understand what the soul is and what it does. When suffering occurs, it is one’s own soul telling them, “Sweep away negative thoughts from your mind.” Before this special prayer to save others can be effective, one must first purify one’s own mind. If one cannot save oneself, one cannot save others. This is especially true regarding the Joyous Service (yōki-zutome). If our mind is not pure, and we cannot understand the soul, how can we teach others? Therefore, we believers must first understand the soul in order to purify our own mind before performing the Joyous Service to save others. If these conditions are not met, the Joyous Service will not function effectively.

I believe this is the situation we are facing now. To church leaders and believers: suffering comes from one’s own soul. Reflect upon that suffering and purify your mind. Only then will the Joyous Service (yōki-zutome) and the Osazuke (healing prayer) become effective in saving others.

教会関係者が、自分たちの苦しみは神のお導きの結果であると言っているのを私は聞いたことがあります。しかし、その苦しみは、実は神のお導きではなく、過去に否定的な思いに基づいて行った行為によって、自分自身の魂から現れているだけではないでしょうか。魂は、否定的な思いがいまだkokoro(mind) の中に残っていることを、その人に伝えているのではないでしょうか。だからこそ苦しみが現れるのです。それは、自分の魂が「kokoro (mind)を清めなさい」と告げているのだと思います。

『おふでさき』を読んだ私の理解では、神のお導きが現れるのは、他者を救うために陽気づとめを勤めたときだけです。病という形でのお導きは、私たちが神の教えを伝えた人々の上に現れます。これは、私たちが陽気づとめを勤め、「他者のkokoro (mind) から否定的な思いを掃い清めてください」と神に願うことによって始まります。では、神はどのようにして彼らの否定的な思いを掃うのでしょうか。神はその人の心を見分け、心の中にある否定的な思いの量や性質に応じて、病という形でお導きを与えます。

神のお導きを理解した人々は、癒やしを求めて私たちの礼拝所へとやって来ます。そこで「おさづけ」（癒やしの祈り）を取り次いでもらい、さらにkokoro (mind)を清めるための教えを授けられます。kokoroが清まったとき、人は救われます。その人自身の魂から現れるのは、健康と幸福だけになるのです。

これが、教会の指導者や信者が、魂とは何か、そして魂が何をしているのかを理解しなければならない理由です。苦しみが起こるとき、それは自分自身の魂が「否定的な思いをkokoro (mind) から掃いなさい」と告げているのです。他者を救うこの特別な祈りが有効になる前に、まず自分自身のkokoro (mind)を清める必要があります。自分を救うことができなければ、他者を救うことはできないのです。これは特に、ようきづとめ（陽気づとめ）に関して言えることです。もし私たちのkokoro (mind) が清らかでなく、魂を理解することができないなら、どうして他者に教えることができるでしょうか。だからこそ、私たち信者は、他者を救うためにようきづとめを行う前に、まず自分自身のkokoro (mind) を清めるために魂を理解しなければなりません。これらの条件が整っていなければ、ようきづとめは有効に働きません。私は、これが今私たちが直面している状況だと思います。教会の指導者や信者の皆さんへ。苦しみは自分自身の魂から来るものです。

その苦しみを省みることで、kokoro (mind)を清めなさい。そうしてこそ、ようきづとめ（陽気づとめ）やおさづけ（お授け）が、他者を救うために有効となるのです。

What is the Youki-tsutome?

People of Tenrikyo also call this the Joyous Service. What does it do? Tenrikyo followers and their church leaders explain that it is a prayer asking God to purify one’s own mind. However, how does God purify our minds? This point has not been fully settled. Some say that God gives illness as guidance in order to help purify the mind. But is the main purpose of the Service truly the purification of one’s own mind?

