Tenrikyo Dynamic Mission - ILLNESS ("YAMAI ") - DISORDER ("SAWARI") - EVIL ("AKU"), ("ASHIKI")
The teaching of the Tenrikyo Dynamic mission as regards the unwanted evils of illness, disorders of the body and trouble is very important as it is in just such circumstances that we are most open to finding a way to produce a quick and immediate change in our situation.
In
the teaching that is the Tenrikyo Dynamic Mission the
way in which the topic of illness, disorders of the body and trouble is
understood depends entirely upon our point of view. The teaching that
originates in the parental mind of all human beings presents
and entertains a discussion of the topic of evils - their causes and cures - from
two completely different and contrasting points of view.
When we ponder the poems collected as "The Tip of the Writing Brush" (Ofudesaki) we see that requests to quickly heal illness, grant protections or remove perceived evils predominate in the conversations between parent and child. Those conversations can poetically be described as talks taking place in the "muddy waters". In those conversations the point of view of a child - the ordinary worldly common point of view of a human mind that is full of reasonable self-centered truths and desires - is metaphorically represented as "muddy water". It is because of the "muddy water" that the cure, free and unlimited workings or salvation that is offered as the original truth and cause of all things in detail cannot be clearly seen, realized or enjoyed. On the other hand the original parental mind of God is represented as the state of mind that remains when the ordinary truths of the self-centered imagination are allowed to quickly settle, leaving only the original point of view of the mind of God. Metaphorically the "mind like clear water", the mind of "single-hearted salvation", the mind through which the original true cause of any and everything in detail can be clearly known, realized, understood and enjoyed.
high mountains, yet at its spout, it is mixed with mud.
When you calm your mind step by step and ponder,
it will change into clear water.
I shall go into the water in the mountains and make it clear,
whatever kind of water it may be.
You who are devoting yourselves day after day,
settle the heart. Then a promising future will be yours.
Fundamentally, nothing has changed in the human experience since the time that the "Ofudesaki" poems were written and it is still the case that we would all like to benefit from ways to cure illness, insure prosperity, guarantee safe child birth, enjoy harmonious family life, as well as good crop yields and protection from dangerous weather, tsunamis, earthquakes and an end the seemingly endless warfare that plagues our species. All of those self centered concerns and many more naturally play a significant role in the expectations of people who interact with the teaching of the truth of origin and the way in which we hear and understand the intention of the parent child relationship that is taught and nurtured by the original parent of all human beings equally. Those same self centered concerns and expectations that were foremost in the minds of those who heard the teaching of single-hearted salvation at its foundation are still very much with us today. For anyone who would like to know and understand the original cause of all things, God's free and unlimited workings it is crucial then that we be able to distinguish between the self-centered worldly common point of view of the children and the point of view of our parent of origin, which is the point of view of single-hearted salvation.
In this treatment of the topic of evils and their avoidance, removal and cure I will start with brief comments on why we as a species have developed reasonable self centered worldly common truths of the world to deal with and understand the causes of evil, its avoidance, removal and cures. Then I will move on with a brief discussion of how some of those self centered truths of the world became fundamental and principle truths for the civilization that I was raised in and finally how those fundamental and principle truths ended up as the personal worldly common truths of my individual self-centered imagination. The topic will then close with a contrasting discussion of the truths that flow from pondering the topic of illness, bodily disorders, trouble and evil in general as understood and taught from God's point of view, which of course includes exploring and hastening the means for knowing and understanding God's point of view through the "mind like clear water" and the sure, quick proof that is single-hearted salvation.
Though
all human beings are born with a fresh clean consciousness ("mune", heart)
over time we develop a powerful self-centered imagination that is capable of
creating and accumulating self-centered worldly common truths that tend to push down on and depress or cover
over
that original conscious heart and in so doing alter our day to day, moment to moment view of the world. By now it should be
apparent to us that some human self-centered imaginations are more powerful
and creative than others. When we go to movies, art galleries, political
rallies, watch TV, attend school, participate in religious rituals or
attend sporting events work or play on our computers we are almost always enjoying the fruits of human
imaginations and creativity that surpass our own.
At the very earliest time of the emergence of human culture the questions of "why" and "how" as they related to the removal or warding off of evil were answered by powerful imaginations that were able to satisfy, educate, inform or capture the imaginations of others. Although over time the names of the supernatural causes and agents of both evil and its opposite good have changed, the fundamental understanding that there are supernatural causes of both good and evil has remained remarkably unchanged. In terms of causality, the entwined truths of the physical and supernatural causes of both good and evil are among the most widely held worldly common truths of the world ("sekai no ri"). Though undergoing some cosmetic changes through time those worldly common truths of the world have consistently and effectively served to educate, satisfy and inform the understanding of most human self centered imaginations in all times and all places.
There is not mind the same as another.
Even between parent and child, husband and wife, and
brothers and sisters: their minds all differ from one another.
Because
no two human minds are exactly the same the worldly common truths and the
principles that they give rise to tend to accumulate in slightly different
ways. For each of us those worldly common truths accumulate and work
in the gradual creation of a unique self image; by definition, who we
imagine ourselves to be. Because of the unique differences in
self-centered imaginations and self images, worldly common truths of the
world concerning the causes of evil and cures of illness, and disorders of
the body are constantly undergoing change, though in some
imaginations at a quicker pace than in others. Sometimes the changes in true
ideas concerned with causes and cures of illness and disorders of the
body are gradual and evolve from generation to generation and sometimes
they are very rapid, either modifying or sweeping away mountains of worldly common truths at one
go. At this stage in the evolution of our species true ideas concerning the
causes of illness and trouble continue to be a mixture of traditional
supernatural truths of the world and critical scientific truths of the world. Because of
the constantly changing nature of our worldly common truths it is no wonder
that many human beings continue to search for a quick, clear and sure proof
of the true causes and cures for the evils that steal the joy from their life.
Page 2: Evil Has Always Been With Us