GENERAL BACKGROUND ON SOME WORLDLY COMMON TRUTHS

The subject of "causality", why things happen and the effects that flow from things that  happen (cause and effect), has been a major preoccupation of human minds for as long as there has been recorded human history and undoubtedly even long before that. That should not be surprising as it is the power of the human imagination to identify and exploit causes and effects that has landed the human species in the position of  top predator on the planet. It is also that same power that now makes human beings a threat to both themselves and others. That is to say that the power that once insured survival and dominance in the infancy of the species is now the power that threatens the very survival of the species. 

Parents of young children are very aware of our propensity to ask "why?" just as soon as we are able to speak. The answers that we give to our children often contain the accumulated wisdom of our family or tribe and are intended to strengthen the bonds of family and tribe and to enhance the ability of our children and our family to survive. For each of the basic survival skills of a family or tribe there exist children's stories that explain the proper method of dealing with a problem. How to find food and water, where to find shelter, how to make fire, what food to gather, what and how to hunt, what to plant and when, when to reap, when and who to fight, how to find a mate and start a family etc.. For each of what were thought to be essential human activities children's stories were told to pass along the wisdom and experience of the family or tribe.

When making up a children's story it was easiest to give the main characters, (be they animal, vegetable , mineral or even invisible forces) names and identities resembling human characteristics but vastly older and much more powerful than the ordinary human. That is to say "super natural" or beyond natural.  Of course questions would come up and such imaginary characters would need a place to live and so names for otherworldly locations also had to be provided. When we look all over the world and through all times we find that the questions who am I, where did I come from and where am I going have been answered in a variety of ways and mostly, at the foundations of human cultures, they are answered through children's stories. In time those stories were hardened into natural truths in the imaginations of the people who were taught them.

That gods are the original cause of all things has been in the human record for as long as there has been recorded human history. As more and more groups of people came in contact with each other the number of gods, their names and attributes that were known to humans have multiplied. Across time and in different places among the gods and spirits that occupied the minds of human beings generally one god was elevated and held to be chief and superior to all of the others. In cultures and civilizations where an effort has been made to establish monotheism, that is the belief in one god as the only god, all of the other gods have been demoted so to speak to the rank of instruments emanating from and in the employ of the one god. Then by way of explaining the cause of things that did not go as prayed for or would have liked we have been taught that such evils were the work of random spirits, gods, agents of evil or instruments in rebellion against the one god. 

When faced with the evils of illness or troubles it is common in the world to turn to a higher power and offer prayers or sacrifices for divine relief or intercession on our behalf. Sometimes our prayers are directed to the chief god and at other times we might turn to other gods or instruments who's powers and attributes are more in line with our temperament or are specific to our problem.  Then again sometimes we turn to ritual magic or oracles as a way to get relief for our suffering and to find our way ahead. Believing and doing so has been popular for millennia and common worldly techniques exist for making us feel better about a situation or circumstance that we are dissatisfied with or to show gratitude for a situation that has turned out the way we had hoped and prayer for. Taken together those truths and the practices that flow from them comprise an enormous body of worldly common knowledge that has accumulated in the human record since the dawn of the human species.

For those of us who would like to intentionally learn of the original cause of all things we are faced with a confrontation that will take place within our own mind. Our parent of origin is asking us to determine our minds to briefly turn away from all of the accumulated worldly common knowledge that we are clinging to and have come to depend upon. Though all of those accumulated truths and the knowledge that flows from them have been taught by our parent of origin, for anyone who would intentionally walk the path of single-hearted salvation, they are now at this stage in our journey, just in the way. Awakening to the original cause of all things as it exists at the core of our mind is entirely new for us. For the completion of the work at hand the old way of looking at things no longer applies.  

Step by step, I shall tell you things
unknown since the beginning of this world.

This salvation is not brought about by formulas of worship,
or by exorcism, or by calling on oracles.

Never think in the least that curses, demons,
or evil spirits exist in this world.

Until now, people have worshiped
and prayed to a great many gods.

It seems to me that this request to let go of all of our common worldly past experience is more than a little scary, seems unreasonable and is something few of us would want to do. There are however people who for whatever reason want to test the truth of origin. The faith to let go and test the existence of the original cause at the core of our own mind is called true sincerity. There is nothing to fear in doing this. In fact since all human beings have an original relationship with the original cause of all things merging with the original cause is like going back to our manufacturer for a  free upgrade and tune-up. Returning our mind to its original pristine condition does not require any outward change or action on our part. The test is entirely carried out within our own mind its successful completion requires only our steady determination and resolve to return.

It is perhaps helpful to keep in mind that returning the mind to its origin and exposing its original cause at its core in no way interferes with our ability to use our imagination freely when it again rises back up from the core. This is why intention is so important. It is possible to become single-hearted with God by sincerely intending something else. When we look at Miki Nakayama's model story that is what we see happening. Intending magic Miki truly cleared her mind when she was told to do so. When She returned to the world She was able to clearly distinguish between the truth of origin and the imagined truths that were causing the Nakayama family to suffer.

In our own story it is possible to intend something else and truly clear our mind for a moment but when our imagination rises up again we may miss the importance of the original cause of all and express disappointment because our original intention, for magic or miracles for instance, was not realized. There is a great advantage then in intentionally calming and settling our imagination so that it settles in its original condition and then in intentionally pondering that condition and the ability to distinguish between the original cause and the imagined causes as a new foundation for our self-centered imaginings as they go back out to explore and enjoy the world. 

For those who have received the truth of origin (Sazuke) recall that moment in all matters and ponder the reasoning that flows from being one with the mind of God the original cause of any and everything and like our parent of origin use that knowledge and understanding to distinguish between the original and the imaginary in all matters.