Tenrikyo Dynamic Mission WORLDLY COMMON

Tenrikyo Dynamic Mission - WORLDLY COMMON - TRUTHS OF THE WORLD - Pg. 8 "A Thing Lent"

Everything in this universe is all by Moonsun.
All human bodies are things lent by Moonsun.

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

Furthermore, the instruments you use daily
are all things lent by Moonsun.

As we go about our day to day activities our thoughts and actions are centered on the deep fundamental understanding that our body is ours and that we are our body. It is common to assume that the total identity of a human being is a body and mind existing separately from all other bodies, minds and things in the world. It is that deep understanding that is the subject of all of our everyday worldly common thinking and the truths of our world that flow from that everyday self centered thinking. In poetic terms the fundamental principle and basic understanding of our separate existence is "the central pillar of Kara".

The point of view of "Kara" - lacking the knowledge and understanding of the truth of origin - is our natural point of view and is a really marvelous evolution for our human species. Unfortunately, our human self centered imaginations have created numerous worldly common truths that have had some serious unintended consequences. Those unintended consequences can be group together as "evils" ("Ashiki"), that is worldly common thoughts and truths that steal the joy from our lives or the lives of others.

The central pillar of the high mountains is that of Kara.
This is the prime cause of the anger of God.

The idea of letting go of one's bodily ownership and identity is for many of us frightening, confusing and uninteresting:

It is frightening because it raises the fear of self annihilation or depending upon our programing, messing with already established true gods and spirits who can both reward and punish and that sounds potentially dangerous or even evil.

Day after day, the concern of the Parent
is only about the means to save you.

Unaware of this, everyone in the world
thinks that I am intending something evil.

It is confusing because of our tendency to convert everything that we hear and see into worldly common truths of the world and no matter how hard we try we cannot make our worldly common truths realize the truth of our origin and for that reason it makes doing so seem to be an impossible task.

Though Moonsun desires to show proof quickly
against illness, death, and weakening.

All of you everywhere doubt Me
and take My words as being worldly common.

If your sincerity does not accord with the mind of God,
in vain is devotion, however great it may be.

It is uninteresting because our ordinary way of thinking is focused on things already visible - our worldly common thoughts, knowledge and self centered desires - and in most cases we are not interested in turning our attention away from already settled truths of the world and our self centered expectations even for a second. What fun or use is a world that cannot be experienced by a separate and individual body and mind?

I shall begin to tell you about whatever things step by step,
but never about things already visible.

Those three worldly common obstacles were, in my own case, fundamental to my misunderstanding of the intention and means for understanding my body as a thing borrowed a thing lent. That they came so easily to mind is a reminder to me that at one time or another I subscribed to and argued in defense of each of those three positions. In fact they easily come to mind because they are totally reasonable and work easily and clearly when pondered from the point of view of reasoning that has at its foundation the understanding that I have a totally separate human mind that is based in a a totally separate human body and that I live in a world of totally separate objects. That is to say that they are reasonable from the point of view of the pillar of "Kara". As I mentioned earlier, as a child I was taught the truth that my body is a thing borrowed from God and I was also taught a number of moral and ethical truths that flowed from the imaginations of the people in authority who had interpreted and created those moral and ethical truths.

Please do not speak about things in the past.
I shall begin on the twenty-sixth day.

From now on, I shall make the minds of the world spirited
and prepare to settle "Nihon".

I was not raised in a culture that told time by the phases of the Moon but I suspect that the twenty-sixth day in poetic terms refers to either a new or a full Moon. In either case poetically indicating a new beginning, a clean slate or a fresh start for the human imagination - the Moon being a metaphor for our self centered imaginations - full of self centered truths and changes as they are while imagining that it shines by its own separate light.

The point of view of "Nihon" is the point of view of single heartedness with God whose is body is the universe and who's mind is the original cause of all things. Single heartedness is the point of view that is intended to be revealed at the core of all of the minds of the world equally. The point of view of "Nihon" then is what remains when the point of view of "Kara" is removed. When viewed as competing first principles the intention of the teaching is to hasten the replacement of the "pillar of Kara" - totally self centered thinking as our first principle - with the pillar of "Nihon" - self centered thinking that has been enhanced and made free by the knowledge and understanding of God'smind and body - as our first principle.

Knowing nothing, those in high places obey those of Kara.
how pitiful are such minds.

Day after day, the mind of God impatiently awaits
those of Kara to replace their minds entirely.