In the Ofudesaki, God teaches that the Youki-tsutome is a prayer asking God to save others, and not a prayer to save oneself. We should already know how to save ourselves by understanding what appears from our own soul. Let me explain. Our own soul observes our behavior and eventually dispenses justice for actions that arise from negative thoughts. Some people call this karma or innen as it appears in our lives. Through the working of the soul, we reap what we have sown.

With this understanding, God teaches that when suffering arising from the soul appears, we should not blame God or those whom we believe to be the source of our suffering. Instead, God tells us to reflect on our own minds and examine the negative thoughts we acted upon that are connected to the suffering. By doing this, and by not acting on those thoughts again, we can gradually purify our minds.

Now that we understand how to remove negative thoughts, let us explain how the Youki-tsutome saves other people. Through this prayer, we ask God to help sweep away the negative thoughts of others. How does God do this? God discerns the minds of those to whom we have spread the teachings, and places illness as guidance according to the amount and nature of the negative thoughts in their minds. These thoughts are ones they will eventually act upon, creating negative destinies. Through this guidance, God is showing them their future.

Those who understand God’s guidance go to places of worship seeking healing. There, the Osazuke (a healing prayer) is administered, and they are given further teachings of God so that they may purify their own minds. When the mind becomes pure, one is saved. From the soul, only health and happiness will then appear.

It is the Youki-tsutome that initiates all of this. Together with the Osazuke, it is a prayer to save others in the world.

陽気づとめ（ようきづとめ）とは何でしょうか。

天理教の人々はこれを「陽気づとめ（Joyous Service）」とも呼びます。これは何を行うものなのでしょうか。天理教の人々や教会の指導者たちは、これを「神に自分自身の心を清めていただくための祈り」であると説明します。しかし、神はどのようにして私たちのkokoro (mind)を清めるのでしょうか。その点については、いまだ解釈が分かれています。ある人々は、神がkokoro (mind)を清める助けとして病を「お導き」として与えるのだと言います。けれども、陽気づとめの主な目的は本当に自分自身の心を清めることなのでしょうか。

『おふでさき』の中で、神は陽気づとめとは「他者を救うために神に願う祈り」であり、「自分自身を救うための祈りではない」と教えています。私たちはすでに、自分自身をどのように救うかを、自らの魂に現れるものを理解することによって知っているはずなのです。説明しましょう。私たち自身の魂が私たちの行いを見守り、やがて否定的な思いに基づく行為に対して正義を下します。これをカルマ、あるいは因縁として人生に現れると呼ぶ人もいます。魂の働きによって、私たちは自分が蒔いたものを刈り取るのです。

このことを踏まえ、神は、魂から生じる苦しみが現れたとき、それを神や、苦しみの原因だと思い込んでいる他者のせいにしてはならないと教えています。そうではなく、その苦しみに関係する、自分が実際に行動に移した否定的な思いを、自らのkokoroの中に省みなさいと神は告げています。こうして、その思いに再び基づいて行動しないようにすることで、私たちは徐々にkokoro (mind) を清めることができるのです。

さて、否定的な思いを取り除く方法が分かったところで、次に、陽気づとめがどのようにして他の人々を救うのかを説明しましょう。この祈りによって、私たちは神に、他者の否定的な思いを掃い清めてくださるよう願います。神はどのようにそれを行うのでしょうか。神は、私たちが教えを伝えた相手のkokoro (mind) を見分け、そのkokoro (mind) にある否定的な思いの量や性質に応じて、病という形でお導きを与えます。これらの思いは、やがて行動として現れ、否定的な運命を生み出すものです。神は、そのお導きを通して、彼らの未来を示しているのです。

神のお導きを理解した人々は、癒やしを求めて教会や礼拝所を訪れます。そこで「おさづけ」（癒やしの祈り）が取り次がれ、さらに神の教えを授けられることで、自らのkokoro (mind)を清めていきます。kokoroが清まったとき、人は救われます。魂から現れるのは、健康と幸福だけになるのです。

