Tenrikyo - The Reason of Heaven

This universe is the body of God.

Ponder this in all matters.

The four closing verses of Book X completely summarize and clearly show the entire intention of Moonsun, the Parent of origin.

 X: 101-104 

When Tsukihi begins the workings,

However strongly a person may oppose Me, 

We are here, once again referring to the “upper people” and they are as we discussed previously, either the authorities attempting to suppress the path, the worldly common reading, or all of us children when viewed from the depth of the point of view of the origin.

Assuming that this “opposition” may refer to myself as an “upper person”, a “pond in the high mountains”, there is then a confrontation and opposition that I have become keenly aware of and would like to mention. It is a confrontation in my own mind. I have come to view this confrontation and my opposition of the intention of the Parent of origin as a natural and regrettable struggle between my self-centered imagination (the child) and the original one, (Moonsun, the Parent of Origin) ever present as my heart and the very core of my being.  The situation is a familiar one in parent child relationships. Because of a lack of maturity and understanding of the Parent’s intention, the child (my self-centered imagination) is being difficult, stubborn and obstinate. Understanding the circumstances, the Parent will do whatever is needed to comfort and provide for its child but to satisfy the demands of the child on the child’s terms is not possible. Eventually the child will have to settle down and mature. The child’s point of view, though it can be insisted upon for a long time, ultimately cannot prevail because of its impossible and unreasonable demands and assumptions. 

He will truly understand and be purified in mind,

and will lean on the Parent in all matters.

 There are, I think, two uses of “understand” to be considered here. First is the understanding that the purification of the mind is what is necessary for single hearted salvation and second is the understanding that is in fact the state of leaning on the Parent in all matters. Take a moment and peek up at the Verse that heads this page. At first that pondering requires the effort of remembering to ponder. When that effort becomes natural and the truth of it becomes natural and understood, that then is the replacement of the mind with an entirely new foundation. That is single hearted salvation.

 Hereafter, I shall set out

to make the whole world brim with Joy.

 The Parent of origin is at work in the world with the intention of  bringing world salvation and the joyous life that flows from single-hearted salvation to all human being equally. 

Take each course of this path as your own matter and ponder.

 For each of us, this is an intimate matter between our own self centered imagination and the Parent of Origin. For those who would be Moonsun’s instruments the challenge is to learn how to convince others to awaken to the intimacy of the Parent as it relates to them and in so doing teach the purification of the mind, as the Parent of origin has shown it, in ways appropriate for the time, the place and maturity of those would wish to listen, learn and understand.

So for each of us the purification of the mind is of prime importance and is a matter between our self and our parent of origin. For those who would be instruments of world salvation, it is a matter of understanding the model of parental love that is shown in the model life.

 If perhaps we are not sure what to ponder over then we can of course ponder over the truth expressed in the verse at the head of this page anytime and in fact in all matters.