Poetically, the intended replacement pillar is called the "Kanrodai". Setting up the metaphoric "Kanrodai" is then the goal of this teaching. Doing so is the proof that the self-centered imagination has returned to, knows and understands the truth of its origin, the one truth that exists at the core of every human mind. A now awakened new and fresh self-centered imagination upon rising back up into the visible world is enhanced by reasoning from the point of view of the free and unlimited workings that flow from the knowledge and understanding of the original cause of all things in detail. Miki Nakayama's awakening as the shrine of Moonsun is the principle example of this in the Tenrikyo Dynamic.

Tenrikyo followers trace this out on their bodies eighteen times a day -"Ashki o harote tasuke sekikomu ichiretsu sumashite Kanrodai" ( Sweeping away evils, hasten to save us. All humankind equally purified, the Kanrodai ) - check it out, when the minds of the world are made pure and self centered imaginations settle back into and become single hearted with their true origin - which is God's mind - the truth of origin can be known and understood by the new self centered imagination as it rises back up into the visible world.

When the settled self centered imagination again rises up from its origin into the visible world the "Kanrodai", the point of view, whose foundation is the knowledge and understanding of the truth of origin, the mind of God, can metaphorically and graphically be set up with its base secured on the absolutely stable foundation and unchanging first principle of original consciousness while its top projects out into the visible world through the senses as a new and enhanced self centered imagination working freely and without limitation. Metaphorically the "food of heaven" ("jikimotsu"). Each new worldly common thought and truth of the world being instantly compared with "the Kanrodai firmly settled in the mind like clear water", God's mind, the mind that finds joy in all life and then brought into the world.

A word about instant comparison. When comparison with the original mind of God is carried out effortlessly and naturally it is called understanding. When it is carried out as a result of effort it is called work or service "tsutome". Work or service that is totally sincere in its willingness to let go or cut with worldly common thinking and truths of the world quickly leads to understanding. The goal then is not to live without a self centered imagination. The goal is to have a self centered imagination that in all matters is continuously empowered and informed by the knowledge and understanding of its original consciousness, the mind of God, the truth of its origin.

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

The poem above is interesting not only because it is the closest one can come to putting God's point of view into worldly common language but perhaps more importantly, when practiced sincerely in all matters as instructed, it is also a very rapid means of settling single heartedness with the mind of God. When the comparison is not made, either the self centered imagination has remained settled in understanding its origin and no comparison is necessary or the self centered imagination has returned to its muddy worldly common state and the work of clearing it has to start again. The final "Besseki Lecture" addresses this problem. In brief it can be described as worldly common expectations going into the administration of the power of the origin ("Sazuke") and worldly common expectations again taking hold again after rising back up into the world without ever comparing the worldly common expectations with the truth of origin as it is shown to the "mind like clear water".

Ponder this: no matter how clear the water may be,
if you put mud into it, it will become turbid.

We have talked about the body as a thing borrowed and the fact that as concerns this teaching there have been worldly common truths already in existence in human minds throughout the world in all ages; so how are we to distinguish which truth is the one truth for all human beings in all times and in all places from worldly common truths that are constantly changing and in flux? Viewed in poetic terms the question would be how can I distinguish between "Nihon" the truth of origin, the mind of God) and "Kara" my worldly common thoughts and truths of the world ?

This brings up an interesting feature of the teaching and the Tenrikyo Dynamic, it is not unusual to talk about the human body as a thing borrowed. In fact it is a worldly common topic. What is really special and interesting is the promise to help each and every person in the world realize, know and understand the actual real and true lender of the body and all else that we use daily. That is, we are promised that we can quickly return our mind and as a result our body to its manufacturer, the mind of God and reap the benefits of single hearted salvation that flow from the return. Further it is not just a promise that is made but also a proof that is offered.

This time, I am preparing to clear up your innermost heart.
This is the first matter.

Unless you mind is turned toward Moonsun,
any talk will be to no avail.

Everything that has been done is all by Moonsun,
but there is perhaps no one who knows this.

Today, there will be no time even to look aside.
I shall show you the proof quickly.

Not everybody wants to talk about poems and metaphors or even of God and truth but every single human being that is conscious has a self image and desires to be happy and satisfied. Talk of Gods and truths are worldly common and have yielded worldly common truths through out all ages and places. The quick proof of the original cause of all things is given to the self centered imagination that finds a way to turn itself off and then back on again so that it can compare the original state of their mind with the imagined state of their mind. In the Tenrikyo Dynamic this is called receiving the truth of the power of the origin through single heartedness, ("Sazuke").

This time, by all means, I must have you know
the mind of your true Parent.

If only you have understood it clearly,
your life will be filled with joy forever.