この一連の流れを始動させるのが陽気づとめです。陽気づとめはおさづけとともに、この世の人々を救うための祈りなのです。

現実の世界において、神のご守護（ご恩恵）とは何でしょうか。多くの人は、神のご守護とは幸福や健康であると考えるでしょう。しかし『おふでさき』の中では、神は導きとして与えられる病を「ご守護」とお呼びになっています。なぜ病がご守護なのでしょうか。
神が病をお与えになる意図を理解すれば、神がお与えになる不都合や苦しみが、なぜご守護と呼ばれるのかが分かるはずです。

では、神が導きとして病をお与えになる意図とは何でしょうか。それは、人々が行いを改めなければ将来味わうことになる苦しみの姿を、前もって示しておられるということです。
神はどのようにしてそれをなさるのでしょうか。神は人の心を見分け、そこにある否定的な思いの量や種類に応じて病をお与えになります。これらの否定的な思いは、やがて人が行動に移してしまうものであり、その結果、魂が因縁として集め、蓄え、最終的には苦しみとなって自らに現れてきます。
このような病は、人々に否定的な思いを取り除くための時間と機会を与えるという点で、ご守護なのです。

では、人はどのようにして否定的な思いを取り除くのでしょうか。
以前に教えとして知らされていた神のご守護の意味を理解した人々は、癒やしを求めて私たちの礼拝の場へと足を運びます。そこで私たちはおさづけを取り次ぎ、人々は癒やされ、さらに心を澄ますための神の真実を教えられます。
心が澄めば、人は救われます。魂から現れるのは、健康と幸福だけです。
その結果、神から与えられた病を通して、喜びと健康がもたらされます。だからこそ、神の意図どおりに受け取られた病は、神のご守護であると言えるのです

In the real world, what are God’s blessings? Many people will believe God’s blessings are happiness and health. But In the Ofudesaki, God calls illness placed as God’s guidance as blessings. Why are they called blessings? If we understand the intention of God in placing illness, we will understand why inconvenience or sufferings God places may be called blessings. 

What are God’s intention in placing illness as guidance? God is showing people their future of suffering if they do not change their behavior. How does God do this? God distinguishes their minds for negative thoughts and places illness according to the amount and kind of negative thoughts. It is these negative thoughts that they will eventually act upon that will create their negative fates that their own soul collects, stores, and eventually manifest as suffering back to them. These illness are blessings because they give these people the time and opportunity to remove their negative thoughts.

How do they remove their negative thoughts? If they understand God’s blessing that they were previously informed about, they come to our places of worship to be healed. We perform the Osazuke and they are healed, and further given God’s truth to purify their minds. When their mind is pure, they are saved. Only health and happiness will appear from their souls. The end result is joy and health from the illness given by God. This is why these illnesses are blessings from God if accepted as intended.

I would like to continue to keep talking about the Osazuke. The Osazuke performed at the wrong time and circumstance may have a negative response to both the people we perform it on and ourselves. For example, what happens if these people do not get well? What happens to our confidence in the Osazuke if people do not get well, even after many visits. We hear excuses that our minds are not pure when we perform this service, or the patient’s mind was not responsive to our teachings. This is why the Osazuke did not work. So my question is when do we perform this special Service, and what besides healing illness is its purpose ? 

Could the Osazuke be an important instrument in spreading God’s teaching to the world? Let me explain. First we have another instrument that God has granted us to spread the teachings. This is the Youki-tsutome. With this prayer we are asking God to sweep away negative thoughts of the people we have informed of the teachings. How does God do this? God places illness as guidance depending on the amount and kind of negative thoughts one has in the mind. These are the thoughts that one will likely act upon that creates the negative fates that the soul collects, stores, and eventually manifest back as suffering when the right opportunity arises. In essence God is showing them their future if they do not remove their negative thoughts. 

