Tenrikyo Ofudesaki - Preparing the mind for Honest and Sincere Study

There are some important considerations to settle at the outset.

The Ofudesaki poems are presented as a conversation between  members of the same family. The poems assume that the parent of the family is speaking to the "children" about the current state and truth of their minds and the effect that that condition is having on the state and truth of their world. Specifically the effect it is having on their satisfaction with their own self and the world.

The goal of the conversation is to reveal to all of the "children"  the knowledge of the true identity of their parent as well as the original intention of their parent in beginning the human family.

 The knowledge and intention of our original parent is currently absent from the knowledge and intention of the "children", and that lack of that understanding is unintentionally draining the intended joy from the human experience of the world.

The Ofudesaki Poems then, show a model of parental  love and depict in conversation, the clear contrast between two entirely different intentions and ways of knowing and experiencing the world. The poems Model quick and easy ways for anyone, anywhere at any time, to replace their dissatisfied mind and move forward with living joyously in the free and unlimited workings that make this marvelous world paradise appear.

The Ofudesaki Poems can be studied in their original language, Japanese, or in translation as prose. This page relies on the most current English translations of the Poems into prose. There are strengths and weaknesses involved in the use of both written mediums. Those strengths and weaknesses are addressed in more detail in http://www.tenrikyo-ofudesaki.org/Tenrikyo Ofudesaki Table_Of-Contents_Section_I

Both the Ofudesaki Poems and their translations use Metaphors as the means for the transmission of the instructions for quickly awakening our mind to the intended joyous life. It is of the utmost importance then, that the sincere student have a firm grounding and understanding of what a metaphor is and why they are used in poetry. checking My Vocabulary Metaphor Although there are metaphors that can point the way to the truth of Origin, there are no human words or thoughts that can be used to truly describe it. The human mind is built for looking out into the world and cannot imagine its own origin but it can return to it. Failure to settle the meaning and use of metaphors pretty much quarantines that the instructions for returning the mind to its origin will be misunderstood and taken to be understood as worldly common thoughts, objects, ideas and the like. We should not be discouraged in that respect as an honest and close examination of our misunderstanding will lead to our eventual understanding. The speed in which that happens depends entirely upon our sincerity and even that can be strengthened in good time.

There are generally three reasons for pursuing this teaching:

First is dissatisfaction with our current experience of life. Most commonly that dissatisfaction was and continues to be related to the experience of illness and trouble:

The second is dissatisfaction with the state of one's knowledge. The strong human desire to find answers to questions and know the truth and original cause of all things.

Third is the student's intention to act as a willing instrument in the work of recreating the human mind and world by studying the Model shown in the Ofudesaki Poems so that they can be put to use in our own time and place.

In order to guide and clear our path to understanding; throughout the Poems, the current fundamental point of view of the "children" is described by words such as shallow, ordinary, common, selfish, in denial, fearful, knowing nothing and worldly. We need not take offense at this as they are intended to honestly, as an expression of parental love. help us to quickly calm and determine our mind and be able to awaken to the discovery and revelation of our deepest, true and original self.

The challenge for the sincere student then, is to be able to separate and sort out the two completely different points of view that are presented in the Poems. They are the original point of view of our "mind like clear water" our "innermost heart" as it is clearly distinguished from our ordinary worldly common thoughts and truths. Once those two completely different intentions are identified, and separated, the sincere student is hastened to think deeply about the implications of those two points of view (one constant and the other changeable) for their own free life path and happiness.