Tenrikyo Dynamic Mission  - SINCERITY

How is that possible?

By this salvation given in accordance with the mind of sincerity,
you shall be freed from illness, death and weakening.

When I have discerned your mind of sincerity,
know that I shall provide any protection.

According to your mind of sincerity,
I deny My protection to no one, whoever you may be.

If God accepts your mind of sincerity,
I shall work freely and unlimitedly in any matter.

Whatever I may work, I shall work all things
according to your mind of sincerity.

By all means, Tsukihi will complete this path,
holding fast to the mind of sincerity.

Whatever may happen, there will be nothing to fear,
depending on your mind of sincerity.

The teaching as concerns "sincerity" applies to two states of mind. One common and one not common.  The first state, the uncommon state of mind that is hastened and intended to be realized through the teaching, is the mind of "true sincerity". It is that state that is the quick, direct path to single-heatedness with the mind of God, the truth of origin, the original cause of all things. It is the state of mind that can only be known and understood through the totally settled and purified "mind like clear water".  That truly sincere state of mind is often referred to as a mind of single-hearted sincerity. True sincerity implies intentionally letting go of all shallow, worldly common and common worldly thoughts thus allowing  our self-centered imagination to melt back into the original parental heart that is its true origin.

In the "Model Story" ("Hinagata") of Miki Nakayama's awakening and the replacement of her mind we see her true sincerity in the way that she followed the instruction, given to any  person who would act as a medium, to intentionally empty her mind. She truly and sincerely complied with the instruction and because of Her true sincerity She became one with the truth of origin. Her worldly common mind having been replaced by the original mind of God, the one truth that exists at the core of all human minds equally.

About magical rites; do not wonder who is making them effective.
They are worked by God, who began this world.

Do not think that incantations or magical arts are great.
The mind's sincerity is the true art.

We also know from Miki Nakayama's model story that she very much believed that incantations and magical arts were great and indeed it was during the course of just such an incantation that She awakened. We can easily assume that her contemporaries in the village and surrounding areas also believed that incantations and magical arts were great too. That is to say that incantations and magical arts and the truths that flowed from those widely held principles were common in her world. In the teaching of our parent of origin such truths and principles and the truths that reasonably flowed from them we revealed to be non-existent truths that God had taught and made effective in the early "twig part" of the human species.

To any observer or person on hearing of Her remarkable transformation and powers it is reasonable to assume that since they could see things with their own eyes the teachings of God the parent were taken to be modifications of what God our parent referred to as worldly common ("Sekai nami") and common worldly ("Sekai no ri") truths that they were already familiar with.

Never think this path is worldly common.
It is the beginning of the Divine Record for eternity.

We know from God our parent's tireless effort to open just a narrow path of single-hearted salvation that almost everyone did not in fact understand Her intention and instead continued to sincerely try to understand Her intention in shallow worldly common and common worldly ways. That situation brings us to the second use of the word "sincerity" as it applies to people who sincerely wanted to understand but who could not get past their shallow worldly common and common worldly interpretations of God our parent's intention and teaching.


"Sah, sah, the time is fully ripe and pressing.  I have already told you everything but you have not understood at all. No matter how much I explain, there is no one who understands. This is my regret. You must reflect deeply on the life of doubt which you lead. "
Jan 4, 1887

"Sah, sah, where there is sincerity, you shall receive sincerity. You may not know what My sincerity is. It is My providence - Fire, water, and wind."

"Sah, sah, you are to purchase My sincerity. Purchase My sincerity with your own sincerity."
January 13, 1887

"Sah, sah, we have discussed thoroughly, thoroughly. For the first time since this residence began, we have discussed thoroughly. I have accepted your sincerity fully." January 24, 1887

..."On the request, 'May we proceed with the worldly matters?' ": "It will not do, will not do, will not do." February 17, 1887

This situation leads us to the second use of "sincerity". That is the sincerity of those who wanted to know the truth of origin and tried to understand but who were sincerely unable to ponder deeply and break out of shallow, worldly common thinking as concerned their understanding of the truth of their origin.

From the point of view of God our parent's truly sincere mind the condition of our minds requires God's tireless effort to enter into the mud of our human minds and make them clear. From the point of view of our sincerity this is the determination to work at clearing the mud, dust and debris from our mind, making it like clear water. This work or service is the step by step process of turning our worldly common sincerity into true sincerity so that we can know and understand the mind of God, the original cause of all things. Of course if we sincerely choose to rely on common worldly and worldly common thinking that work or service can take a very long time to be completed.

As it turns out the path of single-hearted salvation is very tricky because God has no other place to start the path of single-hearted sincerity than within the mud of our minds. That means that to a degree God has to tentatively speak of and entertain mud, dust and debris in order to talk to us and to hold our sincere interest. There is however never a time in the teaching where God accepts worldly common minds as truly sincere minds and so though there are many paths in the mud of our minds there is still only one path to single-heartedness and that is the true sincerity that reveals the one truth of origin, the original cause of all things at the core of each and every human mind. These days as we gain more familiarity with the way our mind works we can speak of the origin as the consciousness that our self-centered imaginations rise up are reflected in. 

This fertilizer: do not wonder what is effective.
The mind's true sincerity is its effectiveness.

Do not wonder why the fertilizer is effective.
If only God accepts your mind...

A sincere mind that clings to the truths of the world and worldly common interpretations understandably automatically assumes that the teaching of the truth of origin "like most traditional beliefs, is the kind of faith that focuses on praying for divine favors to personal advantages or notions that Oyasama's teachings emanated from a human mind  ".* A mind that is so bound to shallow worldly common thinking is unable to give itself over to true sincerity and single-heatedness with God. That sincere misunderstanding will continue to be the biggest obstacle to single-hearted salvation unless it is given up by turning the mind inward and leaning entirely on the mind of God, our original consciousness, the place where our thoughts rise up from and the place where we as human beings are made. 

Though God has been speaking the truth until now,
even those within only have doubts.

Now today, whoever you may be,
I shall clearly reveal your true innermost heart.

By truly and sincerely determining our mind to let go of worldly common and common worldly thinking, resolving to turn inward and settle into the parental heart, our original, true innermost heart, we can complete the service now, today and pondering deeply on that one truth become instrumental in the recreation of a world of joyous life for ourselves and all human beings equally. Of course this is a matter of priority and in general our priorities are focused on the out turned mind and the things that we can see with our own eyes and not on the sole priority of the in-turned mind to reveal  the origin of all that is experienced as the world of the out-turned mind.

All that I can think or ever know is made possible because the original parental consciousness exists. My thoughts rise out of that original consciousness and are accumulated as my self-image, as who I imagine myself to be. If that original consciousness is the parent then my self centered ideas of a separate self is the child. To prove this one need only quiet all thought and be what remains. This is called determining to resolve the Heart to be one's primary concern.  It can be done very quickly if we truly sincerely want to do it.

As an exercise to make clear the distinction between single-hearted true sincerity and worldly common sincerity ponder the choice and decision to turn inward, leaning entirely on the original parental mind, settling all thoughts and doubts, allowing the true innermost heart to be revealed now as opposed to perhaps putting off allowing our true innermost heart to be revealed at a later time when we have the time to get to it. 

Words of Flattery are unwanted.
If only there is sincerity in the core of your mind...

This universe is the body of God.
Ponder tis in all matters.

All human beings are things lent by God.
With what thought are you using them?




 
*A Glossary of Tenrikyo Terms, pg. 478

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