What happens when people receive God’s guidance. Some will ignore it and think the illness is worldly common. Others who understand the illness given as guidance will come to our places of worship to heal their illness. This is when the Osazuke is effective. This opportunity also gives us a chance to further inform them of the soul to purify their own minds. We tell them that when the mind is pure, one is saved. Only health and happiness will appear from their soul. Again the Osazuke performed at the right time and circumstance will be effective. It cures the illness placed by God as guidance. It is one of two prayers God has granted us to help spread the teachings to the world. 

Some will say, why did God not create the Osazuke to heal all illness, even existing illness that Church leaders continue to believe it cures. If this was the case, there will be thousands of people coming to our places of worship to be cured daily. But what would be the result? Would these people purify their minds, or will they continue to act on their selfish and evil thoughts when their illness disappeared. Their souls will continue to bring upon suffering, and they will continue to come to receive the Osazuke. This does not result in people understanding the soul and why suffering and joy appear in the world. This is why we must only perform this special Service on people who God has placed illness as guidance.

これは、「ようきづとめ」という言葉に対する、あくまで私個人の解釈です。多くの天理教の人々は、これを「陽気づとめ（陽気ぐらしのおつとめ）」、あるいは英語では Joyous Service と呼んでいます。
しかし言葉を分けて考えてみると、「よう」はご守護、「き」は木（樹）、「つとめ」はおつとめ（奉仕）と捉えることができます。これらを組み合わせると、「ご守護としての導きを、人（木）に与えていただくためのおつとめ」という意味になります。つまり、神に対して、人に導きとして病をお与えいただくことをお願いするおつとめである、という解釈です。

その人がその導きを理解し、癒やしを求めて私たちの礼拝の場へ来られたとき、その人は「ようき」、あるいは「ようぼく」、すなわち神が導きをお置きになった人と呼ばれます。私たちはおさづけを取り次いで癒やし、さらにkokoro (mind) を澄ますために教えを伝えます。そうして、その人は自らの心を澄ますことができるようになります。

繰り返しますが、これはあくまでも私自身の考えです。

This is merely my personal interpretation of the term “Youki-tsutome.” Most Tenrikyo followers refer to this as the Joyous Service. However, if we separate the words, “you” can be understood as blessings, “ki” as tree, and “tsutome” as service. When these are combined, it becomes a Service that asks God to give blessings in the form of guidance to a person, with the tree representing a human being. In other words, it is a Service that asks God to place illness as guidance upon a person.

If the person understands that guidance and comes to our places of worship seeking healing, they are called youki or yoboku—people upon whom God has placed guidance. We heal them through the Osazuke and further teach them the teachings so that they may purify their minds. In this way, they become able to purify their own minds.

Again, this is only my own idea.

God showing us our future. Is this good or bad? 

God has granted us a special prayer. It is a prayer asking God to show the future of others that we have spread God’s teachings to. What does God do when God accepts our prayer? God enters the person, and distinguishes the negative thoughts in his or her mind. It is these thoughts that they will act upon, that creates their negative fates that their soul collects, stores, and eventually manifest back to them as suffering. Depending upon the amount of kind of negative thoughts, God places illness as guidance. In essence God is showing these people their future if they do not remove their negative thoughts.

I would like to talk about the Osazuke, a prayer that God has granted us to save people. Most Tenrikyo people will disagree with me, but the Osazuke does not cure existing illness that is present. Why do I say this? It is from my own experience. My mother often went to administer the Osazuke, but I do not remember any miraculous recovery from illness. When both my parents were ill in the hospital, even the Bishop’s administration of the Osazuke did not cure them. Both died sadly.

If the Ofudesaki does not work on existing illness, when does it work? When Oyasama was physically present, people came to the Residence to ask for healing after they were first introduced to God’s teachings of the soul. I do not believe that Oyasama or her followers went out to cure existing illness. So what are the illnesses that we can cure. It is the illness that God places as guidance that the Osazuke cures. Let me explain further.

How do we spread God’s teachings to other,to the world? God has granted us two precious Services or prayers to do this. The first is the Youki-tsutome. This is a prayer asking God to place illness as guidance to the people we have introduced the soul, and pure mind. The second is the Osazuke which is a prayer asking God to cure the illness that God had placed. This gives us the opportunity to convince the people we have first introduced the teachings about the soul and pure mind. These two prayers are vital in the spreading of the teachings to the world. Presently these two prayers are not understood by church leaders, and this is why God’s teachings are not spreading to the world.

Today is the special anniversary that we celebrate Oyasama. Hopefully Church leaders will understand the instructions in the Ofudesaki to spread the teachings that will save the world. We have two special prayers!

How does God guide people? First we must go out to spread the teachings of the pure mind, soul, and God’s guidance to others. Then we must perform the Youki-tsutome asking God to help us convince these people of the teachings.When God accepts our prayer of the Youki-tsutome, God enters the person, and evaluates the negative thoughts in them, and places illness as guidance depending on the amount and kind of negative thoughts in their minds. It is these thoughts that we will act upon, and create the fate that their soul collects and eventually manifest as suffering. In short, God is showing them their future if they do not remove their negative thoughts.

When these people understand the guidance that appears, they come to our places of worship to be healed by the Osazuke. The Osazuke appears to only cure illness that God places as guidance. It does not cure existing illnesses. God’s teachings are further instructed to the people who come to our places of worship, and they will be able to purify their own minds by themselves. When the mind is pure, only health and happiness will appear from the soul. This is how our teachings are spread to the world.

In summary:

1. we spread God’s teaching to others
2. we pray with the Youki-tsutome
3. God places illness as guidance to these people
4. they come to our places of worship to be healed
5. we perform the Osazuke to heal them and give further instructions.
6. they are able to purify their own minds by themselves
7. when their minds are pure, they are saved.
8. only health and happiness will appear from their soul

神はどのように人々を導くのでしょうか。
まず私たちは、清らかな心と魂、そして神の導きの教えを人々に広めていかなければなりません。
次に、人々がその教えを理解し受け入れられるよう、神にお力添えを願い、陽気づとめを行います。

神が私たちの陽気づとめの祈りをお受け取りになると、神はその人の中に入り、その人の心にある否定的な思いを見極めます。そして、その思いの量や種類に応じて、導きとして病をお与えになります。 人はその思いに基づいて行動し、魂が積み重ねる因縁をつくり、やがてそれが苦しみとして現れます。 つまり神は、否定的な思いを取り除かなければ将来どうなるのかを、その人に示しておられるのです。

この導きを理解した人々は、癒やしを求めて私たちの礼拝所に来られ、おさづけによるお救けを受けます。 おさづけは、神が導きとしてお与えになった病のみを癒やすものであり、もともとある病を治すものではありません。 礼拝所に来た人々には、さらに神の教えが伝えられ、やがて自らの力で心を澄ませることができるようになります。 心が澄めば、魂から現れるのは健康と幸福だけです。 このようにして、私たちの教えは世界へと広がっていきます。

まとめ：

• 私たちは神の教えを広める
• 陽気づとめをもって祈る
• 神は人々に導きとして病をお与えになる
• 人々は癒やしを求めて礼拝所に来る
• 私たちはおさづけを行い、癒やしとさらなる教えを授ける
• 人々は自ら心を澄ませることができるようになる
• 心が澄めば、人は救われる
• 魂から現れるのは、健康と幸福のみである’s Guidance

Spreading the truth:

Thinking about our religion Tenrikyo, it appears that church leaders are encouraging people to visit their churches, and eventually returning to Tenri to thank God. I think it should be in the opposite direction. We should be going out to spread the teachings to the world. It is the same with the Yorozuyo and 12 dances. We are dancing in front of God, and the people who already should know God’s truth. Again we should be going out to spread the teachings that we are dancing about. Your thoughts?